Business model performance : paving the road for comparable data on business models

Since the millennium, 14 of the 19 entrants into the Fortune 500 owe their success to business model innovations that either transformed existing industries or created new ones (Christensen & Johnson, 2009). Today, and with a good reason, the concept of business models are discussed like never before, while both researchers and practitioners hold the believe that mastering this aspect give way for effective competitive advantages. In line with Fielt (2011), we argue however that business models will never advance from concept to actual theory, while definitions and frameworks will remain "early stage" without any feed from more comprehensive and saturated empirical data. Through this research we attempt to close the gap of missing available quantitative data on business models, in order to advance from concept to theory and thereby best-pratice.