Business Models for the Sustainable Implemantation of E-Learning at Universities

This article indicates how business model approaches can be used in the university segment. To this end, the business model concept is initially explained and a frame of reference is introduced then aligned to the various organisational levels of universities. Further, the core questions regarding product/market combinations, the value generation chain, competitors and cooperation partners, as well as those regarding funding and income models for the university level as a whole are specified and illustrated. The interaction of the various elements concerned is illustrated by an example based on the frame of reference introduced. Moreover, systematisation in the sense of exploratory theory formation serves the identification of further research issues. The article ends with reflections concerning the limits of an economic perspective for the university context.