Analyzing National Electronic Theses and Dissertations programs from business model perspective. Cross-case analysis
| Published date | 09 April 2018 |
| Date | 09 April 2018 |
| Pages | 250-267 |
| DOI | https://doi.org/10.1108/OIR-08-2016-0223 |
| Author | Behrooz Rasuli,Mehdi Alipour-Hafezi,Sam Solaimani |
| Subject Matter | Library & information science,Information behaviour & retrieval,Collection building & management,Bibliometrics,Databases,Information & knowledge management,Information & communications technology,Internet,Records management & preservation,Document management |
Analyzing National Electronic
Theses and Dissertations
programs from business
model perspective
Cross-case analysis
Behrooz Rasuli
Iranian Research Institute for Information Science and Technology (IranDoc),
Tehran, Iran
Mehdi Alipour-Hafezi
Allameh Tabataba’i University, Tehran, Iran, and
Sam Solaimani
Center for Marketing and Supply Chain Management,
Nyenrode Business University, Breukelen, The Netherlands
Abstract
Purpose –Implementing and maintaining Electronic Theses and Dissertations (ETDs) programat a national
level encounters numerous difficulties in particular from technical, legal, business, and financial perspective.
Business model (BM) is a tool to help to address business-driven challenges, such as business feasibility and
viability, as one of the important aspects. The purpose of this paper is to analyze the BM practiced by
different national Electronic Theses and Dissertations (NETDs) cases.
Design/methodology/approach –BM of seven NETDs programs have been studied through an online
questionnaire; besides, programs’websites were observed and related documents were examined. Business
model canvas (BMC) was used to describe the business rationale behind the selected cases.
Findings –Most of theNETDs programs lack a documentedBM. The main value of theseprograms is sharing
ETDs which is offered to academics through online channels; skillful staff and proper hardware/software
are their main resources to do so. Furthermore, their key activities are developing hardware/software and
negotiatingwith ETDs owners as their key partners.All these activities required huge costwhich is generally
covered by public funding.
Originality/value –This study pioneers in applying BM concept into field of NETDs. Therefore, the major
contribution of this study is to provide an analysis of NETDs programs’BM through BMC. Furthermore, the
paper provides recommendations on how ETDs could be implemented in a cost effective, sustainable, and
viable way.
Keywords Electronic Theses and Dissertations, Information management, Business model (BM),
Business model canvas (BMC), National ETDs programmes
Paper type Research paper
1. Introduction
Information and knowledge is considered as sources of wealth and progress (Lin and
Edvinsson, 2010). Students’theses and dissertations (TDs) can be considered as one type of
information and knowledge asset (Schaaper, 2014) that has a significant impact on scientific
developments (Larivière et al., 2007). By means of information and communication
technologies (ICTs), these resources now can be managed through Electronic Theses and
Dissertations (ETDs) programs. According to Ferreras-Fernández et al. (2016), ETDs are an
effective channel to increase TDs’visibility and usage.
Traditionally, TDs were published on paper and were disseminated through libraries.
According to Bornet (1953), Microfilm was recognized as a more powerful technology to
Online Information Review
Vol. 42 No. 2, 2018
pp. 250-267
© Emerald PublishingLimited
1468-4527
DOI 10.1108/OIR-08-2016-0223
Received 20 August 2016
Revised 13 June 2017
Accepted 15 June 2017
The current issue and full text archive of this journal is available on Emerald Insight at:
www.emeraldinsight.com/1468-4527.htm
250
OIR
42,2
reproduce TDs than print. In subsequent years, a new ETDs paradigm mainly driven by
technology has emerged to address challenges of preservation and dissemination of TDs
(Teper and Kraemer, 2002). Ever since, ETDs programs were focused on software to
facilitate all required functions and activities (Lippincott, 2006).
Since 1990s the field of ETDs has frequently been subjected to scholar’s attention in
particular from technical viewpoints (including data model, standards, software,
dissemination models) (Hakimjavadi and Masrek, 2013; Ivanovićet al., 2012; Park and
Richard, 2011; Lubas, 2009; Deng and Reese, 2009; Mccutcheon et al., 2008; Park et al., 2007;
Surratt and Hill, 2004; Copeland et al., 2005; Dobratz et al., 2001), users’information behavior
(Macduff et al., 2016, Coates, 2014; Goodfellow et al., 2012; Zhang et al., 2001), workflow (Park
et al., 2007), citation analysis (Shen, 2015; Ashman, 2013; Larivière et al., 2007), access
policies (Schöpfel et al., 2015; Prost and Schöpfel, 2014; Schöpfel and Soukouya, 2013;
Schöpfel and Prost, 2013), collection and preservation challenges (Perrin et al., 2015;
Mcmillan, 2004; Suleman and Fox, 2003), etc.; relatively only little research has been done on
the business-driven questions and challenges in this regard such as cost structures to set up
and maintain ETDs repositories (e.g. Virginia Tech, 2005; Schultz et al., 2014; Han, 2014;
Yiotis, 2008; Burns et al., 2013; Dobratz and Schirmbacher, 2001; Networked Digital Library
of Theses and Dissertations, 2010), make relationship with partners and suppliers, or
sponsor financially (Troman et al., 2007).
Although the technology-driven ETD programs were initiated at an institutional level, in
the succeedingyears more and more ETDs were implementedat a national, regional, or global
level. National Electronic Theses and Dissertations (NETDs) aims to collect and distribute
TDs of (all) institutions around a countryand are mostly nonprofit andopen access programs
implemented,usually by public fund. However,there are many issues to manage NETDsfrom
technical, legal, cultural, business, and managerial perspective (Farace and Schöpfel, 2010).
One of those issuesis business-driven challenges,which have a significant impacton business
feasibility and viability o fE TDs programs (Troman et al., 2007). However,the knowledge and
insights on how NETDs can be implemented to create, capture, and sustain value is limited.
A widely advocated approach to study business-driven challenges is the concept of Business
model (BM). Pursuing this objective, in this paper the concept of BM is applied. Roosendaal
et al. (2010) emphasize that the business viability of scientific publishers depends on the
robustness of their underlying BM.
This research sheds light on the business aspects of NETDs programs. It is a unique
attempt to analyze different NETDs programs around the world through a broadly accepted
and widely used BM tool, called business model canvas (BMC) (Osterwalder and Pigneur,
2010). The main question this paper tries to address is that what business logic of NETDs
programs looks like. Worded differently, what the main values of NETDs are for which
users and through which channels, what the NETDs programs’main resources and
activities are for delivering values, how NETDs reach their users, and how these programs
makes and costs money are among key questions the research addresses. This research
dives into NETDs’practitioners’views and investigate how they fit to BMC.
By using such BM tool, a more advanced understanding of difference and commonalities
between NETDs can be identified. Insights in different components of various cases’BM
help the ETDs community to understand how NETDs’business runs and to describe and
represent NETDs’BM in a simplified way. A suitable and robust BM ensures sustainable
ETDs (Russell, 2006, Troman et al., 2007; Materu-Behitsa, 2003), so that focusing on this
issue provides managers with a detailed description of BM that helps to in developing and
maintaining NETDs programs by providing several experiences about NETDs’BMs
around the world through integrated tool including various components. Furthermore,
this study can help NETDs program managers to think about innovative BM which is
compatible with different conditions and aiding program’s viability.
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Analyzing
NETDs
programs
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