Science Research Management ›› 2019, Vol. 40 ›› Issue (7): 69-77.

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Innovation integration path of “Blockchain +” business model

Song Lifeng1, Qi Dawei2, Song Yuanfang3   

  1. 1.School of Bussiness, Beijing Wuzi University,Beijing 101149,China;
    2.School of Business, Beijing Language and Culture University,Beijing 100083,China;
    3.School of Bussiness,Renmin University of China,Beijing 100872,China
  • Received:2018-07-11 Revised:2018-12-12 Online:2019-07-20 Published:2019-07-22

Abstract:

The researches in the application field of blockchain mainly focus on the combination of blockchain technology and traditional industry. It mainly discusses how blockchain can change the value creation mode of traditional industries, that is the "blockchain+" business model innovation. From the beginning of the upsurge of blockchain research in 2015, scholars have given it too much expectation and significance, abstracted many concepts that can be used to remedy the existing drawbacks of traditional industries from it, conceived the path to support business model innovation in various fields, and given it various legitimacy.
There are a lot of contradictions in these research results, such as divergences in trend prediction of the same industry, conflicts in innovative ways of change in the same field, disputes over whetherblockchain can be applied in a certain business model and the necessity of their application. Specifically, after the "blockchain +" business model innovation of Internet platform, whether the platform still has value or not; in the process of "blockchain +" business model innovation in financial industry, whether it should adopt centralization, partial centralization or de-centralization mode; in the process of "blockchain +" business model innovation in big data industry, the privacy issues should be completely concealed, semi-public or selective public.
The reason for the above phenomenon is that the research on "blockchain +" business model innovation is not clear about the development stage of blockchain technology, the concept characteristics of blockchain, the cycle stage of blockchain technology development and the direction of "blockchain +" business model change, which makes the whole research field disordered and difficult for the researchers to get further development. That is because in the process of deriving business model innovation from the blockchain perspective, the existing researches confused the three categories: blockchain technology, which supports blockchain network through program, coding and hardware, blockchain characteristics, which are different from traditional network construction protocols, and blockchain concepts, the humanistic thought that is contained in the application of blockchain.
On the basis of sorting out the boundaries and relationships among these three concepts, this paper makes a comparative analysis of the innovation paths of the three "blockchain +" shared economic business models. It finds that block chain technology is a systematic integration of information technology, which contains a wide range of technologies, and the specific subdivision technologies under each type of technology are different, and the stages of technology development are also different. The effects of the combination and cooperation of the technologies applied in blockchain are also affected by a certain technology or the overall stage of technology development. It is the technical types of blockchain integration and the configuration formed during the development phase determined the new features of the business model that emerged when combined with specific areas. These characteristics are generally expressed as data rights, privacy, and data costs, those are the "blockchain +" business model innovation points.
This paper chooses the different innovative paths or opposite innovative results in the study of "blockchain +" shared economy business model as the cases to discuss. By comparing the differences in the research on the role of Internet platform in the shared economy under blockchain, this paper explores the integration path of "blockchain +" business model innovation, and finds out the reasons for the contradictions through the integration path. Comparing with the business model of "blockchain +" shared economy, we can find that there are two kinds of drawbacks that are difficult to solve in shared economy: data rights and privacy. Based on this, there are obvious divergences in the research of "blockchain +" shared economy business model in the aspects of data rights, privacy rights and platform roles innovation path, which can be summarized as compensatory innovation path, substitutional innovation path and subversive innovation path. Compensatory innovation, in general, makes up for the deficiencies and loopholes in the existing shared economy business model through the technological advantages of blockchain; substitutional innovation, which weakens most of the role of Internet platform in the traditional shared economy, then evolves into a supply block of integrated services assisted by supervision, technical support and trade, whose value is mainly reflected in reducing the transaction of shared economy; subversive innovation, completely subverts the role of Internet platform as the central block. The value-creating parties of shared economy operate their own blocks independently. Other supporting assistants, such as search service, verification service and technical support service, also participate in the new shared economy in the mode of independent blocks.
Further research found that the direction of “blockchain+” business model innovation, such as breaking monopoly, independence and win-win, the concepts that blockchain created fit with each other. It is concluded that the integration path of "blockchain+" business model innovation is to combine appropriate technology configuration of blockchain with business model in application field under specific circumstances, to optimize and innovate specific business model, and then to the two-way influence of blockchain concept and business model concept. In this process, the three factors evolve in the interaction, and finally form a dynamic change cycle.
Finally, this paper makes an analysis from four aspects: technology, culture, ability and stakeholders. Firstly, it is the development of related technology, including the related technology of building blockchain and the software and hardware technology of supporting blockchain. Secondly, we need to consider the differences of cultural environment, that is, the consensus and law of the right of choice, data right, privacy right and so on. Thirdly, we need to consider the development level of basic social skills, such as the use of the Internet for searching, trading, communication and so on. It is common to take photos, navigate, and connect online and offline through mobile devices. Fourthly, the participation of stakeholders will affect the value creation orientation and value distribution mode of "blockchain +" business model innovation. It provides a theoretical framework for the study of “blockchain+” business models in different fields, and also points the direction for the development of blockchain enterprises.

Key words: blockchain, business model, shared economy, path