2.5 Test your knowledge

This interactive features four firms and four business model types. It is a drag and drop exercise on matching firms with business model types. The firms are listed in the left-hand column of the table. The first firm is Pret a manger, which is described as ‘An international fast-food company that focuses on supplying fresh sandwiches and food prepared on the same day on site’. The second firm is Google, which is described as follows: ‘Google is a web search engine. It works by looking for text on web pages and documents that are publicly accessible on online servers Weblink’. The third firm is Airbnb. It is described as follows: ‘An internet-based service offering home rental and lodging services to customers’. The fourth firm is Arup: ‘Arup Group is a London-based consulting company providing services for all aspects of the built environment, including planning, engineering, design and project management’.

The business model types are listed in the right-hand column of the table. There are some hints for the correct answers. The first hint is ‘think about what happens in a Pret a Manger shop – a customer chooses the food they want and pays for it’. The second hint is ‘Google makes money by marketing advertisement on its search result pages, while web users do not pay for its services’. The third hint is ‘think about how Airbnb operates: it connects lodgers and people looking for short-stay accommodations’. The fourth hint is ‘think about the way Arup works: they design specific engineering projects for each of their customers’.

The business model types are listed at the bottom of the table. They are: solution business model; matchmaking business model; multisided business model; product business model. The correct answers are: Pret a manger: product business model. Google: multi-sided business model. Airbnb: matchmaking business model. Arup: solution business model.