Internet and technology new venture development using Soft OR

The purpose of this paper is to demonstrate how the selective mixing of Soft OR methodologies and traditional strategic management tools cans enhance and enrich the process of new ventures development. This approach, inspired by Ormerods' use of Soft OR techniques in developing an information strategy for Sainsburys [Journal of Operational Research 46 (1995) 277], was developed for the commercial purpose of assisting entrepreneurs build and validate business opportunities in the internet and technology space. The objective of this paper is not to provide the reader with a new methodology. but rather to demonstrate an alternative way in which an OR practitioner can selectively apply different components of methodologies and to share experiences of mixing methods to enrich the process of business model development for any new venture. (C) 2003 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.