In Search for the Core of the Business Ecosystem Concept : A Conceptual comparison of business ecosystem, industry, cluster, and inter organizational network

Abstract. The concept of ecosystem emanates from ecology and subsequently has been broadly used in business studies to describe and investigate complex interrelationships between companies and other organizations. Concepts that are transferred from other disciplines (and used both in research and in practice) can, however, be ambiguous and problematic. For example, the use of the ecosystem concept has been questioned in the literature. To better understand the potential ambiguities between the business ecosystem concept and other related concepts, this study presents a conceptual analysis of business ecosystem. We continue by analytically comparing business ecosystem with other concepts used to describe business relationships, namely industry, population, cluster, and inter-organizational network.  The results indicate a need for conceptual clarity when describing business networks.  We conclude with a synthesis and discuss under what circumstances using the business ecosystem concept may add value for research and practice. The paper contributes to the business ecosystem literature by positioning the business ecosystem concept in relation to other closely related concepts