Modeling a Business Ecosystem from the Point of View of a Particular Participant

The scientific literature related to business ecosystems is growing. However, the majority of this literature is devoted to so-called Digital Business Ecosystems (DBE), which are largely related to the networking aspect of business ecosystems, i.e., the exchange of values among their participants. Other parts related to the work of a participating enterprise, as well as its suppliers and regulators, are often excluded. In this work, we take a different approach, namely, to model an ecosystem that exists around a specific enterprise. The work is based on concepts transferred from biological cybernetics to business, such as structural coupling and autopoiesis. In this work, the Fractal Enterprise Model (FEM) is used for modeling business ecosystems. The research follows the Design Science methodology. The goal is to suggest some patterns expressed in the modeling language that can help an enterprise build a model of the ecosystem of which the enterprise is in focus. The patterns can help identify activities that are missing in the enterprise itself, thereby providing a basis for improving its functioning.