**2. The approach**

Levy and Ellis [7] in [8] describe a conceptual framework as a proposed literaturebased and literature-justified approach to the research that one intends to pursue. Therefore, as [9] has argued, it is a proposed advanced strategic plan of how empirical research (data or information collection, collation, processing and analysis) will be implemented with key decisions arising from interrogating key literature on the

subject. This paper applies Wotela's [8] six-step approach to propose a conceptual framework that should guide empirical studies on disruptive innovation and innovative business models. The six steps can be grouped into three sets of activities, namely, interrogating the literature on the research problem, the research knowledge gap, and the interpretive (theoretical or otherwise) framework [8]. Therefore, these form the section headings of this paper.
