Platform Variety

March 06, 2022

Read The Full Prompt

Digital technologies give rise to a variety of platforms. Think about how iTunes makes apps available for iPhone users or Match.com helps those seeking partners.

For this assignment, please pick ONE of the following two options:

1) Identify a firms that operates a platform. Describe how it creates and capture value, and evaluate its scalability and sustainability.  To make it interesting, please stay away from well-known platforms such as those owned by Amazon, Google, Facebook, Apple, Microsoft, and Netflix.

2) Identify a firm that tried to work with a platform (e.g., Epic on the Apple platform, or Zynga on the Facebook platform). Describe the opportunities and challenges in this firm’s journey as it tried to create and capture value. Again, evaluate its sustainability.

In both cases, stress the strategy for value creation, but feel free to make observations about aspects of value capture.

750 words max

Assignment

Create an approximately 750-word post. Make your contribution by 6 p.m. on Wednesday, March 6.

Please use graphics, data, videos, and links to other sites to corroborate your points. These additional links do not count against your word limit.

Please also comment on three other posts. Comments are due by 9a.m. on March 7.

Selected posts will be discussed in class. Please prepare a 2-3 min summary of your blog post before class.

Submitted (13)

Ethereum – A Decentralized and Open-Source Super Platform
Maxwell
Posted on March 6, 2022 at 1:09 pm
Ethereum is a decentralized community-operated blockchain that enables a range of services and applications that generate immense value.
Glassdoor: Viewing the Workplace Differently
Heili P
Last modified on March 5, 2022 at 7:54 pm
Disrupting how you look at work with Glassdoor.
Honor of Kings: Not just a game platform
Serrino
Last modified on March 5, 2022 at 8:50 pm
Honor of Kings, the most profitable game platform in the market, developed by one of largest technology companies, Tencent. How can a game expand so much to form a community and even have its national tournaments?
BlaBlaCar: bringing fairness, freedom and fraternity to the world of travel
Sebastiano Sorbello
Posted on March 4, 2022 at 2:41 am
BlaBlaCar is an online inter-city ridesharing platform that connects drivers and passengers who need to travel on the same route and that are willing to share the cost of the journey. Each driver posts the itinerary and the price for [...]
Substack: Raising Up Newsletters to Business Relevance
Daniel Yue
Last modified on March 5, 2022 at 7:36 am
This newsletter disrupter has grown exponentially in the past few years. Read on to learn how, and whether this growth will last.
Roll 20: Bringing the Tabletop to Desktop
Sutton G
Last modified on March 4, 2022 at 5:07 pm
Digital tools for the growing popularity of Table Top Role Playing Games
TooGoodToGo: Fighting Food Waste
Chris Mitsch
Last modified on March 6, 2022 at 6:04 pm
TooGoodToGo has set out to fight food waste by making the action of saving food a frictionless win-win for suppliers and customers.
HomeAdvisor powered by Angi
Julia Paolillo
Last modified on March 6, 2022 at 5:59 pm
The home improvement giant wins big through economic shocks
To Axie Infinity and beyond!
Alan Tebuev
Posted on March 6, 2022 at 5:33 pm
Interactive game, blockchain network and source of income for many.
From Blog Posts to Billions: Glossier’s Brilliance in the Beauty Industry
Stephen Barber
Last modified on March 6, 2022 at 6:47 pm
Glossier built a devout following of millennials by being a "friend" to consumers rather than an authority on beauty standards.
The Trade Desk: The Leading Independent Platform for Programmatic Advertising
Alex Faust
Posted on March 5, 2022 at 3:34 pm
The Trade Desk has built a powerful programmatic platform for marketers to buy ads - helping them reach more customers, in more places, with best-in-class transparency and return on investment
Etsy: For all the Art-Loving Non-Artists
Snigdha Shahi
Posted on March 6, 2022 at 5:21 pm
Etsy, much like Threadless, has successfully capitalized on network effects by building a community of buyers and sellers rooted in deep trust and quality to vouch for the same.
e-Transferring to the future
Kevin L
Posted on March 6, 2022 at 2:23 pm
As Interac's e-Transfer service tries to expand beyond its personal banking clients, will it succeed?