Platform Business Challenges

March 24, 2020

Read The Full Prompt

Digital technologies give rise to a variety of platforms. For this assignment, please pick ONE of the following two options:

1) Identify a platform firm, 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, and Microsoft.

2) Identify a firm that tried to work with a platform (e.g., X Fire or Australian banks) or tried to become a platform (e.g., Qihoo). Describe the opportunities and challenges in its journey.

Materials

“Why Some Platforms Thrive and Others Don’t” (Links to an external site.) HBR January-February 2019
“Products to Platforms: Making the Leap” (Links to an external site.) HBR April 2016

Assignment

Create an approximately 750-word post to make your contribution on digit.hbs.org  by 6 pm on March 24.

Please also respond to and comment on three other posts per assignment. Feel free to use graphics, data, videos, and links to other sites to corroborate your points.

Selected posts will be discussed in class.

Submitted (79)

Grupo Fleury moves into the new economy
RicardoN
Last modified on March 24, 2020 at 3:17 pm
Grupo Fleury, a large Brazilian diagnostics provider, moves to a platform strategy.
Intuit Quickbook Desktop OR Quickbook Online – what to choose?
Ashima_Singh
Posted on March 24, 2020 at 5:24 pm
Intuit Inc. is a leading financial software company that develops and sells accounting and tax preparation software and services for small businesses, accountants and individuals. They have an array of products such as TurboTax, QuickBooks, ProConnect Tax Online and others. [...]
Netflix: Creating value in the Covid-19 era
Carla SanchezArmas
Posted on March 27, 2020 at 12:11 am
 The DVD rental site founded in 1997 had a first-mover advantage when it introduced their streaming service[1] in 2007; three years later they surpassed 20 million subscribers. Today they are reaching 150+ million subscribers and operate in 190 national markets[2]. [...]
AspireIQ: succeeding in the influencer marketing industry
MZ
Last modified on March 24, 2020 at 5:06 pm
Influencer marketing is a form of social media, where “influencers” (from celebrities to normal people) endorse specific products or brands. In the last few years, this industry grew from $1.7 billion in 2016 to $6.5 billion in 2019. And as [...]
Pro Connect: Talent matching platform
H&M
Posted on March 24, 2020 at 6:02 pm
Pro Connect matches high skill freelancers to businesses
TradeMe’s Kiwi Dominance
dknab1892
Posted on March 24, 2020 at 1:37 pm
Started in 1999, TradeMe is the largest online marketplace in New Zealand by a considerable distance.  85% of the New Zealanders have a TradeMe Account[1], and the site was the 4th most popular website in New Zealand in 2018, behind [...]
Craigslist: The remarkable but potentially obsolete success story of the “ultimate platform”
Eve
Last modified on April 1, 2020 at 5:49 pm
Craigslist, the largest classified advertisement platform in the world, has enjoyed over two decades of largely free offerings connecting "providers" and "seekers" of services and products. Craigslist has long resisted innovation and change to stay true to its simple and [...]
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