Abstract
The opportunity to create a value exchange environment is uniquely offered by the platform businesses. A novel approach of co-creating value is writing the rules in the platform business world. This paper analyzes the platform business models within the technology industry based on a multiple case study. As the main driver of business performance in this environment is technology, companies are using it to develop new products or to provide technology as a service. Thus, the main objective is to debate on the actual business needs in terms of business model innovation and to investigate how platform business models are developed through strategic acquisitions to achieve competitive advantage. The cases analysis suggests that technology acquisitions made around the core business may contribute to business model innovation. In addition, new partnerships with the external environment may facilitate mutual value creation exchanges and the platform may evolve through adding extra features from its external partners. We contribute to the advancement of business model research by putting platform business model study into the competitive context of the technology industry, with findings on how platforms are used in the digital era to innovate the core business model. From a practitioner’s perspective, this study may help companies to understand the importance of investing in other technology companies and to identify the opportunities of business model innovation through strategic partnerships. The limitation of this study is that the main data used for the multiple case study was derived from secondary sources and it provided insights about each company’s platform business model from a macro perspective.
Highlights
Digital era offers both opportunities and challenges for the companies from the technology industry, the increased number of platform businesses being accelerated by digitization trends
Developing insights on platform business models, the study explores the issue through the lens of business model innovation, when technology acquisitions are made in order to increase the user base
The companies selected for this case study have developed over the years a series of platform business models which were later expanded through strategic technological acquisitions
Summary
Digital era offers both opportunities and challenges for the companies from the technology industry, the increased number of platform businesses being accelerated by digitization trends. The year of 2021 is bringing several strategic opportunities within the technology industry and companies can take advantage of them in order to build strong recovering strategies after the Covid-19 crisis They need to ramp up their digital transformation initiatives to build a better cloud infrastructure, enhance the cybersecurity strategies and transform their business models (Deloitte, 2021). There is a strong pressure on technology companies to stay on top New technological innovations such as cognitive computing and digital reality are reshaping the business world. The implications of this study are directed towards both the field of academic research and business reality One of this crisis’s outcomes is that companies will get through different phases, from ‘respond’ to ‘recover’ states, and this will lead to a new age of innovation in which the technology strategies will instinctively change. Developing insights on software, hardware, infrastructure, e-commerce or social media platform business models, this study will draw conclusions on how the technology industry has the power to reshape the new world of business through building entire ecosystems around several technology-based products and services
Sign-in/Register to view highlights & summary Sign-in/Register to access full text options 
Free) 
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a call
