Marshall Van Alstyne - Academia.edu (original) (raw)

Uploads

Papers by Marshall Van Alstyne

Research paper thumbnail of Antitrust: Current Perspectives, Challenges, and Proposed Solutions

Proceedings - Academy of Management, Aug 1, 2023

Research paper thumbnail of Technology Strategy and Competition Track: Thinking Strategically about Network Effects

Academy of Management Proceedings

Research paper thumbnail of Digital transformation under risky investments and incentives to host rivals on proprietary platforms

Social Science Research Network, 2022

Research paper thumbnail of Platform Strategy

Social Science Research Network, 2014

ABSTRACT This article provides an encyclopedic survey of the platform strategy literature and is ... more ABSTRACT This article provides an encyclopedic survey of the platform strategy literature and is organized around launch strategies, governance, and competition. A platform strategy is the mobilization of a networked business platform to expand into and operate in a given market. A business platform, in turn, is a nexus of rules and infrastructure that facilitate interactions among network users. A platform may also be viewed as a published standard, together with a governance model, that facilitates third party participation. Platforms provide building blocks that serve as the foundation for complementary products and services. They also match buyers with suppliers, who transact directly with each other using system resources and are generally subject to network effects. Examples include operating systems, game consoles, payment systems, ride sharing platforms, smart grids, healthcare networks, and social networks.

Research paper thumbnail of Is It Time for a Platform Magna Carta?

Social Science Research Network, 2022

Research paper thumbnail of Session details: Economic and business dimensions

Communications of The ACM, Jun 25, 2018

Research paper thumbnail of How Users Drive Value: Platform Investments that Matter

Social Science Research Network, 2020

Extant research has popularized the perspective that strong network effects produce “winner-take-... more Extant research has popularized the perspective that strong network effects produce “winner-take-all” outcomes. This leads platforms to grow their user bases and encourages investors to subsidize them. Platforms with large user bases, however, have both succeeded and failed. Central questions for investors and managers are then: When is a large user base insufficient to dominate a market and how do investments in users drive platform value? In answer, we develop a model of inter-temporal effects and within-period network effects. The within-period effect only yields contemporaneous user attraction, while the inter-temporal effect contributes to user stickiness across periods. Strong within-period network effects that do not persist across periods can stall platform value. Using Groupon panel data, we empirically estimate these two effects on users' participation choices. Our results show that Groupon has a moderately strong attraction within a period but weak attraction across periods. Reduced stickiness lowers user value. Using model parameters, we then compare various investment strategies to increase platform value. In our context, common marketing practices to attract customers offer inferior returns compared to platform design investments that increase stickiness. Overall, these findings remind managers not to overemphasize user acquisition marketing when network effects do not persist and instead focus on platform design.

Research paper thumbnail of Digital Enforcement & Innovation

Research paper thumbnail of Valuing Information & Instrumental Goods

Social Science Research Network, May 23, 1998

Research paper thumbnail of Why information should influence productivity

Research paper thumbnail of Permissionless innovation

Communications of The ACM, Jul 23, 2015

Seeking a better approach to pharmaceutical research and development.

Research paper thumbnail of Platform Ecosystems: How Developers Invert the Firm

Management Information Systems Quarterly, 2017

Research paper thumbnail of Digital Ecosystems : Regulatory Intervention & Efficiency Trade-Offs

Frederic Jenny, Alejandra Palacios Prieto, Pierre Regibeau, Carmelo Cennamo, Jacques Cremer, Marc... more Frederic Jenny, Alejandra Palacios Prieto, Pierre Regibeau, Carmelo Cennamo, Jacques Cremer, Marco Iansiti, and Georgios Petropoulos

Research paper thumbnail of Platform Business: From Resources to Relationships

NIM marketing intelligence review, Apr 27, 2017

Research paper thumbnail of The dark side of the sharing economy … and how to lighten it

Communications of The ACM, Oct 27, 2014

Research paper thumbnail of Improving Section 230, Preserving Democracy, and Protecting Free Speech

Communications of The ACM, Mar 23, 2023

Proposing a framework for a decentralized market where no one party controls the flow of informat... more Proposing a framework for a decentralized market where no one party controls the flow of information.

Research paper thumbnail of Innovation, Openness, and Platform Control

Management Science, Jul 1, 2018

Research paper thumbnail of Platform envelopment

Strategic Management Journal, May 11, 2011

Research paper thumbnail of The EU Digital Markets Act

RePEc: Research Papers in Economics, Feb 1, 2021

Research paper thumbnail of Communication Networks and the Rise of an Information Elite Can Communication Help the Information Rich Get Richer

Research paper thumbnail of Antitrust: Current Perspectives, Challenges, and Proposed Solutions

Proceedings - Academy of Management, Aug 1, 2023

Research paper thumbnail of Technology Strategy and Competition Track: Thinking Strategically about Network Effects

Academy of Management Proceedings

Research paper thumbnail of Digital transformation under risky investments and incentives to host rivals on proprietary platforms

Social Science Research Network, 2022

Research paper thumbnail of Platform Strategy

Social Science Research Network, 2014

ABSTRACT This article provides an encyclopedic survey of the platform strategy literature and is ... more ABSTRACT This article provides an encyclopedic survey of the platform strategy literature and is organized around launch strategies, governance, and competition. A platform strategy is the mobilization of a networked business platform to expand into and operate in a given market. A business platform, in turn, is a nexus of rules and infrastructure that facilitate interactions among network users. A platform may also be viewed as a published standard, together with a governance model, that facilitates third party participation. Platforms provide building blocks that serve as the foundation for complementary products and services. They also match buyers with suppliers, who transact directly with each other using system resources and are generally subject to network effects. Examples include operating systems, game consoles, payment systems, ride sharing platforms, smart grids, healthcare networks, and social networks.

Research paper thumbnail of Is It Time for a Platform Magna Carta?

Social Science Research Network, 2022

Research paper thumbnail of Session details: Economic and business dimensions

Communications of The ACM, Jun 25, 2018

Research paper thumbnail of How Users Drive Value: Platform Investments that Matter

Social Science Research Network, 2020

Extant research has popularized the perspective that strong network effects produce “winner-take-... more Extant research has popularized the perspective that strong network effects produce “winner-take-all” outcomes. This leads platforms to grow their user bases and encourages investors to subsidize them. Platforms with large user bases, however, have both succeeded and failed. Central questions for investors and managers are then: When is a large user base insufficient to dominate a market and how do investments in users drive platform value? In answer, we develop a model of inter-temporal effects and within-period network effects. The within-period effect only yields contemporaneous user attraction, while the inter-temporal effect contributes to user stickiness across periods. Strong within-period network effects that do not persist across periods can stall platform value. Using Groupon panel data, we empirically estimate these two effects on users' participation choices. Our results show that Groupon has a moderately strong attraction within a period but weak attraction across periods. Reduced stickiness lowers user value. Using model parameters, we then compare various investment strategies to increase platform value. In our context, common marketing practices to attract customers offer inferior returns compared to platform design investments that increase stickiness. Overall, these findings remind managers not to overemphasize user acquisition marketing when network effects do not persist and instead focus on platform design.

Research paper thumbnail of Digital Enforcement & Innovation

Research paper thumbnail of Valuing Information & Instrumental Goods

Social Science Research Network, May 23, 1998

Research paper thumbnail of Why information should influence productivity

Research paper thumbnail of Permissionless innovation

Communications of The ACM, Jul 23, 2015

Seeking a better approach to pharmaceutical research and development.

Research paper thumbnail of Platform Ecosystems: How Developers Invert the Firm

Management Information Systems Quarterly, 2017

Research paper thumbnail of Digital Ecosystems : Regulatory Intervention & Efficiency Trade-Offs

Frederic Jenny, Alejandra Palacios Prieto, Pierre Regibeau, Carmelo Cennamo, Jacques Cremer, Marc... more Frederic Jenny, Alejandra Palacios Prieto, Pierre Regibeau, Carmelo Cennamo, Jacques Cremer, Marco Iansiti, and Georgios Petropoulos

Research paper thumbnail of Platform Business: From Resources to Relationships

NIM marketing intelligence review, Apr 27, 2017

Research paper thumbnail of The dark side of the sharing economy … and how to lighten it

Communications of The ACM, Oct 27, 2014

Research paper thumbnail of Improving Section 230, Preserving Democracy, and Protecting Free Speech

Communications of The ACM, Mar 23, 2023

Proposing a framework for a decentralized market where no one party controls the flow of informat... more Proposing a framework for a decentralized market where no one party controls the flow of information.

Research paper thumbnail of Innovation, Openness, and Platform Control

Management Science, Jul 1, 2018

Research paper thumbnail of Platform envelopment

Strategic Management Journal, May 11, 2011

Research paper thumbnail of The EU Digital Markets Act

RePEc: Research Papers in Economics, Feb 1, 2021

Research paper thumbnail of Communication Networks and the Rise of an Information Elite Can Communication Help the Information Rich Get Richer