Platform Markets and Regulations - E

Many of today’s biggest, fast-growing, and disruptive companies, such as Google, Amazon, Uber, Airbnb, or Paypal, rely on platform business models. While platform markets are revolutionizing the competitive landscape with some of them becoming even industry leaders, their privileged positions raise concerns that they may engage in anti-competitive behaviors. Digital platforms are thus currently facing severe legal problems which are not only costly for those firms but also set their future success at risk. Whether you think about creating a platform business yourself or using existing platforms to facilitate your newly created business, it is important to understand how platform markets work and how regulations influence their success. The main objective of this course is thus to provide an overview of this important topic. Specifically, we will focus on the following questions:

• How do platform markets work? What are the characteristics of platform markets?
• Which opportunities and challenges are associated with platform markets?
• How do (newly created) firms successfully compete in platform markets?
• How do characteristics of platform business models influence competition across industries and between new ventures and incumbent firms?
• How do regulations affect the success of platforms and why should entrepreneurs care about regulations when creating platforms?
• How can entrepreneurs cope with regulatory challenges associated with platform markets?

Final grades are determined on the following basis:

• Case-based group assignment and presentation: 40%
• Case-based individual assignment: 50%
• Class participation: 10%

Besides several articles and cases, the course relies on Parker, G., van Alstyne, M.W., and Choudary, S. P. (2016) Platform revolution. W.W. Norton & Company, Inc: New York.

The course consists of 8 sessions and uses a mixture of lectures, case studies, classroom discussions, and guest lectures.

Final grades are determined on the following basis:

• Case-based group assignment and presentation: 40%
• Case-based individual assignment: 50%
• Class participation: 10%

150