Publication Type

Journal Article

Version

acceptedVersion

Publication Date

12-2019

Abstract

We consider the applicability to digital platforms of extant international business scholarship. The organization of digital platforms has been seen to such an extent as predicated upon the bundling of external resources for collective value creation that their expansion may follow the logic of externalization. We further that literature contrasting the governance of network multinationals with that of platform-centric ecosystems. Building on and extending the theory of the ecosystem, we propose the concept of ecosystem-specific advantages. We identify costs and difficulties in the transfer of such advantages to new markets, emphasizing in particular the idea of bottlenecks. We then propose a framework that can be applied to future research on digital platforms, focusing on the users, suppliers of complementary products, and platform firms. We also call for research on the dynamic process of creating, transferring, and upgrading ecosystem-specific advantages.

Keywords

digital platforms, platform ecosystems, ecosystem-specific advantages, Internet commerce

Discipline

E-Commerce | International Business | Strategic Management Policy

Research Areas

Strategy and Organisation

Publication

Journal of International Business Studies

Volume

50

Issue

9

First Page

1448

Last Page

1463

ISSN

0047-2506

Identifier

10.1057/s41267-019-00263-3

Publisher

Palgrave Macmillan

Copyright Owner and License

Authors

Additional URL

https://doi.org/10.1057/s41267-019-00263-3

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