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74286-01 - Lecture: Platform Organizations (3 CP)
| Semester | spring semester 2025 |
| Course frequency | Every spring sem. |
| Lecturers | Michael Beckmann (michael.beckmann@unibas.ch, Assessor) |
| Content | Table of Contents 1. Introduction 2. The business environment of platform organizations 3. Economies of scale and transaction costs in the digital economy 4. Additional sources of competitive advantage in the digital economy 5. Digital monopolies and oligopolies 6. Corporate and business unit strategeis in the digital economy 7. Pricing strategies in the digital economy 8. Digital business models 9. Regulation of platform organizations |
| Learning objectives | Of the ten largest companies in the world in terms of market capitalization, seven are platform organizations. Quite a few of these companies have become so large within a short space of time that they can be described as de facto monopolies, at least within submarkets. Students should learn how the phenomenon of platform organizations can be explained in economic terms and how some platform organizations were able to achieve a market-dominating position in such a short time. Students should become familiar with the specific competitive advantages of platform organizations (e.g. zero marginal costs of production, network effects) as well as their most important corporate, competitive and pricing strategies. Finally, the necessity of regulating platform organizations to ensure fair competition will be discussed. |
| Bibliography | Cusumanu, Michael A., Annabelle Gawer, and David B. Yoffie (2019): The business of plat-forms: strategy in the age of digital competition, innovation, and power. Harper Business. Goldfarb, A., and Tucker, C. (2019): Digital Economics. Journal of Economic Literature, 57(1), 3-43. Jelassi, Tawfik, Francisco J. Martínez-López (2020): Strategies for e-Business: Concepts and Cases on Value Creation and Digital Business Transformation. Fourth edition. Springer. Liu, Z. (2022): Principles of Digital Economics: Innovation Theory in the Age of Intelligence. Springer. Øverby, H., Audestad, J.A. (2021): Introduction to Digital Economics – Foundations, Business Models and Case Studies. Second Edition. Springer. Parker, G., van Alstyne, M., & Choudary, S. P. (2017). Platform revolution: How networked markets are transforming the economy - and how to make them work for you. W.W. Nor-ton & Company. Reillier, Laure Claire and Benoit Reillier (2017): Platform strategy: how to unlock the power of communities and networks to grow your business. Routledge. |
| Admission requirements | Students who have already successfully completed the previous course “Technology, Strategy, and Organization” cannot enrol in the course “Platform Organizations” again. |
| Course application | Registration: Please enroll in the Online Services (services.unibas.ch); Eucor-Students and mobility students of other Swiss Universities or the FHNW first have to register at the University of Basel BEFORE the start of the course and receive their login data by post (e-mail address of the University of Basel). Processing time up to a week! Detailed information can be found here: https://www.unibas.ch/de/Studium/Mobilitaet.html After successful registration you can enroll for the course in the Online Services (services.unibas.ch). Applies to everyone: Enrolment = Registration for the course and the exam! |
| Language of instruction | English |
| Use of digital media | No specific media used |
| Interval | Weekday | Time | Room |
|---|---|---|---|
| wöchentlich | Monday | 16.15-18.00 | Wirtschaftswissenschaftliche Fakultät, Seminarraum S13 HG.35 |
Dates
| Modules |
Module: Business Field: Human Resources (Master's Studies: Business and Technology) Module: Business Field: Strategy and Organization (Master's Studies: Business and Technology) Module: Specific Electives in Labor Economics, Human Resources and Organization (Master's Studies: Business and Economics) |
| Assessment format | record of achievement |
| Assessment details | written examination: 13.06.25; 16:30-17:30. DSBG Sporthalle: A-Z. For this exam, you will receive additional information and your admission times by email two to four days before the exam date. You should be on site at least 20 minutes before the start of the exam. You can find the addresses of the examination rooms here: https://wwz.unibas.ch/en/studies/examinations/lecture-and-examination-rooms/ You can still withdraw from the examination by submitting a completed, signed form to our office from 18.03.2025 until 28.03.2025 / 12:00 o’clock. The deregistration form and the mail address can be found on the homepage of the Dean of Studies Office: https://wwz.unibas.ch/en/studies/examinations/de-/registration-of-examinations/ Prior to 17.03.2025, please deregister only in the Online Services. |
| Assessment registration/deregistration | Reg.: course registration, dereg: cancel course registration |
| Repeat examination | no repeat examination |
| Scale | 1-6 0,1 |
| Repeated registration | as often as necessary |
| Responsible faculty | Faculty of Business and Economics , studiendekanat-wwz@unibas.ch |
| Offered by | Faculty of Business and Economics |