A Review of Platform Business Models

Marketa Mlcuchova ()
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Marketa Mlcuchova: Department of Finance, Faculty of Business and Economics, Mendel University in Brno, Zemedelska 1, 613 00 Brno, Czech Republic

No 2022-80, MENDELU Working Papers in Business and Economics from Mendel University in Brno, Faculty of Business and Economics

Abstract: The paper focuses on platform business models as ubiquitous features of the digital economy whose economic importance is continuously increasing. Considering their varying definitions and diverse typology, this review of platform business models aims to discuss and evaluate the current heterogeneous literature. In line with fulfilling the aim of the paper, the following research question is addressed: ‘What are the main attributes of platform business models?’ Based on a vast literature review, the paper coins a unified definition and devises a novel typology, distinguishing four main types of platform business models: transaction, innovation, integrated and investment. Furthermore, the importance of both digital data and network effects as the main identified attributes is highlighted. Additionally, the paper devises a novel typology of network effects, amplifying users’ value-creating activities and interconnected relationships. The novel typology of network effects is distinguishing direct, indirect (cross-sided, cross-network or two-sided), data, positive and negative network effects.

Keywords: Digital economy; business model; platform business model; digital data; network effects (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: F23 L86 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Pages: 36
Date: 2022-04
New Economics Papers: this item is included in nep-com, nep-ind, nep-pay and nep-reg
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Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:men:wpaper:80_2022

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