Crafting a Systematic Literature Review on Open-Source Platforms

This working paper unveils the crafting of a systematic literature review on open-source platforms. The high-competitive mobile devices market, where several players such as Apple, Google, Nokia and Microsoft run a platforms- war with constant shifts in their technological strategies, is gaining increasing attention from scholars. It matters, then, to review previous literature on past platforms-wars, such as the ones from the PC and game-console industries, and assess its implications to the current mobile devices platforms-war. The paper starts by justifying the purpose and rationale behind this literature review on open-source platforms. The concepts of open-source software and computer-based platforms were then discussed both individually and in unison, in order to clarify the core-concept of 'open-source platform' that guides this literature review. The detailed design of the employed methodological strategy is then presented as the central part of this paper. The paper concludes with preliminary findings organizing previous literature on open-source platforms for the purpose of guiding future research in this area.Comment: As presented in 10th IFIP WG 2.13 International Conference on Open Source Systems, OSS 2014, San Jos\'e, Costa Rica, May 6-9, 201

Governing Innovation in E-Health Platform Ecosystems – Key Concepts and Future Directions

This paper conceptualizes knowledge in the IS literature on governing innovation in platform ecosystems using boundary resources. Platform innovation arises when platform owners realize the need to expand the functionalities and invite external actors with specialized knowledge to do so. We conduct a literature review to identify the relevant concepts on governing innovation in platform ecosystems in IS and adapt them to the specific settings of the eHealth context. As most relevant concepts, we identify: 1) boundary resources as governance mechanisms: openness vs. control; 2) co-creating platform innovation across heterogeneous actors: accommodation vs. resistance; and 3) platform innovation within the underlying architecture: stability vs. flexibility. We then derive areas that should be prone to further research in eHealth, defined as: 1) patient data as a resource for eHealth platform innovation; 2) the role of institutions in eHealth platform innovation; and 3) innovating within platform-oriented eHealth information infrastructures. This paper contributes by expanding the understanding of the current state of knowledge in IS on governing innovation in platform ecosystems and provides basis for further research adapted to the eHealth context settings

Towards “Government as a Platform”: An analysis framework for public sector infrastructure

“Government as a Platform” (GaaP) is a promising approach to the digital transformation of the public sector. The approach sees Government as an open platform on which people inside and outside the government can innovate and co-create better public services. On a technical level, this is enabled by public sector infrastructure that also follows the approach. However, it remains unclear how exactly GaaP can be applied to public sector infrastructure in practice. In order to tackle this challenge, we develop a framework for the analysis of public infrastructure regarding its platform character. We apply the framework to a current public infrastructure project in Germany to demonstrate its applicability and infer possible future improvements. We contribute to literature by integrating GaaP literature with ideas and concepts from general IS platform literature and contribute to practice by providing a tool that supports the application of GaaP

Software Supported Quality Management of Boundary Resources and Complementor Satisfaction

Fostering the provision of digital services, innovation platforms reorganize the value creation, enabling complementary partners to innovate through the utilization of the offered boundary resources (BR). However, the use of BR for ecosystem management can become a challenging task for the platform provider. For example, due to the large number of BRs and their simultaneous use by complementors, it is a challenge for the platform provider to monitor and improve the quality of the BRs simultaneously. Against this background, the paper presents a partial dissertation result, introducing a software prototype for collecting complementor feedback on BRs. This feedback is processed to improve the quality of BRs and monitor complementor satisfaction to facilitate the management of the BR ecosystem. The prototype was evaluated with representatives from 10 industrial and enterprise IoT platform companies, confirming its usefulness for platform ecosystem providers, which is why it qualifies for the prototype excellence track format

GOVERNANCE FOR MOBILE SERVICE PLATFORMS: A LITERATURE REVIEW AND RESEARCH AGENDA

Mobile service platforms are IT-based marketplaces that have become the source of competitive advantages. Aligning the interests of stakeholders by establishing effective governance mechanisms is central to the success of mobile service platforms. This phenomenon ignites research in many disciplines, which results in a fragmented understanding of mobile service platforms. This paper is a first step towards establishing a comprehensive understanding of the role of governance mechanisms in mobile service platforms. We review the literature and develop a theoretical modular framework which provides an outline for the analysis and conceptualization of mobile service platform governance. This also provides help to identify promising research avenues

GOVERNANCE FOR MOBILE SERVICE PLATFORMS: A LITERATURE REVIEW AND RESEARCH AGENDA

Mobile service platforms are IT-based marketplaces that have become the source of competitive advantages. Aligning the interests of stakeholders by establishing effective governance mechanisms is central to the success of mobile service platforms. This phenomenon ignites research in many disciplines, which results in a fragmented understanding of mobile service platforms. This paper is a first step towards establishing a comprehensive understanding of the role of governance mechanisms in mobile service platforms. We review the literature and develop a theoretical modular framework which provides an outline for the analysis and conceptualization of mobile service platform governance. This also provides help to identify promising research avenues

Roadblocks to Implementing Modern Digital Infrastructure: Exploratory Study of API Deployment in Large Organizations

Application programming interfaces (APIs) are an important component of digital infrastructure. Extensively employed in diverse industries, APIs are a boundary resource that enables new business models, enhances efficiency, and generates new sources of revenue. As little is known about how organizations deploy APIs, we conducted an exploratory examination of organizational deployment challenges of this important component of digital infrastructure. Analysis of semi-structured interview data collected within two large organizations reveals managerial challenges involving data, incentives, shared knowledge, and supplier management. Overall, our study contributes to knowledge about boundary resources while informing management practice concerning this emergent business imperative in the fourth industrial revolution

Shifting Design Capability to Third-Party Developers: An affordance Perspective on Platform Boundary Resources

Boundary resource theory has emerged as conceptual tool for understanding the complex relationship between platform owners and third-party developers. Drawing on existing theories of boundary objects and boundary spanning competence it suggests that platforms offer influence over external ecosystems, yet keeps it at arm’s length. To exercise such governance, however, platform owners have to figure out how to design boundary resource to transfer design capability to third-party developers. Addressing this challenge, we analyze a digital platform initiative in the automotive industry from an affordances perspective. By doing so, we have explore what platform boundary resources allow developers to achieve, rather than what they are. As a main obstacle in the transfer of design capability, we found that platform owners’ perceptions of what a specific boundary resource affords often differ from third-party developers understanding of the same resource

Professionalizing Small Complementors in a Heterogeneous Platform Ecosystem. A Logistics Case

Understanding digital platform ecosystems is a central theme in information systems research. Particularly complementors’ characteristics, motivations, and their heterogeneity are examined in contemporary research. However, little is known about heterogeneity across both sides of the platform market and how digital platforms enable interactions across these heterogeneous sides. With a single case study of a digital logistics platform’s ecosystem, we investigate how a platform enables interactions in a market exhibiting heterogeneity in the use of technology across both sides. We find cross-market-side heterogeneity, a new dimension in the relationship between platform owner and complementor. Our results suggest that platform owners offer auxiliary services that enable complementors to interact on an equal footing with consumers. We explain how platform owners can enable complementors to overcome the resulting differences in professionalization