14 research outputs found

    Trends in digital entertainment: a multiple case study of video and digital comic service platforms

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    This research involved trends in video and digital comic service platforms. Four existing video and comic players were analysed by gathering information from publicly available sources. The aim was to create a picture of the existing market by looking at the differences and similarities among the existing players. The existing players were then compared with a new upcoming service platform, which combines both videos and digital comics. Information from this player was gathered by interviewing the company behind the service. A literature review of platforms, digital platforms and platform theories was completed, followed by a theoretical platform leading to the choice of framework for analysing the case companies. Data collection, methodology and limitations of the study are then presented. The empirical part of the study focuses on analysing the companies by using the chosen framework, leading to a picture of the current players, the upcoming player and the market situation. The results of the study showed that many of the theories of platforms and digital platforms in previous literature are valid for today’s video and digital comic service platforms. The study emphasized the network effects between user groups. Most of the existing players were not utilizing these network effects as effectively as they could, which created an opportunity for a new market entrant. This study is limited by the small sample size of analysed platforms. In addition, most of the data was gathered from publicly available sources, which makes the analysis less reliable. Video and digital comic service platform markets keep changing and improving at a fast pace. This means that data provided in this study might be outdated fairly quickly

    Pervasive Decentralisation of Digital Infrastructures: A Framework for Blockchain enabled System and Use Case Analysis

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    Technological innovation and consequential decentralisation are driving forces in the ongoing evolution and increasing openness of digital infrastructures and services. One of the most discussed and allegedly disruptive innovations is the distributed database technology referred to as blockchain. Although it is still in its technological infancy, experimental adoption and customization seem to be in full progress in various potential fields of application ranging from decentralized grids for computation and storage to global financial services. However, the technology and its path of development still entail a lot of common unknowns for practitioners and researchers alike. Especially regarding the question how the technology could amend or be incorporated into the existing landscape of digital services, processes and infrastructures. Hence, in this article we develop an ontology that (1) clearly delineates common terminology, core concepts and components, their relationships as well as innovative features of blockchain technology. It further (2) connects these insights with implications for relevant types of digital market models. Our framework is of high theoretical and practical value as it provides researchers and practitioners a common basis for communication and means for guided analysis of blockchain applicability

    Open sourcing programming language - Case Apple Swift

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    Companies, that are formerly considered to be closed and leaning towards proprietary software solutions, are increasingly more involved in open source software projects, and introducing more open source projects as part of their business. The open source paradigm is widely researched topic but the increasing involvement of some of these major technology companies has happened in the very recent history, and therefore deserves attention. This thesis will aim to answer the question: why did Apple open the source code of their programming language Swift? In order to answer this question a case study was conducted, in which earlier literature and publicly available data was used to create a conversation, with a goal to reveal the underlying aspects of the phenomena. The literature review goes from historical evolution of open source software to more recent research and compares it to the steps that Apple has taken in its process of open sourcing programming language Swift. Apple's statements for open sourcing decision argue the improvements in software development, and the importance of third-party software developers for the company. The earlier literature both supports and disagrees with some of the aspects of Apple's open sourcing decision. Furthermore, the company is able to utilize some of the tools that the earlier literature points out to be beneficial for the success of an open source project. Lastly, the company's history in OSS usage give arguably some indicators for the strategic approach that the company will aim to maintain with its OSS projects

    Digital transformation in music industry: A multiple case study of Finnish record labels

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    This research studied the digital transformation in music industry of Finnish record label companies, and their utilization of ICT technology and digital platforms. Six record label representatives of top level executives were interviewed as a part of this study. All three dominant players, major record labels, were involved in this study with addition of three smaller independent record labels. The study aimed to understand what ICT technology is used in the core operations of a record label, and possibly, how they are utilizing different digital platforms and technology in their i.e. communications, when choosing the primary channels of communication to increase operational efficiency. A literature review on the previous research was conducted on platform theories and digital platforms, followed by an industry overview and the digital transformation of music market, then leading to theoretical background of the framework used to analyze findings, description of the methodology, overview of the current market situation, explanations of the case companies and analysis of them through the findings. The results of the study supported the previous literature related to the industry transformation and the market structure. However, the importance of sociological behavior emerged through the significance of the social media in music industry and by the way of communications of the record labels. The use of technology is on quite basic level, thus some lack of digital platform being utilized can be recognized. As a managerial implication, the more accurate strategic mapping of the relevant stakeholder groups for the record label is recommended in order to improve communications to increase efficiency to gain competitive advantage. This study is limited by the small sample size and relatively wide scope of a complex industry, which required substantial delimitation, and abundance of various affecting factors related to the operations of the record labels

    DISCOVERING THE ROLE OF SCENARIO PLANNING AS AN EVALUATION METHODOLOGY FOR BUSINESS MODELS IN THE ERA OF THE INTERNET OF THINGS (IOT)

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    Within both scientific literature and practice, there is limited understanding about the evaluation aspect of business model innovation (BMI), especially in the context of digitalization and the Internet of Things (IoT). The aim of our research project is to contribute by validating whether methodologies from strat-egy, such as scenario planning, are appropriate means for evaluating business models in this explicit context. Following a Design Science Research (DSR) approach, we develop an approach to implement scenario planning into a BMI process respective of the features. In cooperation with business innovation employees of a well-known corporation in the technology sector, we apply the methodology to real-world innovation projects, empirically validate its viability, and determine how and to what extent it can be used. As a further result, we aim to scientifically expound its effects on creating competitive strategic advantages in the context of digitalization and the IoT

    Web-based Industrial Smart Marketplace

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    The main objective of this dissertation is to create a marketplace for Smart Components based on an online platform. This Marketplace organizes and stores information of industrial machines, so that potential customers can check and compare different devices from various perspectives, such as: remaining lifetime, efficiency, cost, power consumption, reliability, among others. Information on the equipment is filtered according to different levels of privacy. The marketplace besides providing a web interface that allows a user to insert / change information from different devices, is connected to a data-base in which is stored information about the equipment's operations. Additionally, the marketplace must provide tools for integrating interfaces and software used by the industry, which will be provided in the form of downloadable applications, as well as a platform for other types of smart components, and services

    How does a Facebook flea market create value? Value co-creation and value outcomes in a digital platform

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    The aim of this thesis is to build more understanding on a recent phenomenon of Facebook flea markets. In a more extensive context, the topic is part of sharing economy, which covers peer-to-peer exchange more thoroughly. The chosen standpoint looks at the phenomenon through a value creation lens, more specifically how these flea markets create value for their users. The thesis builds on service-dominant logic (S-D logic) where value is a central underpinning. In order to bring practicality to S-D logic, platform structure is infused to it to better evaluate the complex value co-creation process. In the crossroads of the two literature streams, a framework for the thesis is developed. The research question was studied with a qualitative approach, where a Facebook flea market Kallio kierrättää acted as the target case. Selected users of this platform were interviewed with semi-structured interviews, and a qualitative content analysis was conducted on the transcribed records. The thesis follows a realism paradigm where the researcher is able to analyze the shared reality of individuals. Prior theory also plays a significant role in realist studies. The central findings illustrated that the value co-creation process is different from what was expected based on prior theory. In addition of merely interacting through ICT, Kallio kierrättää users connect in the flea market context outside the platform in physical surroundings, mainly in Kallio area in Helsinki. Furthermore, the sense of community is built both online and offline, leading to the conclusion that the digital and the physical complement one another. In addition, instead of users being only consumers of the platform they are in fact the main force behind the group. The traditional division between value proposition side and user side was changed as users were actively taking the admin role. Thus, users are creating value for each other more directly through having established and using Kallio kierrättää, where the interference of middlemen is not present the same way as in e.g. basic flea markets or online platforms. Moreover, the rules seem to act as a glue that keeps users connected and the group functioning. Regarding value outcomes, the main finding indicated that negative experiences play an important role in determining the final value outcome. The suggestion is that S-D logic inherited the net benefit view of value that has been first introduced more than 25 years ago. More generally, the thesis has demonstrated that platform structure can be successfully used in analyzing value co-creation. One suggestion for further research is to see if the same logic could be applied in other contexts where the platform exists on a more abstract level

    Demand modeling for mobile app stores

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    Smartphones have reached a relatively high market share of the mobile market, creating new market opportunities. As a result, different stakeholders are investing in the mobile industry attempting to generate a higher revenue share. Hence, competition between various mobile device manufacturers has increased, as they compete for customers. These device manufacturers have created their own ecosystems, trying to lock-in their customers. These ecosystems include the application (app) stores providing services for mobile users. Currently, the two leading app stores are the Apple App Store and Google Play. Similarly, the competition exists among app developers of both stores. Therefore, it is vital to understand the user demands to design a successful app is popular in these stores. This thesis identifies successful app categories for both app stores from the perspective of an app developer. It adopts basic descriptive analysis for the dataset provided during September and October 2013 regarding the US and Finnish markets. Furthermore, it introduces a probabilistic graphical model based on Bayesian Network, aiming to understand the dynamics of mobile app stores. The thesis defines the success indicator for each category of apps, and then compares the results of both app stores. The top successful app categories in the US market include Social Networking, Productivity, Music, Finance, Education, Sports, Entertainment, and Travel. The corresponding app categories in Finland include Social Networking, Finance, Education, Music, Productivity, Entertainment, Photos and Video, Lifestyle, Games, and News. The thesis concludes that Google Play has higher success indicators than Apple App Store both in US and Finnish markets. Additionally, the success indicator is higher for free apps compared to paid apps. The results of this research contribute to recommendations for developers, during the development and publishing stages of an app, as well as building marketing strategies for mobile apps. Furthermore, it suggests a framework to identify successful apps in mobile app stores

    Impact of switching costs and network effects on adoption of mobile platforms

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    Objectives of the Study: The purpose of this thesis is to evaluate the switching costs while adopting a new mobile platform and examine the network effects on the user switching behavior of the mobile platforms. In addition, this thesis examines whether it is more difficult to shift to a new cloud service provider or mobile platform. Windows, Android and iOS are the three platforms that are analyzed in this study. Academic background and methodology: To achieve the purpose of this study the qualitative research technique involving focus group interviews was utilized. The background literature outlined current understanding of the switching costs and divided them into five categories: search costs, costs of transaction, learning costs, complementary investments and brand relationship costs. Additional concepts were defined to get better understanding of the network effects, cloud services and mobile platforms. Three largest mobile platform providers, Microsoft, Apple and Google were analyzed using the (IISIn) model. The impact of the switching costs and network effects was analyzed from the user's perspective through four different focus groups with participants from different professional occupations. Thereafter the interviews were transcribed and qualitatively analyzed. The results of this study are presented in the form of propositions that can be tested in the future research. Findings and conclusions: The research shows that the most prominent barriers when adopting new mobile platforms are: time and effort required to learn how to use the new platform, loss of non-transferable goods and services, and emotional attachments to the brand. Furthermore, user's social circle, for example family and friends, play an important role in pre-adoption decision because of recommendations through word of mouth. Members that live in the same household might adopt the same mobile platform due to greater product compatibility. The high number of application developers in a platform is crucial to retain consumers in the post-adoption phase. Specifically, lack of available applications is one of the primary causes for negative user experience that can lead to switching. Finally, there is no consensus among users if switching mobile platform is harder than switching cloud service provider. There are multiple user characteristics that determine the outcome: extent of use of the cloud services, knowledge about converters to transfer data between cloud providers and monetary investments made into a mobile platform

    Design features impacting mobile phone upgrading frequency

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    This study examines the impact of design on customer upgrading frequency, and differentiates between functional and aesthetic aspects of design. For the empirical study, we conducted an intercept survey in Beijing and Shanghai with Chinese consumers (n=170) in a retail mall setting. The results of the survey show that the functional design aspects of mobile phones (screen size, keyboard, and width of body) affect perceived ease of use, and that design aesthetics (color and thickness of body) moderate the relationship between satisfaction and upgrading frequency. However, we did not gain significant results for the relationship between functional design and perceived usefulness. The results provide initial evidence of the importance of design for consumers when upgrading their mobile phones. The findings highlight the need of further investigating the impact of design. We see, e.g., the potential impact of design on emergent feature fatigue phenomena in mobile phone markets, where consumers begin to desire less functionality from their mobile phones and are willing to replace their advanced phones with simpler models, as a intriguing research avenue
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