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报告题目：Compatibility Strategies of Asymmetric Digital Platforms

报告人：Raphael Amit

报告时间：2019年3月18日（周一）下午13:30

报告地点：中国科学院数学与系统科学研究院N202

报告摘要：We examine the profit-maximizing compatibility strategies in a duopoly setting of asymmetric platforms (a superior and an inferior platform) and asymmetric application products (a superior and an inferior product) by developing and analyzing a two stage game-theoretic model. We investigate two questions: (i) what are the profit-maximizing compatibility choices of each of the two firms (i.e., non-compatibility, one-way compatibility, or two-way compatibility); and (ii) how much to invest in adding intrinsic value to the compatible system (i.e., incremental compatibility investment). We find that the profit-maximizing compatibility choice depends on the adoption costs of a platform and/or an application product and on the intrinsic value difference between the two platforms and/or products. The larger the adoption costs, the greater the incentive for digital platforms to have compatible application products, as it increases profitability. We also show that the incremental compatibility investment is influenced by the intrinsic value difference between the digital platforms and/or application products. The larger that intrinsic value difference is, the larger should be the incremental compatibility investment when the superior product is made compatible and is being customized to the superior platform. This study contributes to the literature by: (i) filling a theoretical research void on compatibility strategies of revenue-generating asymmetric platforms with revenue-generating asymmetric application products; and (ii) showing the link between the size of the incremental compatibility investment, which is an endogenous firm decision variable in our model, and consumers' utility.

报告人简介：Raphael (“Raffi”) Amit is the Marie and Joseph Melone Professor and a Professor of Management at the Wharton School. Prof. Amit holds B.A. and M.A. degrees in Economics, and received his Ph.D. in Managerial Economics and Decision Sciences from Northwestern University’s Kellogg Graduate School of Management. Prof. Amit’s current research and teaching interests center on family business management, governance, and finance, on venture capital and private equity investments, on entrepreneurship, on the design of business models and on business strategy. He has published extensively in leading academic journals and is frequently quoted in a broad range of practitioner outlets.