Digital Platforms: Technology & Business Components

Readings:

• Nokia, Our Platform is Burning (mandatory reading)
• RIM: Research, No Motion
• Interbrand Best Global Brands 2019
• Why Software is Eating the World 

Activities:

• A few students to present (5 minutes) on their favourite platforms on 9th Jan – Upgrad, Aadhar, Wikipedia, HackerEarth, Github, Twitter, Instagram, Vimeo, LinkedIn, Airbnb, Gojek, …
• Form Groups of 2 members (one with Customer / Revenue focus, another with Product / Design focus) and be ready with your team details – Submit the team details by 14th Jan
• Choose a platform startup / app of your choice and submit the name of the startup / app by 21st Jan – you need to conduct an analysis / teardown of the platform – using relevant business & technology frameworks
• As a team, start working towards identifying a commercial / social challenge that you would want to address using a platform. Submit details of your challenge by 23rd Jan

Readings:

• Platform Stack (mandatory reading)
• Platforms vs. Pipes (mandatory reading)
• India Stack
• Pipes, Platforms and the New Rules of Strategy
• Alibaba: Crocodile in the Yangtze
• Google is Defragging Android
• HBS on Platforms-Crowds
• Visa Acquires Plaid

Activities:

• Submit your 2 member team details by 14th Jan

Readings:

• Platform Canvas (mandatory reading)
• The Five Competitive Forces that Shape Strategy”
• The Art of Standards War
• Business Model Canvas
• Platform Business Canvas
• Platform Innovation Toolkit
• Platform Thinking Labs

Activities:

• Before 23rd Jan, 8:00am: Submit through email, the name of the Platform (startup / app). You could choose any Platform Startup / app of your choice. Kindly note this is an individual activity. You need to conduct an analysis / teardown of the platform – using the relevant business & technology concepts that we learnt during this course
• On the 23rd: Introduce your team and each member’s focus first. Then as a team, present an elevator pitch of the commercial / social challenge that you would want to address using a platform

• Readings:

  • What are Network Effects? (mandatory reading)
  • Network Effects Manual?
  • Demystifying Network Effects
  • Virality vs Network Effects
  • What are Network Effects?
  • Big Tech & Network Effects

Activities:

• This Week’s Classes will be taken by Prof. Sridhar

Activities:

• 11th Feb class will be taken by Prof. Sridhar – In this class, the students will be presenting their thoughts on Monetization, as detailed out by Prof. Sridhar
• External Talk by Mr. Salil, founder of QueryHome | AnswerCart on 13th Feb – Here is an opportunity for you to understand directly from the founder of a platform – their thoughts, strategies – and relate to the concepts learnt in class

Readings:

• The Stadium as a Platform (mandatory reading)
• Tech Stacks of Global Platform Players – Popular Tech Stacks
• Free Marketplace Software – MarketPlace Kit and Open Cart

Activities:

• Quiz 1 will be held on Feb 18. This would revolve around all topics discussed in class during the past weeks. The duration of the quiz would be 60 minutes

Readings:

• Platform Ecosystems: How Developers Invert the Firm
• The Battle is all for the Customer Interface
• The Secret to Amazon’s Success
• Decoding the API Economy
• Corporate Alliances Matter Less Thanks to APIs

• External Talk by Mr. Saurabh Saha, founder of TalentPegs and GaliJobs on 25th Feb – Here is an opportunity for you to understand directly from the founder of a platform – his thoughts, strategies – and relate to the concepts learnt in class

Activities:

• On 5th March, 2:00 – 5:00pm – Each of the 10 teams will present in detail (10 min + 5 min feedback) the progress made over the past 1 month on the project. The other teams will provide feedback to the presenting team. Please load all your presentation in advance on the classroom laptop

• A Platform Strategy won’t work Unless you are good at Machine Learning
• Blockchain to give rise to competitors
• What if There is no Middleman
• What Blockchain means for the Sharing Economy

Activities:

• External Talk by Sonata on 17th Mar – Here is an opportunity for you to understand directly – their thoughts, strategies – and relate to the concepts learnt in class

• Activities:

  • Select students could also get an opportunity to join the RISE Startup Summit, to tbe held this week
  • RISE 2020 will be held between 19-21 Mar

• Activities:

  • Quiz 2 will be held on Mar 24th. This would revolve around all topics discussed in class during the past weeks

• Readings:

  • Regulatory Awareness and Adherence

  Activities:

  • All individual paper submissions are due before 1st April 8:00am
  • This Week’s Classes will be taken by Prof. Sridhar

• Readings:

  • Power, Platforms and the Free Trade Delusion
  • Sustainability in the age of Platforms
  • The Five Pillars of Fairwork

Activities:

• Select students could also get an opportunity to join the IIITB-Sonata Platform Summit, to tbe held this week
• IIITB-IMACX Digital Platform Strategy Summit will be held on 17th Apr, in our campus – jointly with Sonata Software

Activities:

• This week, each of the 10 teams presents in detail (10 min + 5min feedback) the progress made over the past 1 month on the project. The other teams will provide feedback to the presenting team.