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January 28, 2025
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This course is part of Platform Thinking: Innovation in digital business models era Specialization
Instructors: Daniel Trabucchi
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No prerequisite knowledge is required for this course.
(61 reviews)
Recommended experience
Beginner level
No prerequisite knowledge is required for this course.
Understand the impact that platforms have in our daily life
Identify the main typologies of platforms in the business world
Assess the evolution of the concept of platforms over time in the management world
Apply the main “platform thinking” logics to existing platforms to see their innovative power
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Over the last two decades, platforms have transformed the way, we search for information (e.g., Google), buy goods (e.g., Amazon), consume news and media (e.g., Facebook and Twitter) and travel and move around (e.g., Airbnb, Booking.com, Uber and TripAdvisor). This phenomenon is known as 'the power of platforms', defined as an innovative business model that relies on digital technologies to assemble people, knowledge and companies in an interactive ecosystem where value can be created, captured and shared. These platforms have a great ability to attract funds and grow rapidly, relying on external resources (e.g. private houses for Airbnb or private cars for Uber), with a significant impact on the market. These companies act as intermediaries, attempting to reduce frictions in the market and helping the supply and demand sides of a product or service to find each other. As such, existing companies may be inspired by these fast-growing companies to at least partially capture the opportunities underpinning the model. Most of them are digital companies mainly focusing on the service field; nevertheless, recent cases show how platforms are having an impact in many different industries with the spread of the sharing economy and implications in the brick and mortar industries.
This course aims to identify the elements that make platforms such a relevant and interesting business model defining the concept of "Platform thinking", defined as the ability to see the potentialities derived from platform-based models while fostering innovation in the digital world but also in traditional and established businesses. The course is based on the definition of platforms, taking a historical view on the evolution of this complex concept that became a buzzword, introducing Platform Thinking.
2 videos2 readings
3 videos3 readings
6 videos3 readings1 discussion prompt
3 videos5 readings1 assignment1 discussion prompt
We asked all learners to give feedback on our instructors based on the quality of their teaching style.
Instructor ratings
We asked all learners to give feedback on our instructors based on the quality of their teaching style.
Politecnico di Milano is a scientific-technological University, which trains engineers, architects and industrial designers. From 2014 Politecnico di Milano started the release of several MOOCs, developed by the service for digital learning METID (Methods and Innovative Technologies for Learning), giving everybody the chance to enhance personal skills.
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Reviewed on Jul 30, 2023
I highly recommend this exceptional course that introduces the concept of platform thinking and platform business, accompanied by interesting real-life examples that kept me engaged from start to end.
Reviewed on May 1, 2023
An excellent course introduces platform thinking and platform business. It is a business model/logic/thinking. I recommend everyone interested in digital firms take this course.
Reviewed on Aug 23, 2023
Very short and quick, although some logic/strategies could be further developed/explained.
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