Public defence in Network Economics, M.Sc.(Tech.) Jarno Lähteenmäki

M.Sc.(Tech.) Jarno Lähteenmäki will defend the thesis "Managing the evolution of a platform business in network-centric ecosystems" on 19 January 2023 at 12 (EET) in Aalto University School of Electrical Engineering, Department of Communications and Networking, in lecture hall AS1, Maarintie 8, Espoo.

Opponent: Prof. Dimitris Varoutas, National and Kapodistrian University of Athens, Greece
Custos: Prof. (emeritus) Heikki Hämmäinen, Aalto University School of Electrical Engineering, Department of Communications and Networking

Thesis available for public display 10 days prior to the defence at: https://aaltodoc.aalto.fi/doc_public/eonly/riiputus/
Doctoral theses in the School of Electrical Engineering: https://aaltodoc.aalto.fi/handle/123456789/53

Public defence announcement:

Many companies in the ICT sector have tried to take advantage of the opportunities of the platform economy when building a new network-based business. However, only a few have survived these starts, and even the successful ones have had numerous challenges in the start-up and development phases. The question has become how to survive this challenging phase of growth.

M.Sc. Lähteenmäki's dissertation examines the structures of platform business and business networks, as well as their changes. The purpose of the research was to find out which business management strategies an ICT platform company can use to manage both the company's internal and external change pressures. The dissertation is therefore located in the research areas of strategic and technical-economic management.

The same phenomenon was repeated in the examined cases. Although the platform's producer network, partner networks and customer segments typically follow the same type of structures, the complexity of the interaction between different parties causes the platform company to have a partial strategic balance situation. In practice, this means a constant change in the power relations of the business network and the surrounding markets. When aiming for growth, the platform company can rely on acquisition programs and other business arrangements to change the structure of the ecosystem. In addition, in order to stabilize the change, it can accordingly strive together with the network to establish common business models and cooperation practices.

The strategies proposed as the result of the research aim to change the market surrounding the platform in a more favorable direction and thereby improve the chances of survival. Strategies that stabilize the market make the forces of change more predictable and better manageable. Despite the strategies promoting stability, instead of striving for perfection, the platform company should strive to invest together with the members of the business network in openness and flexibility in cooperation.

Contact information of doctoral candidate