Every month we’ll be recommending a book for you to get your teeth into. This month we’ve been reading Platform Revolution by by Geoffrey G. Parker, Marshall W. Van Alstyne and Sangeet Paul Choudary.
Here’s a synopsis to whet your appetite
Facebook, PayPal, Alibaba, Uber-these seemingly disparate companies have upended entire industries by harnessing a single phenomenon: the platform business model. Platform Revolution delivers the first comprehensive analysis of how platforms use technology to match producers and consumers in a multisided marketplace, unlocking hidden resources and creating new forms of value.
When a company like Uber connects drivers with passengers, everybody wins- except traditional taxi companies, which are scrambling to survive. Assumptions about operations, finance, strategy and innovation all change. Platform Revolution explores the what, how and why of this revolution and provides the first “owner’s manual” for creating a platform marketplace.
Revealing the strategies behind some of today’s rising platforms, the authors explain how entrepreneurs-and traditional companies- can thrive in this new world. In cases as diverse as shoes, spices, dating, energy, home appliances and education, Platform Revolution provides the essential guide to unlocking the potential of an economic landscape transformed.
Read reviews and get your copy on www.amazon.co.uk