Digital Platforms

Our research focus

Digital business models differ significantly from traditional business models. We investigate the functioning of digital platforms, analyse competition and innovations in platform markets. Our research on platform-based business models summarises the effects of the platform economy on organisations. Our research results can be found in scientific journals, at international conferences and in compact form on our homepage and in our newsletter.

Our research offers an insight into:

• Digital platforms in industry and commerce
• Competition and innovation on platform markets
• Understanding and applying platform economics
• Platform-based business models

Offers for practice partners

Would you also like to work with the research group?

We offer a wide range of opportunities for co-operation with companies and research institutions. The organisation of the cooperation is as individual as the projects themselves. Below you will find examples of cooperation formats.

Are you interested in working with us? Do you have an idea for an innovative project? Do not hesitate to contact us! (Contact)

Development of a digital platform

The ever-increasing pace of digitalisation presents companies with major challenges. For companies, especially SMEs, it is a challenge to get into the topic. Our aim is to offer you a scientifically sound entry point. We support you with questions about digital platforms, help you to decide whether it is worthwhile for you to have your own digital platform and explain what is important when developing an online platform (link KMU-Navigator). Our publications and tools offer an easy introduction to the topic.

Research cooperations

• Companies participate in research projects as part of research collaborations. Together with the research group, forward-looking topics are scientifically analysed and, depending on the project, translated into practical applications.
• For example, the Internet of Things-Business Model Evolution project investigated the possibilities of using platform approaches in the plastic injection moulding industry.
• Do you have a specific research project and are you looking for scientifically sound support? We can support you with your project. Contact us using this form (Contact).

Market analyses and studies

• Our market analyses offer transparency in areas that are usually not or not yet analysed and thus make a strategic contribution to companies' decision-making.
• For example, the current market situation for updates in the ERP sector was analysed as part of the "ERP update study". In addition to different update formats, the prevalence of continuous updates as a future procedure was analysed in particular. The study also offers companies the opportunity to benchmark the costs of ERP updates. (ERP update study)

Co-operation on student project work

• Student project groups offer innovative approaches to challenges. In a project (usually 6 months), selected students work on issues relating to politics, administration and companies.
• These projects are offered each semester to students in the final semesters of their Bachelor's degree in Business Information Systems and to Master's students in Business Information Systems, bringing together students with different profiles and backgrounds. The students are supervised throughout the project by research assistants from the research group.
• The possible tasks are very diverse and can range from project management to prototype development or data collection to the selection and introduction of software systems.
• For example, a group of students evaluated the feasibility of a decentralised copyright platform for music for the Federal Ministry of Justice and Consumer Protection as part of a project seminar. Stakeholders ranging from labels to archives were interviewed in order to identify requirements for the development of a target concept for a European, decentralised copyright platform for music (EMR platform).

Co-operations for final theses (Bachelor, Master, Doctorate)

• Durch Beteiligungen an Abschlussarbeiten haben Unternehmen die Möglichkeit eigene Fragestellungen in die Wissenschaft einzubringen und einen Austausch zwischen Praxis und Wissenschaft zu fördern. Darüber hinaus können frühzeitig junge Menschen vom eigenen Unternehmen überzeugt werden.
• Studierenden des Bachelor- und Masterstudiengangs Wirtschaftsinformatik und angrenzender Disziplinen, werden im Rahmen ihrer Abschlussarbeit von der Forschungsgruppe betreut und in der Bearbeitung innovativer Fragestellungen für die Praxis begleitet.

Individual needs

• Are you looking for customised solutions for your company? We can help you here too.
• An AI maturity model was created for a software company and a tool was developed to evaluate functions, modules or entire ERP systems in terms of their AI maturity level.

Offer for students

Lectures and seminars

Seminar: Business start-ups in the digital environment

In this practice-orientated business game, you will work in teams through the typical start-up phases in the digital environment. You will develop your own start-up idea with the help of design thinking methods, develop a corresponding business plan and build a target group-orientated prototype using the LEAN approach. The aim of the course is for you to learn the basic tools for successful start-ups in the digital environment. Students work in groups of three people.

Seminar: Digital Platforms

Digital platforms are becoming increasingly important for companies and their business models. The group of multi-sided platforms is particularly important due to the diverse potential for scaling (platform economy). As part of the seminar, students have the opportunity to work on current issues in the context of different platform types, e.g. innovation platforms (iOS or Android) and transaction platforms (eBay).

As part of the seminar, different research topics in the field of digital platforms are individually supervised. The seminar begins with a thematic introduction to the field of digital platforms. In addition to the necessary basics, students will also be presented with key areas of research and associated findings. This forms the basis for the seminar and the students' topic selection. As part of the seminar, research gaps will be identified and addressed by the students.

Seminar: Analysis and conception projects (A&K)

As part of the seminar, students work in small groups in co-operation with institutions and companies on practical issues in business information systems. The aim is to develop a concept for the integrated design of system solutions and operational applications on the basis of an analysis of the current situation. Active participation and the willingness to develop initial solutions in companies and institutions is a prerequisite.Analysis & Conception is a course in which students work directly on a project together in teams. Project partners can be regional and international companies, non-profit organisations and internal university organisational units. To give you an idea of what project topics can be and how projects can roughly proceed, you will find summaries of three previous projects below.

Seminar: Current topics in business informatics and electronic government

Topics related to the chair's research are offered. Involvement in research projects is also possible. Depending on the subject area, various members of academic staff are available for supervision.
The seminar topics are supervised by the academic staff of the chair. Specific suggestions for topics in the following and other subject areas will be presented at the kick-off event.

• Digital platforms
• Business ecosystems
• Business applications (e.g. ERP / CRM)

Syllabus:

• Introduction of Digital Government
• Business process management in public administrations
• E-Government applications
• Mobile Government
• Standardisation, interoperability and integration
• Knowledge management in public administrations
• E-participation
• Open government and open data
• Municipal e-government
• E-government transfer

Final theses

As part of their final theses, students are given the opportunity to take an in-depth look at issues relating to digital platforms. The thesis is always supervised by an expert from the research group. From a methodological perspective, theses can be both creative (design science) and empirical-quantitative in nature.

You can find our current theses here.

Platform technologies: status quo and trends

The aims of this topic area are to identify existing platform technologies and to answer the following research question: How will digital products and services develop in global practice?

Evaluation of digital platforms

The development of evaluation approaches for digital platforms represents a methodological challenge. Typical evaluation criteria for the design and organisation of information services, such as user acceptance or system quality, are not sufficient to evaluate a platform holistically, especially since the attractiveness of a platform depends just as much on its technical performance as on the hoped-for network effects and intangible aspects such as trust in the platform providers.

Test procedures and quality assurance of digital platforms

Due to market fragmentation, digital testing is more complicated than ever, and testers and development teams face numerous testing challenges.
With limited time and budget, organisations are unable to test all platform features and need to clearly define which digital tests are most relevant (for their customers, geography and industry). Holistic testing procedures for quality assurance include functional and non-functional tests, as in software testing. This involves testing features and functions against customer requirements (UI, API,...), as well as various aspects of software behaviour, such as speed, usability, accessibility, etc.

Trust in and regulation of platform markets

Rapid technological progress and increasing digitalisation, driven in particular by the lockdown of the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020-2021, led to fundamental changes in the economy and an increased online presence of both companies and individuals worldwide. Digital platforms connect diverse markets of producers and consumers of various goods and services. Trust plays a crucial role in facilitating electronic transactions. The market power of digital platforms harbours the risk of anti-competitive practices. The lack of digital skills and digital security issues increase this risk. Trust research in the digital economy is becoming increasingly relevant for academic and economic studies.