数字平台企业的边界塑造机制:嵌入式案例研究  

Mechanism of Boundary Shaping in Digital Platform Enterprises:An Embedded Case Study

作　　者：王节祥 郭斌[3] 江诗松[4] 贺锦江[5] WANG Jie-xiang;GUO Bin;JIANG Shi-song;HE Jin-jiang(Modern Business Research Center,Zhejiang Gongshang University;School of Business Administration,Zhejiang Gongshang University;School of Management,Zhejiang University;School of Economics and Management,Wuhan University;School of Management,Zhejiang University of Finance&Economics)

机构地区：[1]浙江工商大学现代商贸研究中心 [2]浙江工商大学工商管理学院 [3]浙江大学管理学院 [4]武汉大学经济与管理学院 [5]浙江财经大学管理学院(MBA学院)

出　　处：《中国工业经济》2024年第3期175-192,共18页China Industrial Economics

基　　金：浙江省自然科学基金杰青项目“领先企业孵化数字赋能平台的机制研究”(批准号R24C020002);国家自然科学基金青年项目“数字化背景下平台企业构建生态系统的制度创业研究”(批准号72002188);国家自然科学基金面上项目“数字产品的类别原型基准差异化、类别模范基准差异化与市场绩效:对战略平衡观视角最优差异化理论的拓展及实证检验”(批准号72072158);浙江省哲学社会科学重点培育研究基地“浙江工商大学数字创新与全球价值链升级研究中心”的支持。

摘　　要：数字平台企业在发展过程中如何开展“只做平台”还是“兼做自营”的业务边界塑造,是一个重要的战略议题,但相关的学术讨论十分有限。本文采用嵌入式案例设计,对两家数字平台企业发展过程中的六个业务单元做归纳分析。研究发现:处在突破临界规模、强化用户粘性和开拓生态系统不同阶段的平台业务呈现出不同的边界塑造机制:数字平台企业在突破临界规模阶段的战略情境是追求“快速增长”,单纯依靠平台企业自身的有限资源难以满足用户需求,是否对供方业务实施自制的重要考量是交易成本,供方业务的信息不对称和资产专用性程度越高,平台企业越倾向“兼做自营”;在强化用户粘性阶段的战略情境是追求“持续增长”,是否对供方业务实施自制受到交易成本或资源能力与网络效应交互作用的影响,越能带来交互增强,平台企业越倾向“兼做自营”;在开拓生态系统阶段的战略情境是追求“品质增长”,平台企业自身已积累起丰富的资源和能力,是否对供方业务实施自制主要受供方业务上平台资源能力优势和培育水平的影响,水平越高,平台企业越倾向“兼做自营”。进一步分析表明,数字平台企业边界塑造机制的演变与平台交易和创新属性存在关联。本文基于平台网络效应特征,拓展了对经典企业边界塑造机制适用性的认识。Digital platform enterprises are becoming important organizational forms,and how to shape their business boundaries during their development is a critical strategic issue.These enterprises leverage digital technology infrastructure to create building blocks that support user activities,harnessing network effects to enhance transactional and innovative efficiency.Digital platform enterprises connect supply and demand sides,and boundary strategies of“Make”and“Buy”can be delineated according to whether they implement self-operation for supplier businesses.Divergent viewpoints and practices exist among firms:some advocate providing“building blocks”for direct connections between supply and demand,opting for the“Buy”strategy-exemplified by eBay and Taobao,while others,such as Amazon and Ctrip,advocate implementing self-operation for supplier products and services to expedite platform launch,thereby embracing the“Make”strategy.The choice between“Make”and“Buy”as boundary-shaping strategies represents a novel extension of the traditional corporate boundary decision-making issue within the platform context.It raises questions about the applicability of existing boundary decision mechanisms.Corporate boundary decision-making refers to the strategy adopted by a company to decide whether to“Make”or“Buy”in a certain business,with typical cases including whether General Motors should implement“Make”for car body manufacturing.In the past,there have been two main theoretical perspectives in corporate boundary research:transaction cost theory and resource-based theory.Are these two major theoretical mechanisms still applicable in the context of digital platforms?In the field of platform research,the analysis of the boundary of digital platform enterprises is still very limited.This study aims to investigate how digital platform enterprises shape their boundaries during their development.In response to this process-oriented research issue,this paper adopts a case study method that matches it.

关 键 词：数字平台企业 边界塑造 交易成本 资源观 网络效应 

分 类 号：F272[经济管理—企业管理]