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Mobile banking (M‐banking) involves the use of a mobile phone or another mobile device to undertake financial transactions linked to a client's account. M‐banking is one of the newest approaches to the provision of financial services through information communication technology (ICT), made possible by the widespread adoption of mobile phones even in low income countries. Emerging mobile banking (m‐banking platforms) in developing markets enable two sided markets, bringing together mobile handset users with other mobile users and commercial partners. It is the argument of this paper that the emergence of m‐banking platforms has the potential for spill‐over effects, and that these spill‐over effects will require regulatory authorities to develop appropriate policy responses.

This article derives from research on the m‐banking strategies of mobile network operators (MNOs) in developing markets, and the regulatory responses to these strategies. Field visits were made to the Philippines and Kenya where m‐banking platforms are well established, and in depth interviews took place with companies that had succeeded in launching m‐banking platforms, or were considering strategic responses in markets where competitors had launched platforms. Companies were identified from the existing body of literature, observation and personal contact. Additionally, data were collected from developing case studies.

M‐banking has the potential to bring basic banking and electronic transactions services to unbanked consumers in developing markets. But in enabling two‐sided markets, m‐banking solutions also provide specific questions for telecommunications industry regulators. Regulators need to question if the elements are in place for m‐banking networks to tip towards a single platform, especially in markets with dominant operators that hold significant market share.

Because of the multi‐homing costs inherent in most existing m‐banking platforms, these platforms introduce both economic and psychological switching costs for consumers. In turn, these switching costs can have the impact of reinforcing existing network effects in markets where the incumbent already holds significant market share for voice traffic. There are a number of options available to telecommunications regulators in responding to the emergence of m‐banking platforms, and authorities should take a measured approach to achieve optimal societal and industry outcomes.

This paper fulfils an important void in the current literature related to the growth of m‐banking platforms in emerging markets. While there has been an increasing body of literature examining the potential socio‐economic impact of m‐banking in developing markets, the purpose of this paper is to explore the implications of m‐banking for competitive dynamics between competing firms, and the related issues for regulatory authorities.

This paper provides the specification of a platform for the management of mobile agents, and describes, using Mobile Unified Modeling Language (M‐UML), a mobile game application that uses the specified mobile platform. The specified platform considers the architectural guidelines described by the Foundation for Intelligent Physical Agents that allows the interoperability between agents running on different agent platforms. Our platform specifications provide the application developer with an application programming interface (API) that allows the launching of mobile agents with two optional features, security and fault‐tolerance. Using the platform’s APIs, new mobile games can then be efficiently developed and deployed on the Internet.

In this article, we study how a Chinese real estate broker - Lianjia successfully transformed itself into Beike - China’s leading digital platform for housing transactions and services. We explain the motivation behind this platform transformation, how it turned out, and what are the lessons learned for other companies contemplating a platform transformation. Beike’s lessons are significant as they not only can help the companies achieve growth via platform transformation but also create social value by contributing to higher service quality in traditional service industries.

We draw upon comprehensive archival research into Beike, and our many years of ongoing research on platform strategy and business growth strategy.

This article provides important lessons for companies in traditional service industries on how to expand growth via digital platforms. We summarize four key lessons learned: 1) data is central to success in platform transformation; 2) industry knowledge and experience play an important role; 3) the right platform governance is critical in value creation; 4) harness the double powers of platform and digital transformation.

More research on digital platforms and platform transformation in traditional service industries is needed to delve into the underlying factors and delineate the boundary conditions for specific details in this strategy and implementation.

This article is useful to business executives, academics, management consultants, and entrepreneurs interested in learning more about how to use digital platforms to achieve business growth and create economic and social value. In particular, Beike’s case offers inspiration and valuable lessons to companies in traditional service industries and helps them consider the factors that are important in the process of platform transformation.

This article on Beike provides an innovative solution to business leaders in traditional service industries grappling with a lack of professional standards and trust to use digital platforms to elevate service quality and create social value.

This article is unique and add value because Beike is a pioneer of using the digital platform to achieve growth and transform traditional service industries. Our study shows that platform transformation not only can help a company in a traditional industry achieve impressive growth but at the same time can create enormous social value by elevating the service quality of the whole industry.

The paper analyses the implications of a platform strategy in new product development with reference to the automobile industry. The implications and benefits of a platform strategy are discussed from both the technical and organisational points of view. The impact of a platform strategy on international product development is then analysed. The paper draws on examples from the experience of major Japanese automobile companies. In general, the analysis highlights how platform strategies are evolving and how they must be recognised more and more in relation to the internationalisation processes of R&D activities and operations. Moreover, different approaches are pointed out concerning more advanced and/or conservative approaches to platform development. A more advanced approach leads to more benefits in terms of the performance of the product development process and the reorganisation of the development process on a global level.

During its operation, vibrations in jacket platform due to high operational and environmental loads could reduce its productivity and endanger its safety. Tuned mass damper (TMD) is one of the vibration control devices commonly used in buildings to reduce their response. Basically, TMD is a device attached to a structure as a mass on properly tuned spring and damping elements. The purpose of this paper is to study the utilization of TMD to reduce the wave-induced vibration of platforms.

First, the study investigates the optimum TMD parameters to reduce the response of the platform. The effectiveness of the optimized TMD in reducing platform response due to wave load is then analyzed. Finally, the reduced response of the platform is attributed to an extension of platform service life. Cyclic load in the form of vibration is related to cyclic stress on the tubular connections on a jacket platform, which causes fatigue failure. Fatigue performance of a platform is quantified by its fatigue life, which should be at least twice the intended service life.

It is found that the optimized TMD cannot be achieved by simply adjusting the TMD damping as high as possible. The results show that the response of controlled platforms by properly tuned TMD could be reduced by about 20 percent from the uncontrolled case.

Although vibration of a structure can be reduced by increasing its stiffness, this approach is considered not economical since it increases the cost for material construction. With the falling of oil prices, an optimization of jacket platform structure is considered necessary to reduce its construction cost. TMD can be used as an alternate solution, even though the only recorded utilization of TMD on a jacket platform is known in Sakhalin Platform in Russia. This fact gives a motivation to carry out more studies about TMD application on jacket platform, as this device is already used in numerous of inland structures.

The purpose of this paper is to shed light on two key developments in the field of leadership that are significantly impacting organizations today. These two new developments are transforming businesses and non‐profit organizations alike. These new developments are: the creation of a new category of leadership called “leaders of leaders,” and the reemergence of the leadership tool called, “the platform,” as the cornerstone of organizations. The first finding of this article is that the “real” job description for a “leader of leaders” is very different from the job description of a “leader of followers.” This article explains that difference. Leaders of followers generally view their job as high level “problem solvers.” “Leaders of leaders” have a completely different job. They have the job of creating new, robust and enduring platforms that provide the organization a unique identity, can mold and direct large scale behavior within an organization and can address successfully large classes of problems. Most importantly, when a leader of leaders creates a platform, the leader must also create a feedback system so the platform can be improved on a continuous basis by input from those who are “on the ground” implementing the platform. The value of this article is that you can take the findings and immediately begin to implement some of the changes suggested in this article in your organization. You can transform your leaders into “leaders of leaders” and you can begin to create one or more “platforms” to improve your operations and organizational results.

The National Police Research Platform provided unprecedented data about police performance, but what did the agency heads think of this research program and the results? How useful were the findings for police practice and what more is needed? The purpose of this paper is to answer these questions and explore ways to translate the findings and sustain the Platform in the future.

Chiefs and sheriffs from the 100 participating agencies were invited by e-mail to take an online feedback survey about their experiences with the Platform. Data from 64 agencies were analyzed.

The majority of chief executive officers rated their overall experience with the Platform as positive, found the results useful and reported that the findings caused them to make changes, rethink things, and identify unforeseen issues. Most of them also expressed a willingness to participate in future Platform initiatives, but many felt additional guidance would help with interpreting findings and identifying next steps. This paper discusses how the Platform can respond to feedback and continue advancing the science of policing. Mainly, this can be achieved by engaging key organizations and providing routine feedback and education to participating agencies and the field at large.

This paper addresses previously unanswered questions about the utility and future of the National Police Research Platform from a police management perspective. It includes a preliminary discussion about how to sustain the Platform and ensure that research findings are translated into practice.

To better understand where the banking industry is heading and how it can thrive in the new environment of converged industries and competition, the IBM Institute for Business Value, in collaboration with Oxford Economics, surveyed 850 banking and financial markets executives across all major geographies and a variety of C-suite roles.

The survey sought answers to three key questions: What impacts are the changing currents around ecosystems, business models and business economics having on banking and other financial services organizations? What strategies are likely to be most successful for banks to adopt over the next few years? What steps can banking leaders adopt today to accelerate their progress toward obtaining a leading competitive position?

Most senior executives surveyed – 72 percent – agree that platform business models – and the ecosystems that underpin them – are disruptive for the banking industry: 70 percent of executives say that platform business models are driving changes in traditional value chains across the industry. 69 percent acknowledge that platforms are disrupting their organization’s own business and operating models.

As many as 79 percent of banking executives globally say that adoption of platform business models will help them achieve sustainable differentiation and competitive advantage with benefits across multiple dimensions. They identify profitability, innovation and access to markets as the top-three areas where platform models can drive advantage.

Visionary banks believe engagement with partners across platforms should increase their commitment to innovation, especially relating to the search for new and more valuable product and service combinations. They realize that radical transformation is required across business and operating models and in the way resources, business processes and technologies are assembled to create value.

This paper aims to review the latest management developments across the globe and pinpoint practical implications from cutting-edge research and case studies.

This briefing is prepared by an independent writer who adds their own impartial comments and places the articles in context.

This conceptual paper concentrates on how manufacturing companies can revitalize their business models by pivoting into becoming smart service providers accessed through a smart service platform. Three strategic platform options – for firms who wish to pivot from being smart service providers to smart platform providers – are a smart data platform, a smart product platform, and a matching platform. User co-creation molds with data gathering on smart product platforms, which creates scalable opportunity once multiple smart products have been built. Making this kind of transition involves sequential upskilling and investment in tech, branding, and stakeholder management.

The briefing saves busy executives, strategists and researchers hours of reading time by selecting only the very best, most pertinent information and presenting it in a condensed and easy-to-digest format.

The article examines four strategies for creating competitive advantage in markets enabled by digital platforms.

The four strategies are assessed: 10; Strategy 1: The Digital Industrialist - hardware-data-experience. 10;Strategy 2: The Digital Consumer - experience-data-platform-hardware. 10;Strategy 3: The Data Acquirer - buy data (D). 10;Strategy 4: The Platform over Platform (PoP).

By offering their customers even more compelling and unique cross-platform experiences, platform over platform entrants can create new mega-platform environments, overarching existing, otherwise successful platform environments.

By expanding and deepening their customers’ engagement, platform over platform businesses might ultimately relegate some existing platforms to digital infrastructure – providing the pipes and plumbing for customers empowered to jump seamlessly across and between platforms with the support and encouragement of their platform over platform orchestrators.