Operational Models for the Information Goods and Services Industry
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Helsinki University of Technology |
Diplomityö
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Date
2004
Department
Major/Subject
Yritysstrategia ja kansainvälinen liiketoiminta
Mcode
TU-91
Degree programme
Language
en
Pages
157
Series
Abstract
This study concentrates on the structure of the digital information goods and services industry and on the operational models that different players have established. Throughout the last decade the Internet has become ubiquitous. New forms of distribution and consumption of information products have spread out. Some of these forms have become industry standards. Others, such as peer-to-peer file sharing, have affected the speed and direction of changes in different industries. The present study develops and uses the operational model for the emerging digital information goods and services industry to depict the emerging system and to examine the relationships within it. This thesis strives to contribute to research on the digital assets business. The research problem of the present study can be expressed as the question: what are the elements of a viable operational model for the digital information goods and services business? The study has the following objectives:. 1. To describe the configuration of the emerging digital information goods and services value-system. 2. To identify factors that contribute to the change in operational models of organizations competing in the traditional and digital information products businesses. 3. To identify consistent groups of activities around which the players in the value system form their positions. 4. To identify sources of strategic competitive advantage in the emerging industry. The approach to solving the research problem comprises a literature study and qualitative case studies. The literature study examines previous research related to the information goods industry and to Internet businesses. The research works on value-systems and the resource-based view, which are of relevance to this thesis, are also reviewed. Seven case studies complement and extend the literature study findings. The analyses of the present study indicate that the structures of the varying information goods and services industries are at different stages in the transformation process. In the emerging value system, players take on one of two roles, content creator or content distributor. In certain cases, one player can take on both roles, but typically a single level of intermediaries exists between content creators and consumers. The case studies also show that in many cases, consumers can take on the role of content creators. The general model of the digital assets value system is constructed on the basis of the findings of the present study. The operational models for content creators and content distributors are presented and strategic resources and capabilities are identified and explained. The strategic trends and problems influencing the competition are listed.Description
Supervisor
Laamanen, TomiThesis advisor
Laiho, AkiKeywords
case study, digital content, digital convergence, disruptive technology, information goods, internet business, operational model, resource-based view, value network