Heritiana Ranaivoson

Does the Consumer Value Diversity? How the Economists' Standard Hypothesis is Being Challenged

The paper clarifies and goes beyond the standard economic assumption that consumers value diversity. The analysis starts with the explanation of how economists usually assume that consumers value diversity either because they have a personal taste for diversity or because there is a diversity of preferences among them. Economists also put forward the cost of diversity and the consequences of the resulting trade-off between diversity and efficiency. Arguments coming from sociological and psychological perspectives help to overcome the limitations of the traditional economic assumption that consumers make their choice independently and effortlessly. This new framework allows a more complete picture of cultural consumption to emerge.

La diversité culturelle, soubassements économiques et volonté politique

Les economistes s’accordent a montrer que la diversite est un bienfait que le marche parvient difficilement a produire mais sont peu diserts sur les modalites de defense de cette diversite. Nous montrons que la diversite culturelle ne peut etre atteinte par des politiques purement nationales. La Francophonie a un role politique de premier plan a jouer afin de defendre des identites culturelles qui depassent les frontieres des Etats-nations.

When Loyalty Points Become Virtual Currencies: Transforming Business Models for Online Platforms

Information and Communication Technology is characterized by far-reaching platformisation that affects a wide range of online services. Platforms focalize principally on attracting, and locking-in, various stakeholders groups - and balancing interests of these - rather than on profit maximization in a single market. One option to reach this objective is the implementation of loyalty programs. But rather than a mere adoption of initial mechanisms, digital technology allows platforms to transform loyalty points in order to obtain Virtual Currency (VC), i.e. a tool to support multiple usage options granted to various users and utilizations throughout the value network. This paper enhances knowledge upon tendencies and trends of platform’s VC strategies and the corresponding impacts on the business model. It reveals how the implementation of a VC affects a platform’s gatekeeper position, the encouragement of loyalty of stakeholder groups and the opening of new income streams for the platform.

Differentiated strategies for digital innovation on television: Traditional channels vs. new entrants

Digitization has greatly influenced the functioning of the television industry. This paper analyzes in particular how French television channels have innovated and adapted to digital technologies. We begin with a typology of innovation in the media by drawing a distinction between product innovations and process innovations, as well as between companies according to whether they were the first to adopt an innovation, or only adopted it once it was already well established in the field. A total of 21 criteria for innovation are analyzed for each of the 15 TV channels in our sample. This paper shows that TV channels have varied innovation strategies. Rather than some channels being innovators on all criteria and others being followers on all criteria, we show that channels adopt, more or less rapidly, certain types of innovation according to the channels’ characteristics. The characteristics that play the greatest role are the age of the channel, whether it is public or private, and whether it is general or thematic.

Threat or Opportunity? Cultural Diversity in the Era of Digital Platforms in the EU

Digitization results in decisive changes in the value chains of the cultural sectors. The provision and distribution of cultural goods is increasingly organized through over-the-top (OTT) platforms. This leads to the question of how the increasing dominance of platforms impacts the diversity of cultural goods. In interviews with industry experts the tensions arising from the increasing domination of platforms in the sector are explored and its potential impact on the diversity of produced and consumed cultural goods outlined. The paper concludes that additional regulatory measures are needed to protect cultural diversity in the age of digital platforms.

Complementing Smart City innovation platforms with technical harmonization

This paper explores the use of two divergent approaches towards becoming a Smart City: using a top-down approach and using a bottom-up approach. Main characteristics and shortcomings are identified, and then the concept of a Local Innovation Platform is introduced as a combined, alternative approach. Finally, based on the lessons learned in the ECIM EU project, and based on other Smart Mobility related works and initiatives, the paper proposes which approach a city and authorities could take and what role they could play, and to what extent they should interfere and shape the development of Smart City solutions.

Midiendo la diversidad y la integración de la producción cinematográfica en los países del Mercosur desde el Análisis de Redes Sociales

Based on an original and comprehensive database of all feature fiction films produced in Mercosur between 2004 and 2012, the paper analyses whether the Mercosur film industry has evolved towards an integrated and culturally more diverse market. It provides a summary of policy opportunities in terms of integration and diversity, emphasizing the limiter role played by regional policies. It then shows that although the Mercosur film industry remains rather disintegrated, it tends to become more integrated and culturally more diverse. From a methodological point of view, the combination of Social Network Analysis and the Stirling Model opens up interesting research tracks to analyse creative industries in terms of their market integration and their cultural diversity.

Who manages the manager? Identity management and user ownership in the age of data

This paper presents a discussion of identity management, clarifying implications, central concepts and illustrating those by means of examples. It emphasizes the significance of access to user data from the perspective of businesses and issues of privacy and control from the perspective of the user. Today, most identity management systems focus on serving the business perspective: the more information the better. The concept of user ownership defines the significance of having access to information about users. But also the user can benefit, depending on how a system is configured. This paper thus serves not only as clarification and overview, but also as a means to determine mutual benefits and how these might be achieved.

Mobile Wallets’ Business Models: Refining Strategic Partnerships

Abstract Background and Purpose: Though Mobile Wallets have the potential to entirely substitute their physical predecessor, many Mobile Wallets narrow their operations to one particular feature. This might be because of strategic business- model design choices to position themselves strategically as intermediates between users and business partners (third parties) in more delimited markets. Thus, Mobile Wallet Applications (MWAs) often represent platforms in narrow two-sided market structures. Design/Methodology/Approach: The paper focuses on the economics of such platforms by the means of a business model analysis. It examines how business partners are integrated in four MWAs’ strategies: Key Ring, FidMe, Apple Passbook and Qustomer. Results: The paper shows that MWAs strive to incorporate not only a large quantity of partners but also such with a high brand value (quality of partners) in their organization design. These partners shape their service design since none of the platforms offer products or services themselves. Hence, MWAs are dependent on the third parties’ capacity and willingness to fulfill engagements and meet the customer demands. Conclusion: MWAs - though concerned with the inclusion and management of loyalty points and schemes - do not leverage the possibility to generate revenue via third parties’ loyalty points. Theoretically, MWAs could reward or redeem loyalty points themselves.

Control & Value Trade-Offs in Handling User-Data: The Example of Location-Based-Services

Location related services are an integral part of the mobile service landscape today. Detecting one’s whereabouts and relating them to networked information offers benefits for users and businesses. It also entails issues, particularly regarding users’ privacy. This paper assesses LBS as multi-sided markets, where value is collective, actors are interdependent, and the gatekeeper role is user ownership (control over the user and data). It adopts a business modelling perspective to: (a) define the value network around LBS as two-sided markets, where the LBS provider intermediates between end-users and Third Parties; and (b) extract potential revenue models. It focuses on trade-offs between control in the ecosystem and the creation of value. Finally, it discusses how current developments contribute to changes in the position of the user within the ecosystem, and if mutually beneficial interaction can come about.