Technology-enabled multi-sided platforms

in B2B settings: challenges and

opportunities for supply chain ecosystems
August 2021

Deadline for submission: July 1st, 2022

Overview and purpose of the special issue

Multi-sided platforms (MSPs) have been around for several decades. However, only
recently, MSPs have become prominent in the economy, primarily due to the internet
and digitization wave across many industries. MSPs can be defined as “all forms of
networked business where multiple suppliers and customers interact for economic
purposes within one or among multiple tiers in economic value chains” (Alt and
Zimmerman, 2014, p. 162). At the center of an MSP, a platform provider enables a
transaction between the sides, reducing the relative transaction costs.

MSPs literature dates back to the beginning of the century in the economic literature
(Rochet and Tirole, 2006; Parker and Van Alstyne, 2005), but has seen a significant
improvement in the last decade taking a strategic and a managerial perspective (e.g.,
Gawer and Cusumano, 2014; Muzellec et al., 2015). Flagship examples are the well-
known Airbnb and Uber, with many social phenomena like sharing economy or gig
economy supported by these business models (Trabucchi et al., 2019).

Over the last years, a significant stream of literature has focused on the intersection
between platforms and ecosystems, referred to as “platform ecosystems,” which
considers how actors organize around a platform (Perks et al., 2017; Jacobides et al.,
2018). Ecosystems and platforms get in touch in various ways, for example looking at
complementors’ engagement (e.g., Wang and Miller, 2020), the implications for
international businesses (Nambisan e al., 2019), or the value-added services offered by
the ecosystem (Hein et al., 2019).

Authors have also noticed that many flourishing technologies are heavily relying on
these business models, like the internet of things (e.g., Basaure et al., 2020), blockchain
(Pereira et al., 2018; Trabucchi et al., 2020), and artificial intelligence (Magistretti et al.,
2019).

Although platforms have been extensively addressed in the economic, information

systems, and innovation management literature streams, they did so mainly with a B2C
focus, with the vast majority of the studies mentioned above taking an end-user
perspective. This is surprising, considering the strong connection existing between
platforms and supply chain goals as, among the main benefits of using platforms, we
have a reduction of transaction costs and an increase of transparency and information
sharing (Evans and Schmalansee, 2016).

There are several opportunities connected to the use of MSPs to reach higher efficiency
and effectiveness in managing B2B relationships. First of all, several disruptive
technological changes in supply chains are driven by platform-based business models.
Technological innovations such as additive manufacturing, FinTech solutions, and
blockchain are based on the design of B2B relationships that could be framed into
platform-based ecosystems (e.g., Pereira et al., 2019; Benitez et al., 2020; Cai et al.,
2020; Yu et al., 2020).

Further, the possibility to create ecosystems relying on digital technologies and MSPs
as the primary interaction channel enables companies to gather a considerable amount
and variety of data that generate opportunities for supply chain visibility and integration
(Hahn, 2020). This generated opportunities to design new types of supply chain
strategies and industrial collaborations (Wiengarten et al., 2013).

In summary, these platforms profoundly change the design of value chain networks and
how B2B relationships between supply chain actors (i.e., suppliers, manufacturers,
retailers, IT providers, and governments) take place. On these premises, this special
issue aims to take a full B2B view on technology-enabled multi-sided platforms and
ecosystems and collect contributions focused on the opportunities related to the use of
multi-sided platforms to transform B2B relationships in different supply chain contexts.

Possible topics of interest can be related (but not limited) to provide an answer to the
following questions:

 What theoretical lenses could explain the adoption of B2B MSPs in platforms
ecosystems?
 What is the relationship between platform ecosystems and the adoption of other
digital technologies (e.g., AI, blockchain, Industry 4.0, Big data) in B2B settings?
 What is the role of B2B MSPs in establishing partnerships/channel relationships
with other supply chain actors?
 What is the impact of B2B MSPs in driving more circular and sustainable supply
chain models?
 What are the leading countries and/or industries in the adoption of B2B MSPs to
manage supply chain relationships?
 How is the introduction of B2B MSPs transforming supply chain strategic
decisions and network configurations?
 How are B2B MSPs enabling more structured internal and external performance
measurement systems?
 How do new technologies favor higher integration and visibility in B2B
relationships?

We seek contributions able to advance the knowledge about the role of MSPs in B2B
settings from both the theoretical and managerial perspectives. We expect manuscripts
to be rigorous and theoretically grounded (in the innovation and/or industrial marketing
literature), but with practical and actionable implications.

We welcome papers focusing on strategic, operational, technological, welfare and

sustainability aspects related to various supply chain technology-based MSPs (including
app distribution platforms, sharing economy, etc.). Contributions focused on supply
chain topics, but with B2C implications, are not deemed suitable for this call.

Both qualitative and quantitative methodologies are considered suitable for the call
(preferably with a multi-tier approach and/or implications for multiple B2B actors in the
supply chain). Conceptual/theory papers, literature reviews, and modeling papers are
not considered in the scope of this call.

Preparation and submission of paper and review process

Papers submitted must not have been published, accepted for publication, or presently
be under consideration for publication elsewhere. Submissions should be about 6,000-
8,000 words in length. Copies should be uploaded on Industrial Marketing
Management’s homepage through the Editorial management system. You need to
upload your paper using the dropdown box for the special issue on VSI: Technology-
enabled multi-sided platforms in B2B settings. For guidelines, visit

http://www.elsevier.com/wps/find/journaldescription.cws_home/505720/authorinstruction
s.

Papers not complying with the notes for contributors (cf. homepage) or poorly written
will be desk rejected. Suitable papers will be subjected to a double-blind review; hence,
authors must not identify themselves in the body of their paper. Please do not submit a
Word file with “track changes” active or a PDF file. Manuscripts falling within the scope
of the special issue (as described above) and deemed to have a reasonable chance of
conditional acceptance after no more than two rounds of revisions will enter the review
process.

Important dates

Pre-submission:

 Launch of the Call for Paper: September, 2021

 Online webinar for the presentation of the call for paper: November 4th,
2021(link to the recording)
 Submission of proposals: January 28th, 2022

Authors who wish to contribute to the Special Issue will have the possibility to present
their working paper in a paper development workshop organized
during Symplatform (https://symplatform.com). Participation is free of charge.
Authors interested to submit to the Special Issue and participate to the event must send
an extended abstract/proposal to the editorial team no later than January 28 th, 2022,
including:

 Title
 Names and affiliations of all authors and corresponding author contact details
 Extended abstract/proposal (no more than three pages), including a brief
explanation (100 words max) of the paper’s fit with the call.
 Editorial decision about the received proposals: February 28 th, 2022

Please note that participation in the workshop is suggested, but not mandatory to
submit to the special issue. Similarly, acceptance of the proposal and participation in the
workshop does not guarantee publication in the special issue. Each paper will undergo
a rigorous double-blind review process in line with IMM standards.

Review process:

 Deadline for first submission: July 1st, 2022 (opening May 1st, 2022)
 First editorial decision: August 31st, 2022
 End of the first round of revisions: October 30 th, 2022
 Second editorial decision: November 30th, 2022
 Other rounds of revisions: November 2022– May 2023
 Anticipated Final editorial decision: June 2023

Guest editors

 Daniel Trabucchi, PhD* (daniel.trabucchi@polimi.it), Assistant Professor,

School of Management, Politecnico di Milano, Italy.
 Andrea Patrucco, PhD* (apatrucc@fiu.edu), Assistant Professor, Department of
Marketing and Logistics, Florida International University, Miami, FL, USA
 Tommaso Buganza, PhD (tommaso.buganza@polimi.it), Associate Professor,
School of Management, Politecnico di Milano, Italy.
 Laurent Muzellec, PhD (muzellec@tcd.ie), Professor, Trinity Business School,
Trinity College Dublin, Ireland.
 Sébastien Rounteau, PhD (srounteau@audencia.com), Associate Professor,
Audencia Business School, Nantes, France.

* Corresponding guest editors

For any questions related to the special issue, please send an email to the
Corresponding Guest Editors.

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