COURSE DESCRIPTION
This course will introduce participants to the concept and practice of platform strategies and how these strategies differ fundamentally from strategies with other business models. The course covers micro-engineering in marketplaces, optimal pricing, strategies to start a platform and scale it up, and how to win in platform competition.
KEY TAKEAWAYS
- The program focuses on three main areas of impact:
- Understand what a platform is and how does a well-functioning platform work
- Understand how the unique characteristics of platforms change the nature of competition and how you can use that to succeed in platform businesses
- Understand how to optimally price in platforms and how to scale up platform businesses
FACULTY BIOGRAPHY
Melati is an applied microeconomist specializing in industrial organization, public economics, market design, and economic education. She received her Ph.D. in Economics from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. Her research focuses on two-sided matching platforms with search, and how firms use pricing to correct for negative externalities on the platform. She also studies public policy issues such as the labor market integration of refugees, policy design for retirement markets in Chile and Malaysia, and labor market discrimination. While at UNC-Chapel Hill, Dr. Melati was a Chancellor’s Fellow with the Royster Society. She has won multiple teaching awards throughout her career, and is also a member of Phi Beta Kappa. She is an active Op-Ed writer and her pieces have appeared in The Edge Malaysia Weekly and the Chronicle of Higher Education. Prior to joining ASB, Dr. Melati was a professor of economics at Davidson College at Butler University.
MELATI NUNGSARI
Assistant Professor of Economics and Research Affiliate at MIT
FACULTY BIOGRAPHY
Sam’s research interests include applied microeconomic theory, industrial organization, and empirical microeconomics. His research focuses on matching theory–the study of how firms and workers, schools and students, and romantic partners, among others, match to one another. Dr. Flanders received his Ph.D. in Economics from The University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, where he is a member of the Royster Society of Fellows. Previously, he was an Assistant Professor at the Mihaylo College of Business and Economics, CSUF.
SAM FLANDERS
Assistant Professor of Economics
International Faculty Fellow at MIT
TARGET AUDIENCE
Companies and startups devoted to platform businesses, or business divisions devoted to developing platforms within a large company.
TESTIMONIAL
“Really enjoyed Sam’s teaching style. He is very knowledgeable and keeps things interesting.”
“Melati is fantastic. We covered a lot of content at a good pace and she’s fun to learn from as beyond my expectations.”
