ECO4145 Platform EconomicsBahçeşehir UniversityDegree Programs MATHEMATICSGeneral Information For StudentsDiploma SupplementErasmus Policy StatementNational QualificationsBologna Commission
MATHEMATICS
Bachelor TR-NQF-HE: Level 6 QF-EHEA: First Cycle EQF-LLL: Level 6

Course Introduction and Application Information

Course Code Course Name Semester Theoretical Practical Credit ECTS
ECO4145 Platform Economics Fall 3 0 3 6
This catalog is for information purposes. Course status is determined by the relevant department at the beginning of semester.

Basic information

Language of instruction: English
Type of course: Non-Departmental Elective
Course Level: Bachelor’s Degree (First Cycle)
Mode of Delivery: Hybrid
Course Coordinator : Assoc. Prof. EMİN KÖKSAL
Course Lecturer(s): Assoc. Prof. EMİN KÖKSAL
Course Objectives: This course aims the analyse the basic economic principles of platforms that connect one group of customers with another group of customers.

Learning Outcomes

The students who have succeeded in this course;
1. Identify platforms
2. Explain the functioning of a platform
3. Idenfity network effects
4. Evaluate direct and indirect network effects
5. Analyze platform business models
6. Evaluate platforms' behaviours
7. Analyze platforms' competitive strategies
8. Acquire a solid understanding for promotion and subsidy strategies

Course Content

After an introduction to the basic concepts and principles of platform economics, value creation and ecosystem of platforms will be analyzed. Business models and competitive strategies of the local and global companies such as Yemeksepeti, Bitaksi, Gitti Gidiyor, eBay, Amazon, Alibaba, Uber, Airbnb, Booking will also be elaborated both from theoretical and empirical perspectives.

Weekly Detailed Course Contents

Week Subject Related Preparation
1) Introduction and Basic Concepts
2) Economic Principles for Platforms
3) The Technologies Behind Platforms
4) How Multi-Sided Platforms Create Value
5) Getting off the Critical Mass
6) Pricing for Profitability and Growth
7) Shaping the Platform’s Ecosystem
8) Designing the Platform
9) Evaluating Platform Pioneers
10) The Transformation of Payments
11) The Transformation of Retail
12) Antitrust Issues in Platform Economics
13) Public Policy Towards Platforms
14) The Future of Platforms

Sources

Course Notes / Textbooks: David S. Evans and Richard Schmalensee, Matchmakers: The New Economics of Multisided Platforms, Boston: Harvard Business School Press, 2016.
References: Alvin Roth, Who Gets What and Why: The New Economics of Matchmaking and Market Design (New York: Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, 2015).

Carl Shapiro and Hal R. Varian, Information Rules (Cambridge, MA: Harvard Business School Press, 1998)

Evaluation System

Semester Requirements Number of Activities Level of Contribution
Presentation 1 % 20
Midterms 1 % 30
Final 1 % 50
Total % 100
PERCENTAGE OF SEMESTER WORK % 50
PERCENTAGE OF FINAL WORK % 50
Total % 100

ECTS / Workload Table

Activities Number of Activities Duration (Hours) Workload
Course Hours 14 3 42
Study Hours Out of Class 14 3 42
Presentations / Seminar 1 18 18
Midterms 1 20 20
Final 1 30 30
Total Workload 152

Contribution of Learning Outcomes to Programme Outcomes

No Effect 1 Lowest 2 Low 3 Average 4 High 5 Highest
           
Program Outcomes Level of Contribution
1) To have a grasp of basic mathematics, applied mathematics and theories and applications in Mathematics
2) To be able to understand and assess mathematical proofs and construct appropriate proofs of their own and also define and analyze problems and to find solutions based on scientific methods,
3) To be able to apply mathematics in real life with interdisciplinary approach and to discover their potentials,
4) To be able to acquire necessary information and to make modeling in any field that mathematics is used and to improve herself/himself, 4
5) To be able to tell theoretical and technical information easily to both experts in detail and non-experts in basic and comprehensible way,
6) To be familiar with computer programs used in the fields of mathematics and to be able to use at least one of them effectively at the European Computer Driving Licence Advanced Level,
7) To be able to behave in accordance with social, scientific and ethical values in each step of the projects involved and to be able to introduce and apply projects in terms of civic engagement,
8) To be able to evaluate all processes effectively and to have enough awareness about quality management by being conscious and having intellectual background in the universal sense, 4
9) By having a way of abstract thinking, to be able to connect concrete events and to transfer solutions, to be able to design experiments, collect data, and analyze results by scientific methods and to interfere,
10) To be able to continue lifelong learning by renewing the knowledge, the abilities and the competencies which have been developed during the program, and being conscious about lifelong learning,
11) To be able to adapt and transfer the knowledge gained in the areas of mathematics ; such as algebra, analysis, number theory, mathematical logic, geometry and topology to the level of secondary school,
12) To be able to conduct a research either as an individual or as a team member, and to be effective in each related step of the project, to take role in the decision process, to plan and manage the project by using time effectively.