Abstract:
Business model has gained a lot of attention over the last years and the
concept of business model innovation has probably never been more important than it is today.
Phenomena such as digitalization have given rise to new products and service but most
importantly, it has pushed companies to explore alternative and novel business model
configurations. In particular, we have witnessed the rise of the multi-sided platform as one of the
most disruptive and widely-adopted business model design in the current digital era. The thesis
seeks to increase the understanding of the multi-sided platform business model and its possible
developments with crowdsourcing practices. The study is conducted through a literature review
on the concept of business model and business model innovation by relying on the main
contributions from several authors on the topic. Thus, the main features of the multi-sided
business model and the concept of crowdsourcing with its possible applications and integrations
are examined. The study is then completed with a qualitative case study: this company operates in
the business of digital testing for software, mobile applications and websites and it has adopted a
crowdsourcing multi-sided platform business model in order to link companies that need to test
their digital channels with real testers. Born as a start-up, the company has undertaken many
innovations in its business model and thanks to those innovations it has become one of the
leaders in the business of digital testing. The innovations are examined through a recent
framework that aims to integrate the concept of modularity from the theory of complex systems
for business modelling and business model innovation.
