The digital platforms in the maritime industry : An exploratory case study of two multisided digital platforms

Abstract

The purpose of this study is to provide and insight and deep understanding regarding the merging phenomena of digital platforms in the maritime industry for both manager from the industry and academic researchers. The aim is to comprehend the characteristics of the platforms, their key applications and the challenges that they are facing or presents to the maritime industry. For this reason, a qualitative exploratory study of two digital platforms were conducted. The data have been gathered through semi-structured interviews and analyse of publicly released documents. Then, it was analysed and processed using Yin guidance for case studies. Some of the findings were supporting the theory while others were not. The key results highlighted the importance of the platform framing and its impact on enabling more cost-efficient transactions and attracts more users. The study highpoint also the area of applications where those platforms are contributing and last but not least, the key challenges that they face and present for decision makers regarding the security of their data and most of it the security of the information resulting from the process of those data.