How to emerge as a digital platform leader? : Envelopment and business model innovation at eBay and Amazon (2006-2011)

How do organisations such as eBay and Amazon emerge as digital platform leaders over time? Although, platform markets have existed for many years, recent developments, such as the extensive rise and evolution of technology, led to changes in business landscapes from being determined by inter-network instead of traditional inter-firm competition, giving rise to fierce strategic and operating conditions, increased time to market pressures as well as hyper-competition. The following paper aims to provide theoretical background on platform markets in general, platform markets and envelopment as well as BM innovation in the matter of changing value propositions at eBay and Amazon from 2006 to 2011.