Diese Dissertation besteht aus drei Aufsätzen, in denen verschiedene Aspekte von zweiseitigen Märkten untersucht werden. Dabei handelt es sich um Märkte mit zwei verschiedenen Nutzergruppen, von denen jede Netzwerkeffekte auf die jeweils andere Seite ausübt. Im ersten Aufsatz werden die Wechselwirkungen zwischen den traditionellen (offline) Nachfragekanälen und den neuen (online) Nachfragekanälen in der deutschen Zeitschriftenindustrie analysiert. Dabei liegt der Fokus insbesondere auf den Effekten zwischen Offlinewerbung und Onlinewerbung. Das Ergebnis der Schätzung eines dafür entwickelten ökonomischen Modells ist, dass Offline- und Onlinewerbung moderate Substitute füreinander sind. Dies erklärt die Verlagerung von Offline- zu Onlinewerbung, die man in den vergangen Jahren beobachten konnte. Im zweiten Aufsatz wird ein semistruktureller Ansatz zur Messung von Netzwerk-Effekten auf potentiell zweiseitigen Monopol-Plattformen entwickelt. Der Test ist hinreichend, wenn lediglich Daten zum Gesamtumsatz der Plattform zur Verfügung stehen. Sind getrennte Umsatzdaten für die beiden Seiten verfügbar, dann ist der Test sowohl notwendig als auch hinreichend. Der dritte Aufsatz untersucht Mechanismen und Anreize, die die Koordination von Angebot und Nachfrage auf Kreditmärkten ermöglichen, in denen es keine Finanzintermediäre mit eigener finanzieller Beteiligung an den vergebenen Darlehen gibt. Dazu wird der Online-Direktkreditmarkt analysiert, in welchem an die Stelle von klassischen Finanzintermediären ein System von Gruppen tritt. Anhand eines Differenz-in-Differenzen-Ansatzes wird gezeigt, dass Entgelte für die Leiter dieser Gruppen zu adversen Anreizen führen können. Nach Abschaffung der Entgelte differenzieren die Leiter der Gruppen deutlich stärker bei der Auswahl derjenigen Kreditgesuche, die sie als investitionswürdig empfehlen. Gleiches ist zu beobachten, wenn die Leiter der Gruppen selbst zu einem großen Teil an den entsprechenden Darlehen beteiligt sind. / This dissertation investigates various aspects of two-sided markets - markets with at least two distinct user groups each of which exerts inter-group network effects on the other side - in the online world. In the first paper, I examine the interactions between the traditional (offline) demand channels and the new (online) demand channels in the German magazines industry, focusing in particular on the link between offline and online advertising. I find that offline and online advertising are substitutes although not perfect ones. This explains the shift from offline to online advertising observed in recent years. In the second paper, I develop a semi-structural approach to identify network effects on two-sided monopoly platforms without data on prices and quantities. A sufficient test for the existence of network effects is derived when only data on total revenue is available. If separate revenue data is available on the two sides, then the test is both necessary and sufficient. The third paper investigates the certification mechanisms and incentives that enable lending markets to match demand and supply despite the absence of financial intermediaries with skin in the game. The institutional setting for this analysis is the online social lending market, in which potential lenders and borrowers interact directly without a financial intermediary but can create self-organized groups instead. A difference-in-difference approach is used to examine how the same groups behave before and after the exogenously imposed elimination of rewards for the leaders of these groups. Allowing group leader rewards is found to be detrimental for the market outcome. Group leaders become more careful in screening after the elimination of these rewards, and if their loan participation is high, i.e. when they have skin in the game and are thus severely hurt by a borrower default.

The illicit trade with cultural property is a worldwide problem. Many of the cultural properties that are traded have been plundered and exported from countries and end up on western markets, often at auction houses and auction platforms online.  This study aims to understand the responsibility Swedish auction houses and online platforms have regarding the illicit trade with cultural properties. This is achieved by answering the following questions: what responsibility does the auction houses and online platforms have? Do they take this responsibility? Do auction houses and online platforms have policy documents regarding cultural objects? What do these policy documents in that case look like and can they be improved? Is there a difference between the policy documents of physical auction houses and auction platforms online?  To answer these questions this study focuses on three main areas of sources: document analysis of legal and policy documents, previous research and articles published in the field, as well as five qualitative and semi-struc- tured interviews. These sources are discussed throughout the analysis which have been divided thematically. An overview of the trade in Sweden culminates in a discussion about due diligence and provenance. Further, a discus- sion of the auction houses responsibilities and policy documents is followed by chapters discussing the same ques- tions in regard to the online platforms.  Conclusions which have been drawn from the empirical analysis are that the auction businesses take respon- sibility to a certain degree but that policy documents and the transparency in public discourses can be improved. Furthermore, they should be clear that they use due diligence and actually make sure that they do it in their daily activities.  This is a two-year master’s thesis in Museum and Cultural Heritage Studies.

Thesis (M.A. (Media Studies) -- University of Limpopo, 2019 / This study explored the uses of Facebook by youth in the Vhembe District Municipality of Limpopo Province, South Africa. It is exploratory qualitative research. The research sample consisted of twenty (20) respondents both 10 males and 10 females whose ages range between 18 and 29 years who are on Facebook. Purposive sampling was adopted for the study to sample the study population members. The method used to collect data was the structured interview. The data collected from research respondents were analysed in themes and sub-themes using texts and tables. The study found that Facebook is the most preferred social media by youth from the Vhembe District. The platform connects users irrespective of their geographical boundaries and promotes the level of interaction on social and entertaining issues. Facebook also enables the Vhembe District youth to search for jobs and also helps them to discuss their academic and sometimes political issues. Most of the Vhembe District youth prefer using Facebook to share recent information and create content such as pictures and videos with their friends when they are online. The Vhembe District youth also use the platform to entertain each other. The major problems faced by the Vhembe District Facebook users are that a majority of them become exposed to pictures and videos of sexual nature, cyberattack, cyberbullying and vulgar language whereas a minority become victims of account hacking and invasion of privacy. The research respondents came up with solutions to prevent social media challenges. A majority of respondents suggested that strong passwords, an increase in privacy, social media law implementation, social media campaigns and social media education can help prevent online challenges. A minority of students indicated that parental support, strong age restriction, adding known Facebook users, blocking, unfollowing and unfriending unwanted users can help to prevent challenges faced by Facebook users.

Black women have long traditions of peer support and self-advocacy that has been advanced by the current digital age. Social media and online platforms have become spaces where Black women share and connect with other Black women, and campaign for their own needs regarding health care access and navigation. Drawing on the findings emerging from a focus group discussion between six Black women that explored their experiences in Ontario based health care settings, this paper describes women’s suggestions for increasing access to Black and women-centered virtual health-related support and advocacy. Findings reveal that despite being young, Canadian-born and university educated, anti-Black racism and sexism permeates the health care encounters of all Black women; that Black women engage in emotionally taxing labour to have their health care needs met; and that Black women’s positive and challenging experiences inform their suggestions for support and advocacy online with other Black women. The women’s visions for health care support and advocacy expose an urgency for race and gender-specific online health care support and health care reform that acknowledges the legacies of Black patients and goes beyond structural competency. / Thesis / Master of Social Work (MSW)

The thesis "The Influence of New Internet Concerns on Transformation of the Traditional Publishing Houses in Central Europe", based on the media convergence theory and theoretical sources from the area of current trends in media field, focuses on changes the traditional publishing houses are going through. The paper maps the digital portfolio of the traditional media houses of Axel Springer in the German market and of media houses of Mafra, Bauer Media and CME in the Czech market. The paper parallely focuses on portfolio of the chosen global Internet companies and the relationships between these new media concerns and the traditional publishing houses, focuses on the competitive advantages of the examined online platforms of the new Internet companies, which potentially compete by their aims with the tradidional publishers. The paper also focuses on the advantages and the options for the users and advertisers, and on the mutual cooperation and dependenncy of the both types of media concerns.

Purpose – The purpose of this study is to identify and describe how consumer perceptions regarding information quality, sender credibility and effect of eWOM-communication differ between Facebook and Prisjakt. Approach – Based on previous research an analytical model was designed. The parts in the model were the aspects of the problem which the present study aimed to examine. An experimental design was applied in which ten students at Örebro University were exposed to a scenario where they took part of eWOM-communication concerning a specific product on Facebook and Prisjakt and then had to answer questions in an interview. The analytical model formed the base of the interview guide used in the interview and the specific product was chosen with help from a focus group. Implication – The study illustrates that consumers may perceive the quality higher on Prisjakt while the sender credibility can be perceived higher on Facebook. Despite this conclusion the effect of eWOM-communication in this study is that the information on Facebook is adopted to a greater degree than the information on Prisjakt. The reason for this is that the sender credibility appeared to be more important in the process of information adoption. / Syfte – Syftet med denna studie är att identifiera och beskriva hur konsumenters uppfattning skiljer sig mellan Facebook och Prisjakt gällande informationens kvalitet, avsändarens trovärdighet och effekten av eWOM-kommunikation. Tillvägagångssätt – Utifrån tidigare forskning utformades en analysmodell vars delar var de aspekter av problemet som studien syftade till att undersöka. En experimentell design tillämpades där tio studenter vid Örebro universitet fick sätta sig in i ett scenario där de tog del av eWOM-kommunikation gällande en specifik produkt på Facebook respektive Prisjakt och sedan fick svara på frågor i en intervju. Analysmodellen låg till grund för en intervjuguide som användes vid intervjun och den specifika produkten diskuterades fram med hjälp av en fokusgrupp. Slutsats – Studien illustrerar att konsumenter kan uppfatta informationens kvalitet högre på Prisjakt medan avsändarens trovärdighet kan uppfattas högre på Facebook. Trots detta är slutsatsen gällande effekten av eWOM-kommunikation i studien att informationen på Facebook tenderar att anammas till en större grad än informationen på Prisjakt. Anledningen till detta är att avsändarens trovärdighet visade sig vara av större betydelse i processen av informationsanammande.

Technological advancements have altered all aspects of human life, undeniably impacting all domains of commercial entities. Current digital technologies have the most pre-eminent influence on the supply chain management of corporations, irrespective of their diverse industry and operations. Remarkably, emerging markets with rapid economic growth, becoming appealing for foreign investments, are transmuting their supply chains with innovative hi-tech for smooth, effective, and efficient business processes and operations.The commencement of supply chain alterations in developed countries for facilitating international business has been part of various erstwhile studies that need more information on emerging markets. This thesis contributes to the prevailing research concerning the cited phenomenon by pursuing and expounding the answers to the research questions; "Considering the challenges and opportunities, how do digital technologies (blockchain, Cloud, IoT, AI) affect supply chain management and logistics in emerging markets?" and "What role does the supply chain's digital transformation play for businesses operating in emerging markets engaged in international business?".Fundamentally, the prime purpose of this research is to provide in-depth comprehension regarding the impending gratuities of supply chain revolutions availed by emergent markets expediting their international business with significant hindrances in the process. Also, this study uses a modified theoretical framework created under the idea of dynamic capabilities theory by Teece (2007) to illustrate the pertinent concepts. Furthermore, qualitative case studies of the syndicates from countries Iran, Pakistan and Bangladesh were conducted through semistructured interviews using an inductive approach under the interpretive methodology concept.The study demonstrates that despite market and industry, human errors and manual processes resulting in extra cost, time and energy limiting a firm's overall capacity have been the crucial challenges optimised by supply chain renovations. Lastly, the research provides the theoretical and managerial implications to define the topic in future regarding comparative analysis across industries and mitigating risks in international supply chains due to hi-tech, along with future recommendations.

Dagens samhälle förändras snabbt, och digitala marknader med det. Digitaliseringen har lett till revolutionerande utvecklingar av vårt samhälle, och bakom dessa förändringar står primärt ett fåtal dominerande teknikjättar och deras plattformar. Dessa dominerande digitala plattformar, och de marknader på vilka dessa verkar, är ofta flersidiga och karaktäriseras av särskilda möjligheter till kostnadsfördelning, utveckling och ett beroende av starka nätverkseffekter, samt möjligheter att utveckla affärsmodeller som på olika sätt utnyttjar och kapitaliserar på insamlad data. Detta möjliggör inte bara upprättandet och bibehållandet av marknadsmakt på dessa marknader, utan leder även till höga inträdeshinder med resultatet att marknadens aktörer blir få och att inträdeshindren är höga. Trots att digitaliseringen till stora delar måste anses positiv, har utvecklingen även medfört nya typer av konkurrensproblematik som inte alltid kan hanteras på ett effektivt och adekvat sätt av den tidigare EU-rättsliga konkurrenslagstiftningen. Denna framställning undersöker hur EU:s konkurrenslagstiftning kan tillämpas på nyare typer av dominansmissbruk på digitala plattformar genom att analysera den tidigare regleringen av dominansmissbruk och hur denna har tillämpats rent praktiskt. För att uppnå detta mål undersöker detta arbete de särskilda utmaningar och särdrag som finns på dessa marknader, och ger en utförlig sammanfattning av hur artikel 102 FEUF har använts för att hantera dessa. Här konstateras att denna konkurrenslagstiftning lämnar en del att önska, och att inträdeshinder och risken för tippning ger starka incitament för dominanta digitala plattformar att försöka kringgå prestationsbaserad konkurrens. Framställningen utvärderar även de kompletteringar som gjorts av konkurrenslagstiftningen på dessa områden genom DMA, och hur denna reglering kan tänkas påverka hanteringen av vissa av de dominanta digitala plattformarnas beteenden framöver. Här konkluderas att DMA är en välbehövlig komplettering av tidigare konkurrensreglering på området, men att det fortfarande finns osäkerheter och utvecklingspotential, samt att de snabbföränderliga marknaderna förr eller senare kommer att hitta nya, innovativa sätt att kringgå även denna reglering. Därmed är det viktigt att den EU-rättsliga konkurrensregleringen gör vad den kan för att ligga steget före.