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The digital platform resource framework : a resource-based approach to business model transformation for competitiveness in the digital economy
Thesis (PhD (Information Technology))--University of Pretoria, 2025.
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| Format: | Thesis |
| Language: | English |
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University of Pretoria
2026
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| _version_ | 1869483871853084672 |
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| access_status_str | Open Access |
| author2 | van der Merwe, Alta |
| author_browse | van der Merwe, Alta |
| author_facet | van der Merwe, Alta |
| collection | Thesis |
| dc_rights_str_mv | © 2024 University of Pretoria. All rights reserved. The copyright in this work vests in the University of Pretoria. No part of this work may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, without the prior written permission of the University of Pretoria. |
| description | Thesis (PhD (Information Technology))--University of Pretoria, 2025. |
| format | Thesis |
| id | oai:repository.up.ac.za:2263/107565 |
| institution | University of Pretoria (South Africa) |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2026-07-01T04:05:53.522Z |
| license_str | Other — see source repository |
| provenance_str_mv | Harvested via OAI-PMH from UPSpace — University of Pretoria Institutional Repository |
| publishDate | 2026 |
| publishDateRange | 2026 |
| publishDateSort | 2026 |
| publisher | University of Pretoria |
| publisherStr | University of Pretoria |
| record_format | dspace |
| source_str | UPSpace — University of Pretoria Institutional Repository |
| spelling | oai:repository.up.ac.za:2263/107565 The digital platform resource framework : a resource-based approach to business model transformation for competitiveness in the digital economy van der Merwe, Alta mail@amaleya.net Smuts, Hanlie Goneos-Malka, Amaleya UCTD Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) Platform Strategy Business Model Canvas Digital Platform Business Models Digital Transformation Incumbent Transformation Strategy Business Strategy Resource Based View Thesis (PhD (Information Technology))--University of Pretoria, 2025. Advances in digital technologies have fundamentally reshaped competitive landscapes across industries, enabling new forms of value creation and driving business transformation. The dominance of digital platform-based firms, such as Apple, Microsoft, Nvidia, Amazon, Alphabet, and Meta, demonstrates the power of digital technologies to establish sustainable competitive advantage. For traditional incumbent firms, organisational inertia often impedes adaption to environmental change, where legacy structures keep them bound to outdated models. Excluding digital innovation threatens the survival of firms established in the pre-digital era, while embracing digital transformation offers opportunities for reinvention and relevance.Although multiple approaches to digital transformation exist, platform business models represent a possible option. Incumbent firms already possess bundles of tangible and intangible resources; however, the challenge lies in reconfiguring these resources and developing new capabilities to compete effectively in the digital economy. The absence of a structured framework to guide this transformation reduces the efficiency and success of such initiatives.This study, therefore, investigates the question: “How can existing traditional businesses transform into digital businesses using platform-based business model strategies?” Guided by the Resource-Based View (RBV) of the firm, the objectives of the research were: (i) to identify the strategic resources associated with platform-based business models, and (ii) to develop an artefact, the Digital Platform Resource Framework (DPRF), to support traditional businesses in transitioning to competitive digital platforms.A design science research strategy was employed as the methodology for this thesis. A systematic literature review identified thirteen strategic resources critical to platform business models, which were operationalised through RBV within the Business Model Canvas. Multiple case study analysis confirmed that successful platforms integrate these resources synergistically to create, deliver, and capture value. Key findings reveal that platforms continuously reconfigure resources in response to environmental change, embed data analytics across ecosystems to enable personalised experiences and innovation, and leverage network effects as scalable growth drivers. Diverse monetisation strategies, such as subscriptions, freemium services, advertising, and cross-subsidisation, further enhance value capture.Building on these insights, the DPRF was developed as a three-stage process: (1) conducting a needs analysis of platform resources in the existing business model, (2) operationalising these resources through an RBV lens, and (3) mapping the reconfigured business model on the Business Model Canvas. The DPRF was validated through a proof-of-concept study, which demonstrated both its practical application and its ability to guide transformation in a real-world context.The study contributes theoretically by extending Osterwalder’s Business Model Canvas to incorporate platform-based resource configurations, and practically by providing managers with a structured instrument for digital transformation. Ultimately, the research advances understanding of how traditional firms can transition into platform-based digital businesses to sustain competitiveness in the evolving digital economy. Informatics PhD (Information Technology) Unrestricted Faculty of Engineering, Built Environment and Information Technology SDG-09: Industry, innovation and infrastructure 2026-01-26T12:26:31Z 2026-01-26T12:26:31Z 2026-05 2025-12-12 Thesis * A2026 http://hdl.handle.net/2263/107565 https://doi.org/10.25403/UPresearchdata.30953015 en © 2024 University of Pretoria. All rights reserved. The copyright in this work vests in the University of Pretoria. No part of this work may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, without the prior written permission of the University of Pretoria. application/pdf University of Pretoria |
| spellingShingle | UCTD Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) Platform Strategy Business Model Canvas Digital Platform Business Models Digital Transformation Incumbent Transformation Strategy Business Strategy Resource Based View The digital platform resource framework : a resource-based approach to business model transformation for competitiveness in the digital economy |
| title | The digital platform resource framework : a resource-based approach to business model transformation for competitiveness in the digital economy |
| title_full | The digital platform resource framework : a resource-based approach to business model transformation for competitiveness in the digital economy |
| title_fullStr | The digital platform resource framework : a resource-based approach to business model transformation for competitiveness in the digital economy |
| title_full_unstemmed | The digital platform resource framework : a resource-based approach to business model transformation for competitiveness in the digital economy |
| title_short | The digital platform resource framework : a resource-based approach to business model transformation for competitiveness in the digital economy |
| title_sort | digital platform resource framework a resource based approach to business model transformation for competitiveness in the digital economy |
| topic | UCTD Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) Platform Strategy Business Model Canvas Digital Platform Business Models Digital Transformation Incumbent Transformation Strategy Business Strategy Resource Based View |
| url | http://hdl.handle.net/2263/107565 https://doi.org/10.25403/UPresearchdata.30953015 |