Consider the rise of SaaS (i.e., software as a service) companies such as Zoom, Twilio, and Workday. Would you consider SaaS as a form of disruptive innovation? Why or why not? Justify your reasoning. (10 points) Hint: Refer to Christensen’s disruptive innovation framework and justify your answer.

Which of the following is NOT an important component of a strategy to turn a technology into a platform leader? (4 pts)

Assume that you’re the chief strategy officer of a platform such as Upwork, which matches freelancers with companies looking to source small projects with external (freelance) help. (10 points)     a). Which side of the platform should you subsidize and why? (5 points)     b). Identify two strategies that you might deploy to successfully combat disintermediation risk on your platform. (5 points)  

Which of the following is a major challenge of adopting cloud services? (4 pts)

Which of the following technologies is most likely to have a two-sided platform potential? Choose one answer. (4 pts)

Which of the following statements is correct about markets with network effects? (4 pts)

Why might disruptive technologies present a potent threat to industry incumbents? (4 pts) A. Incumbents may dismiss them because they offer inferior performance. B. The incumbent’s customers value what they offer. C. They offer lower margins. D. The threat they pose may be difficult to detect. 

Adobe gives away the Acrobat Reader to build a market for the sale of software that creates Acrobat files. This phenomenon is an example of: (4 pts)

Suppose you work for an online travel agency such as Expedia or Booking.com and are tasked with the role of growing the platform in a profitable manner.     a). What types of network effects and multi-homing tendency characterize this platform market? Describe the strength of these effects. (6 points)     b). What types of digital strategies would you deploy to compete effectively in this platform market? Justify your reasoning. (6 points)

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