Strategic Platform Configuration: Network Position, Environmental Conditions, and Integration Decisions
研究了企业网络位置（中心性和中介性）如何影响其选择混合物理与数字运营的平台整合策略，并发现行业环境（资源丰裕度和动态性）会调节这一关系。
This study investigates how firms determine whether to adopt integrated platform configurations— blending physical and digital operations—versus operating through a single modality. While prior research has focused predominantly on digital platforms, less attention has been paid to what drives the choice to pursue more complex, hybrid models. Drawing on social network theory and environmental contingency perspectives, we examine how firms' network positions—specifically centrality and brokerage—influence their likelihood of pursuing platform integration. We also explore how these relationships are moderated by industry-level conditions, including environmental munificence and dynamism. Using a panel dataset of 424 publicly listed U.S. firms from 2013 to 2024, we develop a continuous platform integration score derived from firm disclosures and validated using machine learning techniques, including BERTopic and Sentence BERT. To estimate causal relationships, we employ Arellano-Bond dynamic panel models. Results show that both centrality and brokerage increase the likelihood of integration, but their effects are contingent on the external environment. To ensure a high level of research rigor, we also conduct extensive robustness checks, including alternative variable specifications and industry exclusion tests. This study contributes to contribute to platform and engineering management literature by offering a nuanced understanding of platform design in complex organizational and environmental contexts.