Large-Scale Service Marketplaces: The Role of the Moderating Firm

• 成果类型: Article
• 署名作者: Allon, Gad; Bassamboo, Achal; Cil, Eren B.
• 署名单位: Northwestern University; University of Oregon
• 刊物名称: MANAGEMENT SCIENCE
• ISSN/ISSBN: 0025-1909
• DOI: 10.1287/mnsc.1120.1533
• 发表日期: 2012
• 页码: 1854-1872
• 关键词: Service Operations; fluid models; asymptotic analysis; Large games; Noncooperative game theory

摘要

Recently, large-scale, Web-based service marketplaces, where many small service providers compete among themselves in catering to customers with diverse needs, have emerged. Customers who frequent these marketplaces seek quick resolutions and thus are usually willing to trade prices with waiting times. The main goal of this paper is to discuss the role of the moderating firm in facilitating information gathering, operational efficiency, and communication among agents in service marketplaces. Surprisingly, we show that operational efficiency may be detrimental to the overall efficiency of the marketplace. Furthermore, we establish that to reap the expected gains of operational efficiency, the moderating firm may need to complement the operational efficiency by enabling communication among its agents. The study emphasizes the scale of such marketplaces and the impact it has on the outcomes.