Operation and maintenance of digital platform network ecosystems: A digital integration-enabling mechanism

Digital platform network ecosystems can empower the data disclosure, transaction, financing and regulatory activities of supply chains through internal digital integration mechanisms. A four-dimensional “development stage–role–capability–mechanism” theoretical framework is constructed in this study to explore a digital integration mechanism for digital platform network ecosystems. In the three development stages of data disclosure, data transaction and financing, and data governance and supervision, the platform serves as a data integrator, an intermediary and a resource coordinator, respectively, and promotes the ability of supply chain alliance enterprises, financial institutions, regulators, fintech enterprises and other interested parties to form synergistic and symbiotic relationships with respect to their performance in terms of information acquisition and sharing, network interconnection and integration services and the three integration mechanisms (resource integration, value cocreation and dynamic governance). Among them, data values, information disclosures, and digital technology are the key drivers of the digital platform network ecosystem. Empirical evidence suggests that data have a core production effect, that information disclosure has a mediating effect, and that digital technology has a moderating effect, which together provide improved financing performance. Our research expands and deepens the digital applications of platform network ecosystem theory, provides ideas and methods for data pricing, and presents useful references for the data trading, financing and regulatory practices of platforms.