Operating as micro-economies, electronic marketplace (EM) platforms connect numerous consumers and sellers and facilitate value-creating interactions. However, EM platform providers (platform owners)/ have limited authority over independent sellers, who often connect with several platforms, referred to as multihoming behaviors. An effective control portfolio serves as a crucial tool for owners to influence sellers' actions in alignment with the goals of the EM platform. For a control portfolio to be effective, it must be aligned with the prevailing contextual factors. This paper investigates the key antecedent factors that influence the control choices made by EM platform owners. By probing what factors guide EM platform owners in selecting specific control modes in this multi-case study, this research extends control theory into the relatively unexplored context of EM. The study identifies seven antecedent factors influencing owners' control mode choices: task programmability, outcome measurability, behavior observability, interdependencies, uncertain controlee motivations, internalization of controller objectives, and reciprocity norms. Based on these findings, the paper proposes explanations for the prominence of formal controls and the selective inclusion of informal control mechanisms in EM seller control portfolios, offering insights for practitioners and future research. The study findings help EM platform owners create a balanced portfolio of contextually appropriate control mechanisms.

中文翻译：

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影响平台所有者在电子市场中卖家控制选择的因素


作为微观经济，电子市场 （EM） 平台将众多消费者和卖家连接起来，并促进价值创造的互动。但是，新兴市场平台提供商（平台所有者）/对独立卖家的权力有限，独立卖家通常与多个平台连接，这称为多宿主行为。有效的控制组合是业主根据 EM 平台的目标影响卖家行为的重要工具。要使控制项目组合有效，它必须与主要的背景因素保持一致。本文研究了影响 EM 平台所有者做出控制选择的关键前因因素。通过在这个多案例研究中探索哪些因素指导 EM 平台所有者选择特定的控制模式，本研究将控制理论扩展到相对未探索的 EM 环境中。该研究确定了影响所有者控制模式选择的七个前因因素：任务可编程性、结果可衡量性、行为可观察性、相互依赖性、不确定的受控对象动机、控制者目标的内化和互惠规范。基于这些发现，本文对正式控制的重要性和选择性地纳入 EM 卖家控制组合提出了非正式控制机制的解释，为从业者和未来的研究提供了见解。研究结果有助于 EM 平台所有者创建一个平衡的、适合上下文的控制机制组合。