经济学人:百货商场的逆袭 细数各个领域中的"平台"(上)

 　　Business: Schumpeter: The emporium strikes back

　　商业：熊彼德：百货商场的逆袭

　　Platforms are the future—but not for everyone.

　　平台才是未来——但因人而异。

　　“Interesting thesis, but don’t use the word ‘platform’ in the title. No one knows what it means.”

　　“论题很有意思，但是标题里不要加 ‘平台’ 这个词，没人明白那是什么意思。”

　　That was the reaction of a professor at MIT in 2000 upon reading the dissertation¹ of Annabelle Gawer, now co-director of the Centre for Digital Economy at the University of Surrey.

　　这是2000年，一位麻省理工的教授在读现任萨里大学数字化经济中心联席主任安娜贝尔·加威尔的研究论文时候的反应。

　　She ignored the advice and kept the title.

　　加威尔没有理会这条建议，在标题中保留了这个词。

　　If anyone were to counsel Ms Gawer against using the word today, it would be for the opposite reason: overuse.

　　如果今天再有人劝加威尔女士不要使用 “平台” 这个词，那一定是出于相反的理由：这个词已经被用滥了。

　　Academic papers on the concept are now legion.

　　关于这个概念的学术论文不胜枚举。

　　Books are multiplying, too: after “Platform Revolution” in March, this month will see the release of “Matchmakers” (with the p-word in the subtitle) .

　　相关书籍的数量也成倍增长：在三月份的 “平台革命” 后，即将迎来这个月 “中介” 概念的爆发 (副标题里有 “专业的” 这个词)。

　　Rare is the startup that does not want to be a platform.

　　很少有创业公司不想搭建平台。

　　A rapidly growing number of incumbent² firms, too, are striving to build platforms.

　　与此同时，越来越多的在位企业也在加入这个行列。

　　Yet the professor’s problem remains³ pertinent⁴: confusion still reigns⁵ over what exactly platforms are.

　　但麻省理工那位教授提出的问题依然适用：平台究竟是什么，人们对此还是一头雾水。

　　And this, combined with the hype, hides the fact that they are not for everyone.

　　这些疑惑再加上媒体天花乱坠的报导掩盖了真相：平台的战略并非适合所有人。

　　Broadly defined, platforms are a type of market place where people and businesses trade under a set of rules set by the owner or operator.

　　广义上来讲，平台即用户及商业机构在业主或经营者建立的规则范围内进行交易的市场。

　　Among the first were the emporiums in ancient Greece, designated places near docks where traders could exchange merchandise.

　　平台的最初形态即古希腊港口边指定场所的商业中心，在这里商人们可以交换货物。

　　More recently, digitisation and the internet have given rise to a new type that is both marketplace and shared base.

　　最近，随着数字化与互联网的发展而兴起了基于商业和共享的新型平台。

　　Operating systems are an example, such as Windows for personal computers and Android for smartphones.

　　操作系统就是一个很好的例子，比如个人电脑上的 “视窗” 操作系统以及智能手机上的安卓系统。

　　These programs provide basic services that applications developed by others need to run.

　　这些程序提供的基础服务使他人开发的应用得以运行。

　　Another version is e-commerce sites, including Amazon and eBay, which connect sellers and buyers (hence the title “Matchmakers” ) .

　　另一个例子是包括亚马逊和易贝等电商网站，他们提供的平台就将买家和卖家连结起来 (所以才叫 “中介” )。

　　Social networks, too, are platforms: they bring together consumers, advertisers and software developers.

　　社交网络也是平台，他们将客户/广告商/软件开发商连结起来。

　　These modern platforms have three things in common.

　　现代的平台有三个共同点。

　　They are “multi-sided”, meaning they have more than one group of customers.

　　“多边性”，这意味着多个客户群。

　　They exhibit strong “network effects” : a growing group of one sort of customer attracts more of the other, which again draws in more of the first and so on.

　　“强大的网络效应” : 某类客户群的增长会吸引更多的使用者，以此类推形成正反馈。

　　And they are controlled by one company, which can dictate⁶ the terms of trade, such as what type of businesses are allowed on its digital property and what they have to pay for the privilege.

　　这些平台都受制于某个公司，公司规定了贸易条款，比如自身的数字资产将决定何种商业类型会被允许以及搭建平台所需的代价。

　　Such features have allowed American companies in particular to build global digital emporiums that have come to dominate the technology industry.

　　这样的特征尤其有利于美国的公司构建全球性的数字化贸易市场，由此支配科技领域。

　　In late 2015 the 44 platform firms based in Silicon⁷ Valley alone boasted a combined market capitalisation of $2.2 trillion, according to the Centre for Global Enterprise (CGE) , a think-tank.

　　根据全球企业中心智库表示，2015年中仅凭44家硅谷的平台公司就霸踞了2.2万亿美金的资本市场。

　　Among them, Apple’s iPhone exemplifies best how to run a platform: anybody can write an app, but it has to pass strict tests and the firm keeps 30% of all sales.

　　其中，苹果公司的Iphone就是平台运作的典型：任何人都可以在上面编写应用，但是需要通过平台严格的审查并且切分掉30%的销售收入。

　　1.strike back 反击

　　例句:Our instinctive⁸ reaction when someone causes us pain is to strike back.

　　当被别人弄疼时我们本能的反应是反击。

　　2.according to 通过

　　例句:Philip stayed at the hotel, according to Mr Hemming⁹.

　　据亨明先生所说，菲利普住在旅馆里。

　　3.technology industry 科技产业

　　例句:With the rapid development of 20 years, there are splendid achievements in Chinese high and new technology industry.

　　经过20年的发展，中国高新技术产业取得了辉煌的成果。

　　4.in particular 尤其；特别

　　例句:The situation in Ethiopia in particular is worrying.

　　埃塞俄比亚的局势尤其令人担忧。

1 dissertation   

n.（博士学位）论文，学术演讲，专题论文

参考例句：

• He is currently writing a dissertation on the Somali civil war.他目前正在写一篇关于索马里内战的论文。
• He was involved in writing his doctoral dissertation.他在聚精会神地写他的博士论文。

2 incumbent   

adj.成为责任的，有义务的；现任的，在职的

参考例句：

• He defeated the incumbent governor by a large plurality.他以压倒多数票击败了现任州长。
• It is incumbent upon you to warn them.你有责任警告他们。

3 remains   

n.剩余物，残留物；遗体，遗迹

参考例句：

• He ate the remains of food hungrily.他狼吞虎咽地吃剩余的食物。
• The remains of the meal were fed to the dog.残羹剩饭喂狗了。

4 pertinent   

adj.恰当的；贴切的；中肯的；有关的；相干的

参考例句：

• The expert made some pertinent comments on the scheme.那专家对规划提出了一些中肯的意见。
• These should guide him to pertinent questions for further study.这些将有助于他进一步研究有关问题。

5 reigns   

n.君主的统治( reign的名词复数 )；君主统治时期；任期；当政期

参考例句：

• In these valleys night reigns. 夜色笼罩着那些山谷。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》
• The Queen of Britain reigns, but she does not rule or govern. 英国女王是国家元首，但不治国事。 来自辞典例句

6 dictate   

v.口授；(使)听写；指令，指示，命令

参考例句：

• It took him a long time to dictate this letter.口述这封信花了他很长时间。
• What right have you to dictate to others?你有什么资格向别人发号施令？

7 silicon   

n.硅(旧名矽)

参考例句：

• This company pioneered the use of silicon chip.这家公司开创了使用硅片的方法。
• A chip is a piece of silicon about the size of a postage stamp.芯片就是一枚邮票大小的硅片。

8 instinctive   

adj.(出于)本能的；直觉的；(出于)天性的

参考例句：

• He tried to conceal his instinctive revulsion at the idea.他试图饰盖自己对这一想法本能的厌恶。
• Animals have an instinctive fear of fire.动物本能地怕火。

9 hemming   

卷边

参考例句：

• "Now stop hemming and hawing, and tell me about it, Edward. "别再这个那个的啦，跟我说说吧，爱德华。 来自英汉文学 - 败坏赫德莱堡
• All ideas of stopping holes and hemming in the German intruders are vicious. 一切想要堵塞缺口和围困德国侵略军的办法都是错误的。