Business Technology And Power Structures

Business, Technology, and Power Structures

Analyzes how firms, financial tools, and innovation influence society.

Indian School of Business

The Impact of Ride-Hailing Services on Congestion: Evidence from Indian Cities

Deepa Mani

University of Alberta

How Investors Shape Who and How Startups Hire

Sara Mahabadi

University of Pennsylvania

The Making of the “Good Bad” Job: How Algorithmic Management Manufactures Consent Through Constant and Confined Choices

Lindsay Cameron

Federal Reserve Bank of San Francisco

Automation and the Rise of Superstar Firms

Zheng Liu

Overview

This theme investigates the evolving architecture of corporate power in the digital age — how businesses use technology, capital, and labor control to shape societal structures. From algorithmic management to investor influence, and from automation to urban infrastructure, the power dynamics of modern capitalism are increasingly engineered through code, data, and platform logic. Rather than being passive actors, firms today are architects of work, mobility, and inequality — capable of restructuring markets and social life alike. Understanding these forces is essential for professionals navigating strategy, policy, ethics, and the future of economic life.

Why It Matters

Shifting Labor Dynamics: Algorithmic control systems are reframing autonomy, consent, and value in the workplace.
Investor Power: Venture capital and financial stakeholders now dictate organizational culture and hiring priorities in startups.
Urban Transformation: Digital platforms reshape cities — often without accountability for externalities like congestion or inequality.
Winner-Takes-Most Economics: Automation and market concentration amplify the dominance of 'superstar firms,' redefining industrial structure and competition.

Core Concepts

Platform Capitalism & Urban Life

How ride-hailing apps exacerbate urban congestion.
Trade-offs between convenience, externalities, and policy blind spots.

Capital & Organizational Behavior

The hidden power of investors in shaping who gets hired and why.
How funding logic filters organizational diversity and structure.

Algorithmic Control of Labor

Examines how gig platforms create the illusion of choice while tightly controlling workers.
The psychological engineering behind 'consent' in digital work.

Automation & Market Dominance

Automation reinforces the power of large, tech-driven firms.
The economic forces behind concentration and inequality.

Key Questions

Labor Society

Are 'flexible' jobs truly autonomous, or forms of algorithmic subjugation?
How does AI reshape workplace consent and control?

Power Investment

How much influence should investors have on hiring, values, and governance?
Can innovation flourish outside traditional VC models?

Markets Inequality

Do superstar firms lead to widespread prosperity or structural stagnation?
How should regulators respond to concentrated digital monopolies?

Urban Economics

What responsibilities do platforms have for their urban impacts?
Can cities reclaim regulatory control over platform-driven services?

Suggested Use

For Executives Strategists

Reflect on internal practices around hiring, automation, and labor systems — and the power they confer.

For Policy Makers

Develop evidence-based governance tools to counteract negative externalities and power asymmetries.

For Researchers Educators

Use this theme to explore intersections between economics, sociology, business ethics, and technology.