The Age of Digital Ecosystems: principles and perspectives with a deeper insight into the Automotive Industry.

Digitalization is having a significant impact not only on the individuals, but especially on the businesses. Indeed, nowadays, with the emergence of new technologies the existing industries are merging and, at the same time, there is the emergence of new sectors. As a consequence, companies are not only competing with other businesses in the same industry, but they have also to play against companies from different sectors. This is due to the existence of digital ecosystems, since the traditional borders that have defined the relationships, connections and opportunities of the business are either blurring or dissolving. All these changes are crucial and companies need to adopt new approaches to strategy with the aim of gaining a significant advantage over the competitors and not being driven out of the market. However, not all the industries are facing the same challenges and technological advancements. The Automotive Industry, which is analyzed in this thesis, is one of the most complex as the automotive, automation and high-tech sectors are merging. Moreover, the shape of this new ecosystem is determined also by the shift in customers’ preferences.