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Researchers Chengdi Fa and Dr Hakan Özalp (both with the Strategy & International Business section) have been awarded the TIM Division Best Paper Finalist at the Academy of Management (AoM) Conference held in Chicago this August.
Chengdi Fa and Prof. Henk Volberda (L) at the Academy of Management Conference
Chengdi Fa and Prof. Henk Volberda (L) at the Academy of Management Conference

Their paper, Platform Design Change and User Engagement: A Natural Experiment on Twitter was initially shortlisted for both the AoM's Technology and Innovation Management (TIM) Division Best Paper Award and the TIM Division Best Student Paper Award. It was ultimately selected for the AoM's Best Paper Finalist honour.

The paper investigates the impact of platform design changes on user engagement. The study reveals that increasing the character limit on Twitter enhances user engagement, including likes, replies, and retweets. This effect is notably stronger for users with large follower networks and those producing novel content.

Reviewers at the conference commended the paper for its comprehensive approach to platform governance, extending beyond network size to consider user and content characteristics. 'The research offers valuable insights from both scientific and practical perspectives within a leading social media platform'.

Chengdi Fa is a PhD candidate at the Amsterdam Business School, supervised by Professor Henk Volberda, Dr Hakan Özalp, and Dr Taghi Ramezan Zadeh. Her research focuses on the effects of platform governance on user behaviors.