Intended Learning Outcomes (Skills, Knowledge, Attitude)

While digital technologies are major factors in the transformation of companies and industries, digital transformation is never achieved by digital technologies alone. Indeed, for digital transformation, business models are needed that can link new digital technologies to emerging market needs. 

In this course, students will develop a profound understanding how companies change existing business models and create new business models through digital technology. The aim is to provide students with the necessary methodologies and competences for this new kind of business development. Students will analyze the business impact of digital transformation in different industries and from different competitive perspectives (incumbents vs. start-ups). The theoretical concepts and lenses introduced during the course will be applied in the analysis and discussion of real company case examples. Moreover, the students will work in small groups to develop an own case project on digital business development in a selected industry. Obtained results will be presented orally and in writing.

Contents

• Digital business environment
• Changes in the nature of supply and demand 
• Key challenges resulting from changes to the business environment 
• Digital business models
• Characteristics and components of digital business models
• Digital transformation of business models
• Digital strategy
• Strategic focus of customer engagement and digitized solutions strategies
• Role of technology backbones
• Organizational aspects of digital transformation
• Organizational approaches to drive and manage digital transformation
• Implementation through lean startup approach

Applied Methods in Business Administration

r  Models and methods of analysis (research and analysis methods) 

• Business model generation, analysis and evaluation
• Lean startup approach

r  Qualitative interpretative methods 

• Case study research, case interviews

Teaching and learning methods

·       Seminar lectures

·       Case study analysis

·       Case project, group work

·       Presentations

Literature

• Bharadwaj, A., El Sawy, O.A., Pavlou, P.A., Venkatraman, N., 2013. Digital business strategy - Toward a next generation of insights. MIS Quarterly 37, 471–482.
• Dawson, A., Hirt, M., Scanlan, J., 2016. The economic essentials of digital strategy. McKinsey Quarterly March 2016, 1–13. 
• Fuchs, C., & Hess, T., 2018. Becoming Agile in the Digital Transformation: The Process of a Large-Scale Agile Transformation. 39th International Conference on Information Systems (ICIS 2018), San Francisco, CA, United States.
• Gilsing, R. A. M., Türetken, O., Grefen, P. W. P. J., & Adali, O. E., 2018. A reference model for the design of Service-Dominant Business Models in the smart mobility domain. 39th International Conference on Information Systems (ICIS 2018), San Francisco, CA, United States.
• Iansiti, M., Lakhani, K.R., 2014. Digital Ubiquity: How Connections, Sensors, and Data Are Revolutionizing Business. Harvard Business Review, November 2014.
• Kane, G.C., Palmer, D., Phillips, A.N., Kiron, D., Buckley, N., 2015. Strategy, not Technology, Drives Digital Transformation. MIT Sloan Management Review.
• Onay, C., 2018. Digital Transformation: A Mutual Understanding and Strategic Alignment Perspective. 39th International Conference on Information Systems (ICIS 2018), San Francisco, CA, United States.
• Osterwalder, A., Pigneur, Y., 2010. Business Model Generation: A Handbook for Visionaries, Game Changers, and Challengers, 1st ed. John Wiley & Sons, Hoboken, NJ.
• Porter, M.E., Heppelmann, J.E., 2015. How Smart, Connected Products Are Transforming Companies. Harvard Business Review October 2015.
• Remane, G., Hanelt, A., Nickerson, R.C., Kolbe, L.M., 2017. Discovering digital business models in traditional industries, Journal of Business Strategy, 38, 41-51.
• Ries, E., 2011. The lean startup. Portfolio Penguin, London.
• Ross, J.W., Sebastian, I.M., Beath, C.M., 2017. How to Develop a Great Digital Strategy. MIT Sloan Management Review Winter 2017.
• Svahn, F., Mathiassen, L., Lindgren, R., 2017. Embracing Digital Innovation in Incumbent Firms:  How Volvo Cars Managed Competing Concerns. Management Information Systems Quarterly 41, 239–253.
• Weill, P., Woerner, S.L., 2013. Optimizing Your Digital Business Model. MIT Sloan Management Review, Spring 2013.
• Westerman, G., Bonnet, D., McAfee, A., 2014. The Nine Elements of Digital Transformation. MIT Sloan Management Review.

Introduction of further literature during the course