Faculty
Niels Bjørn-Andersen

Course Coordinator
Niels Bjørn-Andersen

The students must document a level in English equal to TOEFL 575 and a level in mathematics equal to Danish level B.

The course aims at giving an introduction to the key tools, methodologies and techniques for IT support for Service Management with a wide variety of concrete examples and illustrations from the service industry and other industries relevant to the service industry.

The course will provide an introduction to the concept and the business philosophy behind the concept of e-business (although the concept of e-business has been given up by some, we shall continue below to use the concept of e-business). Both e-business and on-demand business are dealing with the way in which IT is enhancing the customer value proposition (through better knowledge about customer needs, customization of services, and new services), the supplier offerings (through better access to a larger selection and enhanced communication facilities), and the communication with partner companies. In this way, the competitive environment is dramatically changed in a very short period of time. The course will provide tools, methodologies and techniques for developing new and better (web-) services.

In the end of this course, the students should be able to:

Demonstrate a knowledge of the key e-business concepts and the relative importance of the different conceptsCritically assess e-business strategies and their role in relation to the general business strategiesIdentify newer trends and developments within e-business for different service management organizationsApply the relevant models/frameworks/tools from the literature on empirical situations (cases)Assess the customer value proposition of proposed new e-business activities, including web-servicesContribute to design and development of new e-business that would enhanced the customer value propositionBe responsible for the communication with providers/developers of new e-business solutions,Critically assess the key issues in managing e-business services

Written 4 hours individual exam with closed books

Exam aids: Students are only allowed to bring pencils/pens and a simple language dictionary. The only electronic device allowed at the exam is a non programmable calculator (in other words, the following are NOT allowed: laptop, USB stick, mobile phone, etc).

The course will consist of dialog lectures in 5-6 weeks with presentations, case discussions, company presentations and small assignments in class. In general students should expect to take an active role in the learning process through preparation for class, as well as taking part in class discussions and small assignments in class during lectures. It is prerequisite to study the cases prior to coming to class.

· McKay & Marshall: Strategic management of e-business, Wiley. 2004.

· On top of this there will be around a handful of articles and cases. These will be uploaded on Sitescape.