A Di­git­al Bat­tle­field: How to trans­form a new busi­ness ven­ture to a sus­tain­able di­git­al busi­ness?

Course content

The course portrays the Internet an exciting competitive arena with a number of global digital platforms, such as Apple, Facebook and Google, providing digital goods and services. There are numerous business opportunities to develop innovative digital products and services and in this digital battle field. Focusing on new digital business ventures, students will be taught concepts, models, and economic principles that are useful in analyzing the digital battle field, creating a new business venture and developing a sustainable strategy. The special characteristics of the digital products and services in specific industries will be integrated in order to build sustainable strategies for new digital business ventures in the light of competitive dynamics in the international digital arena.

The course includes the following topics: principles of information economics and digital platform elements such as network effects, positive feedback in creating the installed customer base, multi-sided networks etc., value capture and value creation strategies, internationalization strategies for digital platforms and global competitive dynamics in the digital battlefield. Specific topics of interest for new digital business ventures will be covered, such as, sharing economy platforms and key success factors, exploitation of big data for value capture and value creation activities, online advertising, crowdsourcing and value co-creation, crowdfunding and exploitation of social capital.