E- Business Companies: Strategies and Organization 2600-DSMdz/w3zegSOP
This course introduces students to the world of strategies and organization of enterprises operating in the digital economy. The starting point is the characterization of e-business and e-enterprises – students learn how conducting business in the digital environment differs from traditional models, what opportunities and threats digitalization brings, and what competencies are key to managing an e-enterprise. The course then leads through the world of business models in the digital environment. Students work with Business Model Canvas and its variants, learning not only to describe existing models but above all to identify innovation potential within them – using the Business Model Navigator approach (Gassmann, Frankenberger, Csik). The next step is understanding the needs of digital users. Classes introduce Design Thinking tools – empathizing, needs diagnosis, and defining the user's point of view – so that students learn to design solutions that address real problems. These skills are deepened through work with Value Proposition Canvas and Lean Canvas, which allow precise design of value propositions for digital customers. The course also covers the concept of MVP (Minimum Viable Product) as a tool for quick and inexpensive verification of business assumptions in e-commerce and digital services. Students learn how to build prototypes, test them on the market, and draw conclusions before investing significant resources. Equally important are strategic issues: network effects, multi-sided platforms, growth strategies, and risks specific to e-business – the lock-in effect, platform dependency, trust and security in electronic transactions. The course concludes with a discussion of founders' agreements and equity distribution in an e-startup using the Slicing Pie model. As part of the course assessment, students complete group assignments involving analysis and innovation of business models, designing value propositions, and conceptualizing an MVP for a selected e-enterprise.
Type of course
Mode
Learning outcomes
S3_W01 The graduate knows and understands terminology in the area of e-economy management within the discipline of management and quality sciences and in supplementary disciplines.
S3_W02 The graduate knows and understands the specifics, principles, procedures and practices of e-business activity, its key functions, and its relations with the environment.
S3_W03 The graduate knows and understands, at an advanced level, economic theories and models relating to the functioning of e-business and the digital economy.
S3_W04 The graduate knows and understands, at an advanced level, legal regulations relating to the functioning of e-business and the digital economy.
S3_W05 The graduate knows and understands technological, social, political, legal, economic and ecological processes and phenomena and their impact on e-business and the digital economy.
S3_U01 The graduate is able to use the theory of management and quality sciences and supplementary sciences to identify, diagnose and solve problems related to key functions in e-business and integrate them within a strategy.
S3_U05 The graduate is able to independently and collaboratively prepare analyses, diagnoses and reports on the functioning of e-business and the digital economy and to present them and participate in debate.
S3_U07 The graduate has the ability to self-educate and improve acquired qualifications.
S3_K01 The graduate is ready to critically assess situations and phenomena related to e-business and the digital economy.
S3_K03 The graduate is ready to engage in activities benefiting communities related to e-business and the digital economy.
Assessment criteria
Assessment methods: completion of group assignments during and between classes. Assignments include: (1) analysis and innovation of e-enterprise business models, (2) user needs diagnosis using Design Thinking methodology, (3) designing a Value Proposition Canvas for a selected e-enterprise, (4) developing an MVP concept. Assignments are assessed based on engagement, independence, and substantive quality. Two absences are permitted without justification.
Bibliography
Gassmann, O., Frankenberger, K., & Csik, M. (2014). The Business Model Navigator. Pearson.
Osterwalder, A., & Pigneur, Y. (2010). Business Model Generation. Wiley.
Osterwalder, A., Pigneur, Y., Bernarda, G., & Smith, A. (2014). Value Proposition Design. Wiley.
Lewrick, M., Link, P., & Leifer, L. (2020). The Design Thinking Toolbox. Wiley.
Ries, E. (2011). The Lean Startup. Crown Business.
Bland, D. J., & Osterwalder, A. (2019). Testing Business Ideas. Wiley.
Moyer, M. (2013). Slicing Pie: Funding Your Company Without Funds. Lake Shark Ventures.