Syllabus for Economics of Digital Technologies in Organisations

Learning outcomes

In terms of knowledge and understanding, after completed course the student should be able to:

• explain what an organisation is as well as how it can create business value,
• explain the central characteristics of digital technologies,
• explain how the use of digital technologies may activate economic mechanisms in organisations,
• explain potential approaches to the introduction of economic value creation from the use of digital technologies in organisational contexts,
• explain the key approaches to governing the relation between digital technology use and its organisational context.

In terms of skills and abilities, after completed course the student should be able to:

• identify sources of economic value creation of a given utilisation of digital technologies in an organisational context,
• design proposals for novel use of digital technologies aimed at activation of economic value creation in organisations.
• formulate a thesis proposal and plan for thesis project.

In terms of judgement and approach, after completed course the student should be able to:

• critically evaluate existing and planned organisational use of digital technologies for economic value creation,
• critically evaluate theories in relation to how they deal with economic value creation from the use of digital technologies in organisational contexts,
• critically evaluate research proposals and thesis project plans.

Content

The course deepens the student's knowledge of how digital technologies can create business value in an organisation. The course begins by introducing students to economic value creation in different types of digital practices. Basic business theory and strategy, as well as management and valuation of activities, are covered in this section. The course continues by introducing how digital technologies affect the organisation and what business value they can create. Value creation will be discussed and evaluated based on different aspects, including productivity theory, Schumpeter's innovation theory, industrial organisation theory, the resource-based view of the firm theory, transaction cost economics theory, contingency theory, and business model theory. In addition, the course will address governance and development of economic value from the use of digital technologies in terms of, among other things, the design vs emergent schools, institutional change and entrepreneurship in the use of digital technologies, as well as business and IT alignment. Based on this, the student should be able to critically assess various business development plans involving the use of digital technologies, as well as evaluate their impact on the organisation. During the course, the students will also practice formulating a preliminary research plan for a master's thesis.

Instruction

Lectures, seminars, cases studies, and laboratory exercises.

Assessment

Assignments, laboratory exercises, and seminars.

If there are special reasons for doing so, an examiner may make an exception from the method of assessment indicated and allow a student to be assessed by another method. An example of special reasons might be a certificate regarding special pedagogical support from the University's disability coordinator or a decision by the department's working group for study matters.