• Apply strategy, innovation and entrepreneurship theory and skills to real-life company scenarios
• Identify and define a strategic company challenge and the relevant data needed to solve it
• Create a novel solution (e.g., a new product or service, a business plan) to the identified problems
• Assess the commercial practicality of the proposed solution

“The Business & Technology Challenge” course is an immersive industry study that applies strategy, innovation and entrepreneurship theory and skills to practice in the field of international shipping and logistics. The shipping and logistics industry is faced with severe challenges requiring innovation in governance, business models, and services offered as well as in the underlying technology of ships and other main assets. The challenges are found in such diverse areas as changes in the geo-economic outlook, the impact of digitalization, or shipping emissions reduction and green transition.

The course is organized with a number of classroom sessions leading up to a high-intensive Innovation Sprint, the “CBS-DTU Maritime Business & Technology Summit”, carried out in close collaboration with one of Europe’s largest integrated shipping & logistics companies. The aim of this Innovation Sprint is to generate theoretically founded innovation solutions to help the company address the challenges of a complex and fast-changing business environment. A group of selected MSc students from DTU will join the Innovation Sprint and form interdisciplinary teams with the CBS students. Over a period of two weeks, the CBS-DTU teams will identify and evaluate real-life company challenges and options and strive to reveal the winning solution.

The course relies on case-based learning where students are confronted with real-life challenges and rich company information. The latter includes privileged access to detailed information such as company strategy; company trade data; key financial information; technical data on ships, trucks and terminals; and fleet emissions data.

Subsequent to the Innovation Sprint, students will apply strategy, innovation and entrepreneurship theory to reflect on the practical feasibility of implementing and scaling up one of the solutions presented by the teams.

The course covers topics such as:

• Key trends and challenges in shipping, trade and logistics
• Sustainable development, decarbonization and green transition
• Innovation and its challenges
• Technology, business and innovation
• Opportunity recognition in firms
• Business model innovation
• Business planning
• Shipping company strategies

The course supplements well the courses in the Minor in Maritime Business.

Below are indicative examples of the course readings:

• Leclerc, Y. and D. South (2014). Need for Green or Need for Speed: A West Monroe Partners Survey ( https:/​/​www.westmonroepartners.com/​Insights/​White-Papers/​Need-for-Green-Survey)
• Lorange, P. (2001). Strategic re-thinking in shipping companies. Maritime Policy & Management, 28(1): 23-32.
• Pedersen, T. and H. Sornn-Friese (2015). A Business Model Innovation by an Incumbent Late Mover: Containerization in Maersk Line. In N. J. Foss and T. Saebi (eds.), Business Model Innovation. The Organizational Dimension. London: OUP.
• Shepherd, D. A., J. S. Mcmullen and W. Ocasio (2016). Is that an opportunity? An attention model of top managers’ opportunity beliefs for strategic action. Strategic Management Journal, 38(3): 626-644.
• Sornn-Friese, H. and D. Arndt (2020). The Maritime Industry in 2030. A Summary of Discussions with Industry. Copenhagen: CBS Maritime.
• Teece, D. J. (2010). Business Models, Business Strategy and Innovation. Long Range Planning, 43(2-3): 172-194.