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2024/2025  KAN-CDIBV2403U  Foundations of Digital Ventures

English Title
Foundations of Digital Ventures

Course information
Language English
Course ECTS 7.5 ECTS
Type Elective
Level Full Degree Master
Duration One Semester
Start time of the course Autumn
Timetable Course schedule will be posted at calendar.cbs.dk
Max. participants 50
Study board
Master of Science (MSc) in Business Administration and Digital Business
Course coordinator
  • Rob Gleasure - Department of Digitalisation (DIGI)
Main academic disciplines
  • Entrepreneurship
  • Information technology
  • Innovation
Teaching methods
  • Face-to-face teaching
Last updated on 06-02-2024

Relevant links
Learning objectives
To achieve the grade 12, students are expected to fulfil the following learning objectives with no or only minor mistakes or omissions:
  • Understand the key characteristics of digital technology and their implications for generating new ventures.
  • Explain principles relating to digitalization of intra-, inter-, and supra-organizational activity of entrepreneurial ventures
  • Discuss recent studies in the digital venture/digital entrepreneurship space independently.
  • Synthesize research on digital ventures/digital entrepreneurship to highlight open questions and suggest opportunities for future work in the space.
Prerequisites for registering for the exam (activities during the teaching period)
Number of compulsory activities which must be approved (see section 13 of the Programme Regulations): 1
Compulsory home assignments
There will be two mandatory activities.
1 of 2 mandatory activities has to be approved to qualify for the exam. Feedback will be provided on both mandatory activities.

1) Extended Abstract: The mandatory activity is an individual written assignment consisting of a 1-page extended abstract. Students are expected to motivate a research project by answering key questions that frame the final exam paper.

2) Draft Research proposal: The mandatory activity is an individual written assignment consisting of a max. 3-page draft research proposal. In the proposal the students should outline a topic chosen for the final exam paper, highlight the tentative literature they expect to cover, and articulate a concept, problem, or idea they propose studying.

There will not be any extra attempts provided to the students before the ordinary exam.
If a student cannot participate due to documented illness, or if a student does not have the activity approved in spite of making a real attempt, then the student will be given one extra attempt on the second (2) mandatory activity before the re-exam.
Examination
Foundations of Digital Ventures:
Exam ECTS 7,5
Examination form Oral exam based on written product

In order to participate in the oral exam, the written product must be handed in before the oral exam; by the set deadline. The grade is based on an overall assessment of the written product and the individual oral performance, see also the rules about examination forms in the programme regulations.
Individual or group exam Individual exam
Size of written product Max. 5 pages
Assignment type Written assignment
Release of assignment Subject chosen by students themselves, see guidelines if any
Duration
Written product to be submitted on specified date and time.
20 min. per student, including examiners' discussion of grade, and informing plus explaining the grade
Grading scale 7-point grading scale
Examiner(s) Internal examiner and second internal examiner
Exam period Winter
Make-up exam/re-exam
Same examination form as the ordinary exam
Description of the exam procedure

The final exam is an individual written assignment with an oral exam. Students will be asked to outline a research agenda for a topic, chosen and specified by the student. In the paper, students are expected to articulate the current state of research on the topic, derive potential research questions needed to advance knowledge in the area, and discuss the steps needed to advance work on the topic (e.g., define concepts, propose study designs, advocate data collection/methods, etc.).
Course content, structure and pedagogical approach

Digital technology is rapidly becoming the foundation upon which new entrepreneurial organizations design products and services, relate to customers, and engage the competition. Such new ventures use the transformational potential of digital technology to create offerings that explore novel directions of creating, delivering, and capturing value.

 

Against this backdrop, this course surveys current academic work on digital ventures: The course addresses structure, process, and outcome of initiatives within and beyond traditional firm boundaries that rest on the substantial use of digital technologies. Such activity has attracted significant scholarly interest at the intersection of digital technology innovation, new product development, and management. This offers students the opportunity to learn about the unique attributes of digital technologies and how the fuel the emergence of new ventures. The lectures will cover areas such as digital-enabled entrepreneurship, intrapreneurship, designing and innovating new digital offerings, venture ideation, -creation, and -operation. Upon completion, students will have the intellectual tools necessary to understand the phenomenon of digital ventures.
Description of the teaching methods
The course comprises of face to face lectures with interactive discussion. Each session will cover selected works on a specific aspect of recent research on digital ventures. Students are expected to cover the readings at their own pace as well as actively participate in discussions and in-class activity.

Students will be expected to share drafts of their research proposals with their classmates, so that others can comment. In addition, students can share and retrieve literature from a collaborative reading list as well as a literature repository that the class will create together.
Feedback during the teaching period
Continuous Assessment and Feedback:
The course offers the following feedback mechanisms:
First, students will have the opportunity to read and present recent research papers in interactive seminars. Such presentations will form the basis for in-class discussions.
Second, students will have time to interact with teaching staff throughout the course.
Third, students will have the opportunity to give and receive peer feedback by sharing drafts of the research proposals. In addition, during the seminars, students will have the chance to work on their individual assignments and receive feedback from lecturers.
Student workload
Online Lectures 24 hours
Workshops 24 hours
Lecture Preparation 24 hours
Workshop Preparation 12 hours
Mandatory Activities 20 hours
Final Exam Preparation 50 hours
Independent Study / Reading 52 hours
Total 206 hours
Expected literature

The literature can be changed before the semester starts. Students are advised to find the final literature on Canvas before buying any material.

 

Indicative Literature

 

Research Articles
Ambos, T. C., & Birkinshaw, J. (2010). How Do New Ventures Evolve? An Inductive Study of Archetype Changes in Science-Based Ventures. Organization Science, 21(6), 1125–1140. 

 

Eiteneyer, N., Bendig, D., & Brettel, M. (2019). Social capital and the digital crowd: Involving backers to promote new product innovativeness. Research Policy, 48(8), 103744.

 

Huang, J., Henfridsson, O., Liu, M. J., & Newell, S. (2017). Growing on Steroids: Rapidly Scaling the User Base of Digital Ventures Through Digital Innovation. MIS Quarterly, 41(1), 301–314.

 

McDonald, R., & Gao, C. (2019). Pivoting Isn’t Enough? Managing Strategic Reorientation in New Ventures. Organization Science.

 

Marion, T. J., Friar, J. H., & Simpson, T. W. (2012). New product development practices and early-stage firms: Two in-depth case studies. Journal of Product Innovation Management, 29(4), 639–654.

 

Nambisan, S. (2017). Digital entrepreneurship: Toward a digital technology perspective of entrepreneurship. Entrepreneurship Theory and Practice, 41(6), 1029-1055.

 

Nambisan, S. (2002). Complementary Product Integration by High-Technology New Ventures: The Role of Initial Technology Strategy. Management Science, 48(3), 382–398. 

 

Kiss, A. N., & Barr, P. S. (2017). New Product Development Strategy Implementation Duration and New Venture Performance: A Contingency-Based Perspective. Journal of Management, 43(4), 1185–1210. 

 

von Briel, F., Recker, J., & Davidsson, P. (2018). Not all digital venture ideas are created equal: Implications for venture creation processes. Journal of Strategic Information Systems, 27(4), 278–290
Last updated on 06-02-2024