• Understand, reflect upon, and contrast different digital business model approaches and how they provide customer value.
• Understand how different elements of digital business model design affect customer and ecosystem value.
• Identify, design, plan, and assess innovative business models in digitally enabled environments (i.e., for new digital platforms and for existing firms).
• Understand and use digital business models frameworks to align a company’s offering across multiple channels and platforms (customer journey management).
• Apply the theoretical knowledge on business modeling to practical business cases.

Aim

The course supports students in understanding the “business model” concept for platform-based ecosystems and in developing the ability to assess, design, and update business models and customer journeys in digitally enabled customer environments. Digital platforms (e.g., Twitter, Facebook, Google) allow for many new and innovative business model opportunities. The goal of this course is to equip students with relevant knowledge for contributing to the academic discourse on customer and business development and for pursuing a career as “state of the art” digital marketing expert. 

Content

This course confronts students with and prepares them for a complex digitally enabled ecosystem reality in which the concept of “business model” can have many meanings. Business models based on two-sided or multi-sided platforms are disrupting the competitive environment, be it for goods suppliers, system integrators, information and technology companies, or customers. More and more the ecosystem (instead of the firm) becomes the level where value is created and appropriated. Therefore, it becomes more complex and challenging for focal firms to develop business models that help them to create and appropriate value.

In this course, students will be trained to utilize state-of-the-art theories and tools on two-sides (or multi-sided) platforms, business models, and customer journeys to identify, design, and assess disruptive digital platforms that provide unique customer value.

The theoretical discussion will be complemented with hands-on applications in real-life cases. As such, the course will prepare students for a challenging career in digitally enabled business environment.

Course progression
Business Models for Digital Platform Ecosystems is a foundation course in the study program.