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2025/2026  BA-BSEMO2581U  Contemporary Issues in Digital Services, 1st Year Project

English Title
Contemporary Issues in Digital Services, 1st Year Project

Course information
Language English
Course ECTS 7.5 ECTS
Type Mandatory
Level Bachelor
Duration One Quarter
Start time of the course Fourth Quarter
Timetable Course schedule will be posted at calendar.cbs.dk
Study board
Study Board for Service and Markets
Course coordinator
  • Søren Henning Jensen - Department of Business Humanities and Law (BHL)
Main academic disciplines
  • CSR and sustainability
  • Information technology
  • Service management
Teaching methods
  • Blended learning
Last updated on 26-06-2025

Relevant links
Learning objectives
After completing this course, students should be able to:
  • Explore and analyze the relationship between sustainability and services through a relevant problem statement.
  • Develop a research project that critically discusses the role and relevance of sustainability perspectives in service management.
  • Demonstrate empirical understanding of sustainability practice by selecting a relevant service management case relating to digital services.
  • Understand and explain contemporary issues in digital services through relevant theories and models.
Examination
Contemporary Issues in Digital Services, 1st Year Project:
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 oral exam based on written group product
Number of people in the group 3-4
Size of written product Please see text below
The number of pages is determined by group size:

3 students: 20 pages
4 students: 25 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 external examiner
Exam period Summer
Make-up exam/re-exam
Same examination form as the ordinary exam
If the student has participated in the written group project for the ordinary exam, but didn't attend the oral exam, the re-examination is conducted on the basis of the group project that has already been handed in.
However, a copy of the project for the ordinary exam MUST be handed in for the re-exam within a specified time.

If the student has participated in the written group project for the ordinary exam, but not passed the oral exam, the re-exam is normally conducted on the basis of a revised version of the project that has already been handed in. However, the student may choose to hand in a new, individual project of 10 pages within a specified time.

NB! The student must clearly state at the frontpage of the project, if the project has been REVISED, or if the student has chosen to hand in a NEW PROJECT.

If the student has not participated in the written group project, the student may participate in the oral re-examination, if the student hands in an individual project of 10 pages within a specified time.
Description of the exam procedure

Students formulate their own topic inspired by the course topics and readings. The topic must be approved by the supervisor. We strongly encourage students to select a topic they find interesting and relevant for the course.

 

 

To prepare for the exam, we suggest you review the texts, slides and videos from the course to get a full overview of all themes and topics. Emphasis should be on the theories and models you have used in your project, but you should be well-acquainted with all parts of the course curriculum. The preparation for your oral exam will be covered during the course.
Course content, structure and pedagogical approach

The courses introduce the students to the topics and issues that researchers and practitioners face and that consumers and managers of digital services are experiencing about digital services. The course will look at issues such as artificial intelligence (AI) and the increasing role it plays in our lives, but we will also investigate how digital technology affects existing business services (i.e., fintech, legaltech). What is the long-term effect of increased digitalization on existing industries and services? Which new industries will emerge? How does digitalization affect how we produce and consume services, and our buying behavior? How sustainable are digital services?

Common to these themes is the role of sustainability, how do we ensure that contemporary and new digital services are sustainable for businesses, consumers and society at large? What does sustainability mean in a digital setting? This course is connected to the first-year project.

 

 

The course will cover:

  • How the rise in digital services affects industries and consumers
  • The current outlook and future trends in digital services.
  • The role of contemporary issues such as sustainability and AI in managing digital services.

 

By the end of the course, students will:

  • Have an in-depth overview of the contemporary issues in managing digital services with emphasis on sustainability and AI.
  • Have an understanding of societal and socio-economic issues that affect service management.
  • Be able to select and apply relevant theories from the course to real-life cases.
Research-based teaching
CBS’ programmes and teaching are research-based. The following types of research-based knowledge and research-like activities are included in this course:
Research-based knowledge
  • Classic and basic theory
  • New theory
  • Models
Research-like activities
  • Data collection
  • Analysis
  • Discussion, critical reflection, modelling
  • Students conduct independent research-like activities under supervision
Description of the teaching methods
The course includes lectures, case discussions, presentations and exercises.
• Lectures, both physical and pre-recorded will cover relevant theories, relating it to service management in general and managing digital services in particular.
• Exercises will focus on discussions, case studies on contemporary issues, including AI and sustainability.
• Students will work in groups and receive supervision on their project.
• Group activities will encourage participation and real-world problem-solving based on theory.
Feedback during the teaching period

Students will receive feedback in multiple ways:
• During lectures, through interaction with the teacher.
• During exercises.
• From supervisors during counselling sessions.
• Collective feedback after the oral exam.
Student workload
Regular class sessions 38 hours
Readings (approx. 550 pages of literature) 127 hours
Project work 45 hours
Preparation for and participation in the exam 5 hours
Expected literature
  • Vial, G. (2019). Understanding digital transformation: A review and a research agenda. Journal of Strategic Information Systems, 28(2), 118–144.
  • Wirtz, B. W., Weyerer, J. C., & Sturm, B. J. (2020). The impact of digital transformation on service management: Insights from the public sector. Journal of Service Management, 31(4), 637–657.
  • Davenport, T. H., & Ronanki, R. (2018). Artificial intelligence for the real world. Harvard Business Review, 96(1), 108–116.
  • George, G., Merrill, R. K., & Schillebeeckx, S. J. D. (2021). Digital sustainability and entrepreneurship: How digital innovations are helping tackle climate change and sustainable development. Entrepreneurship Theory and Practice, 45(5), 999–1027.
  • Seidel, S., Bharati, P., Fridgen, G., Watson, R. T., Albizri, A., & Boudreau, M.-C. (2019). The sustainability imperative in information systems research. MIS Quarterly, 43(1), iii–xii.
  • Gomber, P., Kauffman, R. J., Parker, C., & Weber, B. W. (2018). On the fintech revolution: Interpreting the forces of innovation, disruption, and transformation in financial services. Journal of Management Information Systems, 35(1), 220–265.
  • Leong, C., Tan, B., Xiao, X., Tan, F. T. C., & Sun, Y. (2019). Nurturing a fintech ecosystem: The case of a global financial hub. Journal of Business Research, 80, 173–183.
  • Armour, J., & Sako, M. (2020). AI-enabled business models in legal services: From traditional law firms to next-generation law companies. Journal of Professions and Organization, 7(1), 27–46.
  • Fenwick, M., & Vermeulen, E. P. M. (2019). Technology and corporate governance: Blockchain, crypto, and artificial intelligence. European Business Organization Law Review, 20(1), 1–25.
  • Grewal, D., Roggeveen, A. L., & Nordfält, J. (2018). The future of retailing: Integrating digital and physical experiences. Journal of Retailing, 94(1), 1–12.
  • Homburg, C., Jozić, D., & Kuehnl, C. (2019). Customer experience management: Toward implementing an evolving marketing concept. Journal of the Academy of Marketing Science, 47(3), 377–401.
  • Autor, D. H., Levy, F., & Murnane, R. J. (2018). The impact of digital technologies on labor markets and economic inequality. American Economic Review, 108(5), 131–136.
  • Wamba, S. F., Queiroz, M. M., Guthrie, C., & Braganza, A. (2020). Industry 4.0 and the supply chain digitalisation: A blockchain diffusion perspective. Journal of Business Research, 123, 443–456.
  • Culot, G., Nassimbeni, G., Orzes, G., & Sartor, M. (2020). Behind the definition of Industry 4.0: Analysis and open questions. International Journal of Production Economics, 226, 107617.
  • Kohli, R., & Melville, N. P. (2019). Digital innovation: A review and synthesis. Information Systems Journal, 29(1), 200–223.
  • Seele, P., & Lock, I. (2019). The game-changing potential of digitalization for sustainability: Possibilities, perils, and pathways. Sustainability Science, 14(2), 183–195.
  • Stahl, B. C., & Wright, D. (2018). Ethics and privacy in AI and big data: Implementing responsible research and innovation. IEEE Security & Privacy, 16(3), 26–33.
  • Lusch, R. F., & Nambisan, S. (2018). Service innovation: A service-dominant logic perspective. MIS Quarterly, 39(1), 155–175.
  • Verhoef, P. C., Broekhuizen, T., Bart, Y., Bhattacharya, A., Qi Dong, J., Fabian, N., & Haenlein, M. (2021). Digital transformation: A multidisciplinary reflection and research agenda. Journal of Business Research, 122, 889–901.
Last updated on 26-06-2025