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2026/2027  KAN-CINTV2602U  IT Management in the Age of AI and Digital Business

English Title
IT Management in the Age of AI and Digital Business

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
Min. participants 20
Max. participants 80
Study board
Study Board for Digitalisation, Technology and Communication
Programme MSc in Business Administration and Information Systems
Course coordinator
  • Stefan Henningsson - Department of Digitalisation (DIGI)
Teaching will be provided by Stefan Henningsson and possibly by one external lecturer (Digi)
Main academic disciplines
  • Information technology
  • Management
  • Strategy
Teaching methods
  • Face-to-face teaching
Last updated on 19-01-2026

Relevant links
Learning objectives
To pass the exam, the students should through their active participation demonstrate their capacities in regards to the following learning objectives:
  • Identify and characterize IT management challenges and opportunities in the digital world.
  • Describe and apply tools and methods for IT management in a digital world presented in the course literature.
  • Analyze IT management problems of a digital world and argue different solutions how to address them.
  • Critically reflect on the limitations of tools and methods in the course literature.
Course prerequisites
Basic understanding about business and strategy. This understanding can be derrived from mandatory courses in Cm.it. It can also be derrived from other business/​strategy-oriented courses in other study programs.
Examination
IT Management in the Age of AI and Digital Business:
Exam ECTS 7,5
Examination form Active participation

The completion of this course is based on active student participation in class. The course will be considered as passed if the students participation - based on an overall assessment - in the class activities fulfill the learning objectives of the course. The individual student’s participation is assessed by the teacher.
The student must participate in A combination of assignment and presentation
Individual or group exam Individual exam
Grading scale Pass / Fail
Examiner(s) Assessed solely by the teacher
Exam period Winter
Make-up exam/re-exam Written sit-in exam
Assignment type: Written assignment
Duration: 2 hours
Aids:Closed book: no aids
Description of activities
A combination of assignment and presentation: Students need to actively participate in 8 of 10 case seminars ('on campus lectures'). To be considered 'active participation' in a seminar the student needs to (a) before the seminar, submit 1 page of text with key points and reflections on the readings associated with the seminar, and (b) physically show up at CBS and participate in the seminar.

Students must also complete a group project in teams of about 1-5 individuals (ideal size 3-4), where groups will develop a case study describing and explaining the IT management challenges of an IT organization transforming to enable digital business. Most of this work will be carried out in class during workshop hours. At the end of the course, each group must develop a presentation (max 10 PowerPoint slides) summarizing their case study. They will upload and submit this presentation as well as presenting their case in class. The presentation will be given by the whole group.
Course content, structure and pedagogical approach

Note that this course is examamined through activitve participation, which include preparation for and on campus participation in case seminars (as specified in the exam section). 

 

Starting from managerial point of view, this course ask the fundamental question of What is the role of the IT organization in the age of AI and Digital business? 

 

The premise of the course is that there is no digital business or great AI services without a digital technology backbone. And there is no digital technology backbone without an IT department geared at delivering services for the digital ambitions. In the context of a transforming role of IT deparments in the digital world, the course aims is to train the students in coping with the challenges and opportunities confronting the IT department that transforms to form part of a company’s development of a digital business dimension. Students will get the case background for a large number of realistic issues, and will be provided with different tools/methods potentially relevant for addressing the issues. The course has a orientation towards a research-based practice of solutions to real world issues aiming at education of reflective managers.

 

The course is practical to its nature and many students will experience that it touches upon theoretical concepts from past courses, but with the specific perspective on practical realization and the issues that it entail. Oftentimes, finding the 'right' solution is about making prioritizations between imperfect solutions with different pros and cons and making decision based on imperefect information about the issue at hand. Students are encourage to criticize and reflect on theories previously learned to make arguments for decisions. 


The course is based on case based-pedagogy, according to the Harvard method. It tentatively unfolds over 10 case seminars (including rare lectures and guest presentations) + 5 workshops in which students work in groups with a course project.

 
Students will have to prepare for case discussion/lectures by reading the texts to be discussed on that day. In the workshops, students will have to work in groups with analyzing IT management problems of a digital world and applying the tools and methods in the course literature.
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
  • Teacher’s own research
  • Models
Research-like activities
  • Data collection
  • Analysis
  • Discussion, critical reflection, modelling
Description of the teaching methods
The sessions will combine on campus case seminars and workshops with some limited online activities.The final sessions will be used for teams to present their group projects.

Students are expected to take active part in the development of workshops, in order to capture the most current trends and developments in the area. The material worked with during the workshops will consist the foundation for the exam assignment.
Feedback during the teaching period
The case method is designed to give immediate feedback on the learning progress in class. As students air their understanding of key concepts pertaining to problems and solutions, fellow students and case moderators engage in interpreting the positions and arguments on which they are based. Students who prepare for class and engage in case discussion therefore gets direct feedback on their progress in this way.

In addition, in the workshop sessions students are applying their learnings to a real-world problem under supervision of the present instructor who engage in individual and group-based feedback on the application. Its possible to share and get feedback on work in progress. Here students’ understandings of relevant concepts and their real world applicability are addressed.

Furthermore, at the case presentation towards the end of the course students get feedback on their analysis.

Finally, in relation to the class and during office hours students are welcome to approach the instructors to discuss particularly intriguing issues.
Student workload
Preparation for classes 140 hours
Class attendance 40 hours
Project groupwork outside class 22 hours
Project presentation seminar 4 hours
TOTAL 206 hours
Expected literature

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

 

 

  • Robert D. Austin, Shannon O'Donnell, Richard L. Nolan (2016) The Adventures of an IT Leader, Updated Edition with a New Preface. Harvard Business School Press. 

 

  • IT Management in the Digital Age A Roadmap for the IT Department of the Future. Nils Urbach  Frederik Ahlemann. Springer Nature

 

  • Robin Johnson, CIO of Maerks Line presenting ”Leading Transformation at a Global Organization” (Video)

 

  • Henningsson & Törmer (2020) The architectural enabling of LEGO’s digital internationalization journey. Teaching case and video resource. Copenhagen Business School. 

 

  • Jensen, T., Hedman, J., & Henningsson S. (2019) How TradeLens Delivers Business Value With Blockchain Technology. MIS Quarterly Executive 

 

  • Wired Magazine (2019) The Untold Story of NotPetya, the Most Devastating Cyberattack in History. 

 

  • Internal Digital Platforms and Generative Mechanisms of Digital Innovation. Törmer, R. L., 2018, Proceedings of the 39th International Conference on Information Systems (ICIS). 

 

  • Benlian, A., Kettinger, W. J., Sunyaev, A., Winkler, T. J. (2018). The transformative value of cloud computing: a decoupling, platformization, and recombination theoretical framework. Journal of management information systems, 35(3), 719-739.

 

  • Effectiveness of IT Service Management Capability: Value Co-Creation and Value Facilitation Mechanisms. TJ Winkler, J Wulf - Journal of Management Information Systems, 2019

 
Last updated on 19-01-2026