SBUS46090 What Digital Means for Strategy, Structure and Competition

Academic Year 2023/2024

In setting the scene for this diploma, the central role of data and how it is leveraged will be center stage in this first module. It will emphasize that digital transformation is not just about adopting new technologies; it’s about reimagining business processes and the work of organizations, considering new digital business models, enhancing customer experiences, driving innovation, and leveraging data. These topics will be covered in depth in the remaining modules.

The broad question to be addressed in this module is What are the implications of digital technologies for an organization's competitive strategy? The module will explore the impact that digital technologies are having on competition, and how the traditional boundaries between industries and sectors are being blurred. It will examine how digital technologies are affecting the traditional levers of strategy as well as how it is rendering competitive advantage temporary. It will emphasize that organizations cannot ‘opt out’ of considering technology when developing their strategy as, today, digital is a competitive necessity. As many traditional manufacturers shift from selling products to providing services, new digital business models will be studied. In particular, the module will examine platform businesses that are at the heart of innovative business models, the creator economy, and end-to-end visibility for supply chains, supporting new opportunities, marketplaces, and growth.

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Curricular information is subject to change

Learning Outcomes:

Develop the beginnings of a vocabulary and an understanding of ‘digital transformation,' what it is and what it involves;
Understand the central role of data in crafting a strategy to embrace digital;
Appreciate how digital technologies and digital business models are radically changing competitive dynamics across industries;
Understand the role of platforms and ecosystems in today's digital economy.

Indicative Module Content:

Strategy in a digital world, digital business models, platforms, digital ecosystems, product-service systems, the new economics of value creation, domains, Future-Ready, the role of data, innovating with data and digital technologies, the temporary nature of competitive advantage, digital as a competitive necessity

Student Effort Hours: 
Student Effort Type Hours
Lectures

16
Specified Learning Activities

40
Autonomous Student Learning

60
Total

116
Approaches to Teaching and Learning:
The module has a detailed study guide. Students are required to complete the module pre-reading or pre-work prior to attending the face-to-face seminar sessions. The sessions themselves will be a combination of lectures, group discussions, in-class presentations, case study discussions and classroom exercises. A heavy emphasis in the seminars is on teasing out the implications of theory for practical application in a workplace context. 
Requirements, Exclusions and Recommendations

Not applicable to this module.


Module Requisites and Incompatibles
Not applicable to this module.
 
Assessment Strategy  
Description Timing Open Book Exam Component Scale Must Pass Component % of Final Grade
Assignment: Post Module Assignment Unspecified n/a Graded No

70
Assignment: Pre Module Assignment Unspecified n/a Graded No

10
Attendance: Module Participation (via asking a question, making an observation or comment in class, responding to a question by faculty or another participant in the module.) Unspecified n/a Graded No

20

Carry forward of passed components
Yes
 
Remediation Type Remediation Timing
In-Module Resit Prior to relevant Programme Exam Board
Please see Student Jargon Buster for more information about remediation types and timing. 
Feedback Strategy/Strategies

• Feedback individually to students, post-assessment
• Online automated feedback

How will my Feedback be Delivered?

Written feedback to be provided within 20 days of assignment deadline.

Name Role
Assoc Professor Ciaran Heavey Tutor
Timetabling information is displayed only for guidance purposes, relates to the current Academic Year only and is subject to change.
 

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