THE UNIVERSITY of EDINBURGH

DEGREE REGULATIONS & PROGRAMMES OF STUDY 2017/2018

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DRPS : Course Catalogue : Business School : Business Studies

Undergraduate Course: Digital Business (BUST10144)

Course Outline
SchoolBusiness School CollegeCollege of Humanities and Social Science
Credit level (Normal year taken)SCQF Level 10 (Year 3 Undergraduate) AvailabilityAvailable to all students
SCQF Credits20 ECTS Credits10
SummaryThe role of digital technologies in business is undergoing radical change. By drawing from the state of the art Information Systems literature as well as a wealth of original, in-depth, real world case study materials, the course analyses the opportunities and challenges related to digital business.
Course description In recent years, new digital technologies have become important enablers of new kinds of products and services, and new forms of business model. Traditional business and management information systems are constructed to facilitate the flow of information that supports enterprises utilising traditional modes of management and traditional business models where data used to take decisions can be days, weeks or even months old. With the advent of the Internet and the ubiquity of mobile devices we have the emergence of new business models where data is utilised to personalise the users experience and deliver services that are aware of individual preferences as well as additional data such as their location combined with a host of other supporting data.

Thus business use of Digital Technologies is rapidly evolving from a narrow MIS (Management Information Systems) view of digital technologies where technology supports traditional operations to a situation where digital technologies are deeply embedded in the operation of the enterprise and where the customer experience of the enterprise is always and fundamentally mediated by digital technologies.

This means that digital technology is increasingly business critical as it becomes more deeply embedded in the organisation and it becomes clear that without new business models enterprises cannot remain competitive.

Digital business is confluence of enterprise systems, mobile systems, the Internet and analytics in a data-intensive environment that underpins current approaches to the creation, implementation, delivery and evolution of products, processes, services and experiences.

The philosophy of the course will be to integrate real world understandings with those more theoretical ideas found in the Information Systems literature, and to use key analytical templates to throw light on the practice and experience of organising and managing for digital business.

The topics of the course include:
- Digital disruption
- Globalised business
- Acquiring digital technologies
- Digital government
- Digital platforms
- Web 2.0
- Sharing economy
- Digital future
- Digital automation
Entry Requirements (not applicable to Visiting Students)
Pre-requisites It is RECOMMENDED that students have passed Innovation and Entrepreneurship (BUST08015)
Co-requisites
Prohibited Combinations Other requirements Business Honours entry; underlying discipline is information systems
Information for Visiting Students
Pre-requisitesTwo years' prior study of Business; underlying discipline is information systems
High Demand Course? Yes
Course Delivery Information
Academic year 2017/18, Available to all students (SV1) Quota:  None
Course Start Semester 2
Timetable Timetable
Learning and Teaching activities (Further Info) Total Hours: 200 ( Lecture Hours 20, Revision Session Hours 2, Programme Level Learning and Teaching Hours 4, Directed Learning and Independent Learning Hours 174 )
Assessment (Further Info) Written Exam 0 %, Coursework 70 %, Practical Exam 30 %
Additional Information (Assessment) Group project:
Group Presentation: 30%
- 20 minutes
Individual Report: 10%
- up to 1,000 words

Individual essay: 60%
- approx. 2,500 words
Feedback Not entered
No Exam Information
Learning Outcomes
On completion of this course, the student will be able to:
  1. Understand and critically assess the strengths and limitations of the main digital business concepts and ideas.
  2. Understand the main issues surrounding digital technologies, including an awareness of how these have evolved and continue to evolve over recent years.
  3. The skills and understanding in how to critically assess emerging technology landscapes as well as sources of information about those landscapes.
  4. An ability to critical evaluate the main tools and information sources used by technology decision makers and users.
  5. To demonstrate critical skills in assessing the potential of new digital technologies and their value/relevance for organisations.
Reading List
None
Additional Information
Graduate Attributes and Skills Research & Enquiry:
On completion of the course, students should be able to:
- Critically evaluate how, over the last couple of decades, the role and importance of digital technology has been changing within organisations;
- Introduce into this an understanding of how the technology function and the businesses function operate together;
- Skills in researching and collecting information about digital technologies from a wide range of (knowledge) sources including industry analyst reports;
- Deepen this appreciation by being able to apply relevant analytical frameworks and theories to the study of digital technologies within businesses.

Personal & Intellectual Autonomy:
On completion of the course students should be able to:
- Provide an evaluation of the recent major trends in digital technologies;
- Identify some of the major barriers and enablers to their working in organisations and beyond;
- Evaluate the usefulness of a variety of sources of information related to digital strategy formulation and digital procurement.

Personal Effectiveness
On completion of the course students should:
- Be able to plan, organise and prioritise work effectively;
- Understand and reflect on some of the ethical challenges related to the creation and adoption of digital technology.

Communication skills
On completion of the course students should:
- Be able to critically evaluate evidence and present a balanced argument and analysis;
- Be able to receive, construct and communicate ideas in large and small class settings.

Additional Class Delivery Information The course will be delivered in 10 lectures over semester 2. Lectures will be built closely around the recommended readings and will be interspersed with examples and case studies. Each class will be organised around short lectures, followed by deeper and more practical conversations in the form of class discussions. Students will be required to read a number of papers and texts prior to the commencement of the course which will then be discussed in class (around 20 hours worth of reading in total).
KeywordsNot entered
Contacts
Course organiserDr Neil Pollock
Tel: (0131 6)51 1489
Email: Neil.Pollock@ed.ac.uk
Course secretaryMiss Anne Cunningham
Tel: (0131 6)50 3827
Email: Anne.Cunningham@ed.ac.uk
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