Summer Academy: Integrated Business Design

Teacher(s): Prof. Dr. Susan Williams

Credit points: 3 (the equivalent of a 2-hours class over a whole semester)

Key curriculum areas include:

• Ideation, innovation and planning – creative thinking to identify business opportunities and preparing business cases and design briefs for new products, processes and services
• Information Systems enabled process innovation – undertaking business process analysis and design activities to develop integrated business solutions.
• Benefits realization – identifying and managing benefits arising from new business products, processes and services.
• Supporting tools and techniques – critical analysis of the range and scope of tools to support the above activities

Teaching method:
The course is designed around a model of experiential and collaborative learning. The students will critique, experiment with and evaluate the discussed concepts, methods and techniques in mini workshops and apply them in mini projects. Participants will be put in the role of innovative business managers working on an IS-enabled business innovation and will identify challenges, prepare alternative designs and create feasible solutions in class.

The project will be based on the daily design activities building into a design project/design portfolio and a critical reflective review. Building on the readings and learning activities the students will develop an individual learning portfolio. This will include their individual reflections on the purpose, applicability, strengths and limitations of the different methods and frameworks covered in the course. The portfolio is a personal learning journal and will be the source of the final exam paper.

The course is directed towards students interested in the development of innovative and sustainable business concepts. It provides participants with the necessary skills for creative business design. The lessons provide the student with the necessary theoretical concepts and the workshops give them an opportunity to gain hands-on experience in the use of the concepts.

The course’s development of personal competences:
The course consists of theoretical and applied parts. In the theoretical part we will review and critique a range of theories, concepts, models, frameworks and techniques. In the applied part we will use the theories, tools and techniques to develop innovative business concepts. In both parts, students take the role of managers and design team members. They learn to creatively design business models and business processes – an ability that will later be expected in leading management positions.

Objectives:
On completion of the course, students will be able to:

• Describe, apply and evaluate the concepts, theories, methods, and models of the course
• Understand and explain relevant areas of integrated business design
• Analyse and describe a company’s competitive position and identify innovation potential
• Develop and design innovative business concepts and cases
• Critically evaluate the available methods and successfully apply tools and techniques.

Type of examination:
Written work (exam paper) on the basis of the learning portfolio. The exam paper has to be handed in 2 weeks after the completion of the course.