| Unit name | The Digital Economy |
|---|---|
| Unit code | EFIM30040 |
| Credit points | 20 |
| Level of study | H/6 |
| Teaching block(s) |
Teaching Block 1 (weeks 1 - 12) |
| Unit director | Dr. Lopez Castellanos |
| Open unit status | Not open |
| Units you must take before you take this one (pre-requisite units) |
None |
| Units you must take alongside this one (co-requisite units) |
None |
| Units you may not take alongside this one |
None |
| School/department | School of Management - Business School |
| Faculty | Faculty of Social Sciences and Law |
Why is this unit important?
Every product/service to be created or consumed in the future would have a significant influence of digitalisation and digital technologies. As a result, digital could become an inherent part of businesses and individuals and thus no matter diverse academic and industry backgrounds it is expected that students as well as practitioners are able to comprehend the effects of digital on businesses, societies, and economies. This unit introduces students to the digital environment which provides an overview and understanding of what systems have changed and will change the way we buy and sell goods and services? How do innovative organisations use digital applications to gain competitive advantage? What business models are used in digital businesses, what are the components? To address these broad questions, we cover various concepts including digital business models, revenue models, business processes for implementing digital applications, innovative digital systems, mobile and social commerce, digital risks, and emerging digital applications in developing countries.
How does this unit fit into your programme of study
Given the significant influence of digitalisation on business, economies, and products and services, it is becoming imperative for students of all backgrounds to develop a basic understanding of its antecedents and potential future outcomes. With issues and concepts covered ranging from application of emerging technologies such as blockchain, AI and bigdata in a wide range of product/service/innovation developments to reviewing digital business models and applications, comparing digital to traditional, and describing major opportunities, limitations, issues and risks, the unit provides an opportunity to develop knowledge that’s useful for students of all backgrounds to incorporate in future employment or entrepreneurship.
An overview of content
The taught content will include the following theories and emerging concepts and practical knowledge: Current Digital World and Economy, Digital Strategies, Business Models, Digital value creation, Digital platforms, Digital services, Markets and Data, Distributed ledgers/Blockchain, Internet of Things – power of networks, Digital Wearables, Management Challenges/Opportunities (International Management in a Digital World, Digitisation of transactions and interactions, Emerging Counties and their digital economies, Digital Ethics, Security and Risks), Dominant designs/Future models/Dominant players, Digital Practitioner/Innovator/Implementation.
How will students, personally, be different as a result of the unit
Learning from the unit equip students with skills of contextualising products and services from real world digitalisation perspectives. Students will be in a position to comprehend set of processes, and tools and techniques that involve in the development and delivery of a chosen digital products or services. Student will also own skills and knowledge needed to develop digital products/services with the use of relevant frameworks such as business model canvases and value proposition canvases. Along with the learnings and comprehensions of various emerging technologies for development of products and their potential implications, overall learnings on the unit will complement students in their future employments or startup careers.
Learning outcomes
On completion of this unit the student should be able to:
Teaching will be delivered through a combination of synchronous and asynchronous sessions including lectures, tutorials, drop-in sessions, discussion boards and other online learning opportunities.
Tasks which help you learn and prepare you for summative tasks '(formative):
The unit consists of one planned formative session (Week 7 potentially) on one of the important topics (e.g., Big data and analytics) leading up to the summative session (Week 10 potentially) which involves Big data and other alternative technologies, and application of various business model frameworks. The formative session provides opportunity for students to work in groups to make a presentation and receive feedback from tutors which helps to develop linkages between learnings of the formative session to the expectations of summative presentation session. Tutors will also utilise in person seminars to provide opportunities to seek feedback on both the group as well as individual assessments so as to help prepare students towards summative assessments.
Tasks which count towards your unit mark (summative):
Summative assessment consists of Two components: Summative 1 is a group presentation which carries 40% weight and Summative 2 is an individual report which consists of 60% weight. Both the group and individual assessment requires students to choose a digital product/service company from the list provided in the assessment brief and work towards addressing each of the questions asked in the brief.
Summative 1: Equivalent of 1500 word group coursework assignment (40%) which covers ILOs 2, 3, 5, 6, 7.
Summative 2: 2000 word Individual Coursework Assignment (60%) which aims at addressing ILOs 1, 3, 4, 5.
When assessment does not go to plan
Re-assessment of units within the final year of undergraduate modular programmes is not normally permitted.
If this unit has a Resource List, you will normally find a link to it in the Blackboard area for the unit. Sometimes there will be a separate link for each weekly topic.
If you are unable to access a list through Blackboard, you can also find it via the Resource Lists homepage. Search for the list by the unit name or code (e.g. EFIM30040).
How much time the unit requires
Each credit equates to 10 hours of total student input. For example a 20 credit unit will take you 200 hours
of study to complete. Your total learning time is made up of contact time, directed learning tasks,
independent learning and assessment activity.
See the University Workload statement relating to this unit for more information.
Assessment
The assessment methods listed in this unit specification are designed to enable students to demonstrate the named learning outcomes (LOs). Where a disability prevents a student from undertaking a specific method of assessment, schools will make reasonable adjustments to support a student to demonstrate the LO by an alternative method or with additional resources.
The Board of Examiners will consider all cases where students have failed or not completed the assessments required for credit.
The Board considers each student's outcomes across all the units which contribute to each year's programme of study. For appropriate assessments, if you have self-certificated your absence, you will normally be required to complete it the next time it runs (for assessments at the end of TB1 and TB2 this is usually in the next re-assessment period).
The Board of Examiners will take into account any exceptional circumstances and operates
within the Regulations and Code of Practice for Taught Programmes.
