INDIAN INSTITUTE OF MANAGEMENT KOZHIKODE

Executive Post Graduate Programme in Management

Course Outline

Course Code and Course Title EPGP- Digital Business Models

Course type Core/Elective
Pre-requisites (if any)
Course Credit 1.5
Total no. of sessions 6 Sessions
Session Duration 2 Hours 30 Minutes
Quarter III
Year and Batch 2021/EPGP-13
Sections (if any) Section A

Instructor
Prof Mohammed Shahid Abdulla

Contact Details
Office
Consultation Hours

Introduction

Business models systematically analyze the complex business environment and help firms succeed
competitively through value creation. As the business world is rapidly digitizing, disruptive innovations
are transforming the dynamics of business operations, product/service offerings, and business strategy.
In this era of transformative technologies like mobile apps, IoT, and analytics, businesses have to realign
their value propositions to meet the networked customer expectations and thrive in the digital
ecosystem. The purpose of this course is to offer an understanding of the transforming landscape of
businesses, and how they can develop digital business models to succeed in this era. The course provides
an overview of various frameworks for digital business models, with a discussion on disruptive
technologies that has led to the transformation of the business space. Discussions on digital
transformations introduce the students to the disruptive innovations that are destroying the traditional
barriers and opening up new opportunities. The various topics on social media, sharing economy, and
platform-based businesses offers an understanding on how businesses operate, succeed, and fail, in this
heavily digitized ecosystem.

Learning Outcomes/Course Objectives

The course aims to develop the following capabilities in the students:

- Awareness about role of technology in success of a company’s business models
- Sensitization about various types of digital business models
- Ability to analyze, design and develop digital business models

Textbooks and Learning Materials

The course is primarily driven through readings and case studies. Following list of books is for
additional reference of students.

Reference Book(s)

(1) Afuah, A. (2014). Business model innovation: concepts, analysis, and cases. Routledge.
(2) Weill, P., & Woerner, S. (2018). What's Your Digital Business Model?: Six Questions to Help
You Build the Next-generation Enterprise. Harvard Business Press.

Additional Reading(s)
Individual readings are mentioned in the session details below.
Technology and Software (if any)
Presentation tool

Pedagogy/Learning Process
The teaching will include discussions on the topics, case studies and the learning process includes
discussion by the students on the various topics covered. The write up submissions add to the learning
as students understand the implications of the study in the industry.

Evaluation Components/Assessment of Student Learning

Assessment Tool Percentage Description

• End-term examination may contain a
END-TERM 50% combination of multiple choice, short
EXAMINATION answer-type and case-study based
questions.
QUIZZES, • There will be short quizzes on a regular
WRITE-UP 30% basis based on class discussions
SUBMISSION/ • Students will have to submit write-ups as
ASSIGNMENTS part of class assignments
• Students will have to propose a Digital
PROJECT 20% Business Model for a new business as part
of project submission

Session Plan

Session Topics Reading material / Cases

Session 1: • What is a business Readings:
Introduction to model? • Johnson, Mark W., Clayton M. Christensen, and
Digital Business • Building Blocks of A Henning Kagermann. Reinventing your
Models business; When is a new business model. Harvard business review. 86.12
business model needed? (2008): 57-68.
• Business models for • Weill, P., & Woerner, S. L. (2015). Thriving in
digital era: Ecosystem an increasingly digital ecosystem. MIT Sloan
Driver, Modular Management Review, 56(4), 27.
Producer, Omnichannel, Additional Readings:
Supplier • Joan Magretta. (2002). Why Business
Models Matter’. Harvard business review,
87-92.
Session 2: • Barriers to adopting free Readings:
Competing, strategies • Weill, P., & Woerner, S. L. (2013).
Profits & • Competing with Free Optimizing your digital business model. MIT
Revenue • Pricing strategies for Sloan Management Review, 54(3), 71.
Generation Non- Advertising • Case: Start A Fire: Creating Value and
Models Growth. Sarit Markovich, Oded Golan, &
Charlotte Snyder. Northwestern Kellogg
School of Management (2019)
Additional Readings:
• Bryce, D. J., Dyer, J. H., & Hatch, N. W.
(2011). Competing against free. Harvard
Business Review
• Eric K. Clemons (2009) Business Models for
Monetizing Internet Applications and Web
Sites: Experience, Theory, and Predictions,
Journal of Management Information
 Systems, 26:2, 15-41, DOI:
10.2753/MIS0742-1222260202
• Berman, S. J. (2012). Digital transformation:
opportunities to create new business
models. Strategy & Leadership
Session 3: • Digital Business • Disruptive Technologies: Catching the
Digital Ecosystem; Disruptive Wave? By Joseph L. Bower and Clayton
Disruption Innovations M. Christensen, Michael E. Raynor, and
• Characteristics of Rory McDonald, Harvard Business Review,
Disruptive Entrants 1995
• Strategies to respond to • Berman, S. J. (2012). Digital
a potential disrupters transformation: opportunities to create new
• Digital Transformation business models. Strategy & Leadership.
• Case: Netflix Inc.: The Disruptor Faces
Disruption. Chris F. Kemerer, Brian Kimball
Dunn. IVEY Publishing (2017)
Additional Readings:
• Subramaniam, M., Iyer, B., & Venkatraman,
V. (2019). Competing in digital
ecosystems. Business Horizons, 62(1), 83-94.
• Bughin, J., Zeebroeck, N. V., (2017). The
best response to digital disruption. MIT
Sloan Management Review, 58(4).
• Skog, D. A., Wimelius, H., & Sandberg, J.
(2018). Digital disruption. Business &
Information Systems Engineering, 60(5),
431-437.
Session 4: • What is Digital Reading:
Applications of Innovation? • Yoffie, D. B., Nino, N. P., Raman, P.,
Innovation • Virtual and Augmented Kowalk, B., & Tamberino, R. (2017). Virtual
Technologies; reality technology in Reality and the Gaming Sector. Harvard
Revision of Key Gaming Industry business review
Concepts • Internet-of-Things; • Case : Pokemon Go: Virtual Invading
through • Applications of Reality. Neil Bendle and Xiaoke Xu. IVEY
Emerging Analytics Publishing. (2017)
Technologies • Basics of Blockchain Additional Reading:
• Web article:
https://blockgeeks.com/guides/what-is-
blockchain-technology/
• Davenport, T. H. (2006). Competing on
analytics. Harvard business review, 84(1),
98.

Session 5: • Platform Business • Platform-Mediated Networks: Definitions and

Platform Models Core Concepts, Thomas R. Eisenmann, Module
Business • Power of Network Note, Harvard Business Review
Models Effects • Eisenmann, T. R. (2007). Winner-take-all in
• Winner-take-all networked markets. Evans, D. S., & Schmalensee,
strategies in Networked R. Harvard Business School.
Markets • Case: Uber-Changing the Way the World Moves?
Youngme Moon. Harvard Business School
Publishing. (2017)
Additional Readings:
• Van Alstyne, M. W., Parker, G. G., & Choudary,
S. P. (2016). Pipelines, platforms, and the new
rules of strategy. Harvard business review, 94(4),
54-62.
Session 6: • Power dynamics Readings:
Digital Business between Platforms & • Edelman, B. (2014). Mastering the
Intermediaries Sellers intermediaries. Harvard business review, 92(6),
& Tail Theory • Strategic implications of 86-92.
in Digital Long Tail for Platforms • Case: BharatMatrimony.com. R. Srinivasan, &
Business & suppliers Maneka Rao, IIM Bangalore. (2015)
Additional Reading:
• Elberse, A. (2008). Should you invest in the long
tail?. Harvard business review, 86(7/8), 88.
• Michael Li, Addressing the Biases Plaguing
Algorithms, Harvard Business School Publishing