Introductory description

This module is only open to WBS undergraduate students, and some students taking joint degrees with WBS and another department. Students from other departments cannot take this module. To find detailed availability and to apply for this module, log in to my.wbs.ac.uk using your normal IT login details and apply via the my.wbs module application system. Once you’ve secured a place on my.wbs you should apply via your home department’s usual process, which usually takes place via eVision. Note that you do not require the module leader’s permission to study a WBS module, so please do not contact them to request it.

Module web page

Module aims

Outline syllabus

This is an indicative module outline only to give an indication of the sort of topics that may be covered. Actual sessions held may differ.

The digital start-up is not just another company, but it operates and grows according to a radically different logic. This difference is related to both its size and the fact that small companies need to be more agile and reinvent themselves more readily. It is also related to the nature of the digital technology, which make digital ventures more prone to take on the-winner-takes-it-all perceptions. The malleability of technology and the fact that the marginal cost of sofware is close to zero simply make the digital start-up operating a little different as it seeks to scale its business. The main aim of the module is to offer a broad perspective on digital start-ups and the role of digital entrepreneurship in the transformation of the business landscape.
The students will:

• explore the nature of digital start-ups
• develop an understanding of best practices in making digital ventures grow
• analyse cases of digital start-ups
• develop an understanding of business value and business modelling in this context
• develop communicative skills related to digital entrepreneurship.

Learning outcomes

By the end of the module, students should be able to:

• Understand the nature of digital start-ups.
• Develop an understanding of business value and business modelling in this context.
• Develop critical and analytical skills.

Indicative reading list

Moore, G.A. 2014. Crossing the Chasm: Marketing and Selling Disruptive Products to Mainstream Customers, (3rd ed.). Collins Business Essentials.
Yoo, Y., Henfridsson, O., and Lyytinen, K. 2010. "The New Organizing Logic of Digital Innovation: An Agenda for Information Systems Research," Information Systems Research (21:4), pp 724-735.
Selected articles for emphasizing best practices Teaching cases

Subject specific skills

Develop an understanding of best practices in making digital ventures grow.
Analyse cases of digital startups.

Transferable skills

Team work/group work skills.
Presentation skills.