Digital Business Models

Overview

Class Central Tips

Digital business models are disrupting 50-year old companies in telecommunications, transportation, advertising, e-commerce, automotive, insurance and many other industries. This course will explore the business models of software disruptors of the west such as Apple, Google, Facebook and Amazon, and the east such as Xiaomi and weChat. The class uses a structured framework for analysing business models with numerous examples so that students can apply it to their own business or case study. We will explore how software developers are not just the innovators but also the decision makers in modern competitive battles from mobile to cloud, and from consumer goods to enterprise software. And we will also explain how developers are the engine of digital business models, using examples from diverse industries – from healthcare to aviation.

Syllabus

Introduction to Digital Business Models

The first module will introduce the concept of digital business models. Digital business models will be used as a tool to explain the rise of internet mega brands and how companies can innovate in the digital era.

How Internet companies use digital business models

The module builds on the concept of the Digital Business Models to analyse how Apple, Google, Facebook, Amazon and several other internet-era incumbents are using digital business models to create, deliver, capture and defend value. The module ends with an introduction to asymmetric business models.

Developers as the new Decision Makers

In this module we will discuss how and why developers are emerging as the new decision makers. We now see that software is becoming a competitive advantage in industry after industry; today most businesses in media, games, finance, or transportation, advertising and sports are using software to improve operations, optimise their supply chain, and improve the customer experience. Developers are at the very centre of that change.

Developers as the Engine of Digital Business Models

In this module we’ll discuss how developers are the engine of Digital Business Models and how companies from Amazon to Walgreens are working with developers to create, deliver, capture and defend value.

Build your own Digital Business Model

In this final module we will examine how to put digital business models at work in your own business. We will also provide a framework that you can use in your company to promote shared thinking and language for building your own digital business model.