Digital Business Innovation and Social Media

The course explores two key areas of knowledge related to digital economies. Firstly, from a broad perspective, it focuses on understanding how business professionals use digital technologies, platforms and infrastructures for fostering innovation in business models, products and services. Students learn how to conceptualise and identify key digital technologies, platforms and infrastructures, and how to adopt and adapt these solutions to particular organisational needs to foster business innovation. 

Secondly, from a more specialised perspective, the course focuses on explaining how social media in particular are used in organisational contexts for knowledge management, collaboration, innovation and marketing. Students are prepared to identify and choose social media tools (such as social networks, blogs, mini-blogs, mashups, file sharing, wiki tools, forums, reputation tools, social bookmarking etc.) which are aligned with corporate business strategies. Special attention is given to discuss examples related to Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, Wikipedia, SlideShare, Flickr, Google Maps, YouTube, De.li.cio.us, Technorati, Amazon and eBay rating systems, among others.

The course blends theoretical frameworks, academic research and industry case studies and reports, preparing students to understand how digital technologies enable business innovation and knowledge creation and sharing.