DIGITAL ECOSYSTEMS

Digital ecosystems have become a dominant organizational form in the contemporary economy, transforming how organizations innovate, collaborate, compete, and create value. Enabled by digital platforms, data, artificial intelligence, and interconnected technologies, ecosystems increasingly shape business models, industry structures, and public services across sectors. Understanding how these ecosystems emerge, evolve, and are governed is therefore essential in an increasingly digital and AI-enabled environment. The instructional goal of this course is to provide students with a comprehensive understanding of digital, platform, data, and AI ecosystems from the perspectives of Information Systems, Organization Studies, Business Strategy, and Innovation. The course aims to develop students' ability to analyze the technological, organizational, and institutional mechanisms through which ecosystems are formed, coordinated, and governed, and to understand the strategic role of digital platforms, data, and artificial intelligence in enabling collaboration, innovation, and value creation. The course further seeks to equip students with conceptual frameworks and analytical tools for evaluating ecosystem architectures, governance models, participant roles, and interdependencies across industries and organizational contexts. Particular emphasis is placed on understanding how data and AI reshape ecosystem dynamics, influence competitive advantage, create new organizational and institutional arrangements, and generate both opportunities and challenges for organizations and society. By the end of the course, students will be able to critically assess ecosystem strategies, analyze real-world digital ecosystems, and apply ecosystem thinking to understand and address complex business and organizational challenges in a data-driven and AI-enabled economy.

Basic knowledge of Information Systems, Organization and Management/Business Studies

On successful completion of the course, students will be able to:  Explain how ecosystems emerge, evolve, and transform across industries, sectors, and organizational contexts, and identify the key forces shaping ecosystem dynamics.  Analyze the role of data, digital platforms, digital technologies, and artificial intelligence in enabling ecosystem formation, coordination, governance, and value creation.  Evaluate how digital ecosystem architectures, governance models, and technological infrastructures influence innovation, business models, competitive dynamics, collaboration, and relationships among ecosystem participants.  Assess the opportunities, challenges, and potential threats associated with digital ecosystems, including issues related to competition, dependency, governance, and strategic control.  Explain how digital ecosystems contribute to the emergence of new organizational forms, institutional arrangements, and ways of organizing economic and social activities.  Apply ecosystem theories, conceptual frameworks, and analytical tools to map ecosystem structures, identify participant roles and interdependencies, evaluate ecosystem dynamics and governance, and critically assess the opportunities and challenges that digital ecosystems create for organizations and society. Making judgements Students will develop the ability to critically evaluate how digital platforms, data resources, AI technologies, and governance mechanisms shape ecosystem dynamics, innovation, and business strategy. They will learn to connect technological architectures and data practices with organizational objectives, competitive dynamics, and value creation across sectors. Through the analysis of real-world cases of digital, platform, and AI ecosystems, students will strengthen their capacity to interpret complex ecosystem configurations, compare alternative governance models, and formulate evidence-based managerial and strategic assessments. Communication skills The course equips students with the concepts, terminology, and analytical language used in the study of digital, platform, data, and AI ecosystems. Active participation through classroom discussions, case analyses, group presentations, and written assignments will enable students to communicate complex ecosystem dynamics effectively to both academic and managerial audiences. Learning skills Students will acquire analytical frameworks and practical methods for studying the formation, governance, and evolution of ecosystems across industries and organizations. Through workshops, case studies, applied exercises, and group projects, they will develop the ability to analyze ecosystem architectures, platform strategies, data ecosystems, and AI-enabled business models, applying theoretical concepts to real-world organizational and strategic challenges.

Introduction to the course Ecosystems Platform Sharing Economy Platforms The new logic of digital Innovation Data ecosystems Digital Institutionalization Design Thinking Platform governance & boundary resources Digital Ecosystems and AI Network effects & platform competition Complementors & value co-creation Ecosystem Growth Ecosystem Strategy Platform & ecosystem regulation Future of digital ecosystems

Journal articles- see the course platform

The course combines lectures, guest lectures, workshops, in-class exercises, case discussions, individual assignments, and collaborative project work to provide both theoretical foundations and practical experience in the analysis of digital, platform, data, and AI ecosystems. Lectures introduce the core concepts, theories, and analytical frameworks, while workshops, case studies, and project activities enable students to apply these frameworks to real-world organizational and sectoral contexts. Active student participation is an essential component of the course and includes engagement in class discussions, presentations, workshops, group activities, and project work, as well as the completion of individual assignments. Through collaborative projects, students develop teamwork, communication, and problem-solving skills while applying analytical tools to investigate contemporary ecosystem challenges and formulate evidence-based strategic insights.

Compliant Students (Attending): · Continuous Assessment (1/3 of the overall grade): Mandatory activities done throughout the semester. In the event of absence and/or withdrawal from one or more assessment tasks, the mark is 0 and it is included in the calculation of the final grade. The evaluation obtained cannot be rejected. Continuous Assessment: 20% Group project (Group) 10% Class activities (individual) · Final Exam (2/3 of the overall grade): Individual final exam taken during the exam dates scheduled in the examination session at the end of the semester in which the course is taught. The evaluation obtained cannot be rejected. The final exam is written and composed of 4 open-ended questions. The exams will consist of a mix of (i) pure theoretical questions and (ii) applications of models and theoretical concepts from the course materials. The exam is “closed-book”, “no-notes” (i.e., no materials can be used during the exam). Note: The combination of continuous assessment (one-third of the overall grade) and the final exam (two-thirds of the overall grade) is valid only during the exam dates scheduled in the examination session at the end of the semester in which the course is taught. In subsequent examination sessions (retake sessions), the assessment is based only on a final exam (100%). The evaluation obtained cannot be rejected. Students exempt from the attendance requirement or not compliant with the attendance threshold The assessment is based on a final exam, which accounts for 100% of the overall grade and includes an adequate instructional load to compensate for the student’s non-participation in the semester activities. The evaluation obtained cannot be rejected. NOTE: Students dont have the option to reject their grades; however, they will be allowed to withdraw from the exam. In written exam, withdrawal is permitted until the end of the exam.

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