Formation/Cours

At the end of the course, the student should be able to :
– Understand and explain key concepts related to network economics as they relate to managerial decision making in the economic paradigms caracterized by ubiquitous information, collaboration, recycling of materials, and the replacement of ownership by access;
– Formulate, intepret, and analyze management questions using insights on the network structure of the information economy;
– Apply the insights on the network structure of the information economy to the formulation of business plans and to changemaking of organizational structure;
– Analyse problems, find solutions, and take decisions in a context characterised by changes.

The course deals with the mechanisms behind new economic paradigms that let go of the traditional produce-sell-collect money paradigm towards business models that are based on more shared information, more collaboration, vast use of on-line platforms and on-line auctions, and a more intensified general exchange between different stakeholders in the market. Whether it is consumers organising themselves through social tools, intermediates connecting stakeholders in new ways around an offer, or producers reinventing themselves to offer access to a service rather than a purchasable product, or to repurpose waste streams to valuable resources, all these changes are characterized by a growing interconnectedness between stakeholders. In this course, we study different business models and mechanics that are the results of these trends, both from a theoretical and a practical point of view. To that effect, the course will comprise lectures as well as company case studies. Students are then invited to demonstrate their insight on the course topics on their own business case.