Master of Science in Digital Entrepreneur­ship

The course aims at providing insight into theoretical and practical aspects of innovation. Students will gain advanced knowledge of key concepts and theories of IT-supported innovation. They will acquire specialised problem-solving skills, being able to analyse innovation cases using different models. They shall take responsibility to conduct a review of the current state-of-the-art in innovation theory.

Central topics includes innovation theories and concepts, digital innovation, service innovation and innovation in organizations.

In this course, students learn about theoretical and practical aspects of creating and implementing a digital strategy as well as designing a digital business model. The course covers such topics as digitalization and its influence on market competition and firms’ strategies; digital platforms and ecosystems; and digital business model innovation. Importantly, students get a hands-on experience of designing a digital business model for their new digital ventures.

This course provides students with advanced knowledge, skills, and competences related to the process of making financial decisions and acquiring capital for a new digital venture. The key topics include 1) financial planning and management (the fundamentals of income statements, balance sheets, investment analysis, etc.) and 2) sources of financial capital with a special focus on fundraising and attracting partners and investors (crowdfunding, venture capital, angel capital, etc.). As a part of the coursework, students have to organize a crowdfunding campaign for their new digital ventures.

The main aim of this course is to provide students with the fundamental knowledge of ethics and sustainability necessary for responsible innovation and the development of new information technologies (IT) in the modern society. The central topics include the role of ethics in responsible innovation and IT development; information privacy concerns, social, economic, and environmental impacts of innovations and new ITs; and how IT development and innovation can contribute to achieving the UN Sustainable Development Goals. In covering ethical and sustainability issues, the course addresses the perspectives of various stakeholders at the individual level (IT developers, innovators, consumers, investors), the organizational level (commercial, public, and non-governmental organizations), and the societal level (local and regional communities, nations, international society). Group work on possible solutions to real-life ethical and sustainability challenges constitutes an essential part of the course.

Studentene skal få inngående kunnskap om digitaliseringens betydning for forretningsdrift og markedsføring. Studentene skal få kunnskap om ulike verktøy og teknikker for digital markedsføring, og ferdigheter til selv å kunne planlegge, gjennomføre og evaluere digitale markedsføringstiltak.

De mest sentrale temaene i emnet vil være:

• Digital forbrukeratferd
• Digitalisering
• Webanalyse
• SEO (søkemotoroptimalisering)
• Digital annonsering
• Markedsføring over sosiale medier
• Innholdsmarkedsføring

Large companies dominate in most developed markets, and they are the strongest recruiter of business students. Yet, many of those employees who are eager to implement their new ideas may discover that enthusiasm alone is of little help in a well-established organization. Others may find themselves unknowledgeable and uncomfortable in dealing with entrepreneurial colleagues. After all, neither the creation of new business within existing firms nor the transformation of organizations through innovation is an easy task.

The Corporate Entrepreneurship course specifically focuses on the organizational context of innovation. It provides an in-depth understanding and firsthand experience of product- and service innovation and innovation management in a broader organizational setting.

The course’s main objective is to learn how to be a corporate entrepreneur and how to deal with corporate entrepreneurs. To achieve this objective, the course combines recent research advancements within strategy, leadership, psychology, and marketing with practical perspectives on innovation and entrepreneurship in established companies. During the course, students will work in groups of 4-5 persons on real-life cases provided by a large, Oslo-based company ("problem-based learning"). The company will also participate in mid-term pitching and feedback, offering advice and evaluating ideas.

General themes of the course:

• How to be a corporate entrepreneur
• Innovating/venturing within established firms; strategic renewal
• Overcoming resistance to change; advocacy of ideas
• How to deal with corporate entrepreneurs
• Leading creative and entrepreneurial employees in an inclusive and ethical way
• Building an entrepreneurial and socially responsible organization

This course is intended as a master level introduction to research methodology and the research process. This introduction gives the students an overview of the basic concept, methods, and practice of research.

Research is a cyclical process where new and carefully planned investigations build and extend on established work. The aim is to provide students with a fundamental understanding of research as a conceptual, empirical, and practical approach to gathering new insight and knowledge. The content provides a broad overview of how researchers work within the fields of economy, innovation, and technology. It presents students with relevant methods from these domains, along with their possibilities and limitations.

Students will learn a systematic approach to empirical investigation, including literature search, research design and methodology, qualitative and quantitative analyses, and the presentation and evaluation of results.

At completion of the course, students will be able to study and interpret existing research on a topic and suggest approaches to broaden or deepen knowledge within a given topic.

The overall objective of this course is to help students conceptualize and prepare a timely and relevant research proposal, and to nurture a sense of inquisitiveness and active participation in research. The course aims at offering insight into the process behind a successful research project. It has an applied approach that involves collaborative and reciprocal partnerships between the university (faculty, staff, and/or students) and external communities for the mutually beneficial exchange of knowledge and resources. The research proposal forms the basis for the master thesis and the allocation of supervisor(s).