Modul

The module examination takes place in the form of partial examinations via courses of the module amounting to a total of at least 9 LP.
The overall score of the module is formed from the credit-weighted scores of the partial examinations and truncated after the first decimal place.

Students

• understand the basic concepts of interactive systems as well as the economic foundations and key components of​ platforms
• explore the theoretical grounding of interactive systems leveraging theories from reference disciplines such as psychology
• understand business models, network effects of digital platforms and get to know different market forms and market mechanisms
• gain experience in group work as well as in the analysis of case studies and the professional presentation of research results

The “Information Systems & Digital Business” modules of the research groups of Prof. Dr. Alexander Mädche (Information Systems & Service Design), Prof. Dr. Gerhard Satzger (Digital Service Innovation) and Prof. Dr. Christof Weinhardt (Information & Market Engineering), offer a comprehensive overview on important topics of digitalization – blending aspects of digital interaction, digital services and the platform economy. Courses in this module cover the aspects of interaction between humans and information systems as well as the economic foundations of platform businesses: 

Foundations of Interactive Systems:

Advanced information and communication technologies (ICT) make interactive systems ever-present in the users’ private and business life. They are an integral part of E-Commerce portals or social networking sites as well as at the workplace, e.g. in the form of collaboration portals or analytical dashboards. Furthermore, with the ever-increasing capabilities of ICT, the design of human-computer interaction is becoming increasingly important. The aim of this module is to introduce the foundations, related theories, key concepts, and design principles as well as current practice of contemporary interactive systems. The students get the necessary knowledge to guide the successful implementation of interactive systems in business and private life.

Platform Economy:

Apple, Alphabet, Amazon, Microsoft, and Facebook; five of the most valuable companies worldwide create large portions of their profits by employing a digital platform model. This module teaches the key design considerations of digital platforms: their foundations in economic theory, their core components and design aspects, the adequate selection of market mechanisms for achieving certain goals, and the role of user behavior in the context of digital platforms. The theoretic foundations are enriched by discussions of several real-world examples, e.g. from the finance sector. Thus, the students are enabled to a) analyze given platforms and make recommendations for improvements and b) independently design new platforms for given use cases.

Consumer Behavior: 

Consumer decisions are ubiquitous in daily life and they can have long-ranging and important consequences for individual (financial) well-being and health but also for societies and the planet as a whole. To help people to make better choices it is important to understand the factors that influence their behavior. Towards this goal, we will explore how consumer behavior is shaped by social influences, situational and cognitive constraints, as well as by emotions, motivations, evolutionary forces, neuronal processes, and individual differences. Across all topics covered in class, we will engage with basic theoretical work as well as with groundbreaking empirical research and current scientific debates. The lecture will be held in English.

Total effort for 9 credit points: approx. 270 hours. The distribution is based on the credit points of the courses of the module (120-135h for courses with 4.5 credit points). The total number of hours per course results from the effort required to attend lectures and exercises, as well as the examination times and the time required to achieve the learning objectives of the module for an average student for an average performance.