TEACHING GUIDELINES
FOR
DIGITAL ENTREPRENEURSHIP
Edited by
Kateryna Kraus, Nataliia Kraus, Olena Shtepa
Kiev-Cracow
2021
Reviewer:
Valerii Osetskyi, Taras Shevchenko National University of Kyiv (Ukraine)
Editors:
Kateryna Kraus (Borys Grinchenko Kyiv University, Ukraine))
Nataliia Kraus (Borys Grinchenko Kyiv University, Ukraine)
Olena Shtepa (Borys Grinchenko Kyiv University, Ukraine)
Authors:
Sebastián Bruque Cámara (University of Jaen, Spain)
Alessandro Cirillo (University of Foggia, Italy)
Marek Ćwiklicki (Cracow University of Economics, Poland)
José Moyano Fuentes (University of Jaen, Spain)
David Herold (Vienna University of Economics and Business, Austria)
Kateryna Kraus (Borys Grinchenko Kyiv University, Ukraine)
Nataliia Kraus (Borys Grinchenko Kyiv University, Ukraine)
Norbert Laurisz (Cracow University of Economics, Poland)
Pierpaolo Magliocca (University of Foggia, Italy)
Juan Manuel Maqueira Marín (University of Jaen, Spain)
Jasmin Mikl (Vienna University of Economics and Business, Austria)
Agnieszka Pacut, (Cracow University of Economics, Poland)
Francesco Schiavone (University of Naples Parthenope, Italy)
Olena Shtepa (Borys Grinchenko Kyiv University, Ukraine)
Pedro Antonio Nuñez Cacho Utrilla (University of Jaen, Spain)
The publication is financed within the programme KA203 – Strategic Partnerships for higher education program as
being Intellectual Output of the project entitled ‘Teaching Digital Entrepreneurship’ no. 2020-1-PL01-KA203081784.
This work is published under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution – NoDerivatives International (CC BYND 4.0) License http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0
Publisher
Department of Public Management
Cracow University of Economics
Rakowicka 27, 31-510 Cracow, Poland
ISBN 978-83-959463-6-3
Kiev-Cracow, 2021
2
TABLE OF CONTENT
Introduction................................................................................................................................ 4
1. ASSUMPTIONS FOR TEACHING GUIDELINES FOR DIGITAL ENTREPRENEURSHIP .................. 6
1.1. The role of the higher education institution in the field of digital entrepreneurship .... 6
1.2. Creation, functioning and development of digital entrepreneurship content:
suggestions for training course design................................................................................... 8
1.3. The newly acquired key skills in digital entrepreneurship training course .................. 11
1.4. Teaching in the direction of practical implementation of the triad “digital literacy–
digital mobility–digital commercial competence” ............................................................... 14
1.5. The future of digital generation and the change of business models through the lens
of a chain type: “digital thinking–digital identification–digital self-development–digital
initiatives–digital maturity–digital society” ......................................................................... 19
2. INTERACTIVE DIGITAL TEACHING METHODS ....................................................................... 25
2.1. What is a digital learning method from the pedagogical point of view? ..................... 25
2.2. Which are the most useful methods? ........................................................................... 27
2.3. Focus on “Web platform and Webinars (online or virtual seminars)”, “MOOCs” and
“Business Games and Simulations” ...................................................................................... 28
3. CURRICULUM UPDATE MECHANISM ................................................................................... 34
3.1. Purpose and main principles of the curriculum ............................................................ 34
3.2. Construction of the curriculum update system ............................................................ 35
3.3. How the curriculum update mechanism works ............................................................ 36
3.4. The bottom-up update protocol ................................................................................... 37
3.5. Top-Down Update Protocol .......................................................................................... 38
3.6. What products will be made and how .......................................................................... 39
4. BEST-PRACTICES OF TEACHING DIGITAL ENTREPRENEURSHIP IN THE FOURTH INDUSTRIAL
REVOLUTION ............................................................................................................................ 41
4.1. Best Practices via Video-Conferencing & Webinars...................................................... 41
4.2. Best Practices via MOOCs.............................................................................................. 45
5. THE IMPLICATIONS OF DIGITAL ENTREPRENEURSHIP ON ORGANIZATIONS, COMPANIES
AND INDUSTRIES ...................................................................................................................... 51
5.1. The role of the business model ..................................................................................... 52
5.2. The impact of digitalization on the corporate world .................................................... 52
GLOSSARY ................................................................................................................................. 61
REFERENCES ............................................................................................................................. 63
List of figures ............................................................................................................................ 73
List of tables ............................................................................................................................. 74
3
Introduction
The development of digital infrastructure and digital entrepreneurship is a problem of
harmonizing initiatives and programs of the evolution of three levels: telecommunication
infrastructure, data management, services and digital skills and competencies. Focus and
resources at one level or another are determined by the priorities of digital ecosystem. Thus,
digital regulator is a tool for harmonization and development of digital ecosystem.
Digital entrepreneurship operates with entities similar to traditional entrepreneurship,
such as capital, resources, people. The driving force of digital entrepreneurship is human capital
– that is, knowledge, talents, skills, abilities, competencies, experience, intelligence of people.
The rapid spread of digital technologies makes digital skills of citizens key among other skills.
Digitalization and cross-platformisation are currently the main trends in labor market. In
other words, the ability to work with digital technologies delivered by Industry 4.0 is gradually
becoming permanent and necessary for most specializations, i.e. end-to-end or cross-platform.
The uniqueness of digital competencies lies in the fact that thanks to them citizens can more
effectively acquire competencies in many other areas (for example, learning languages,
subjects, professions, etc.).
The goal pursued in the course of teaching digital entrepreneurship is revealed through
the implementation of the following issues:
What to teach? (answer – new digital competencies and skills);
Why to teach? (answer – to modernise content);
How to teach? (answer – effectively use of digital technology);
Where to teach? (answer – in a new space, a new augmented reality);
Who should teach? (answer – teachers-coaches, mentors, teachers-practitioners in digital
entrepreneurship);
What is the result? (answer – high value of the graduates in the labor market, specialists
with high quality competencies and skills in digital entrepreneurship).
Using of methodological recommendations in the course of education of students on the
peculiarities of the content of teaching digital entrepreneurship allows the teacher: to master
new methods, techniques, technologies of digital learning in new virtual reality; to acquire
digital business competencies in alignment with Industry 4.0 and highly specialized business
level. This should be done in order to train professionals who have the required quality, the
required business of the 21st century, the level of digital skills and abilities that effectively and
safely use digital technology to solve business problems. For these reasons, it is important to
use the latest methods in the field of education to increase the level of competence in digital
entrepreneurship, namely teachers of economics and business, its compliance with approved
European standards, which is what these guidelines for teaching digital entrepreneurship.
Fourth Industrial Revolution, which is becoming more comprehensive, determines the
penetration of the latest 4.0 technologies and their impact on national economies and social
sphere in general, namely: smart cities and houses, digital agriculture, digital entrepreneurship,
e-finance, e-medicine, e-government, smart institutes of digital education. However without
the emergence of digital society (Society 5.0) it is impossible to implement global ideas at
national level, therefore it becomes clear that teaching digital entrepreneurship, retraining and
willingness of individuals to live in digital society, development of ecosystems of countries in
general, sectoral and university ecosystems in particular are extremely relevant and popular
plans for implementation in near future.
New social agreement between government, business and universities that takes into
account European values is about digital skills for the next digital generation, changing business
models and quality cooperation between universities, companies and governments, customers
of highly skilled workforce in digital entrepreneurship and interesting innovative ideas.
The experience of implementing a number of start-up projects, in some places today,
shows that the “weak spot” is not in financial, but in human capital. Staff professionalism
determines whether innovative and digital tools will be effective. To apply technology,
4
employees must be involved in the process, trained and motivated. It is also important to build
quality innovative digital business processes in the existing virtual reality. The description of
business processes with the indication of risks and control is that basis which provides
systematic work during project realization by digital enterprise.
The Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development estimates that more than
one billion jobs, or nearly a third of all jobs in the world, are likely to be changed by technology
in the next decade. The World Economic Forum estimates that by 2022, 133 million new jobs
will be created in major countries to meet the needs of Fourth Industrial Revolution.
At the same time, economic and demographic shifts are putting additional pressure on the
workforce today in terms of acquiring digital competencies and mastering digital skills. In
addition, there is no clear understanding of values of personal characteristics and professional
competencies of “digital people”, i.e. people of the generation of “buzzers” and “alpha people”.
For these reasons, the purpose of guidelines for teaching digital entrepreneurship is to
increase the level of digital competences and skills by a teaching staff of higher educational
institutions, their ability to effectively use digital techniques, business technologies in practiceoriented economic education process.
Tasks of methodical recommendations of teaching digital entrepreneurship are among
other:
Creation of newest educational digital products, business practices, information resources
on conducting digital entrepreneurship.
Further development of digital literacy in entrepreneurship of the teaching staff of
educational institutions.
Development of a new quality of digital educational resources on digital entrepreneurship,
taking into account the peculiarities of the styles of perception of the material and the
level of economic development, transformation, modernization and adaptation of
entrepreneurship in terms of increasing innovative glocalization.
Use of digital tools for effective communication and cooperation in the course of teaching
digital entrepreneurship in virtual reality.
The spread of digital technologies in digital entrepreneurship in the educational process.
Development of students’ competencies, abilities and a sense of need for continuous selfdevelopment and self-improvement of digital business skills, the use of innovative
pedagogical, digital technologies and online services in the course of teaching digital
entrepreneurship.
The results of teaching digital entrepreneurship should results in possessing by research
and teaching staff a digital literacy needed for pursuing the course of teaching digital
entrepreneurship. They will have professional competencies of economic content of the
highest level and new quality that meet European standards.
Guidelines for Teaching Digital Entrepreneurship reveal the content functionality and
purpose of teaching, the characteristics of the use of educational digital technologies to acquire
the latest key skills for practical implementation in digital entrepreneurship. These guidelines
give the reader an idea of the mechanism for updating the curriculum among members of the
partnership and existing digital teaching methods, a new quality combination of teaching digital
entrepreneurship offline and online. Target audience of the publication is teachers of digital
entrepreneurship, students, businessmen in various sectors of the economy.
Kateryna Kraus, Nataliia Kraus, Olena Shtepa
Editors
5
Kateryna Kraus, Nataliia Kraus, Olena Shtepa
Borys Grinchenko Kyiv University
1. ASSUMPTIONS FOR TEACHING GUIDELINES FOR
DIGITAL ENTREPRENEURSHIP
1.1. The role of the higher education institution in the field of digital
entrepreneurship
The formation of the institute teaching digital entrepreneurship in the education system
runs through the formation of the latest landscape of innovators through the so-called
“digitization” of individuals, namely their knowledge and the acquisition of a number of digital
competencies. In the 21st century, it has become a typical and popular trend in the world
institute of education, as a platform for teaching digital entrepreneurship and the formation of
digital individuals, innovators-mentors, innovators, digital teachers with different industries
affiliation/specializations.
However, the implementation of quality teaching digital entrepreneurship within the
existing educational institutes in Europe and the world always encounters a number of
obstacles, among which are:
Low level of inter-country cooperation among mentors-innovators, digital researchers and
teachers engaged in the implementation of teaching digital entrepreneurship at the
institute of education, with the R&D units of large corporations in Industry 4.0 and
Industry X.0 (Holoborodko et al., 2018).
Limited access to financial and economic resources does not allow all business entities to
carry out large-scale modernized digital entrepreneurship projects or initiate new ones
(for example, some Eastern European countries (including Ukraine, Moldova), countries
from African continent, some Asian countries, countries from Latin America).
Inadequate general level of the development of the institute of digital education and
business culture of digital entrepreneurship market, which causes a low priority of hightech technologies among other areas of investment. This factor slows down the
introduction of new technologies, which are produced by quite powerful progressive
digital enterprises that are already operating in some parts of the world. The reason for
this is the misunderstanding by all participants of the education bodies that digitalization
of entrepreneurial activity has been long one of the key factors in the competitiveness of
economic entities of all sectors of the economy.
Low level of promotion and evidence base by innovators and providers of new
products/services and digital solutions.
Mass and managed digitalization in entrepreneurship is a meaningful response to the
challenges of growing competition, lagging behind the US and Asia, growing innovation, but
also to the challenges of improving social and environmental aspects, and at the same time to
possible job losses. Innovation and digitalization radically set new guidelines in terms of
training in digital entrepreneurship and the new quality of the institute of education in virtual
reality.
According to futurists, systemic complex thinking is completely supplanted by linear
thinking. This fact will “pull” the need for changes in business, society, science and education
and will cause changes in current approach to forecasting and development of digital skills.
6
When it comes to European education, it is based on an interdisciplinary approach and
creativity, and learning takes place throughout life. When it comes to vocational education and
teaching digital entrepreneurship, the continuing professional education of students and
graduate students should be part of a systematic approach. Vocational business training and
entrepreneurial digital skills must play a crucial role in providing all sectors of the economy
with a highly skilled workforce. Successful career development and transition to new jobs in
the near future will largely depend on the quality of education policy in a country and the
conditions, tools, mechanisms for passing and preparing professional teaching in digital
entrepreneurship, which gives practitioners (employees) access to advanced training and
retraining opportunities throughout working age (Manzhura et al., 2018).
Main features of the institutionalization of the institute of education in the course of
teaching digital entrepreneurship can be considered:
Integration of the education system during the formation of Industry 4.0;
Specificity and effectiveness in innovative laboratories of the university, working on the
principles of entrepreneurship, digitalization and innovation;
Realism and based on the interests and values of main stakeholders;
Reforming the institute of education with the aim of more open and practical
communication, communication between educational institutions and higher education.
We are convinced that schools should systematically hold presentations of the professions
of the future, in order to form in young people representation and vision of their future
adult life. This is what will shape digital culture of the digital entrepreneur;
Strategic focus and relevance;
Based on the best European and world experience of the education system and the market
of innovations, digital products/services;
Consolidation of stakeholders during the implementation of innovative and digital
projects;
The integrity of the institute of education.
Regarding the use of “digital” technologies in the course of teaching (get an education)
digital entrepreneurship, it is currently one of the most important and sustainable trends in
global educational process. They allow the educational process to intensify its progress,
increase the speed and quality of perception, understanding and assimilation of knowledge in
digital entrepreneurship.
Given the inevitability of further digitalization of both global and national phenomena,
secondary education reform must take into account the needs of the development of virtualreal innovation-digital space, digital society, digital entrepreneurship, research opportunities,
new needs and challenges facing Europe as a result of COVID-19. The use of digital
technologies in education should be cross-platform (cross-cutting) nature. That is, we are
talking about the use of new technologies not only in the lesson in a separate class of computer
science, but also in the study of other subjects, students interact with each other and with
teachers, with real experts, research, individual teaching digital entrepreneurship.
Educational digital technologies allow to make the process of teaching digital
entrepreneurship mobile, differentiated, individual, interesting and rich. At the same time, the
latest educational technologies do not replace the teacher, but complement him. Such classes
are characterized by adaptability, manageability, interactivity, a combination of individual and
group work, indefinite teaching in digital entrepreneurship.
Educational digital technologies open new opportunities for the teacher of digital
entrepreneurship, allowing together with students to enjoy communication and cognition in
the course of teaching and mastering digital competencies and skills. Educational technologies
allow teachers to automate most of their work, freeing up human resources for search,
communication, individual work with students, provide instant feedback, improve the
efficiency of educational management and research processes and self-education of future
specialist in digital entrepreneurship.
7
We are deeply convinced that there is an urgent need to make people more aware of
digital values of the content and methods of teaching digital entrepreneurship in the world and
in Europe. It is the above factors that determined the content of our research.
1.2. Creation, functioning and development of digital entrepreneurship content:
suggestions for training course design
New characteristics of digital entrepreneurship require moving from the cult of efficiency
and rationality to shifting the emphasis to openness, democratization, sociologization,
innovation, creativity of organizational processes, non-equilibrium and nonlinearity of
management hierarchical chains, unpredictability and diversity of development trajectories of
economic entities of different levels of aggregation. The training course on digital
entrepreneurship is designed to meet new expectations for business and economies in general
(Marchenko et al., 2020).
Creating quality content for teaching digital entrepreneurship requires an educational
policy that would enable the formation and development of the institution of creativity. It is
worth cultivating digital skills, which are needed to solve the problems of digital
entrepreneurship and integrated thinking. The interdisciplinary approach, which involves
research and application in practice (STEM) and key high-performance technologies, have
every opportunity to positively influence changes in solving national societal problems of
rapidly acquiring new competencies in digital entrepreneurship.
Modern young generation easily learns to form digital skills that are transmitted through
new technologies. On this basis, the simultaneous teaching of science and art is built, as well as
technological platforms are created, on which scientists, educators, researchers and
technologists work with designers, marketers, economists, auditors, bankers, civil servants.
Without the use of the latest methods in education for the purpose of quality teaching
digital entrepreneurship and the ability of workers to use digital tools in production, means the
deterioration of economies. The use of innovation (managerial, financial, resource,
technological, digital) is becoming almost the only possible source of competitiveness of
industrial sectors, and human capital – the basis of economic recovery and growth.
Working professionals in modern digital entrepreneurship in virtual reality must be
competent in matters like:
Creation and processing of complex information;
Systematic and critical thinking;
Decision-making on a multicriteria basis;
Understanding the content of the multidisciplinary processes that take place;
Adaptability and flexibility to new information, to be characterized as a creative specialist
in their field;
Ability to identify, solve real problems of “digital world of entrepreneurship”.
Figure 1.1 could be used as a framework in the system of economic education.
The comprehensive application of machine, computer training during teaching digital
entrepreneurship, the use of big data or AI, will allow in the practice of digital
entrepreneurship, increase productivity through more accurate intellectual predictions, build
effective operation, as a result of knowledge of digital analytics processes. It will also allow for
innovation based on a deeper understanding of the content of business digitization.
At the same time, the company’s products will become innovative, and the company itself
will create more customer-oriented digital processes and new scenarios in the market of digital
products/services. Digital changes in enterprises are possible as a result of the practical
implementation of technological and technical solutions. However, it is worth recognizing that
the drivers of such changes are innovators, leaders, individuals with quality education who are
ready for change and able to quickly adapt to the changing conditions of labor markets and
innovation and the industry in which they work.
Successful implementation the course of teaching digital entrepreneurship can be
achieved by this method, by ensuring compliance with the following conditions:
8
Development own methods and tools that allow to find, test and employ hundreds of
specialists in digital entrepreneurship in a short time;
Formation of powerful business cases, which are the basis of innovative competitions of
any type or scale of teaching digital entrepreneurship;
Improving the quality of the institute of education and conducting education in the market
of digital products/services, i.e. launching and constant monitoring of systemic types of
digital activities for quality economic and technical education and education of European
and global customers;
Development of a set of dual training programs for research, engineering work for
master’s students and graduates of economic and technical universities in educational
programs of digital entrepreneurship;
The availability of an optimal workplace that motivates both beginners and experienced
engineers, conservatives, innovators in digital entrepreneurship;
Development of a program of adaptation and additional training of new employees, new
teaching programs by issuing advanced courses in digital entrepreneurship and teaching
programs on technologies 4.0 and X.0 (Kraus et al., 2018);
Introduction of complementarity of team core skills in combination with a high level of
professionalism and reputation of researchers-innovators in the innovation
entrepreneurship university: cultural affinity of foreign team members with a potential
customer base abroad allows to quickly achieve the required level of trust, and originality
and high quality developments in the technical sense allows to quickly build long-term
relationships. Founders of smart companies within the walls of the innovation
entrepreneurship university should have a correspondingly solid reputation in academia
and the global business community, which in itself immediately becomes a contributing
factor;
Formation of a system of continuous professional development of teaching staff, support
staff, undergraduate students through new R&D based on 4.0 technologies (Leonenko et
al., 2018).
Teaching digital entrepreneurship is practice-oriented and can be implemented on the
online platforms of educational institutions with the participation of business and government
support. This type of teaching can be qualitatively implemented within the potential innovative
ecosystem of digital entrepreneurship as hub, which is presented in Figure 1.2.
Good outcome of teaching digital entrepreneurship is successful functioning of the
economy within “digital triangle” shown in Figure 1.3.
The goal of quality teaching digital entrepreneurship, guided by the philosophy of studentcenteredness, should be to “arm” students with the necessary set of digital skills and
competencies and the formation of digital economies and transfer them to virtual reality at all
levels of economic aggregation (Kraus et al., 2018). Convinced that cooperation between
academia and business should be deepened today; increase digital skills in employees of
functioning enterprises for effective change management in these entities; to pursue the goal
of reasonable and motivated “retention” in their countries of domestic researchers, world-class
teachers, who today in the course of teaching digital entrepreneurship, guided by their
research, development and teaching of future workforce 2025-2035.
9
Digital Entrepreneurship Learning Process
Type of student
thinking
Reproductive
Productive
Information
Type of training
Problem
Problematic teaching
Explanatory and
illustrative
General didactic
teaching methods
Partial search engine
Reproductive
Thicks
Research
Tools
Tools
Thicks
Methodology of teaching digital entrepreneurship as an optimal combination of techniques
and means of general didactic teaching methods
Lecture
Forms of
study
Forms of
activation
Possible
competencies
Seminar
tutoring
Webinars of digital
entrepreneurship
Research work of a
student
Production
and practical
situations,
cases
Training and skills in
digital
entrepreneurship
Qualificatio
n work
Digital Entrepreneurship
Practice
Coursework
Trainings and
master classes
Compendium scheme of
teacher in digital
entrepreneurship and
applicant of education
Knowledge on
digital
entrepreneurshi
p
Practical
lesson
Economic
Games
Experience in digital
entrepreneurship
Comprehensive
research using the
latest software
Experience of
social
communication
Ability to self-education and self-development and application of new digital knowledge
Type of
training
specialist
Basic essence
characteristics
Digital
Entrepreneurship
Tutor
Digital, economic
thinking
Digital
Entrepreneurship
Practitioners
Promising ideas,
initiatives
Digital
Entrepreneurship
Coach
Manager’s ability,
innovation
Didactic
thinking
Lecturer-researcher
on digital
entrepreneurship
Ability to creativity,
activity
Figure 1.1. Methodology of teaching digital entrepreneurial in the system of economic
learning
Source: authors’ development.
10
Figure 1.2. Potential innovative ecosystem of digital entrepreneurship hub of the university
Source: authors’ development.
Digital citizenship
(use of digital technologies in everyday life, for interaction with
each other, communication, viewing digital content)
Digital creativity
(use of digital technologies to create
content, media, applications, etc.)
Digital entrepreneurship
(use of digital technologies for business,
professional activity)
Figure 1.3. Basic model of “digital triangle”
Source: authors’ development.
1.3. The newly acquired key skills in digital entrepreneurship training course
Key skills created by teaching digital entrepreneurship course are acquired within
education system, namely the focus on the formation of new digital competencies, attitudes,
culture, abilities, thinking and visions (Figure 1.4). By analogy with the construction of the wellknown Rubik’s cube (“Magic Cube” by Hungarian sculptor Erno Rubik), we believe that the
accelerated formation of the applicant, namely knowledge of digital entrepreneurship, is
possible by achieving simultaneous harmonious relationships “digital science–digital
education”, “digital rules–digital traditions”, “digital skills–digital maturity”, “digital mentality–
digital society”, “digital intelligence–digital quality”, “digital culture–digital competencies”
(obtaining a square of facets of a cube of the same color and size) (Andrusiak et al., 2020).
Digital competence should also be seen as the ability to communicate and interact through the
use of digital technologies within an effectively functioning ecosystem. Digital literacy as the
ability to search, filter various kinds of information and digital content; evaluate digital data,
the ability to use and manage it.
11
Figure 1.4. Virtual-real slice of digital cubic space of the institute of creative specialist in
digital entrepreneurship
Source: authors’ development.
Convinced that this can be achieved quickly through high-quality officially functioning
educational institutions, to which we include digital rules, digital order, digital information and
digital science, presented in a virtual-real context, as constituent structural elements of the
digital cubic space of the institute of creative specialist in digital entrepreneurship (Figure 1.4).
In addition, we need to develop technology platforms and research innovation hubs, pursuing
the goal of pooling resources for technical, communication and digital skills. The study place
and work environment of a student, researcher, graduate student also makes a significant
contribution to the creation of digital values of the entrepreneur.
In addition, it would not be a mistake to assume that “main violin” in the formation of a
specialist in digital entrepreneurship and the creative individual is played by informal
institutions of educational system. We propose to include the digital mentality, digital
perception, digital thinking, digital vision, digital traditions, digital values (Figure 1.4).
We, educators, scientists, with the support of the government and various public
organizations and public educational institutions, non-governmental educational institutions,
need to develop the ability (adaptability) and interest in lifelong learning, which will determine
the accelerated development of digital entrepreneurship in Society 5.0 (Figure 1.4), which will
be characterized by a digital relationship with digital quality. We are convinced that
participation in the ongoing professional training of creative young people teaching digital
entrepreneurship should be made more attractive and interesting. The state, represented by
the government, should act as a facilitator between different economic actors, such as
involving companies, higher education institutions and training providers, to ensure the
development of the required digital skills.
We consider it necessary to note that the formation of digital entrepreneurship in the
economy and the high-quality functioning of digital economic entities is possible within the
chain of ”digital identification–digital self-development–digital initiatives”. Among the
competencies that are basic for all, without exception, students of digital entrepreneurship are:
literacy; language competence; mathematical competence and competence in scientific
technologies, engineering; digital competence; personal, social and educational competence;
civic competence; competence of cultural awareness and self-expression.
Digital competence has a number of structural components that must be possessed and
able to operate a future specialist in digital entrepreneurship, as a result of successful
12
implementation in practice of the course of teaching digital entrepreneurship. Their content is
given in Table 1.1 and Table 1.2.
Individuals with digital competencies in entrepreneurship must understand the general
principles, mechanisms and logic underlying digital technologies that are evolving, as well as
know the features of the operation and use of various devices, programs and networks.
Table 1.1. Digital competencies that produce the course of teaching digital entrepreneurship
Digital competence
Digital content
Problem solving
Communication and
interaction
Information literacy
and data literacy
Security
Contents and general characteristics of digital competencies
Ability to change, improve, use digital content to create new content; awareness of
copyright and data licensing policies; ability to write program code.
Ability to solve technical problems that arise with computers, software, networks; ability to
solve needs and find appropriate technical solutions, or customize digital technologies to
their own needs; creative use; ability to independently determine the need for additional
new digital skills.
Ability to communicate using digital technologies; ability to share information using digital
technologies; ability to communicate with society, use public and private services through
the use of digital technologies.
Ability to search, filter data; ability to evaluate information; ability to use and manage data
and digital content.
Ability to protect devices and content, knowledge of security measures, understanding of
risks and threats; protection of personal data and privacy; understanding the impact of
digital technologies on the environment; knowledge and skills to maintain your health.
Source: authors’ development.
Table 1.2. Professional flexible/soft skills of a digital practitioner who acquires knowledge in
the course of digital entrepreneurship
Flexible / soft skills
Ability to
communicate
effectively with
those around you
Emotional
intelligence
(expression of
emotions,
interpersonal
relationships,
emotion
management,
assertiveness, social
awareness,
adaptability, selfmotivation,
happiness,
optimism, selfesteem, control
over emotions,
control of impulses,
stress resistance,
empathy,
perception of
emotions)
Time management
Flexibility and
creativity
Resistance to stress
What to do to achieve / acquire required skills?
Learn to admit your mistakes, if you really made them; do not allow emotions to prevail, in
particular, in business correspondence; learn to give constructive feedback: feedback should
be based on facts and working moments, personal assessments should be avoided; avoid
hints in communication, passive aggression, stop manipulation, avoid devaluation.
According to Claude Steiner’s interpretation, “emotional intelligence is the ability of a person
to be aware of an emotion, to generate it so as to engage thinking, to find understanding of
emotions and what they mean, to manage them so as to promote their emotional and
intellectual development”. Emotional intelligence helps a person to adapt to the environment
and find common ground with other people. It manifests itself both in relation to himself and
in communication with others. Anger, sadness, fear and joy are the basic emotions that help
solve the problem here and now, others, such as anxiety or guilt – are helpful. Therefore, it is
important to learn to recognize the basic emotion and determine the cause. Remember that:
fear is caused by a lack of information; anger – due to violation of personal boundaries;
sadness – through loss; joy – as a result of meeting needs. An emotion diary will help you find
the cause of your emotions. You need to try for a month to record and track your feelings and
emotions according to the scheme: date and time; event; sense; the reason for which the
feeling arose; actions that can be taken; how strong was the feeling on a scale of 1 to 10;
bodily sensations that are experienced along with feeling. In order to learn to recognize what
emotions are behind the bodily reactions, you can do the following: in moments when a
person knows what emotion is experienced, you should write in a diary the physical
sensations that accompany it. In future, feeling something similar, the individual will be able
to compare their bodily reaction and recognize the feelings that are hidden behind it. To
“pump” the interaction with others, develop empathy – the ability to empathize, to
understand the feelings of another person. Everyone wants to be heard and accepted by
others, to learn to see the interlocutor, to read his condition.
Clear planning allows you to maintain a balance in all areas of life: you should not rely on
memory. You need to write down plans for the day, year and several years in advance. When
planning, it is appropriate to first allocate time for rest, and then paint all the other things.
Search for new approaches in solving routine tasks.
Mastering new techniques that help in the fight against stress. Acquiring self-regulation skills
that will help reduce the negative effects of stress on the body as a whole.
13
Source: authors’ development
Digital competence includes confident, critical and responsible use and interaction with
digital technologies for learning, work and participation in society. Individuals need to
understand how digital technologies can support communication, creativity and innovation,
and be aware of their opportunities, limitations, consequences and risks.
It is expected that the competencies that an individual acquires in the course of teaching
digital entrepreneurship, having fundamental knowledge, are the following: the ability to learn;
critical thinking; creativity; savvy; cooperation; purposefulness; empathy; system thinking;
communication; choice of priorities; flexibility; team work; business skills; information filtering;
ability to set goals.
1.4. Teaching in the direction of practical implementation of the triad “digital
literacy–digital mobility–digital commercial competence”
In today’s virtual reality, pursuing the goal of quality training in digital entrepreneurship is
the need to focus on achieving fair, comprehensive progress in equipping and providing the
latest opportunities for each teacher of digital entrepreneurship and acquiring competencies in
this business, digital jobs of the future (Kryvoruchko et al., 2018). For example, using the Office
365 enterprise portal provides the following benefits:
A single place to store all types of documents;
Single contact book;
A single information (news, blogs, calendars) space for all professionals;
Joint photo and video gallery;
Work with independent accounting of vacations;
Online reconciliation of memos;
A single digital learning center;
Social activities (competitions, bank of ideas, voting, etc.).
Practically achieve the implementation of the triad: “digital literacy – digital mobility –
digital commercial competence” can be done with analytics based on PowerBI:
Reports on sales/purchases online anywhere (including integration into Microsoft Teams);
Clear and user-friendly interface;
Inability to “break” anything by the user;
Unlimited scaling and design of reports “from any angle” (in terms of
contractors/regions/products/managers/amounts, etc.);
No need to involve developers in the design of new reports.
The implementation of the plan for a new quality of teaching digital entrepreneurship and
the expansion of the list of existing competencies lies in the solution of a number of tasks,
including:
Introduction of an approach based on competence, cross-platform digital competence, i.e.
when the study of subjects is through the use of digital technologies, during which, digital
skills are developed;
Increasing the share and improving the quality of training of specialists in the field of
information and communication technologies (ICT) and innovative entrepreneurship:
increasing the state order for the training of ICT specialists, involvement of girls and
women in the ICT sphere and entrepreneurship (Boldyreva et al., 2019);
Development of a system of “social and innovative elevators” in the ICT sphere and digital
entrepreneurship, including informing schoolchildren and students about possible
internships and internships in ICT companies, corporations, stimulating the development
of youth ICT entrepreneurship and youth digital entrepreneurship (Holoborodko et al.,
2019);
Measurement and certification of digital skills. Adaptation of the methodology of
measuring and implementation of independent certification of the level of digital skills in
14
accordance with the needs of the labor market and digital entrepreneurship;
Harmonization of the legal framework governing the certification of digital skills of
entrepreneurs, teachers, civil servants, other segments, with international requirements,
as well as the regulatory framework for additional accruals to wages in terms of
confirmation of digital competencies;
Updating the state classifier of professions, i.e. development and approval of the list of
digital professions (based on labor market requirements, modern digital trends), their
introduction in higher education institutions.
Teaching in practical implementation of the triad: “digital literacy–digital mobility–digital
commercial competence” should take place through the use of a combination of different
modern forms and types of work, which we present in Table 1.3 and through the use of new
techniques, technologies and types of teaching digital entrepreneurship in terms of virtual
reality (Table 1.4).
Table 1.3. Forms and types of work forming digital competencies and skills in the course of
obtaining education in digital entrepreneurship at innovative-entrepreneurship university
Forms of teaching, that
used in the acquisition
of knowledge in digital
entrepreneurship
Trainings, dedicated to
the acquisition of
digital
entrepreneurship skills
Webinars on digital
entrepreneurship
Independent work on
digital business
Round tables on online
round tables on
entrepreneurship
digitization
Offline and online
teaching
Types, content and characteristics, acquired competencies and knowledge
In the course of participation in trainings new digital educational products on a
technique of development of critical thinking are introduced into practice, public and
legal digital education, debates, digital education for sustainable innovative-digital
development, interactive technologies of digital learning, educational management are
put into practice. Active learning. Research and structuring of information-digital space
through training of high-level thinking operations in the process of working with digital
information and big data, texts. System of work with information/texts of different
content and volume with the help of graphic organizers (designers).
In the course of acquaintance with the best European practices in the field of digital
education and digital science in new virtual reality, “growing” on this basis its own
institute of digital education, institute of digital entrepreneurship, institute of digital
science, institute of digital entrepreneur.
Development of critical thinking as an opportunity to express one’s position in digital
entrepreneurship. Creative search in terms of digital entrepreneurship development.
The pyramid of memorization.
Discussion on digital entrepreneurship at such events. Questions as a tool for a teacher
of digital entrepreneurship.
Critical thinking and argumentation in the formation and defense of scientific and
educational position: the ability to identify arguments in different texts, formulate
arguments in support of the position, create a system of arguments in their own
educational and scientific text (article, report, speech, abstract, startup project, thesis,
analytical note). Definition and refutation of incorrect argumentation, protection
against information manipulation.
Source: authors’ development
The application of the “workshop” method during teaching digital entrepreneurship allows
future specialists in digital entrepreneurship:
To acquire theoretical knowledge about digital activities in various sectors of the
economy, as well as to develop such competencies in future professionals in digital
entrepreneurship as responsibility, objectivity, integrity (Kraus et al., 2018);
To motivate participants to discuss the issues raised at the seminar, in the process of which
the impact of digitization of entrepreneurship on the development of world economies
becomes clearer;
To acquire skills to create mindmapping-questions, which allows to substantiate the
causes and consequences of digital business processes for the society of different
countries and sustainable development of mankind as a whole;
15
To study and discuss the experience of digital entrepreneurship in the world and the
feasibility of its use, to identify main tools for the formation of a new quality of digital
entrepreneurship on the basis of virtual reality;
To acquire skills of teamwork, communication, coordination, consolidation in response to
digital challenges that await companies in the future and to form a personal interest in the
topic under study;
Through their own active work to gain dynamic knowledge about measures to accelerate
the digitalization of entrepreneurship in practice, which is satisfying and creates a desire to
transfer this knowledge to others, and thus creates the conditions for a responsible
attitude to their activities and counteract inaction at the mental level.
Table 1.4. Innovative techniques, technologies and types of teaching in digital
entrepreneurship in virtual reality
Innovative techniques
and technologies and
types of training used in
the development of
digital entrepreneurship
Research teaching digital
entrepreneurship
Cognitive-research or
exploratory teaching in
digital entrepreneurship
Blended teaching digital
entrepreneurship
General characteristics of innovative techniques, technologies and types of training
used in the development of digital entrepreneurship
this is the organization of training sessions on digital entrepreneurship, which
involves the creation under the guidance of a teacher of problematic business
situations and active independent students of digital entrepreneurship to solve them,
resulting in creative and innovative mastery of professional economic knowledge of
entrepreneurship, digital skills, skills, competencies.
it is a type of activity that is the most effective link in the transition from educational
activities to research, because it contains almost all the components of scientific and
creative research and leads to the creation of a new product in digital
entrepreneurship. Main forms of research and development of digital
entrepreneurship education are participation in innovative laboratories, business
associations, digital entrepreneurs’ clubs, innovation factories, business incubators,
individual and group work on research startup projects in digital entrepreneurship. It
is also scientific-practical conferences, seminars, hackathons, startup fights, rallies,
competitions – exhibitions of research works, study tours, expeditions, participation
in virtual-real competitions as well as in training and in production-practical and
vacation time. In the course of systematic search and research work, digital skills are
formed in students of digital entrepreneurship:
- Intellectual – analysis, synthesis, comparison, generalization and systematization,
abstraction, establishing cause-and-effect relationships in the course of luck or
success in business, problem statement in the formation of digital entrepreneurship
and hypothesis, search and use of analogy, deductive inference and proof successful
for the implementation of investment projects;
- Practical – the use of educational, reference and additional literature on the
implementation of digital entrepreneurship, both successful and failed, the selection
of material for the experiment, the design of research results; self-organization and
self-control – planning of search and research work, rational use of time and means
and digital tools for innovative entrepreneurship in the conditions of virtual reality,
verification of the obtained results, self-assessment.
it is a kind of hybrid method, when there is a combination of online learning,
traditional and independent teaching digital entrepreneurship. This means not just
the use of modern interactive educational digital technologies in addition to
traditional ones, but a qualitatively new approach to learning that transforms, and
sometimes “turns over” classroom. There are six key components of the
implementation of blended teaching digital entrepreneurship, namely:
- Leadership in knowledge of digital entrepreneurship, as a necessary condition for
the introduction of blended learning;
- Professional economic development of digital entrepreneurship is a key component
of ensuring the implementation of the tasks set out in the roadmap for the
implementation of training programs and courses in digital entrepreneurship. A
coordinated, detailed and systematic plan of professional economic development on
the basis of the stated goals should be brought to the notice of all participants in the
process of implementing teaching digital entrepreneurship;
16
Traditional teaching
digital entrepreneurship
or explanatoryillustrative
“Inverted” teaching digital
entrepreneurship
Problem-Based Learning
or problem-oriented
teaching digital
entrepreneurship
Using ecosystems of
educational innovation
hubs in teaching digital
entrepreneurship
The use of storytelling as
an effective tool for
creating digital stories for
training on the formation
and implementation of
digital entrepreneurship
Project-Based Learning
for digital
entrepreneurship
- Learning activities (the use of blended teaching requires the use of digital interactive
systems, which are a means of delivering educational economic content of digital
entrepreneurship, namely: digital interactive systems include learning management
systems (LMS), content management systems (CMS), means of informing students of
economic education on digital entrepreneurship.
- Reorganization of the educational process in the direction of full digitization and
acquisition of digital competencies in entrepreneurship in terms of virtual reality;
- Electronic educational resources for teaching digital entrepreneurship. The decision
to acquire and/or develop your own digital content is important for the
implementation of online and blended learning technologies;
- Technological infrastructure to provide teaching digital entrepreneurship (reliable
telecommunications network, software and hardware for training in new virtual
reality).
this teaching in which a teacher of digital entrepreneurship reports, communicates to
students a certain amount of economic knowledge, explains the essence of
phenomena, business processes, economic laws, formal and informal rules of digital
entrepreneurship using illustrative material. Applicants must consciously master the
proposed amount of knowledge in the implementation of digital entrepreneurship
and reproduce this knowledge at the level of deep understanding and practice in
various forms.
a form of active teaching digital entrepreneurship, which allows you to “reverse” usual
learning process as follows: homework for students of digital entrepreneurship is to
view relevant videos about successful and failed digital entrepreneurship projects
with training material for the next lesson (applicants independently pass theoretical
material), and in the audience time is used to perform practical business cases. The
value of inverted teaching digital entrepreneurship is the ability to use learning time
for group sessions, where students can discuss the content of the business case, test
their knowledge and interact with each other in practical entrepreneurship. During
training sessions, the role of a teacher of digital entrepreneurship is to act as a trainer
or consultant, encouraging students in digital entrepreneurship to study
independently and work together.
Teaching that focuses on problem and process of its solution, during the application of
which the real complex problems of digital entrepreneurship are used as an
educational tool. Business-based learning stimulates the application of critical
thinking and problem-solving skills in a limited time and provides real-world
experience that facilitates an active learning process, helps to systematize knowledge,
and naturally integrates teaching digital entrepreneurship into real life. This training
focuses on the ability of students to learn about the subject through the experience of
solving open problem of digital entrepreneurship, found in trigger material. PBL
process doesn’t focus on solving problems with a specific solution, but allows you to
develop other desired skills and traits.
Such structures are a set of organizational, structural and functional components
(institutions) with their relationships involved in the creation and application of
scientific knowledge and technologies in digital entrepreneurship, which determine
the economic, legal, organizational and social conditions of innovation process and
ensure the development of innovation. Key task of the ecosystem of educational
innovation hub for teaching digital entrepreneurship is to create an innovative and
active environment for the development of knowledge-intensive business by
commercializing the results of research and development to digitize business
activities.
One of the most interesting and productive modern methods of teaching digital
entrepreneurship. It is the art of telling the stories of beginning and development of
digital entrepreneurship in order to, on the basis of such knowledge, be trained,
managed by conveying the content of the message using a special technique. Among
the most popular techniques are: word cloud, videos, texts, comics, movies, cartoons,
photos. Using this technique, elements of dramatization, exaggeration, improvisation
are used.
Main goal is to get final digital product to facilitate doing business in new virtual
reality. By studying project-based learning, those who acquire knowledge of digital
entrepreneurship, for some time researching and responding to real, interesting and
complex questions, gain the necessary knowledge and skills in conducting digital
business.
Source: authors’ development.
17
Main results of teaching digital entrepreneurship, which define and form a new structure
and quality of competencies of both a teacher of digital entrepreneurship and a student of
economic education in terms of digitization of innovative business activities are:
1. The latest digital tools used in the training of digital entrepreneurship in order to create a
new quality of cooperation:
1.1. Development of new ways and resources for digitization of business activities for joint
e-interaction within the chain such as “E-government–E-university–E-business”;
1.2. Using of digital tools to solve business problems in terms of cooperation between
teacher and acquirer of knowledge in digital entrepreneurship in all possible types of
teaching in virtual reality;
1.3. Placement and dissemination of created digital educational resources for the
formation of digital entrepreneurship in innovative laboratories and on educational
platforms of educational institutions;
1.4. Modification and editing of existing digital educational resources for doing business,
subject to compliance with the requirements of academic integrity;
1.5. Creating and editing e-documents for communication, cooperation and informing
participants of the educational process on digital entrepreneurship;
1.6. Joint creation on the basis of virtual platforms of digital educational resources for the
formation and development of digital entrepreneurship by universities, business and
government.
2. Digital tools used in digital entrepreneurship training to create a new quality
communication:
2.1. Using digital tools to solve practical cases with business problems in order to form a
new quality of communication in the course of teaching digital entrepreneurship in
virtual reality;
2.2. Organization of online communication between all participants in the educational
process through social networks, corporate services, e-learning system during
teaching digital entrepreneurship;
2.3. Prompt counseling of all participants in educational process with the tools of digital
environment of educational institutions in the course of teaching digital
entrepreneurship.
3. Innovative digital molding tools assessment of the level of acquired knowledge and
competencies as a result of teaching digital entrepreneurship:
3.1. Development and working out of criteria of an estimation of quality of the created
educational e-courses, e-resources of a different format on digital entrepreneurship in
the conditions of new virtual reality;
3.2. Using digital tools to solve problems in terms of objective and transparent assessment
of acquired competencies, skills and abilities as a result of teaching digital
entrepreneurship in virtual reality.
4. New technologies e-teaching digital entrepreneurship in virtual reality:
4.1. Description and forecasting of educational trends in teaching digital entrepreneurship,
taking into account the development of digital technologies;
4.2. Systematic integration of digital technologies into the educational process of digital
entrepreneurship;
4.3. Combination in the creation of e-learning resources of modern learning management
systems (LMS), taking into account the learning styles of digital entrepreneurship in
virtual reality;
4.4. Evaluation of innovative pedagogical and digital technologies for the introduction of
formal, non-formal and informal teaching digital entrepreneurship in the conditions of
virtual reality;
4.5. Use of online services and digital technologies for the formation of digital skills of a
successful entrepreneur;
18
4.6. Implementation of continuous self-education and self-development in digital
entrepreneurship through available digital resources;
4.7. Creation of educational e-resources for digital entrepreneurship (text, multimedia,
audio, video, business cases) and the ability to argue the ways and methods of their use
depending on the educational goals.
1.5. The future of digital generation and the change of business models through the
lens of a chain type: “digital thinking–digital identification–digital self-development–
digital initiatives–digital maturity–digital society”
The institute of education lags behind the modern needs and pace of development of
society in the direction of the formation of Society 5.0 and Industry 4.0. Many of the world’s
leading companies do not require higher education for job seekers when hiring. A diploma is
not as important as the practical digital skills that an individual possesses (Osetskyi et al.,
2020). This is, above all, effective communication and the ability to work in a team. Although
artificial intelligence will soon become a full member of the team, it will be necessary to
delegate some of the responsibilities to the machines and, accordingly, to control them.
Knowledge of foreign languages is also a necessary component of success. Big successful
companies gather talent from all over the world, so you need to be able to work effectively in
different cultures and international teams.
Hybrid thinking, the ability to solve problems, focus on results – the qualities that will be
most in demand in the labor market in any field. The modern generation of creative, digital
people lives under the slogan: “New contacts, new ideas, new opportunities ...”. As jobs change
with the technologies of the Fourth Industrial Revolution, there is an urgent need to retrain
more than 1 billion people by 2030.
It is expected that by 2022, 42 % of the basic skills needed to perform existing work will
change. In addition to high-tech skills, specialized interpersonal skills will be required, including
skills related to sales, HR, and digital entrepreneurship education. In this regard, we consider it
necessary to consider the characteristics of the generations of people of the 20th and 21st
centuries, through the prism of economic, institutional and professional content. Each
generation has its own unique features due to the era, social norms, institutions, technologies
(Table 1.5). As the Pew Research Center explains, the distinction between different
generations over the years is only approximate, and experts’ opinions on clear dates for the
transition from one generation to another usually differ slightly (Manzhura et al., 2020).
Table 1.5. General characteristics of the types of generations of people in the 20th and 21st
centuries through the prism of economic, institutional and professional content features
Name of the
generation
Baby
Boomers
Years of
birth
Institutional
features of
states and
time period
1946-1954
(63)
institutes are
strong, and
individualism
is weak
Economic
life cycle
Personal
traits of the
individual
lift
optimists;
industry;
conservatism;
Evolution of human generations of the 20th and 21st centuries
Generation X or
Generation Y,
Generation Z or
“Generation 13”, or Millennials,
Buzzers,
Generation-alpha (A)
“Sandwich
“Peter Pen
Postmillenaries,
Generation”
Generation”
Centenaries
1966 (61)-1976
1977 (81)1995 (2003)-2012
2013 to the present
1996
institutions are
institutions are
institutions are
alpha people form
sacrificed for the
weak and
destroyed and
“transparent world”
sake of
individualism is
people unite to
and “transparent”
individualism
growing
create new
values. Reputation
institutions
plays an important
role in this world
awakening
decline
crisis
a new rise is expected
early become
independent;
distrust of the
shy, picky
about their
diet;
tolerant; sensitive;
apolitical;
advocate for
are formed as
individuals in the time
of artificial
19
cult of youth
and team
spirit
authorities; “Are
witnesses of the
pre-Internet
era”; technically
literate;
individualists;
pragmatists; are
the bearers of
democratic
views; forced to
take care of
children and
parents at the
same time
dependent on
fashion trends;
love to travel,
care about the
environment,
not frugal;
tolerant; active
in defending
their rights;
lived with their
parents for a
long time and
did not hurry
to grow up
same-sex marriage
and equality; lead
a healthy lifestyle;
tolerant; prefer
online
communication;
minimalists; well
versed in
technology; have
an account on
social networks;
are interested in
modern music,
culture, memes;
average life
expectancy – 80
years
Teaching,
education
distrusts on
technology in
education and
in general in
all spheres of
life; a small
number of
people
received
higher
education
growth in the
number of
inconsistencies
in the education
system;
reduction of
funding for the
education
system and the
difficulty of
obtaining
student loans
self-aware,
prefer social
networks to
television, able
to learn, share
self-education
study in an
interdisciplinary
approach (at the
intersection of
different
disciplines);
concentration of
attention – 8
seconds; most of
them have higher
education
Professional
qualities
careerists
who feel
comfortable
in teamwork;
young people
came to
power and
held
leadership
positions
strive to remain
capable and
professionally
needed for a
long time;
changes in
career
prospects, which
increased
academic
requirements
and
requirements for
intellectual
abilities
adhere to the
balance
between work
and rest, work
for them is a
matter of a
lifetime; easily
cooperate in a
team
do not understand
life and work
without the
Internet, quickly
switch attention –
they find it
difficult to
concentrate, 72%
dream of their
own business
intelligence; use
gadgets from birth;
have high moral
standards; value
freedom of choice;
informal; 90% of
children under the
age of 2 use a tablet,
and every 5th has its
own gadget in 3-4
years; life expectancy
is 100 years; erudite;
non-aggressive;
balancing; are the
bearers of the
humanitarian mission
and the “engines” of
progress; free from all
sorts of conventions
value personalization
and individual
approach;
concentration – 1
second, which allows
you to develop critical
thinking; have good
relationships with
parents who consult
with them and listen
to their knowledge in
digital matters;
special courses on
how to distinguish
facts from fakes are
taught in schools; in
their world the
information picture
displaces the text;
according to forecasts
–40% of children of
this generation will
not have higher
education
will not share the real
and virtual world; will
blog; creating a
completely new type
of content (streams,
raffles, challenges)
earn money at an
early age; high moral
standards; sensitive
to lies
Source: authors’ development.
20
Millennials are a digital generation that prefers online communication, distance learning,
and remote work. They take advantage of modern technology, care about privacy, and
misperceive systems that are not human-centered/human-oriented. If you look at generations
A and Z, according to experts, they will have so-called “soft skills”, which they also have to
constantly “pump” (Manzhura et al., 2019).
Generations of alpha people, through further deeper development of the Internet, will try
to build a flexible and socially responsible global space in which more attention will be paid to
the environment, terrorism, resource exhaustion. Among the many skills, there are a number of
basic: ability to show empathy for others; skills of building healthy communication; ability to
plan and bring the business to a logical conclusion; be attentive to their emotions; critical
thinking skills; ability to effectively manage their time; to develop emotional intelligence, which
is only way to compete with robots, artificial intelligence, which develops quite intensively.
It is worth noting that emotional intelligence is a set of skills that allow you to recognize
and understand other people’s emotions and intentions, as well as control their own to solve
practical problems. Many employers say that for a successful career, the alpha generation
needs to master three things – adaptability, the ability to work with information and the ability
to find “points of contact” with any person. And this is the practical realization of emotional
intelligence.
As part of the research, we attempted to present a comparison of economic and
organizational benefits for modern companies employing people of different generations,
namely baby boomers and generations of digital people (Table 1.6).
Table 1.6. Comparison of generation A, Z and baby boomer skills and economic and
organizational benefits as a result of their work for companies
Skills typical of classic employees – the generation of
baby boomers
Everyone in the team is on their own
The team is in conflict
Lack of trust leads to concealment of information by
the leader from the team
The indifference of the team to the company’s business
Distrust of employees by the manager and among
themselves
Inability to make current decisions independently by
employees; employees do not listen to the head
The team does not systematically achieve its goals
Economic and organizational benefits for the
company from the work of traditional specialists or
baby boomers
Problems are silenced and mistakes are hidden
Employees do not understand the ultimate goals and
objectives
The manager controls everything himself
Impossibility to scale business with such a team
Not understanding how much profit the company will
receive in each current month
New progressive acquired skills inherent in the digital
generation
Trust in the middle of the team
Mutual assistance
Knowledge and experience, communication with each
other
Ability to engage in constructive conflict and resolve it
quickly
Understanding of responsibility for your result and the
team as a whole
Demanding employees to colleagues
Everyone’s desire to achieve common goals for the team
and the company
Economic and organizational benefits for the company
from the work of digital specialists
Increase profits
Time to grow the company instead of resolving conflicts
Ability to scale the business
Ability to predict team results
Get out of the routine without having to check every
action of employees
Mutual trust between the leader and team members
Source: authors’ development.
According to experts, up to 70 classical professions are expected to disappear in the world
by 2030. Of course, there will be a number of new and so far, which are the professions that
few can give a clear answer. This is due to the fact that the world is changing rapidly and it is not
entirely clear why you need to learn to be in trend. The alpha generation will have to intuitively
guess what skills they will need to be successful in the future.
21
The generation of buzzers and alpha humans will have to constantly acquire new skills and
change activities. This is due to the fact that their income will depend on the understanding of
the situation and the rapid, sometimes even instantaneous, “inclusion” in the process. It is
expected that during his career, the alpha generation will change more than 5 activities and up
to 20 employers. Analysts believe that new generation of digital people will be more self-aware
through self-learning and self-education. In addition, remote work, i.e. freelancing, is becoming
increasingly popular. For these reasons, Table 1.7 presents the author’s vision of the matrix
structure of the benefits that appear to the generation of millennials, buzzers and alpha people
as a result of the formation of the digital workplace of the entrepreneur.
Table 1.7. Matrix structure of benefits of the digital workplace of the businessman for
generation of millennials, buzzers and alpha people
Prerequisites for moving to Office 365
1. Weak infrastructure
2. Constantly non-working mail
3. Slow “Public folder” for storing shared documents
4. The need for a gradual transition to “cloud”
5. The presence of a single “login window” for all users
of group companies
6. The need for universal software licensing
7. The need to keep all documents within the company
8. Establish a common security and privacy policy
within the group
Why Office 365?
1. User-friendly set of tools
2. Easy to master and launch the product
3. Profitable (compared to the classic licensing option)
4. Modern – there are all the necessary mobile
applications, well-thought-out ergonomics of services,
socialized tools
5. Flexible – you can choose different packages for
different roles and tasks
6. There are no corporate alternatives on the market
Benefits of Office 365
1. Licensed, always relevant software for all employees of
all companies in the group
2. Microsoft Exchange for mail and calendars
3. Instant deployment of Office 365 for new employees
4. Ability to work from anywhere
5. Preservation of company documents of employees
6. Instant exchange of information (including documents)
within the company
7. Significantly increased mobility
8. Corporate portal based on SharePoint
9. Analytics reports are built on PowerBI
10. Teams for corporate communication and modern work
Office 365 application issues
1. Staff training
2. Internal resistance to change
3. Not always stable operation of Microsoft services
4. SharePoint speeds are not always sufficient
Source: authors’ development.
The key changes that should be followed at all times when teaching a course of digital
entrepreneurship are the following:
Universities should not only provide the educational process, but also become platforms
for the creation of innovations and digital products/services, which can be achieved by
merging with science and practice;
Pooling resources for the implementation of joint projects, the creation of scientific and
educational on-line platforms for digital entrepreneurship courses;
New opportunities for building personalized educational trajectories of digital
entrepreneurship development;
Development of a level system of thematic modules for teaching the course of digital
entrepreneurship (Figure 1.5);
Along with traditional education, society should make greater use of non-traditional, which
would allow the growth of their competencies in terms of the new quality of digital
entrepreneurship.
22
І module
Digital and innovation culture
Shaping digital thinking
and behavior as the
goal of digital education
Digital education
Digital training
Digital thinking
Digital behavior
II module
Assessment of
knowledge on
digital
entrepreneurship
Control of obtaining
knowledge from digital
entrepreneurship
Lecture on Digital Entrepreneurship
Practical and seminar classes
Study of the
methodology for
conducting various
forms of training in
digital
entrepreneurship,
control and evaluation
of knowledge of means
of intensifying the
methodology of digital
learning
Trainings and workshops of digital entrepreneurship
Economic gaming classes
Independent research activities
Intensification of digital entrepreneurship training
Digital learning
methodology or
technology
Psychological and
pedagogical
uniqueness of
each teacher in
digital
entrepreneurship
ІІІ module
Advanced digital
experience
teaching
Self-development, self-education
Innovative, digital and psychological and pedagogical uniqueness of the
teacher in digital entrepreneurship
Figure 1.5. The content of the modules of teaching the course of digital entrepreneurship
Source: authors’ development.
As a result, we note that digital entrepreneurship is an accelerator of socio-economic life
of Society 5.0 in the conditions of virtual reality and is able to rapidly increase the GDP of any
country. However, in this case there should be no pauses, let alone paradoxes. Pragmatism of
organizational and institutional action, together with social responsibility, should be the basis
of institutional support of digital competencies in the field of entrepreneurship.
Institutionalization of modern economic order in the direction of formation and
development of teaching digital entrepreneurship should take into account the evolution of
social values that dominate the economic order today, and be based on a quality institute of
education and creative innovators and their digital competencies and skills. Convinced that
23
there is an urgent need today to develop tools and mechanisms for virtual digital coworking
centers, cross-platforms with digital industry, digital studio hubs, association hubs and
hackathons, in order to form an economic digital virtual reality based on this knowledge. After
all, virtualization allows you to reduce the initial capital costs for the deployment of the
necessary digital infrastructure, through the use of cloud technologies and software-defined
architecture.
24
Pierpaolo Magliocca, Alessandro Cirillo
University of Foggia
2. INTERACTIVE DIGITAL TEACHING METHODS
2.1. What is a digital learning method from the pedagogical point of view?
The digitalization process has become pervasive in everyday life. Indoubtly, connectivity
removed space and time barriers making knowledge more affordable. However, having such
knowledge at hand could not necessarily mean being more educated: in fact, knowledge
conveyed via digital methods does not overlap with digital learning that emerges as a complex
concept rooted into pedagogical literature.
The scope of this chapter is to review the main theoretical underpinnings of digital
learning and its most effective methods by discussing the principal tools currently employed in
teaching activities. That is, the chapter aims to answer the following research questions: 1)
what is a digital learning method from the pedagogical point of view? 2) which are the most
useful methods?
The first question appears timely and relevant since it is crucial to discriminate between
an informal/occasional/unplanned digital learning experience and formal/planned/intentional
one. In the first category fall, for example, YouTube® videos or digital conferences. The second
category comprises, for example, E-lecturers or surgery operations shared via streaming by
medical schools. The difference among the two reviewed digital learning occasions rests in the
pedagogical usability that denotes whether the tools, content, interface and tasks of digital
method environments support participants to learn in various learning contexts according to
selected pedagogical objectives.
The second research question lies at the crossroad between diffusion of learning methods
and effectiveness of such methods in the pedagogical sense. Answering such question helps to
understand how digital learning supports learners and facilitates in constructing knowledge by
using technologies. Moreover, an in-depth analysis of the role of Massive Open Online Courses,
Web platform and Webinars, Business Games and Simulations in shaping entrepreneurial
learning is offered.
In the context of entrepreneurial education, Sousa and colleagues (2019) defined digital
learning methodologies as “new methods of teaching using technology with the purpose to
improve the quality of education and involve students in the educational process” (p. 227).
However, a recurring problem with digital learning deals with its definition. To orient between
different perspectives, it is useful to consider the impact of technologies on social changes. To
this end, two approaches are instructive: determinist and instrumental (Feenberg, 1991).
Determinist suggests that technology brings out changes regardless of circumstances.
Instrumental rests in the assumption that technology serves the purpose of their users
independently from what they might be. However, both approaches neglect the interactions
between social systems, agents and media that, in turn, carve the impact of technology on real
life (Warschauer, 2007).
According to the determinist view, technology in the learning process could give rise to
positive changes without considering learners’ social and individual characteristics. According
to instrumental view, such technology would increase learning experience just if correctly
implemented without taking into account learners' needs and their learning objectives. The
above overview leads to the impossibility to define digital learning as a learning process shaped
25
or enriched by technologies giving rise to the necessity of in-depth theoretical clarifications.
On this point, Sangrà and colleagues (2012) cautioned scholars from using “technology-driven”
definitions, i.e. those that define digital learning simply as the use of technology for learning,
posing academic attention on "educational-paradigm-oriented" definitions, i.e. those that
consider digital learning as a new way of learning or as an improvement of an existing
educational paradigm.
Enlightening in this sense is the meaning that Naidu (2002) gave to this concept: "[the]
educational processes that utilize information and communications technology (ICT) to
mediate asynchronous as well as synchronous learning and teaching activities" (p. 137). Salmon
(2005) echoed this view by advising that digital learning is not about computer or software but
deals with time, knowledge, motivation and appropriate teaching methods. Technologies are
instruments that are flexible and interactive by nature that can complement the learning
process but never substitute teachers' ability and pedagogical intentions. As stated by Stain et
al. (2011), the scope of digital learning is the same of any other educational activity: that is to
enhance learning. To this end, technologies employed in digital learning should possess several
characteristics (Jansen et al., 2002): 1) active participation of the learners; 2) active control of
the process by learners; 3) flexibility and adaptability to learners’ needs.
Digital learning can practically assume the form of courses, modules or smaller learning
objects (the smallest unit of learning material) and can be synchronous (learners and instructor
enjoy simultaneously the same learning environment) or asynchronous with no geographical
barriers.
Although digital learning is considered as an evolution of distance education, those
concepts remain diverse and such diversity is threefold (Guri-Rosenblit, 2005). First, the
difference stands in relation to remoteness and proximity between learner and instructor in
the learning process. That is, distance learning implies, in its conception, the physical separation
between those figures but also the absence of a learning group since students approach the
learning process individually (Keegan, 1986).
Digital learning can be interchangeably used in distance teaching settings, in this sense
technology is a tool to facilitate the process, and in traditional teaching one, in this case
technology is a way to enhance the learning experience. Second, the difference relies on target
learners. In fact, distance education is normally tailored for those who have difficulties in
attending to face-to-face lessons such as: physical/health constraints; geographical barriers;
working; family obligations; being held in closed institutions (e.g. prisons or hospitals) (GuriRosenblit, 2005).
Distance education has been considered, for this motive, a barriers remover form of
learning process. On the contrary, digital learning does not refer to any particular target as it is
used by young learners as well as by adults both in and out-campus or classrooms. Third,
another distinctive characteristic is the economic cost of digital vs. distance learning. The
latter, compared to face-to-face lessons, is normally cheaper due to decreased fixed costs and
the possibility to leverage on economies of scale. The former, has higher costs linked to its
dependency from technologies that rapidly become obsolete and less useful to teaching.
Despite their great suitability to distance education, cost motivations explain why higher
teaching institutions do not fully incorporate, or have done it to a little extent, information
technologies in their learning paradigms.
Once defined digital learning, it becomes crucial to distinguish among digital learning
experiences, those informal activities not planned or structured with a pedagogical aim, and
digital learning education, those formal activities that respond to pedagogical needs. The
difference among the two rest in the pedagogical usability that denotes whether the tools,
content, interface and tasks of digital method environments support participants to learn in
various learning contexts according to selected pedagogical objectives. To gain a pedagogical
usability, digital learning methods should include (not equally weighted by the way) ten
dimensions (Nokelainen, 2006), namely: 1. Learner control, 2. Learner activity, 3.
26
Cooperative/Collaborative learning, 4. Goal orientation, 5. Applicability, 6. Added value, 7.
Motivation, 8. Valuation of previous knowledge, 9. Flexibility and 10. Feedback.
Learner control refers to the possibility to pace, sequence and select information aids
learning (Scheiter, 2014). This would increase and sustain motivation to learn but also allows
learners to adapt the method to their specific needs and preferences. Learners’ activity
depends, on a large amount, from the characteristics of the learners themselves but methods
can foster or inhibit such activity by assigning the “didactic role” of the instructor: when it is
regarded as a simple facilitator, learners’ independent activity increases (Reeves, 1994).
Cooperative and collaborative learning takes place when learners collaborate to reach a
common learning goal and do not acquire knowledge but participate to create knowledge as
members of the learning community (Barab and Duffy, 2000). Goal orientation considers the
need of a learning method to have a clear objective that should be aligned with instructors’ and
learners’ goals: however, learners should have the chance to pursue their own goals in
coherence with the ones ex-ante offered. Applicability tends to reflect the importance of the
acquired skills in everyday life; in this sense, the learned knowledge should be transferred into
working situations that learners will face later on. Value-added recalls the need for digital
learning methods to offer a better experience to learners that can be achieved through an
easier accessibility to materials (access is more effective and economic), greater level of
communication between instructor and learners, better fit between necessities (of students)
and goals (of learning method). Motivation serves as a powerful tool to reach learning goals
(Reeves, 1994).
In digital learning, combining autonomy support (i.e. providing options and recognizing
students’ goals) and structure (i.e. providing a rationale for a task) positively impact on both
intrinsic motivation and learning outcomes in learners and such combination is enhanced by
the use of computer-based methods (van Loon et al., 2012). Methods should carefully consider
learners' existing knowledge and encourage them to use it. Flexibility considers the ability to
shape methods on individuals’ differences and to meet individuals’ learning objectives.
Feedbacks are considered crucial to increase learning motivations: give feedbacks to learners
helps to understand, eventual, lacks in her/his learning approach.
2.2. Which are the most useful methods?
The use of technology and more in general the use of computer-based tools significantly
contributed to the shift from a learning environment where information is presented
electronically to a learning one where learners are supported and facilitated in constructing
knowledge. Using technology as cognitive support in the learning process offers learners the
opportunity to develop high-order abilities but also serves as a stimulus for ameliorating their
problem-solving capacities (Oliver, 2008).
Digital learning methods pushed the transition from heteronomous to autonomous
learning (Peter, 2000). The former refers to the fit of expository teaching and receptive
learning: instructors have the entire control over the learning process and its goals, they
“expose” knowledge that is received by learners that are regarded as inactive, or passive, with a
learning process that is cognitive. The latter refers to the active role of learners who guide and
shape the learning process as well as teaching path.
One of the most used methods, and perhaps less innovative right now, is the interactive
whiteboard (IWB) technology that turns classrooms into digital learning ones (López, 2010). At
its core, this technology rests on an electronic board, wall-anchored, connected to a projector
and laptop connected to internet: thanks to the projector, images of the laptop appear on the
board. Despite its low level of technological advancement, IWB has contributed to reduce
academic gaps among learners: combining the spoken word (the oral lesson) with the
presented word (the combinations of images, sounds, graphs and so on) enhances the learning
experience and helps maintaining high the level of attention (López, 2010).
Although IWB allows multimodal learning, that is a learning that uses verbal and nonverbal – such as static (photos or graph) and dynamic (video or animation) – modes to present
27
knowledge, it lacks interactivity. Interactivity takes place when the path of reaching learning
goals depends on the actions of learners that are protagonist of the process (Moreno and
Mayer, 2007). In doing this, the way knowledge is presented is not pre-determined or ex-ante
established but varies upon learners’ actions moving from “information acquisition” to
“knowledge construction” (Mayer, 2001). Interactivity enables an action that is bidirectional,
between instructor and learners, and not unidirectional, from instructor to learners. Literature
individuates five types of interactivity (Moreno and Mayer, 2007): dialoguing (questions and
answer of feedbacks); controlling (determining the order of knowledge construction);
manipulating (setting the parameters of the action); searching (possibility to find new materials
and contents); navigating (possibility to move from of learning block to another or shift the
among different information).
Having these considerations in mind, scholars have often individuated digital game-based
learning (DGBL) as a valid digital learning method permeated by interactivity. DGBL “is a
competitive activity in which students are set educational goals intended to promote
knowledge acquisition” (Erhel and Jamet, 2013 p.156). DGBL gives to learners the possibility
to interactively explore a learning objective by using an entertainment perspective (i.e.
players/learners compete while reaching educational goals) with the aim of developing
cognitive skills or practice existing skill in real world-situation. Dealing with practical situations
is crucial to meaningful experience and learn. This method has also the merit of stimulating the
use of high-order thinking and Hwang et al. (2015) found that it significantly improves
students' learning achievements, learning motivations, satisfaction degree and flow state.
Right now, another digital learning method is gaining scholars’ attention: augmented
reality (AR). It deals with computer-generated virtual information superimposed on the realobject image (Sungkur et al., 2016). AR must not be confused with virtual reality since the
former supplements the real world with a virtual learning environment, while the latter totally
immerges learners into a virtual environment. Among the merits of AR, Kerawalla et al. (2006)
indicated the ability to make learners more dedicated and motivated to explore resources and
apply them to real-world environment from multiple perspectives. AR is useful in reaching
learning goals because it allows learners to carry out their personal tasks through the help of
information complemented by virtual objects (Sungkur et al., 2016).
2.3. Focus on “Web platform and Webinars (online or virtual seminars)”, “MOOCs”
and “Business Games and Simulations”
The main goal of this section is to focus on main digital education methodologies and tools
to develop knowledge and entrepreneurial capacity. Nowadays, even more with the COVID-19
pandemic, digital education is increasingly influencing both classroom/campus-based teaching:
new models or designs for teaching and learning are becoming increasingly important (Sousa et
al., 2019).
The stakeholders of training and teaching – namely schools, training and higher education
institutions – are enriching and completing their study programs with specific courses about
starting a business, by combining different and independent modules or embedding them into
curricula.
In line with the above, supporting teachers while developing new and competitive
entrepreneurial skills is worth mentioning in the attempt to face new and emerging
environmental challenges.
A very common approach in teaching entrepreneurship education is problem-based
learning and learning by doing and its success depends on the overall teaching and learning
environment (San Tan and Ng, 2006). The most recent educational priorities highlight the
importance and need to break traditional stereotypes in teaching and learning and, therefore,
seek a tradeoff between tradition and innovation in the educational practice of teaching the
subject “Technology and Entrepreneurship” (Mitova and Zoneva, 2017).
Depending on above, Digital Learning Environment (DLE) is useful to learn and work with
digital tools, particularly referring to entrepreneurship Malach and Kylis (2019) define
28
Entrepreneurial Digital Learning Environment (EDLE) as a useful instrument supporting
entrepreneurship education.
According to Malach and Kylis (2019), Business Games and Simulations, Social Networks,
Podcats, Webinars, Video Sequences, E-book, Web Platforms, MOOC, and E-testing all belong
to the EDLE. Despite this, it is a matter of fact that among all the components mentioned, only a
few are more effectively suited to the learning purposes of higher education programs. This is
the reason why MOOC, Business Games and Simulation, as well as web platforms and webinars
were considered for a further deepening, in this chapter (Figure 2.1).
Business Games and
Simulations
Methods able to improve
learning experiences
e-Testing
Involving the delivery of
examinations and assessments
on screen, either using local
system or web-based system
Resources to achieve business
results: Facebook, Instagram,
Twitter, YouTube, Snapchat,
Pinterest
Podcast
Digital audio files which can
be downloaded to listen
MOOC
Massive Open Online Courses
EDLE
Web Platforms
Software Frameworks,
WordPress, Vendor Lock-in,
Web Hosting
e-Books
A book in electronic format
s
A live web-based video
conference that uses internet
to connect the individual (or
individuals) hosting the webinar
Video Sequences
A series of shots that work
together to show an action
unfolding
Figure 2.1. Entrepreneurial digital learning environment (EDLE)
Source: adaptation by Malach & Kylis, 2019.
2.3.1. Web platforms and webinars (online or virtual seminars)
Web platforms are used to communicate, co-manage information and grow knowledge:
they are an important and basic tool for technology-enhanced learning (Jones and Iredale,
2009). The number of the web platforms currently available is growing to a great extent, mainly
because of the COVID-19 pandemic. Among them, Blackboard Collaborate, Adobe Connect,
Webinar Jam, Zoom, Cisco Webex, Microsoft Teams, Google Meet, are the most used and wellknown ones.
The use of web platforms to disseminate and further entrepreneurship education can
foster wealth creation, promote freedom and create opportunities for individuals, businesses
and civil society at large (Jones and Iredale, 2009).
If web platforms are the tools, the webinars – a live web-based video conference that uses
internet to connect the individual (or individuals) hosting the webinar – are the content.
29
Webinar is “a seminar conducted over the internet” (Oxford Learner’s Dictionaries), is “an
occasion when a group of people go on the internet at the same time to study and discuss
something” (Cambridge Dictionary), is “a talk on a subject which is given over the internet,
allowing a group of people in different places to watch, listen and sometimes respond on the
same occasion” (Macmillan Dictionary).
Given the frequent use of webinars, many scholars tried to detail their characteristics and
rules (Marić, 2017; Beckingham and Nerantzi, 2015; Darbey, 2011).
Particularly referring to the webinar characteristics, the continuing flow of language,
information, knowledge, skills development opportunities may be easily detected. Each
webinar needs a video conferencing software and can be synchronous (in real-time) or
asynchronous (replay). It is open access (even if registration is usually required) and it is
recorded and available for a limited or unlimited period of time on websites or social media
channels. One of the main advantages of webinar is that it enables synchronous interaction
with the lecturer/presenter, audience and content presented enabling a high number of
participants (depending on the organizer’s choices) to access the contents. Accordingly,
seminars and conferences are a great opportunity for discussing and sharing new insights and
networking with peers and can be considered as scientific meetings. Moreover, they can hold
more participants than a physical conference room setting which could be limited by different
problems such as space and accessibility.
Referring to its duration, each webinar usually lasts 60-120 minutes, but it may be also
managed as a series of sessions (e.g. “webinar day”); can be short term appointment, in terms of
one session duration, but continual in terms of monthly or yearly planning; and last social media
pages and groups can attract a wide range of teachers or scholars interested in topics being
presented. By organizing regular online seminars, it is also possible to share knowledge, so, as
consequence, webinars present a great virtual opportunity to stimulate and engage
interactions between presenters and participants and content analyzed. But we have to
remember that a successful webinar session is highly dependent on previous planning
activities.
Fadlelmola et al. (2019) define ten simple rules for organizing a webinar series:
Assemble an effective webinar coordination team,
Align a webinar theme to the expectations of the audience,
Consider a webinar planning checklist,
Share webinar organizational documents,
Plan early and devise a calendar of regular activities,
Settle on a convenient and user-friendly webinar platform,
Select theme expert presenters,
Announce webinars through mailing lists and social media platform,
Allocate time for the platform orientation,
Iteratively assess and evaluate what works and what doesn’t.
2.3.2. MOOC
There is no unambiguous, simple and broad accepted definition of Massive Open Online
Courses (MOOC). Investigators of the EU project called "E-learning, Communication and
Opendata: Massive Mobile, Ubiquitous and Open Learning (ECO)" have chosen the following
clear operational definition for MOOC as “online course designed and built for numerous
participants which can be accessed freely everywhere, as long as you have an internet connection, it is
open to all with no entry requirements and offers a free and comprehensive course experience”
(Brouns et al., 2014).
MOOCs represent one of the strongest trends (Cirulli et al., 2016) within the field of
digital entrepreneurship education tools. greatly influencing both the contents and the flow of
teaching and learning. They may be also considered a disruptive innovation able to foster the
involvement of many people in an open online course available via the Internet (Pizarro Miliam
30
and Gurrisi, 2017). MOOCs have developed from the growing experience of universities in the
use of distance learning and open educational resources (Clarke, 2013).
The many benefits that can be obtained with MOOCs include the ability to bring together
the best academics from leading international universities, to prepare excellent learning
materials and to offer courses for free (Clarke, 2013). Major universities such as Harvard, MIT
and Stanford have developed MOOC platforms such as Udacity, Coursera, edX, MIT Open
Courseware and Stanford eCorner and the courses have been created with the aid of
technological supports for self-learning (papers, short videos on well-focused content, flash
animations) and, at the same time, for synchronous and asynchronous interaction.
MOOCs represent a privileged tool for the development of knowledge and certain skills
among adult learners with sufficient motivation, self-regulation (Onah & Sinclair, 2017) and
cognitive quality time to engage and succeed in these online courses. In light of the foregoing,
MOOCs could be considered an excellent opportunity for many participants in informal
settings to achieve educational goals such as developing an entrepreneurship culture (Pizarro
Miliam and Gurrisi, 2017).
MOOCs have four main characteristics (Schulmeister, 2013):
they are open to everyone, so there are no entry requirements,
there is no numerical limit of participants,
are free,
are made completely online.
MOOCs also have critical issues such as, for example, the reduced quality of resources and
materials that support online learning, the interaction of students and academics, the high fees
required by leading online courses, and difficulties with assessment and accreditation (Clarke,
2013).
MOOCs also have high dropout rates: fewer than 10 percent of those enrolled take the
final exam (Clark, 2013).
Developing, implementing, and supporting a MOOC requires considerable effort. This
aspect concerns the universities or academics who are developing the courses. However, this
also applies to platform providers who make courses available to participants (Treeck et al.
2013).
The spread of MOOCs on entrepreneurship has made possible to provide digital content
both inside and outside the classroom to students involved in entrepreneurship initiatives
(Roehl et al., 2013): there have also been great benefits for educators and students, far from
the pulsating ecosystems companies, to access a wider range of support, skills and content (AlAtabi and Deboer, 2014).
A lot of studies have thoroughly analyzed the phenomenon to understand the positive
impacts and assessment of students' learning outcomes in entrepreneurship courses offered as
MOOCs. The results showed that the MOOC is an excellent platform for teaching
entrepreneurship, as it provides numerous tools that facilitate collaborative learning and
enhance the most important affective entrepreneurial aspects of individuals, such as
recognition of opportunities and acquisition of resources (Al-Atabi and Deboer, 2014).
Given the relevance of the MOOC, a project was developed to understand its spread in
Europe: the BizMOOC project.
The BizMOOC project represents one of the most important analysis and study efforts of
MOOC phenomena in the European area. In 2016, the BizMOOC project was aimed at
understanding the compliance of MOOCs for the business world.
Based on these findings, BizMOOC focused on lifelong learning and business key
competences "Learning to Learn (via MOOC)", "Entrepreneurship and Intra-entrepreneurship"
and "Innovation, Creativity and Problem Solving" were developed to test different approaches
to career-oriented learning. BizMOOC allows a private company or a public institution to teach
their employees and/or students in an innovative, easy to manage, scalable and flexible way,
while at the same time acquiring knowledge and developing skills (Malach and Kylis, 2019).
31
2.3.3. Business Games and Simulations
Currently, there is a growing trend towards the use of business simulations at all levels of
education. Business simulations and games are used as a tool for improving the traditional
learning environment. In doing so, business simulations particularly provide a so-called "secure
environment" (Barišić and Prović, 2014).
Business games are role-playing experiences that involve economic and financial issues
and, at the same time, aim to develop monetary and financial management skills. Students,
trainers and workers address managerial issues and define market strategies. The main
educational and training purpose consists in the development of decision-making skills and
confidence in business strategies (Knotts Jr and Keys, 1997; Ceschi et al., 2014). The
simulations replicate particular social or physical realities in which participants make decisions
with well-defined responsibilities and constraints (De Freitas and Oliver, 2006).
Simulation-based learning is developed on the basis of constructivist learning theory, as
users learn or construct new knowledge from their conceptual knowledge (Dewey, 1938;
Vygotsky, 1978; Zulfiqar et al., 2019). Some scholars (Mawhirter and Garofalo, 2016) have
argued that simulation is a creative and innovative way to increase students' interest in
learning (Zulfiqar et al., 2019).
The simulation is a stimulating and effective virtual system that offers students a varied
and risk-free "protected" environment in which they can work together, discuss and make
decisions.
In line with the above, business simulation games define a series of rules and roles that
students must follow and, therefore, the essence of work in a reality-based scenario (Leemkuil
et al., 2000).
Business simulation games are mainly adopted within the field of management, marketing,
finance or accounting, economics, product development, and entrepreneurship. These games
provide students with innovative and creative ways to improve their learning skills, in a virtual
environment, within real business scenarios (Mawhirter & Garofalo, 2016). Thus, technical and
critical thinking of students is enhanced by making an association between their theoretical
and practical knowledge (Bell and Loon, 2015).
Over the years, “the use of games and simulations in economics has become well established,
with a well-developed body of literature to support their use in the teaching environment” (Sutcliffe,
2002, p. 2). In this sense, business simulations can be considered effective for improving
business skills (Greco and Murgia, 2007; Rachman-Moore and Kennett, 2006). Some authors
argue that assessment methodologies lack scientific rigor and that it is difficult to demonstrate
that learning takes place through simulation (Gosen and Washbush, 2004; Anderson and
Lawton, 2009).
A lot of studies have analyzed the advantages of simulation games for educational
purposes (Aldrich, 2004; Kafai, 2006; Lainema and Nurmi, 2006). According to the mentioned
multiple benefits of business games were identified by Barišić and Prović, (2014), such as:
motivation for learning (Garris et al., 2002),
complex approaches to learning processes and outcomes (Sterman, 2001),
student involvement (Kiili and Lainema, 2008),
active learning techniques (Oblinger, 2004).
In view of their advantages, business simulation games can be useful as an innovative
pedagogical approach to teaching business concepts (Aldrich, 2004; Prensky, 2001).
Taking into account the mentioned considerations, both business games and simulations
may be adopted as an effective, easy and enjoyable tool for knowledge transfer and learning,
supporting the students in the development of a “critical mind” (Zulfiqar et al., 2019).
Simulation-based training is believed to be an additional tool in classroom learning that
enhances cooperation between students with greater involvement in the overall learning
process (Otting et al., 2009; Zulfiqar et al., 2019).
32
Empirical evidences (direct observations of business simulation games engaged in
business training courses) enables us to highlight both the advantages and opportunities
arising in a learning environment (Barišić and Prović, 2014), as in the following:
increasing efficiency;
encouragement for the development of enjoyable, funny, and transparent learning
environments;
teamwork supporting, with reference to both collaborative attitudes and reskilling
processes;
establishment of a "protected environment" at both individual and organizational level,
useful to encourage the experimentation of new strategies in the absence of risk;
speed up of evaluation processes, since the enabling of immediate and clear feedback about
the consequences of individual decisions;
improvement of experiential learning and hands-on approach;
enhancement of students’ attention, motivation and problem-solving skills;
expansion of the available set of learning tools that add to case studies or lectures.
The present chapter analyzed the role of digital learning in fostering entrepreneurship
education. First, it distinguished between learning occasions available thanks to technology
tools and learning methods by levering on the concept of pedagogical usability that
discriminates whether or not a method supports participants to learn in various learning
contexts according to selected pedagogical objectives.
The analysis remarks the importance for digital learning to possess the following
characteristics: 1) active participation of the learners; 2) active control of the process by
learners; 3) flexibility and adaptability to learners’ needs (Jansen et al., 2002).
This chapter also focused on the most effective methods among various forms of digital
learning. It scrutinized the interactive whiteboard, digital game-based learning and augmented
reality. After reviewing them from the pedagogical perspective, it offered a structured
overview of the current trends in teaching entrepreneurship via digital methods. In this light,
web platforms and webinars, massive open online courses, business games are posed under the
entrepreneurship educational lens.
33
Marek Ćwiklicki, Norbert Laurisz, Agnieszka Pacut
Cracow University of Economics
3. CURRICULUM UPDATE MECHANISM
Each learning system performs a cognitive and educational function, gathers and transmits
knowledge, and creates incentives for development. It allows students to acquire knowledge
and develop their competences (Annala et al., 2016). The curriculum is a key element of the
education system: it has a guiding and informative function, but also consolidates and stabilizes
the whole teaching system. In this way, the entire educational path is a fairly stable transition
from the entry level (lack of knowledge) to the graduate level in terms of knowledge and skills.
As a result, the curriculum becomes information for both the student and the future
employer about the method of teaching, the scope of knowledge, acquired skills (Meij and
Merx, 2018). For this reason, the curriculum should not be a subject to revolutionary changes,
but should be built as a stable foundation (core), and all changes should result from the need to
introduce technical, technological, substantive and procedural supplements only in terms of
adapting the curriculum to changes in the real word (Levander and Mikkola, 2009). With the
assumption of keeping the main foundation of the curriculum unchanged, it becomes possible
to implement similar curricula in many places simultaneously (Annala et al., 2016). The
differences in these programs result mainly from the specificity of the place (country,
university) and the students – their level of knowledge and the scope of the need for specific
detailed knowledge.
3.1. Purpose and main principles of the curriculum
The primary goal of the curriculum update mechanism is to ensure that the content
presented during the course is up-to-date. It is mainly created for partnership of organizations
creating the proposed content. Updating the curriculum is a necessary element of the
educational process, the main reason is the need to adapt the program to the current offer
available on the educational market, to modernize the content and tools in the context of
technical and technological changes, and to refer to practical utility for everyday life (Young,
2014). An important aspect of keeping curriculum update is also the changing expectations of
students and teachers (Kulm and li, 2009).
For this purpose, general principles for updating the curriculum have been developed.
These principles build the foundation for the updating process, making it repeatable and
sustainable. As a result, it will be possible to flexibly adjust curriculum to the needs and
challenges of today's world (Mccombs, 2008; Murray et al., 2004; Yang et al., 2019). The main
guidelines are:
Monitoring and studying society and market problems and needs, weaknesses reported by
market (businessmen) and educational experts, students, and teachers.
Building a curriculum must follow the experience of students subjected to the educational
program, how they are doing in the marketplace.
Teachers and their experience are a key element of updating: insights, exam results,
project results should supply the mechanism with data.
Teachers' assessment of consultations with students: results in a teacher survey.
34
The identification of key problems in educational process and the simultaneous
identification of general changes in trends in educational processes must be based on
monitoring of changes.
The group overseeing the process and developing the curriculum must collect data on the
strengths and weaknesses of the curriculum, as well as consider the needs and preferences
of students and teachers.
It is necessary to analyze the quality and adequacy of textbooks and other materials, as
well as in the area of the goals and specific topics of classes reflected in practice.
3.2. Construction of the curriculum update system
The designed curriculum update system allows to update the curricula and adapt them to
the needs of students and teachers. This system consists of two consultation and monitoring
groups as well as participants and stakeholders of the educational process. These groups will be
established on two levels, they will be the International Group and the National Groups.
International group (IG) composed of representatives of project partners whose task
would be to implement top-down updates – based on scientific knowledge and information
from the market obtained in the form of partial reports carried out by national groups (TopDown Update Protocol (TUP)). The IG acts as a Digital Entrepreneurship Education Program
Council.
National groups (NG) composed of people implementing the project at the national level
(the level of each partner), whose task would be to implement the bottom-up update. This
update is based on national summary reports based on students and course teachers opinions
(Bottom-Up Update Protocol (BUP)). The NGs act as the university's teaching and curriculum
teams. The NG operates in every country of partnership.
The third group of participants in the updating process are participants in the educational
process, that is, teachers and students.
Teachers are an important link between the information flow and generating conclusions
at the level of students' own experiences. The information flow from a report summarizing the
didactic process and from a curriculum evaluation analysis. Teacher-led assessments improve
the quality of the curriculum in its most important aspects, especially when it comes to
adaptation to the needs and abilities of pupils / students (Kulm and li, 2009). On the other hand,
students are beneficiaries of educational activities and at the same time the source of
information provided directly to teachers and by means of satisfaction surveys and curriculum
analysis. Thus, student assessment is important as it increases the quality of curricula,
especially in terms of the way classes are delivered and the tools used in the process (Kulm & li,
2009).
The NGs and the IG will constantly cooperate with the stakeholders of the educational
process. Stakeholders include representatives of the business community and representatives
of academia and training centers. Stakeholders are responsible for changes in the educational
goals and the form of the educational process. In the case of stakeholders, the most important
feature is goal orientation (Bilén et al., 2002). Stakeholders suggesting changes to improve the
curriculum, their propositions are considered at meetings of NGs and recommended to IG.
Stakeholders' opinions are also taken into account at the highest level, i.e., in the case of an IG,
during the preparation of the report “Tracking the world”.
An important element in creating the system is the identification of sources and methods
of obtaining data and opinions that will allow updating curricula. The following ones will be
used as the main methods of obtaining data:
(1) Analysis of the teaching process at the university implementing the curriculum
(content and technical research). In this case, the responsible body is the NG, based on the
opinions of the teachers and their own.
(2) Analysis of student needs / expectations and satisfaction surveys. In this case, the
responsible body is the NG, based on the opinions of the teachers.
35
(3) New experiences of the lecturers. In this case, the responsible body is the NG, based on
the opinions of the teachers.
(4) Analysis of new educational techniques etc. In this case, the responsible body is the IG.
(5) Analysis of changes in market needs as expressed by employers or in scientific research
/ analysis. In this case, the responsible body is the IG.
(6) Analysis of the teaching process in other countries/universities/courses. The entity
responsible for this action is the IG.
An important element of the update system will be reports with recommendations for
changes in the education process and curricula. As a result of implementing the designed
update mechanism, a report consisting of two parts will be created, which will contain the
guidelines for updating. This will be a part of the main report developed by an IG: it will be
called: "Tracking the World". This part will present the conclusions of the monitoring of
teaching methods and methods used in the world. The second part of the main report will be
the BUP summary, it will consist of 3 parts: (1) recommendations of the IG, consisting in the
diffusion of national solutions throughout the partnership; (2) recommendations of the NG
derived from internal reports that are part of the quality assurance process of the education
process as a summary of the BUP protocol; (3) individual, ad hoc, non-formal assessment
recommendations curriculum assessments by group members, teachers or stakeholders.
3.3. How the curriculum update mechanism works
The cycle begins with a thorough evaluation of the implemented program; as a result, it
will be possible to propose a program improvement in order to improve the quality and
effectiveness of the implemented activities. The repeatability of this process will guarantee
flexible adaptation of the curriculum to the changing educational, technological and economic
reality (Figure 3.1).
The curriculum development and improvement cycle will reflect the Deming Cycle
(PDCA). In this way, it will be possible to use a proven solution that allows for a critical analysis
and, as a result, to identify weaknesses and improve badly functioning elements, and to
implement improvements that increase the efficiency of the entire system.
The cycle consists of two main protocols (update paths) presented below:
1) a bottom-up update protocol (BUP). This update is based on (1) observation
(monitoring) of the teaching process (2) analysis of student needs/expectations (3) individual
experiences of the teachers
2) a top-down update protocol (TUP). This update is based on gathering information
regarding: (1) learning processes in other countries/universities/courses etc. (2) implementing
new educational techniques etc. (3) changes in market needs as expressed by employers or in
scientific research/analysis.
evaluation of the implemented
program
implementation of the
change
proposed changes
assessment of the justification for
implementing changes
Figure 3.1. General scheme for updating the digital entrepreneurship curriculum
Source: authors’ development.
36
Overall, the full update will consist of two independent ways of updating the curricula
which, at the level of conclusions and recommendations, will be combined into one report
(Figure 3.1).
3.4. The bottom-up update protocol
This protocol is a formalized flow of information from teachers and students to the NG (see
Figures 3.2 and 3.3). The information will include opinions of students and teachers, summaries
of the teaching process created by teachers (as a result, a report summarizing the teaching
process is prepared).
The bottom-up flow of information stops at the NGs’ level. The NG decides which
information reflects only country specificities and which is relevant to the entire education
process. In the first case, when the need to change the curriculum results only from the national
specificity, the country groups make their own decisions on the implementation of changes
based on the information received. The changes implemented at this level will concern the
adjustment of the curriculum to the specificity of students, the specificity of the country’s
culture and economy, and the national education system. Changes that take account of these
specificities will be undertaken autonomously by national groups. The change process is
reported to the international group.
In the latter case, the NGs consider, on the basis of the information (opinions) received, the
procedure and the way of teaching the entire curriculum require changes. Then the NGs decide
on sending the relevant information to the IG, i.e., they decide what information is crucial for
the entire teaching process. Information on the overall curriculum design, effectiveness,
quality, etc. that may imply changes to the entire curriculum is sent to the IG – changes to the
entire curriculum remain the responsibility of the IG. The IG, based on information from
partners (Summary Report of the Teaching Process supplemented with information from the IBUP), makes decisions about introducing changes to the general and specific assumptions of
the curriculum. These changes cover all areas of the curriculum vertically and horizontally.
Files/Templates
Recommendations
Recommendations
National reports
summarizing the
didactic process
supplemented with
Teaching process
summary report
Actions
4. National update
(including country’s
specifics)
3. Issuing
recommendations to
implement changes in the
program
2. Report the need to
aggregated update the
curriculum
1. Report the need to
update the curriculum
Actors
National group
International
groupWebinar
National group
TeachersSocial
Network
Figure 3.2. The generic scheme of bottom-up update
Source: authors’ development.
37
1. Report the need to
update the curriculum
4. National update
(including country’s
specifics)
2. Report the need to
aggregated update the
curriculum
3. Issuing recommendations to
implement changes in the program
Figure 3.3. The cycle of bottom-up update
Source: authors’ development.
3.5. Top-Down Update Protocol
Top-Down Update Protocol (TUP) covers activities initiated by the IG. This group
commissions cyclical analyzes about: changes in curricula, changes in technologies and tools
used in the educational process, as well as takes into account changes in the economy, science,
etc. As a result, it creates the report called "Tracking the World”. Based on this Report, the IG
introduces changes to the entire educational program and develops Recommendations.
Creation of "Tracking the World" report will take place during the implementation of the
educational program and will be carried out by teams at the national level. The results of the
teams' work will be available two weeks before the end of the educational process. Thanks to
this sequence, after the end of the educational process, the IG will have information from the
work carried out under the bottom-up and top-down protocol (Tracking the World + BUP).
The BUP can be completed by protocol for spontaneous and Individual Bottom-Up
Updating (I-BUP). This protocol covers activities initiated by individual employees, students,
stakeholders. The application is made electronically to the NG via standardized application.
The NG analysis such reports as part of the BUP and follow this protocol. The reason for
implementation is the result of studying social and market problems and needs reported by
market and educational experts, students, and teachers. The result is a report from BUP
supplemented with information from I-BUP.
Files/Templates
Actions
Analysis order
1. Commissioning
analysis
Tracking the
world reports
2. Preparing reports
Recommendations
3. Recommendations to
implement changes
Actors
International
group
National group
International
group
Figure 3.4. The generic scheme of top down update protocol
Source: authors’ development.
38
1. Commisioning
analysis
3. Reccomendations
to implement changes
2. Preparing reports
Figure 3.5. The cycle of top-down update
Source: authors’ development.
3.6. What products will be made and how
The key element of the whole process are the products that will be created as a result of
the implementation of the procedure described as "Curriculum Update Mechanism". This
procedure asssumes that every year, after the end of the course, a Main Report will be prepared
containing conclusions from the monitoring and evaluation of the curriculum implementation
process as well as conclusions from the analysis of curriculum implementation and changes in
the educational, market and technological space observed in a given period. This report will
contain recommendations for changes, if the conclusions of the report's analysis require such
them. The report will consist of two parts corresponding to the two-update paths proposed in
this chapter.
In the first part, the Report will contain conclusions from the so-called Report from BUP
supplemented with information from I-BUP based on: 1. Grading table; 2. Student opinions; 3.
Teacher opinions.
Detailed sources:
Student Performance – Grades.
Students' opinions – An analysis by teachers of students' opinions on the curriculum,
content-related evaluation of the curriculum, technical evaluation and student
satisfaction.
Teachers' opinions – The opinions presented by teachers on the implementation of the
curriculum will supplement the opinions of students. These opinions will, as in the case of
students, concern the curriculum, content-related evaluation of the curriculum, technical
evaluation and teacher satisfaction.
Individual opinions of stakeholders and / or participants of the didactic process
The second part of the main report “Tracking the World” consists of partial studies. These
analyses will be conducted in order to find new solutions, challenges, weaknesses or problems
that arise in the area of interest of curriculum developers and that may affect the way of
learning or the content of the curriculum. Therefore, analyses will be carried out in the aspect
of curricula of similar courses implemented by other educational entities and curricula of other
courses and those involving digital education technologies. In addition, educational trends and
how educational leaders in this field work will be analyzed. In the next step, the results of the
analysis: changes in market expectations, economic preferences and potential changes in
employers' expectations will be presented.
The implementation of the update process in its two paths (visible in the form of a report)
will allow to improve the quality of the educational process and increase its effectiveness by
making the process more flexible and permanently adapted to the needs of students and
teachers and enriching it with new solutions used in curricula, in the economy, as well as
modernizing it through the use of new techniques and technologies. Figure 3.6 depicts nested
cycles from TUP and BUP.
39
1. Report the need
to update the
curriculum
4. National update
(including country’s
specifics)
2. Report the need to
aggregated update the
curriculum
3. Issuing
recommendations to
implement changes in
the program
1. Commisioning
analysis
2. Preparing
reports
Figure 3.6. Nested Top Down and Bottom-Up Updates Protocols
Source: authors’ development.
40
Francesco Schiavone1, Juan Manuel Maqueira Marín2, Pedro Antonio Nuñez2
Cacho Utrilla2, José Moyano Fuentes2, Sebastián Bruque Cámara2
1
University of Naples Parthenope, 2University of Jaen, Spain
4. BEST-PRACTICES OF TEACHING DIGITAL
ENTREPRENEURSHIP IN THE FOURTH INDUSTRIAL
REVOLUTION
After the global diffusion of some critical socio-economic and business phenomena, such
as the Industry 4.0 revolution, digital transformation, sharing economy, and others, digital
entrepreneurship became a crucial domain for both entrepreneurship researchers, educators,
investors and public administrations.
Depending on the above, it is necessary to adapt traditional teaching in entrepreneurship
to the new technological and economic reality. In this way, it is necessary that both the
methodologies and the teaching tools are transformed to make a new kind of entrepreneurship
a reality, digital entrepreneurship.
An effective teaching of digital entrepreneurship is crucial for the economic development
stimulating entrepreneurial spirit and the creation of new companies related to the digital
economy, to better understand the habits and behavior of stakeholders. In particular, this
subject, if properly taught and transferred, can be useful to train change agents that companies
need to tackle the digital transformation process and a powerful support for students in
disadvantaged contexts and/or personal conditions.
The goal of the present chapter is to illustrate some best practices in teaching digital
entrepreneurship via the most common IT tools available, namely platforms for videoconferencing, MOOCs, and business simulations and games, already examined in the previous
chapter, where the scientific literature about the subject was reviewed, focusing on articles on
entrepreneurship, innovation and new university teaching methodologies.
To identify best practices, a review of the web pages of business schools, universities and
other training centers was carried out.
The present chapter is organized as follows. After the present introduction, the next
section reports some European best practices in the utilization of video-conferencing
platforms and webinars for teaching digital entrepreneurship. Section 3 analyses MOOCs and
describes the key characteristics of Coursera and other platforms providing such educational
services. Section 4 is focused on the application of business games and simulations for
improving the quality and impact in teaching digital entrepreneurship. Finally, the fifth and last
section provides a short summary of the main findings and offers various suggestions and
guidelines for instructors.
4.1. Best Practices via Video-Conferencing & Webinars
With the COVID-19 pandemic, educators all around the world were forced to adopt
suddenly online platforms, such as Zoom, Google Meet, Microsoft Teams, and many others, in
order to keep providing courses to their students. In the field of digital entrepreneurship, the
adoption and implementation of these platforms generated radical changes to the teaching
methods and syllabi used by teachers.
In the present subsection we stress the key aims of digital platforms for videoconferencing & webinars, the ideal format (ex. duration of programs, delivering process –
synchronous vs asynchronous – in the selected best practices, etc.), benefits and limits of the
different tools implemented by the selected sample.
41
In order to find and illustrate some remarkable examples and best-practices of such forced
radical changes in teaching modalities and structure, we review how the adoption of online
platforms impacted the teaching of digital entrepreneurship in the top 5 European business
schools ranked in the Financial Times Ranking 2019: HEC Paris (France), London Business
School (UK), SDA Bocconi (Italy), University of St. Gallen (Switzerland), and Insead (France).
The date and information about such best practices were gathered online from the Business
Schools websites. The subsection ends by reporting a table summarising the key characteristics
of these best-practices.
HEC Paris, from 2014, before the COVID-19 pandemic, has been the first business school
in Europe to launch Massive Open Online Course (MOOC) in partnership with the Coursera
platform. Since then, the university has provided online courses and on-campus courses. Online
courses are provided in partnership with Coursera and concern degree programs, executive
certifications and MOOCs. Degree programs and executive certifications include fees, while
MOOSs are free and targeted at people who not usually have access to higher education.
On-campus courses have been re-organized because of COVID pandemic. Despite HEC
Paris considers community life one of the cornerstones of its education, lessons have taken
place online on the Zoom platform. Particularly referring to digital entrepreneurship, HEC
Paris proposes a “Digital Entrepreneurship certificate” as a part of a master's program or MBA.
The certificate is integrative courses that offer over 100 contact hours on real business
projects and fieldwork. Lessons are conducted in a synchronous way by both professors and
experts. Although this kind of certificate requires group participation in project work and case
studies analysis, activities have been carried out online. Participants who initially have claimed
less effective group works results have considered positive networking actions on ZOOM like
“Zoom apéros” that have improved the relationship among participants. Furthermore, the
faculty has evidenced a clear advantage of online sessions. The facility organizes events with
professionals and guest speakers worldwide: they are very open to participating because they
better handle their work commitments.
London Business School (UK) has developed new and open learning ways, proposing three
types of lessons: hybrid, live and online. These options were reserved for executive programs
to provide a world-class education for its participants, but these challenging times have led LBS
to adopt the same strategy for ordinary courses in the duration of the national lockdown.
Degree and Executive Education programs will be delivered online, joining classmates via
Zoom.
The LBS has not a specific course on digital entrepreneurship. Within the Global Master
and the Master in Management, the university has an elective course in “Digital strategy”; while
within Executive Education, there is a course titled “Exploiting disruption” in the “Strategy
program”, an entire program dedicated to “Digital transformation and innovation” and an
online program in “Innovating in digital world”. Master degrees delivered exclusively on
campus, are recently scheduled on Zoom. Executive Educations on related issues on digital
entrepreneurship are conducted through Hybrid or Online Learning. The Hybrid form is a new
learning model that enables the simultaneous delivery of programs to participants either oncampus or live virtually. The duration of the program is on average 5.5 days. The Online form is
a self-paced, flexible online learning (5 weeks). The modality unlocks insights from the faculty,
connects participants with a global network of peers and benefits from a dedicated Learning
Manager who supports participants in engaging assignments and self-paced learning activities.
Advantages of that approach are:
increased participation of practitioner speakers, willed to stay more time to discuss with
participants;
recorded lessons. They permit students to listen to more time professors and speakers’
interventions.
Weaknesses concern the social aspect and group work. However, students have organized
virtual events such as virtual dinners to have fun with classmates and have collected feedback
periodically to ensure the level of satisfaction of students.
42
SDA Bocconi, in compliance with government measures, delivers distance or hybrid
courses. Depending on course type, the university offers live online programs or on-demand
live programs. They are scheduled on an e-learning platform named Blackboard that from 2017
supports the university’s educational activities. Particularly courses are provided in a
synchronous way through the section BlackBoard Collaborate. Lessons could be followed in
asynchronous way later, but for a given and short period. Concerning digital entrepreneurship
courses, the university has not a specific course. Bocconi offers the “Digital Entrepreneurship
week” or the “Digital transformation week” in its EMBA program; the “Digital Enabled Business
Transformation” elective course during the “concentration” phase of the MBA; an open
executive program in “Digital transformation and innovation” delivered in a hybrid way.
The first couple is a single modality course, while the last one plans distance learning as an
independent activity. It refers to an asynchronous learning mode that provides access to
training tools, business cases and materials on an e-learning platform, and face to face learning.
However, if, on the one hand, participants consider the usability of the platform and the flexible
organization of their time in attending lessons positively, other participants complain about the
new sociality and the lack of company visits and learning lunch.
Since 2019 the St. Gallen University has discussed innovative teaching and learning,
believing teachers’ role change towards supervision or coaching, while students increase
individual learning blocks. During the autumn semester 2020 it has experienced the so-called
“social video learning”, a practice that integrates mini-teaching blocks with video material,
feedback and discussion. Nevertheless, the coronavirus crisis has impelled all professors to
adopt a hybrid, traditional teaching method, using the Zoom platform to connect themselves
with their students. The St. Gallen University has not a specific course in “Digital
entrepreneurship”, too; however, it offers a generic course in “Entrepreneurship” and courses
about digitalization of customers and digitalization of industrial organizations (13-14 credits).
Courses are provided mainly in a synchronous way for bachelor students. Similarly, it has an
Executive MBA in “Business engineering” on the business transformation in digital era
conducted online in a synchronous way and other short programs, such as “Digital innovation
and business transformation” and “Digital transformation implementation”.
Complete online courses hamper the development of relationships, emphatic cooperation
and not improve students’ learning objective attainment. The advantage is the flexibility of
students in organizing their lives.
Insead (France) hosts over 500 events per year. Many of these were already online. In
addition, now that physical events have temporarily been suspended, the university moves
many of them online. Like other business schools, it is using online learning, engaging virtually
professors, students and participants. Courses related to digital entrepreneurship issues are
provided in open programs or programs for executive education that could be proposed as live
virtual or online programs. Live virtuals are in synchronous format with 6 days on average of
duration. They are processed on the Zoom or Go-Live platform. Their value is similar to oncampus courses because it ensures a high level of interaction with INSEAD faculty, such as oneon-one discussion, coaching and real-time feedback. Online programs are in asynchronous
format, are online pre-recorded lectures organized by participants for 5 weeks on average (4-6
hours per week). They are accessible on the INSEAD Online Learning Platform, a dedicated
course platform with program materials, various content elements, discussion forums, and
more (Table 4.1).
43
Table 4.1. On-line course and program characteristics
Source: authors’ development.
Concerning digital entrepreneurship, the university offers two related live virtual courses
“Leading Digital Transformation and Innovation” and “Leading Change in an Age of Digital
Transformation” and two online courses “Strategy in the Age of Digital Disruption” and
“Building Digital Partnerships and Ecosystems”. Despite the university offering multimedia and
interactive materials and professors and professionals' active participation, students have
reported that online learning lacks real-world classrooms' intimacy and interactivity. They
appreciate freedoms or additional technical capabilities lacking in conventional classroom
settings but wish to return early to the traditional form of courses.
Even if analyzed universities and students’ associations collectively are making efforts in
maintaining high the level of education, they are trying to restore on-campus courses.
Especially for MBA courses that are highly interpersonal programs filled with robust in-class
discussions, where the difference between an online learning model and an in-person model is
stark compared to other programs. However, during the COVID-19 pandemic, students and
participants are as ever at the center of their model: one-to-one assistance is offered and
informal events are organized to maintain the spirit of collaboration among students and the
faculty. Concerning the lesson mode, case studies evidence a greater use of Zoom platform and
a propensity towards the synchronous way to deliver services; about the duration, it changes
compared to the education level.
4.2. Best Practices via MOOCs
The acronym MOOC refers to Massive Open Online Course and today it could be
considered the future of education. These are massive training courses whose access is usually
free and within the reach of anyone with internet. Its origin takes place in the Harvard Business
School, by Dave Cormier and Brian Hypertuano and from that day until today, more than eight
hundred universities around the world have implemented thousands of MOOCs on various
topics. MOOCs are defined as: "online courses open to any individual without any restrictions,
structured in learning goals in a study area, in a specific time, supported by a platform in which
participants can interact" (Beltrán and Ramírez, 2019). The term MOOC was used for the first
time in 2008. The first courses were designed by Downs and Siemens, under the theoretical
principles of connectivism (Carrillo-Rosas and Ramírez-Montoya, 2016).
The success of MOOCs is due to their main characteristics that fit very well in today's
society. Thus, access to the training platform is free and easy, designed so that anyone
interested in learning can access it without any type of test. Although they are mostly free,
there is the possibility that fees are paid for tutorials, evaluations or completion certifications.
In any case, access will always be free. Another characteristic that makes it ideal for the
modern world is its conception as autonomous learning, that is, there is no need for a third
party to explain the agenda, since the audiovisual files together with links, and documentation
are responsible for this work. Finally, being totally in anyone with a computer and internet
access can participate in them.
A MOOC differs from an online course, since firstly, while in an online course the number
of participants is limited, in a MOOC it is unlimited. Second, the course requires a tuition
payment, while the MOOC does not. Third, both modalities differ in the approach given, while
in an online course the objective is aimed at achieving minimum qualifications and an
accreditation, in MOOCs the main objective is the learning of the students, prioritizing this
above of the evaluation.
Thus, we find that as time has advanced different types of MOOC have emerged, we can
therefore take the following MOOC models.
Transfer MOOC. They are those that arise from existing courses and have been adapted to
the format through pedagogical bases. In this type of MOOC we find those developed by
platforms such as Coursera, which we will see later.
Made MOOC. This type tend to be more formal and demanding, with complex software
development. They offer an interactive and sophisticated experience and include
audiovisual resources instead of monotonous and uninviting talk.
Synch MOOC / Asynch MOOC. These variants are clearly related to the calendar, the first
one has a defined start and end date from the beginning, making its development clearer.
And the second does not have this planning.
Adaptive MOOC. They are those whose software is programmed using adaptive
algorithms, to adapt teaching to each person in a unique way. These algorithms are based
on personalized learning experiences.
Group MOOC. The main characteristic of these MOOCs is that small groups with limited
access are created, arguing that, in this way, the participants will be more involved and
advocating a more group-centered work.
Connectivist MOOC. They are based on connections across a network rather than opting
for pre-defined subject content. In this way the information and content flows freely
between the different users.
Mini MOOC. These focus on dealing with content of less development and duration, its
main objective being learning about a specific subject, generally specialized in a shorter
period of time than usual.
According to the European Union, the best MOOC platforms today are the following:
Coursera, eDX, Future Learn, Udemy, Saylor, and Khan Academy. They cover all kinds of
subjects, such as science, computer science, economics, language, math, and history.
4.2.1. Best practices: the case of Coursera
Coursera is a leading online learning platform for higher education, where millions of
students from around the world learn the skills of the future. More than 200 universities and
educators collaborate in it. Many companies rely on the Coursera for Business to transform
their talent. Also, Coursera for Government equips government employees and citizens with
the skills necessary to create a competitive workforce. Finally, Coursera for Campus enables
any university to offer high-quality, job-relevant online education to students, alumni, faculty,
and staff.
We analyze below one of their MOOCs entitled "Effective Negotiation: Essential
Strategies and Skills". This MOOC addresses the issue of negotiation, explaining that since all
of us constantly negotiate on a personal level. Many times, not even aware of it. Therefore,
acquiring certain negotiation strategies will make our day to day more productive. In the
professional field, a company needs to be nurtured by personnel trained in these matters,
therefore, negotiation can boost the personal career of any of its members. Successful planning
consists of four necessary steps: Prepare, Negotiate, Close, and finally Perform and Evaluate.
This MOOC has a degree to certify it and is available in Spanish and Portuguese, in
addition to its original language, English. It has been created by the University of Michigan and
is taught by George Siedel, professor of business administration at the University of Michigan
and business law at Thurnau University.
The MOOC program has four main parts. The first introduces us to the world of
negotiation by applying the four keys mentioned above both in the professional and personal
fields. It has two videos (24 minutes total) also has seven readings (70 minutes total). The
second part focuses on the negotiation process focused on planning, key to obtaining a
successful negotiation. It consists of ten videos (142 minutes total) and four readings (40
minutes total), it also includes a practice exercise (30 minutes total). In the third part we see
that there are two main points (how to use power during negotiations and psychological tools
that you can use during negotiations) the nine videos they contain (96 minutes total) are
accompanied by four readings (40 minutes total) and another practice exercise (30 min). The
fourth and last part deals with the contract. How to seal all the profit obtained during the
negotiation and make it material and closed, that is, to be able to use the results during the
negotiation in a practical way. It consists of six videos (76 minutes) and three readings (30
minutes total), it also ends with a practical exercise to consolidate what has been learned (30
minutes total).
46
The next MOOC analyzed by COURSERA is: Innovation Management. The objective of
this course is to transmit to the student the innovation capacities to face the needs of the
modern world by offering renewed products or services that distance themselves from their
peers and stand out from the rest. It is taught by the Erasmus University of Management,
Rotterdam, one of the world's leading schools for innovation and management. The teachers
who teach it are Serge Rijsdijk, Sandra Langeveld, Stefano Tasselli, Dirk Deichmann, Murat
Tarakci and Daan Stam. Jan van en Ende, professor at the Guido Carli University, Rome, is the
main professor.
The program has four main parts. The first, or introduction, tries to establish the
terminology of innovation and the development of this, as well as teach how to differentiate
between one type of innovation and another. It consists of five videos (22 minutes total). The
second part, Embrace Innovation, teaches how to use and distinguish innovation in today's
society, and how long it takes people to accept innovation. It consists of two videos (26 minutes
total). In the third part, Fuzzy Start (Creation), it is about implementing innovation as an
essential capacity for the organization and how to obtain a substantial competitive advantage
through it. It consists of five videos (48 minutes total). And in the fourth and last part, Fuzzy
Start (Idea Management), it focuses on using the basic principles of innovation management to
clearly identify what it requires from its application and how to do it efficiently. It consists of
three videos (32 minutes total) and a practice exercise (30 minutes total).
The last MOOC is about entrepreneurship specialization taught by University of
Pennsylvania. This course covers the conception, design, organization and management of new
enterprises. This program has five parts and is designed to take you from opportunity
identification through launch, growth, financing and profitability. This program combines as
teachers’ top professors from Wharton School with start-up founders and financiers. The aims
are to develop an entrepreneurial mindset and hone the skills need to develop a new enterprise
with potential for growth and funding, or to identify and pursue opportunities for growth
within an existing organization.
4.2.2. Best practices: the case of edX
edX is a platform for education and learning, founded by Harvard and MIT, a global nonprofit organization, that is transforming traditional education by removing cost, location and
price barriers. The platform offers support to students at each stage, either before entering the
job market, or when changing fields, seeking promotion or exploring new interests. Offers
topics ranging from informatics and data to leadership and communications. edX is your ideal
destination to learn
We also analyzed a MOOC course on this platform, titled: CS50's Introduction to Artificial
Intelligence with Python. Its duration is 7 weeks, with a dedication of 10 to 30 hours per week.
If you want to receive a verified certificate, you have to pay € 164. The level is introductory and
the course is taught in English. The instructors are David J. Malan Gordon McKay and Brian Yu
of Harvard University. Regarding the contents of the program, an Introduction to Artificial
Intelligence with Python from CS50 is first addressed. The concepts and algorithms in the
foundations of modern artificial intelligence are then explored, delving into the ideas that give
rise to technologies such as game engines, handwriting recognition, and machine translation.
Then, through hands-on projects, students gain exposure to the theory behind chart search
algorithms, classification, optimization, reinforced learning, and other artificial intelligence and
machine learning topics as they incorporate them into their own Python programs. The course
allows students to gain experience in libraries for machine learning, as well as knowledge of the
principles of artificial intelligence that allow them to design their own intelligent systems.
Another MOOC course in this platform is becoming an entrepreneur designed in
partnership with Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Its duration is 6 weeks with a
dedication of 1 to 3 hours per week. This course aims to guide people through the process of
founding a company providing inspiration to explore and entrepreneurial path and tools to
overcome the initial challenges of building a business. This course uses a combination of short
47
videos and activities to identify business opportunities, performing market research and
choosing the target consumer, designing and testing your offering and planning the business
logistics, plus pitching and selling to customers.
4.2.3. Best Practices via Business Simulations & Games
Simulation it could be defined as a contextual device that tries to delve into one or several
hypotheses by accepting a series of rules or characteristics that are taken for certain and after
that, acting accordingly, trying to apply the best parameters. Due to this, simulations are a great
tool for teaching, mixing theory and practice in a single exercise, they are perfect models for
teaching and learning (Shannon and Johannes, 1976).
Any simulation must consist of at least the following parts:
A definition of the system, that is, to establish what the objective of the simulation is and
what it is intended to obtain or solve with it.
Model formulation, establish a context where to introduce the objective or problem that
the simulation will try to face.
Data collection, what are the data that the simulation context needs, so that it is well
defined and the results produced are optimal.
Verification, make sure that both the established data and the context are correct to
obtain the desired result, this step is the test before launch.
Experimentation, once the model is validated, it is put to the test to verify and put into
practice that it advances as desired.
Interpretation, the data obtained are put on paper and agreed with the desired objectives.
Documentation, since based on the previous phase the obtained is verified. Once this step
has been prepared, it is possible to define what changes are necessary, if they were, and
how to facilitate their use through a user manual so that the model developed can be put
into practice.
Simulation is widely used for educational purposes. Traditionally, simulations were used in
education where it was very expensive or where it was risky for students. Today, thanks to the
development of software, computing capabilities, and the use of artificial intelligence,
simulations are extended to numerous training activities and are an important element for
career development. Using simulation for project management training improves retention of
learning and enhances the learning process.
Simulations create a scenario-based environment, where students interact to apply prior
knowledge and practical skills to real-world problems, which also enables teachers to achieve
their own goals (Vlachopoulos and Makri, 2017; Angelini, 2015). During scenario-based
training, the player gains important skills such as interpersonal communication, teamwork,
leadership, decision-making, task prioritization, and stress management.
For example, we have in the case of the HEC Paris Business School, with its courses in
which it offers the main course, in which business simulators are treated as a prominent aspect.
Its program lasts eight months and classes are divided into four or five students, each from
different countries and sectors. The course is divided into two parts, the first, in which business
concepts, applied mathematics and business simulators are dealt with in a basic way. Its
objective is to prepare the student to delve deeply into various aspects that will be deepened
later. The second part is Corporate Finance or Economic Management and the course is
designed to take advantage of the knowledge learned during the first part. All this is carried out
through business simulations in which the students face real cases that they must handle and
solve.
Another case is the Coventry University that has the Business Simulation Suite in which
students can develop practical cases, simulating a business or commercial environment. Its
objective is to provide students with experience based on decision-making, as well as
observation of their peers in a similar environment to which they have been exposed,
alternating between theory and practice. It is widely equipped with the necessary material to
carry out the simulations, both in a material and computerized aspect (hardware and software).
48
4.2.4. Best practices in simulation. The Harvard Publishing case and the Everest simulation
Everest is a Harvard Business School team leadership simulation, with each team
consisting of a group of five people. Each person on the team has a different role as leader,
doctor, marathoner, environmentalist or photographer. The simulation uses the context of a
mountaineering expedition to Mount Everest and seeks to reinforce group dynamics and
leadership in the students.
The simulation lasts 6 rounds that take approximately 1.5 hours. In each phase the team
members analyze information about the weather, health, supplies, objectives or the speed of
the march and discuss the steps they must take to reach the next campsite or summit.
Decisions are made regarding the distribution of supplies and oxygen cylinders required
for the ascent, which will influence the speed of the ascent of the mountaineers and ultimately
the team's success at the top of the mountain. Lack of communication and analysis of
information accurately as a team has negative consequences on team performance. The
simulation is designed to be used with student teams. The material includes a Facilitator's
Guide containing an overview of the simulation screens, elements, and a full tutorial.
4.2.5. Best practices in simulation. PhET simulations
Founded in 2002 by Nobel Laureate Carl Wieman, the PhET Interactive Simulations
project at the University of Colorado Boulder creates free interactive math and science
simulations. PhET simulators are based on extensive educational research and engage students
through an intuitive game-like environment where students learn through exploration and
discovery. PhET offers fun, free and interactive science and math simulations based on
research.
The simulations work with Java, Flash, or HTML5 and can be run online or downloaded to
a computer. All simulations are open source. Currently, 158 interactive simulations have been
developed, with 94 translations into different languages and more than 2711 sent to teachers.
4.2.6. Gaming
In recent years, interest in examining the use of games in higher education has grown.
Games place students in interactive virtual environments that can be immersive and the
consequential serious play that follows allows students to test out decisions and build
entrepreneurial preparedness in a safe and risk-free environment. Games have strong
problem-solving aspects and this encourage forms of reflective learning. Games engage
students in narratives providing insights into specified entrepreneurial context and so in a
dynamic way, allowing students to navigate through virtual situations, decisions and choices
(Fox, Pittaway and Uzuegbunam, 2018).
This includes educational games, digital game-based learning, and applied games. Within
gaming we can find the following genres (Gros, 2007):
Action games: video games based on answers.
Adventure games: the player solves problems to advance through levels within a virtual
world.
Fighting games: involve fighting with characters controlled by computer or controlled by
other players.
Role-playing games: players assume the roles of fictional characters.
Sports games: they are based on different types of sports.
Strategy games: these recreate historical scenes or fictional scenarios, in which players
must devise a suitable strategy to achieve the objective.
Serious games: computer-based learning simulations that engage players in realistic
activities designed to increase knowledge, improve skills, and enable positive learning
outcomes. Serious games differ from entertainment games as they focus on problemsolving takes and incorporate the imperfect nature of interactions with the real works and
49
especially useful concept in approaching entrepreneurial opportunities (Fox, Pittaway and
Uzuegbunam, 2018).
4.2.7. Case study through comics
It is an innovation in classical technique of case studies using a format that aims to attract
the attention and interest of the students, such as comics. This type of format introduces
playful aspects and connotations such as gamification (Arias, Bustinza and Djundubaev, 2016)
and it could increase the student interest for the proposal case and for the resolution of the
questions raised. Indeed, according to the students, this method offers the opportunity to learn
while having fun and to actively participate in classes related to technology (Inel and Balim,
2013). The application of this new method in the field of operations management has shown a
high level of satisfaction on the part of students and teachers, observing, in addition, that
comics use is more useful to promote in students creativity, visual thinking, assimilation
concepts or interest, among others (Maqueira et al., 2020).
In this chapter we tried to analyse the main developments of digital technologies and
methodologies applied to teaching in the field of digital entrepreneurship. We provided various
and interesting evidences about the teaching methodologies currently used in education can be
adopted and implemented by instructors and teachers of digital entrepreneurship. These best
practices in teaching suggest an instructor needs to extend greatly skills and competencies. The
ability of recording videos prior the course start is crucial.
Such richness of tools and materials (that can easily be found on Internet and used freely)
increases the need of selecting and preparing in advance the materials to share with students
and to discuss in classroom. In other words, the spread of digital technologies and
methodologies and tools could decrease the value and utilization of improvisation, a key ability
of experienced “offline” teachers for adapting their lectures to some not forecasted topics
and/or debated. It is important to stress the IT solutions reported in this chapter are not the
only ones that a teacher of digital entrepreneurship can use. For instance, over the last few
years a large number of Apps for smartphones were developed for educational purposes. Many
of them can be important tools for improving the quality and impact of a digital
entrepreneurship course.
In order to conclude the present chapter, we can highlight a number of final remarks and
recommendations for digital entrepreneurship’ educators. First, we do believe the continuous
development of the technological competencies of teachers is crucial in order of being aware of
the different IT solutions available in this fast-changing market. Second, the richness of
information and data offered by these technologies allows an effective customisation of the
syllabus and the contents of the course for the students. Third, the integration of more
technologies is strongly advised in order to increase the educational impact of the course.
50
Jasmin Mikl, David Herold
Vienna University of Economics and Business
5. THE IMPLICATIONS OF DIGITAL
ENTREPRENEURSHIP ON ORGANIZATIONS,
COMPANIES AND INDUSTRIES
In order to develop and present meaningful guidelines to teach digital entrepreneurship in
higher education, the implications of digital innovations and technology on organizations,
companies and industries need to be understood. This chapter aims to provide an overview
about these implications, thereby not only highlighting key concepts and constructs behind
digital entrepreneurship, but also showcasing practical and real-world examples how
companies and industries, as well as their associated business models, are impacted by the rise
of digitalization and companies and start-ups using these digital opportunities.
In particular, we argue that through digital transformation within the corporate sector,
new concepts and business model have emerged and have come to the forefront in the area of
entrepreneurship which have not been incorporated in a comprehensive teaching model so far.
As such, this work aims to present and discuss these concepts and to describe its impact on
businesses and organizations. The remainder of this chapter is as follows (Figure 5.1).
Figure 5.1. Emerging models and concepts in digital entrepreneurship
Source: authors’ development.
In the next section, we present the key determinants of a business model and discuss the
impact of business model innovation and transformation through digitalization. This is followed
by a presentation and discussion of the emerging models/concepts in digital entrepreneurship,
namely ecosystems, disruption, platforms and the Internet of Things (IoT). More specifically,
key assumptions, concepts and implications of these models are theoretically discussed and are
supported by real-world cases to demonstrate their impact on businesses.
51
5.1. The role of the business model
Since the end of the 90s with the emergence of the internet and massive adaption in the ecommerce business the term ’business model’ (BM) has aroused in the managerial literature. In
general, the concept refers to the description of the different dimensions or components to
establish a model that can create value for the relevant groups of customers and for the
company itself. Furthermore, the concept refers on the one hand to a static approach, meaning
a BM is a blueprint that fulfils certain functions such as classification and description of a
business. At a transformational approach, on the other hand, the BM is regarded as a concept
to address changes with a focus on innovations in the company or in the BM itself.
New BMs can be acknowledged as radical innovations with the potential to change whole
industries (Demil and Lecocq, 2010). Due to developments in the global economy, new ways of
communication and the establishment of open global trade regimes, the traditional balance
between customer and supplier had changed. Customers now have more choices, are more
diverse and can compare supply alternatives more easily. Often these developments as well as
BM innovations are related to digital products and services, thus a closer look at how
digitalization transforms companies and industries will provide a better understanding about
digital entrepreneurship.
5.2. The impact of digitalization on the corporate world
Digitalization or digital transformation are drivers for changes in the corporate world,
because they establish new technologies based on the internet with implications for society as
a whole (Cichosz et al., 2020). While digitization describes the process of the conversion of
analogue and noisy information into digital data, digitalization is used to describe any changes
in the organization and in the organization’s BM due to their increasing use of digital
technologies to improve both the performance and the scope of their services. Scholars
interpret the digital transformation as the continuous interconnection of all business sectors
and the actor-side adaptation to the requirements of the digital economy, whilst Kiron et al.
(2017) define it as the systems-level restructuring of economies, institutions and society that
occurs through digital diffusion.
Digitalization as such is developed from a form of technical evolution to a phenomenon
that can influence any kind of organization. The physical and digital world are converging
increasingly frequently and need to work hand-in-hand, so that manufacturing companies can
also become digital (e.g. Industry 4.0). This can happen, for example, by integrating the Internet
of Things into industrial processes and generating value by analyzing and managing data that
can be used as a source of competitive advantage. As such, many changes led by digitalization
are disruptive and threaten existing incumbent business models.
As a consequence, companies that have dominated the market (so-called incumbents) so
far, may be confronted by new competitors that redefine the established industries (Bharadwaj
et al., 2013; Hooper and Holtbrügge, 2020; Sandström et al., 2009; Sucky and Asdecker, 2019;
Tsiulin et al., 2020), so that existing BMs become obsolete and are replaced by new ones – thus
companies need to innovate their BMs to maintain their competitive advantage in this new
‘digital environment’.
In particular, scholars have identified and described three different ways in which
digitalization influences and changes companies and their BMs: optimization of the existing BM
(e.g. cost optimization); transformation of the existing BM (e.g. reconfiguration of existing
models, extension of the established business); and development of a new BM (squeezing out
established market participants, new products/services). In particular, for the purpose of this
task, we found that the transformational potential of business models or the creation of new
business models through digitalization is represented by four models/concepts:
Ecosystems,
Disruption / Disruptive Innovation,
Platforms / Gig-Economy,
52
Internet of Things (IoT) / Industry 4.0.
In the following sections, we will discuss the key assumptions, concepts and implications of
these models supported by real-world cases to demonstrate their impact on businesses. It
needs to be emphasized that these models and their actions/consequences are interrelated and
interdependent, i.e. it may be that the disruption depends on the ecosystem or that the success
of a platform depends on IoT technology. However, for presentation (and later teaching)
purposes, each model/concept will be presented and discussed to showcase the theory and the
specific implications of each model.
5.2.1. Ecosystems
The first model that represents a significant influence for digital products and services and
can be regarded as a distinctive factor in digital entrepreneurship are ecosystems. The main
argument behind the importance of ecosystems is that innovation – which is crucial for a
companies’ survival – cannot be attributed a company single processes, but rather to complex
processes involving cooperative networks or business alliance: the ecosystem (Moore, 1993).
Although only a few authors have linked ecosystems directly to disruption (Ansari et al., 2016;
Klenner et al., 2013; Ozalp et al., 2018; Snihur et al., 2018), ecosystems have become an
increasingly popular topic among academics to examine business model innovation and digital
technologies (e.g. Adner, 2017; Autio et al., 2018; Autio and Thomas, 2014; Gawer and
Cusumano, 2014; Stank et al., 2019). The original concept of ecosystems can be attributed to
Moore (1993) – who used it as an analogy to biological ecosystems – with the aim to extend the
concept of the value chain (Porter, 1985) by interacting the co-evolution and the
interdependencies of relevant institutional and organizational actors (Phillips and Ritala,
2019).
Scholars broadly acknowledge that ecosystems require providers of complementary
innovations, products or services which may be attributed to other and different industries and
need not be a bound by contractual arrangements (Jacobides et al., 2018). This complex system
of interactions leads to ecosystems that are different from each other, each one with unique
relationships and interdependencies.
In fact, ecosystems differ extensively between companies and organizations: For example,
incumbent or traditional global logistics service providers (LSP) are often characterized by
ecosystems that rely on long-term partnerships and own assets to provide transport capacity
(Busse and Wallenburg, 2011; Economist, 2018; Oláh et al., 2018; Reyes, 2011). In contrast,
start-ups such as digital freight forwarders (DFFs) rely on ecosystems that focus on promoting
their digital platform, owning no transport capacity and no assets, but offering cost-efficient,
real-time and on-demand transport arrangements (Elbert and Gleser, 2019; Oláh et al., 2018;
Stölzle et al., 2018). Although both companies offer transport services, they rely on different
ecosystems that are built around different kinds of technology and what Adner and Kapoor
(2016) call the ‘old technology’ and the ‘new technology’.
The former can be linked to a business ecosystem, while the latter rather represents an
innovation ecosystem (Granstrand and Holgersson, 2020; Jacobides et al., 2018). A business
ecosystem focuses in an individual company and views the ecosystem as a “community of
organizations, institutions, and individuals that impact the enterprise and the enterprise’s
customers and suppliers (Teece, 2007, p. 1325). As such, the ecosystem mirrors the business
environment that the company must closely observe and react to in order to build dynamic
capabilities to maintain or gain a competitive advantage (Jacobides et al., 2018; Teece, 2010).
In contrast, new technologies rely on innovative ecosystems, which Granstrand and
Holgersson (2020) defines as an “evolving set of actors, activities, and artifacts, and the
institutions and relations, including complementary and substitute relations, that are important
for the innovative performance of an actor or a population of actors” (p. 3). According to
Jacobides et al. (2018), the emphasis in an innovative ecosystem lies in understanding how
interdependent actors interact to build and market innovations that benefit an end customer,
thus “the anchoring point is the system of innovations that allow customers to use the end
53
product, rather than the firm” (p. 2257). Moreover, an innovation system includes an actor or
an artifact system with ‘substitute relations’ (Granstrand and Holgersson, 2020), i.e. that an
innovation ecosystem has a competitive component that aims to ‘substitute’ old technologies
with new technologies, thus representing a threat to incumbent companies to replace them. In
addition, and in contrast to a business ecosystem with old technologies, innovative ecosystems
with new technologies take more advantage of digital innovations, which allows the ecosystem
to rival the service capabilities of incumbent firms by better coordinating distributed resources
and participants (Constantinides et al., 2018).
Good examples for the impact of ecosystems on markets, companies and consumer are
companies that rely heavily on their ecosystems, such as Amazon or Apple.
For example, Amazon’s product – selling online and shipping – targeted the same
customers of brick-and-mortar stores served by incumbents (Wessel and Christensen, 2012),
but it can be argued that Amazon’s subsequent growth can be explained by the introduction of
a robust and agile new business model (Christensen et al., 2011; Wieland and Wallenburg,
2012) and its ecosystem. By building a facilitated network connecting worldwide suppliers and
consumers, Amazon ‘changed the game’ (Liebmann, 2013). Eventually, e-commerce attracted
traditional consumer and created a new market for ‘internet shopping’ by challenging
traditional brick-and-mortar stores. In other words, Amazon has followed an innovative path
by building its ecosystems of suppliers to match or exceed brick-and-mortar store services. In
particular, Amazon was able to use the network in its ecosystem to “utilize new operations or
financial approach or both to earn attractive returns at the discount prices required to win
business at the low-end of the market” (Christensen and Raynor, 2013, p. 51). In other words,
customers were able to select ‘good enough’ products at cheaper prices, i.e. the ecosystem was
built to target customers which otherwise would have not entered the traditional – more
expensive – market. In addition, Amazon was able to use the network in its ecosystem to
improve performance in new attributes and to target “customers who historically lacked the
money or skill to buy and use the product” (Christensen and Raynor, 2013, p. 51). In other
words, Amazon not only provided a much greater range of products, but made product
deliveries faster, simpler and more convenient, i.e. the ecosystem consists of complex
innovation processes involving cooperative networks as well as interacting organizations and
individuals (Moore, 1993).
Using another example, Apple’s success partly relies on their ecosystem. One specific
example within this ecosystem are Apple’s Apps and the developing community that develops
these Apps. Apple has created an own ecosystem to create value for the customer, and the role
of developers has become so central in digital ecosystems that firms have developed strategies
to manage third party contributions that have become central to its platform success. Reasons
that developers are so important include well-known features of digital technology such as
malleability of the code, the low cost of investing in tools to develop code, close to zero cost
reproduction, and the potential to profit from application successes while shedding the costs of
failures. Put more broadly, developers are key to Apple’s ability to scale rapidly because is not
limited by the processes of hiring, training, project selection, and coordination. Instead, these
processes are distributed outside of Apple’s platform, allowing much more rapid growth
(Parker et al., 2016)
Scholars refer to this development as an ‘historic shift’, driven by rapid improvements in
network connectivity and computing power (Brynjolfsson and McAfee, 2014). Using loosely
affiliated ecosystems, firms are able to harness a global network of partners they have never
met. These partners can connect through digital networks to innovate on top of a platform’s
core set of resources, thereby creating highly valuable products and services for ecosystem
users (Parker et al., 2016).
5.2.2. Disruption
The second model that represents a significant influence for digital products and services
and can be regarded as a distinctive factor in digital entrepreneurship is disruption or
54
disruptive innovations. To examine disruptive innovations, scholars frequently refer to the
seminal work of Clayton M. Christensen (1997) who distinguishes between ‘sustaining’ and
‘disruptive’ technologies and innovations. ‘Sustained’ innovations are characterized by
improving products with incremental advances or major breakthroughs, thus enabling the
incumbent’s company to sell more products to their most profitable customers (Christensen et
al., 2015). In other words, sustaining technologies improve already existing and established
products along the dimensions that mainstream customers demand (Sandström et al., 2009).
Examples include better mobile reception, a better TV resolution or the fifth blade in a razor.
Disruptive technologies, in contrast, are initially underperforming along the dimension of
mainstream customer demand and are considered inferior by most of incumbents’ customers
(Christensen et al., 2015). The low performance and the ancillary performance attributes
create a market that is characterized by uncertainty, thus established firms find it irrational to
abandon their profitable customers in order to aim for a new, but small market with an inferior
technology and customers are skeptical to switch to the new offering only because it is less
expensive (Sandström et al., 2009). Only when the performance and the quality of the
disruptive technology rises, existing incumbents’ customers are willing to abandon the
sustaining technology and adopt the new technology.
Christensen and Raynor (2003), expanded on the work of Christensen (1997) and divided
the initial target market for disruptors into low-end and new-market disruptive innovations.
Low-end disruptions make not only a platform more affordable simpler to use, but gain market
foothold with the incumbents’ least-profitable customers, while new-market disruptions
emerge from non-consumers and initially don’t challenge incumbents directly (Hang et al.,
2015).
Table 5.1. Disruptive innovation characteristics
Sustaining
Innovations
Incumbents
typically win
Low-End
Disruptions
Entrants
typically win
New-Market
Disruptions
Entrants
typically win
Performance
Customers
Business Model
Targeted performance of the
product or service
Targeted customers or
market application
Impact on the required business
model
Performance improvement in
attributes most valued by the
industry's most demanding
customers. These improvements
may be incremental or
breakthrough in character.
The most attractive (i.e.,
profitable) customers in
the mainstream
markets who are willing
to pay for improved
performance.
Improves or maintains profit
margins by exploiting the existing
processes and cost structures and
by making better use of current
competitive advantages.
Performance that is good enough
along the traditional metrics of
performance at the low-end of the
mainstream market.
Over-served customers
in the low-end of the
mainstream market.
Utilizes new operations or financial
approach or both to earn attractive
returns at the discount prices
required to win business at the lowend of the market.
Lower performance in "traditional"
Targets nonattributes, but improved
consumption: customers
performance in new attributes who historically lacked
typically simplicity and
the money or skill to buy
convenience.
and use the product.
Business model must make money
at lower price per unit sold, and at
unit production volumes that
initially will be small. Gross margin
dollars per unit sold will be
significantly lower.
Source: (Christensen and Raynor, 2003).
Good and common disruptive innovations are for example Netflix and the blockchain
technology.
Netflix is an American entertainment company that provides streaming media on-demand.
Further produces films and series and distributes them online. With this business model,
Netflix changed the way movies and TV shows were brought to the users. By implementing a
subscription plan, Netflix gave its users more content than any other provider in the industry.
By offering a wide range of content and an "all you can watch" philosophy, low prices, high
55
quality and convenient sales, Netflix has been able to reach Blockbuster's core audience
(McAlone, 2015).
The reason for Netflix being disruptive is that when they launched their first service, the
mail-in subscription service, they did not go after the core customers of competitors like
Blockbuster. Furthermore, Netflix initially addressed only a few customer groups, namely
"movie lovers who were not interested in new releases, early adopters of DVD players and
online buyers". According to Christensen et al. (2015) Netflix is therefore a hallmark of
disruption, as a disruptive company targets population groups that have not gone unnoticed by
its competitors and offers an inferior, but more customized alternative at a lower price. This is
how a disruptive company like Netflix eventually begins to establish itself in the marketplace.
Initial benefits can be maintained and the things that mainstream customers want are added.
The result is that there is no longer a reason to have blockbusters (Ltd., 2018; Rosenstand et al.,
2018). Nevertheless, Netflix knew that this would not be enough to maintain their market level.
That is why they introduced online video streaming, which brought the change: Netflix was able
to reach Blockbuster's audience and Blockbuster collapsed – the main reason would be that
disruptive companies can often grow quickly because their competitors don't notice them at
first (Christensen et al., 2015).
Blockchain represents a disruptive threat for the banking industry. The ‘blockchain’ is
basically a database with a transparent protocol for any utilization and is – conventionally –
public, i.e. all actors are able to perform a transaction without explicit assignment of write or
read rights. Every information is stored across its network via a block. These blocks are
permanently recorded, consistently updated, time-stamped and linked together to all
transactions (current and past) (Maslova, 2018).
This eliminates the risk of central databases. If valid, a block is added to the existing chain,
whose content cannot be manipulated later. The technology operates on a decentralized
network, acting on a peer-to-peer basis. It can be used to come to agreements, with
untrustworthy parties, without a middleman and on the state of a database (Chen and
Bellavitis, 2020). By providing a ledger that nobody can manage, a blockchain can offer certain
financial services, such as payments or securitization, without involving a bank as an
intermediary. It handles all operations similar to a bank, but has no central authority to monitor
all data. This eliminates the middleman and returns power to the owner. Moreover, blockchain
allows the use of smart contracts which can automate manual processes. With these
properties, blockchain is able to offer key features of banks such as: payments, securities,
fundraising, trade finance, loans and credits or clearance and settlement systems (Buitenhek,
2016; Cai, 2018). Therefore, blockchain is characterized as an innovative, technical disruption
that can reduce the cost of doing business, making it attractive for industries with increasing
regulatory challenges like the financial sector (Cong and He, 2019).
5.2.3. Platforms
The third model/concept that represents a significant influence for digital products and
services and can be regarded as a distinctive factor in digital entrepreneurship are platforms, in
particular digital platforms. Often, new business models rely on digital platforms, with some
scholars even referring to a ‘platform revolution’ (e.g. Ciulli et al., 2019; Parker et al., 2016).
Recent developments show that platforms as a business model have become a real and viable
alternative to the integrated company and thus augmented the notion that business
competition is no longer about how to control the value chain, but who controls the platform
(de Reuver et al., 2018; Tiwana, 2014). In particular, digital platforms such as booking.com,
Airbnb or Uber make use of the rapid digitization of distribution and communication systems,
thereby connecting global communities and providing them with access and shared knowledge,
goods and services in ways that were previously unavailable (Spagnoletti et al., 2015; Tiwana et
al., 2010).
56
Although platforms may have similar characteristics and traits (see: de Reuver et al., 2018;
Kenney and Zysman, 2016; Schreieck et al., 2016), the literature distinguishes three types of
digital platforms (Gawer, 2014; Jacobides et al., 2018; Kyprianou, 2018):
Product platform,
Platform ecosystem,
Market intermediary platform.
(1) Product platform: In many industries, product platforms are used to reduce
development costs, increase the product development process or to obtain access to multiple
market segments by offering different variants of products. The product platform thus
represents a lever for gaining competitive advantages. According to Harland and Uddin (2014,
p. 263) a product platform is a “collection of modules or parts that are common to a number of
products, and this commonality is developed intentionally to attain certain effects to create
customer value”. This means that product platforms as Zalando or eBay comprises modular
components and elements that are used efficiently to develop an array of products (Kyprianou,
2018). For this reason, this approach is a concept that enables economies of scale by
standardization on a module level rather than on a product level. Further economically this
module level standardization enables in certain market situations a higher variation of the
product level (Harland et al., 2020).
(2) Platform ecosystems: Many markets are structured as platform ecosystems with a stable
core, mediating the relationship between a variety of complements and prospective
customers/end-users (Rietveld et al., 2019). Platform ecosystems (e.g. Video game console) are
characterized by an underlying platform technology and associated standards designed by the
platform leader which is complemented by a set of assets offered by third parties (Gawer and
Cusumano, 2014; Jacobides et al., 2018). When a market is structured in this way, a complex
interplay can result from the bundling of the elements and their interaction to create the
overall value of the system (Ceccagnoli et al., 2012; Gawer and Cusumano, 2014; Pierce, 2009).
The platform ecosystem members often have a strong personal interest in the success of
others, since the end users are only attracted by the attractiveness of the entire ecosystem.
The success of one partner thus depends, at least in part, on the success of the other ecosystem
members, even if they are competitors. Due to high platform switching costs, it is often difficult
to switch ecosystems. In addition, a platform ecosystem is characterized by relationships which
are neither as independent as market contracts nor as dependent as those within a hierarchical
organization. It is basically a hybrid form of organization (Rietveld et al., 2019).
(3) Market intermediary platform: Market intermediary platforms coordinate and mediate
the supply side as well as the demand-side in a two-sided market (Parker amd Van Alstyne,
2005; Rochet and Tirole, 2006). These two-side markets aim to bring together supply and
demand side whereby the value of one side increases as the number of users on the other side
increases (Evans, 2003). By matching both the demand and the supply side, intermediaries
create the so-called network effects or network externalities that increase the numbers of
platform users (Katz and Shapiro, 1994). For example, start-ups in logistics and supply chain
acting as market intermediaries, an increased user base can trigger positive feedback cycles
that further increase the usefulness of the platform technology. In other words, start-ups that
act as market intermediaries experience direct network externalities as the platform depends
on the number of users in the same user group, i.e. “the value of the product increases by other
buying, connecting or using the same platform or services provided via the platform” (de
Reuver et al., 2018, p. 125).
Uber and Zalando provide good examples for platforms; therefore, they are discussed in
the next section.
Uber is an on-demand transportation service, market intermediary platform that
coordinates the supply and the demand side. In 2018 Uber achieved a revenue of around 14.2
billion US Dollar and had 3 million drivers (Eisape, 2020). The business model of Uber is built
upon a digital platform and consists of a two-sided platform that connects passengers looking
for a ride and drivers of cars using their mobile app (Täuscher and Laudien, 2018). In the case of
57
Uber Eats it is even a three-sided market because it matches someone who wants to order food
with a restaurant and a delivery method. The digital marketplace is used to simplify
transactions and create a wide-reaching network that is easily scalable. Like other business
models such as Airbnb or Amazon the aim of the platform is to create demand on the supplyand the demand-side of the platform. Underpinning their business model Uber uses a
technology to identify where people are using Google maps and matching them to a nearby
driver. The value proposition, which describes how you create, deliver and capture value, of
Uber is based on the convenience and the whole system is built on simplicity and ease for both
parties involved, drivers and passengers (Eisape, 2020). Additionally, they have a dynamic
pricing system that adjusts pricing according to demand that is called surge-pricing. This pricing
system includes a variation in fees according to the situation and is an important aspect of their
business model. Surge-pricing means that the prices always depend on the number of requests
made by people and the number of available drivers. This enables real-time price quotations
(Cachon et al., 2017).
Zalando is an online-store designed as a product platform. Due to high growth rates,
Zalando had made it to a market leader in e-commerce fashion in Europe. The business model is
highly profitable and offers high revenues. The platform includes a themed world of fashion
with several features and tools to strengthen the shopping experience. In differentiation to
retail stores the costs for setting up the business, the operation costs and the personnel
infrastructure costs are much lower. Further, it is easier to access new markets and reach a
wide range of customers at any time of the day. The assortment of Zalando includes over 1,500
international brands, covering the entire range: fast fashion brands, popular brands, local
brands, sport brands, private labels and so on (Cadieux and Heyn, 2018). In 2015, Zalando
started to include brand stores in their website and thus transforming it in a sales platform.
Well-known brands can get their own store within the Zalando online store. Zalando can
thereby reach even more customers from different ranges. Further, the innovative technology
platform is one of the key success factors to engage customers. The product platform includes
several tools such as size guides or product ratings. These technological features, however,
imply high investments in R&D, which are important to stay competitive in the fast-developing
e-commerce market. With the innovative platform, the emotional shopping experience and the
wide range of products Zalando has built a large, solid customer base (Detzel et al., 2016).
Moreover, through larger orders the company can buy the products at discounted prices and
offer them to the customers quite competitive (Porter et al., 2001).
5.2.4. Internet of things
The fourth concept that represents a significant influence for digital products and services
and can be regarded as a distinctive factor in digital entrepreneurship is the Internet of Things
(IoT). IoT, which refers to the interconnection of physical objects that can also be equipped with
ubiquitous intelligence (Christidis and Devetsikiotis, 2016; Papert and Pflaum, 2017; Tu, 2018),
is strongly related to the popular term ‘Industry 4.0’, a term describing the current upheavals
within the production and manufacturing industries, focuses on intelligent production
processes in complex environments enabling communication between humans, machines, and
products through self-controlled or cyber-physical controlled interfaces. Through the ubiquity
of the Internet, networks of devices become highly distributed and allow inter-communication
in all directions (Ben-Daya et al., 2019).
The Internet of Things has an enduring effect on business models due to the fundamental
properties of digitally transmitted signals without errors, indefinite replicas without
degradation, and zero marginal costs after a one-time investment in network infrastructure.
The properties improve the scalability of an organization as well as connectivity (Iansiti and
Lakhani, 2017). The Internet of Things offers opportunities for new business models and has
the potential to change business processes significantly. Physical objects can now be monitored
or managed electronically, and data can be used to improve decision-making. Digitally
enhanced machines and devices influence the efficiency of the industry’s value chain
58
significantly. According to Barua et al. (2004), ICT and the Internet have enabled organizations
to improve customer and supplier interactions and processes. Net-enabled business
transformation (NBT), as defined by Straub and Watson (2001), allows organizations to
optimize communication and information flow, reduce inventory, enhance satisfaction for all
involved parties, understand preferences, and increase turnover, resulting in potential financial
benefits.
One industry that has been identified to benefit from IoT is the automotive industry. For
instance, according to Manohar (2015), OEMs may lose significant opportunities with respect
to product planning, newer services, and time-to-market reaction with the lack of
customer/vehicle data feedback. Direct interaction between an OEM and customer/vehicle
will help the former understand and gauge customer preferences and reduce several
inefficiencies. The consumer piece of the pie is like an Apple Store model, where every
transaction can be monetized, and manufacturers will also need to work towards
understanding avenues that can have a positive impact on internal savings and ways to improve
the bottom line. IoT is expected to bring forth the idea that advances in manufacturing will help
the industry focus on key functional pillars such as technology, collaboration, and processes.
The article highlights three megatrends which play an essential role in IoT processes: a)
cloud computing, b) cyber security and c) predictive instead of reactive processes.
With regard to first point, cloud computing is one area that could possibly highlight a new
era where IoT will not merely be used as a purchase puller, but more as a tool that can impact
internal savings and improve OEMs’ bottom-line performance. Criticality and latency are the
two most important factors that come into play while deploying Cloud in any industrial
environment. For instance, a Cloud-based PLM system eliminates supply chain inefficiencies
caused by miscommunication. Prototype review and up-to-date information across the supply
chain results in significant savings, helping suppliers provide competitive quotations to end
customers. A Tier 1 HVAC (heating, ventilation and air conditioning) supplier in North America,
for example, was able to achieve a reduction in injection mould tool cost from 33% to 50%, and
time-to-procure supplier quotations were reduced by 20%. In addition, manufacturers were
able to achieve instant prototype review among the supply chain partners, which results in
quicker design change and a reduced development cycle.
With regard to cyber security, security processes should be treated as a part of any design
principle parallel to business strategy, and not as an investment concern. For instance, the
value of electronics accounts for about 20%-25% of the value of a present-day car; this is likely
to increase to 40%-45% or more by 2020. If OEMs ignore cyber security, they would be
compromising their users, risking brand value, and drawing financial and moral liabilities.
Last, the analysis of Big Data marks the beginning of the increased potential for the
automotive industry to negate existing challenges and look beyond customer expectations.
Access to predictive analytics based on real-time data helps manufacturers identify issues
before they happen, lower inventory costs, and potentially reduce capital requirements. In
effect, some of the key opportunities from analytics across functional areas in the
manufacturing value chain are time to market, inventory management, asset utilization, and
operational downtime. Supply chain analytics will also lead to planning, scheduling and product
traceability within the manufacturing ecosystem. The next step is prescriptive analytics, where
a proactive approach is used to find out when and how the equipment might fail prior to actual
breakdown; the related benefits are cost, process efficiency and even equipment self-learning
from surrounding environments.
Use cases such as 3D printing, robotics, and collaborative IT can aid OEMs to enhance
product design and transform traditional production and supply chain inefficiencies. As the
automotive industry’s needs shift toward complex products, minimal lead times, raw materials
and custom products, it is certain that most of the industry participants will adopt this
transition. The future development of Industry 4.0 and its effect on the automotive industry
will require synergetic efforts from all ecosystem partners (OEMs, policymakers, suppliers, end
users, etc.) to boost reliability and deliver massive benefits. Such collaborative efforts will
59
result in wider awareness among end users of the immense potential of IoT, which will
ultimately lead to higher demand for newer services and sustainability of the automotive
industry beyond the influx of technology disruptors.
60
GLOSSARY
Digital education – an education that provides innovative opportunities for communication,
exchange of knowledge, ideas and experiences between teacher and student through the use
of digital computer technology.
Digital educational technologies/solutions – various digital educational programs, applications,
content (including video lectures, e-books) that are designed to achieve ambitious educational
goals in terms of teaching digital entrepreneurship or that can be used for these purposes.
Digitalization of education – a way of development, progress and transition to a new civilization
stage in secondary and higher education through the use of software and IT solutions that will
make learning (education) – better and more interesting, living in cities more comfortable,
doing business – easier, and will bring the interaction of the community and the authorities to a
qualitatively new level.
High-tech (High technology) – a stylistic trend in modern architecture and design, focused on
functionality, science, elite service architecture with the use of high technology.
Industry 4.0 – an updated concept of “smart factory”, which is identified with the fourth
industrial revolution and the emergence of cybersystems. Industry 4.0 is one of the highest
phases of digitalization, compared to “smart factories”, where such technologies as analytics
Big Data, machine learning, m2m-communications, artificial intelligence, a new generation of
robots.
Industry X.0 – a new approach to the organization of production in virtual reality, which is
based on highly intelligent integrated new products and digital ecosystems, which form a fully
innovative digital value chain, add new competencies and implement profound cultural changes
towards a new virtual reality. “Live” devices, smart assets, smart services, data management are
the basis of the concept of Industry X.0.
Institute of Education – on the one hand, is a system of ideas, rules, norms, standards of behavior
of participants in educational activities in terms of digital entrepreneurship, and on the other –
is a set of certain institutions, individuals provided with certain material resources and perform
relevant social functions teaching digital entrepreneurship.
Institute as: 1) A set of legal norms in any area of public relations of a particular state (e.g.,
institute of education, institute of science, institute of intellectual property). Such phrases
contain the meaning of integrity, a characteristic feature of a particular sphere of life;
2) Activity characteristics of a person or a group of people who represent a certain direction in
public life or are a sign of social order: the institute of professorship, the institute of power, the
institute of digital entrepreneurship; 3) Scientific institution, educational organization, higher
educational institution.
Institution – a guide, an explanation of something and means first of all, in our case, the features
of digital entrepreneurship management, the mechanisms of legal norms in any field of public
relations.
Networking – a social and professional activity aimed at solving complex digital
entrepreneurship problems and business issues as quickly and efficiently as possible with the
help of friends and acquaintances (example: finding clients, hiring the best employees,
61
attracting investors). At the same time, the essence of networking is building trust and longterm relationships with people and mutual assistance.
Smart factory (Smart production) – the concept of “digitalization” of industrial production in
order to improve their operating activities and business efficiency. Smart factories appeal to
technologies such as cloud computing, wireless communications, remote control and service,
cybersecurity, integration of management systems, integration and better cooperation in the
value chain, 3D printing.
Teaching digital entrepreneurship – an educational activity in which digital technologies are
comprehensively applied in all processes of acquiring skills and acquiring competencies in
terms of business process digitization skills, namely during teaching, education administration,
business planning and forecasting through digitalization and virtual reality, etc.
Teaching Digital Entrepreneurship Workshop – an intensive training event where participants
learn primarily through active work, the development of own digitized business.
62
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List of figures
Figure 1.1. Methodology of teaching digital entrepreneurial in the system of economic learning ..... 10
Figure 1.2. Potential innovative ecosystem of digital entrepreneurship hub of the university ........... 11
Figure 1.3. Basic model of “digital triangle” .......................................................................................... 11
Figure 1.4. Virtual-real slice of digital cubic space of the institute of creative specialist in digital
entrepreneurship .................................................................................................................................. 12
Figure 1.5. The content of the modules of teaching the course of digital entrepreneurship............... 23
............................................................................................................................................................... 29
Figure 2.1. Entrepreneurial digital learning environment (EDLE) ......................................................... 29
Figure 3.1. General scheme for updating the digital entrepreneurship curriculum ............................. 36
Figure 3.2. The generic scheme of bottom-up update.......................................................................... 37
Figure 3.3. The cycle of bottom-up update ........................................................................................... 38
Figure 3.4. The generic scheme of top down update protocol ............................................................. 38
Figure 3.5. The cycle of top-down update ............................................................................................ 39
Figure 3.6. Nested Top Down and Bottom-Up Updates Protocols ....................................................... 40
Figure 5.1. Emerging models and concepts in digital entrepreneurship .............................................. 51
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List of tables
Table 1.1. Digital competencies that produce the course of teaching digital entrepreneurship ......... 13
Table 1.2. Professional flexible/soft skills of a digital practitioner who acquires knowledge in the
course of digital entrepreneurship........................................................................................................ 13
Table 1.3. Forms and types of work forming digital competencies and skills in the course of obtaining
education in digital entrepreneurship at innovative-entrepreneurship university .............................. 15
Table 1.4. Innovative techniques, technologies and types of teaching in digital entrepreneurship in
virtual reality ......................................................................................................................................... 16
Table 1.5. General characteristics of the types of generations of people in the 20th and 21st centuries
through the prism of economic, institutional and professional content features................................ 19
Table 1.6. Comparison of generation A, Z and baby boomer skills and economic and organizational
benefits as a result of their work for companies .................................................................................. 21
Table 1.7. Matrix structure of benefits of the digital workplace of the businessman for generation of
millennials, buzzers and alpha people .................................................................................................. 22
Table 4.1. On-line course and program characteristics ........................................................................ 44
Table 5.1. Disruptive innovation characteristics ................................................................................... 55
74