Networked business

The Networked Business course addresses the business structure for networked business, as well as the related technology support of networked business. The focus is on dynamic, inter-organizational business operation in which information and communication technology is an enabling factor. E-commerce, most significantly business-to-business e-commerce, is an important category of networked business in this respect. The first, main part of the course introduces the networked business classification framework and follows the BOAT framework to place networked business elements in a structured perspective, distinguishing the business, organizational, architecture and technology aspects of networked business scenarios. These can be placed in a demand pull or technology push context. For the business and organization aspects, attention is paid to networked business paradigms like dynamic service outsourcing and highly dynamic supply chains. A pivotal point in this course is the architecture aspect of the framework, covering the mapping of organization architectures to information system and technology class architectures. Attention is paid to digital architecture and technology standards in the networked business field. Important technology classes are placed into perspective and essential characteristics are discussed. In the second, smaller part of the course, the BOAT framework is complemented by techniques for business model design and data-driven business design, applied in networked business scenarios. The emphasis of the course is on the analysis and design of complex networked business structures, using well-organized models and techniques. This emphasis is reflected in the group assignments to be completed by the students enrolled in this course, which are based on these models and techniques.

After this course, the student is able to:

• describe the general field of networked business, more specifically explain the aspects of the BOAT framework and their possible relations.
• classify a networked business scenario in terms of values along three main classification dimensions.
• describe the main elements playing a role in each of the BOAT aspects and provide examples of these.
• classify networked business applications and describe them in terms of the BOAT framework.
• analyze the organization and information system architecture of networked business applications and their relation (at a high level of abstraction).
• analyze the applicability of specific standards and technologies in specific networked business application contexts.
• apply design techniques for business model design and data driven business design in the context of networked business.
• form an opinion about historic, current and future developments in networked business, including concepts like hype cycle models and network effects.

You must meet one of the following collections of requirements

• Collection 1
• Completed Final examination Bsc program
• Collection 2
• Completed Pre-Master

• Networked Business: Charting Digitally Enabled Business Collaboration by Paul Grefen (Routledge / Taylor & Francis, to appear in Fall 2026
• Selected readings (made available digitally via Canvas)