Topic outline

  • Take home exam instructions and q&a

    UPDATED 14.12.2021

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    EXAM QUESTIONS.

    Answer to 4 questions (write 4 essays)

    1. Analyze critically: What are the benefits and drawbacks of pattern and archetype -based business model innovation tools/frameworks?

    2. How does the future of platform business models look like? This is a broad theme, so set a perspective (motivate it), highlight key themes, and identify challenges and paradoxes.

    3. Discuss "resilience" by selecting a case firm and give examples of two disruptive events that might happen in the firm's environment: 1) one that can be predicted and 2) one that cannot (e.g., a "black swan" event, see definition below). How the firm can be prepared for these? Do the approaches differ between the event types?

    4. Discuss the concept of "shared value" and how business models may create or destroy such value? Use concrete examples, and frameworks.

    5. Search two value propositions of existing companies: a) a very good one and then b) a very bad one. Compare these two value propositions and explain how the companies have succeeded and failed in the value proposition design.

    6. Critically analyze: What does interdisciplinary (or transdisciplinary) perspective offer to business model design? What are the possibilities and challenges?

    7. Discuss the concept of “sustainable business models”. What is required to call your business model sustainable?

    *Black swan event: "...an event that comes as a surprise, has a major effect, and is often inappropriately rationalised after the fact with the benefit of hindsight." (Wikipedia, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Black_swan_theory, cited: 7.12.2020)

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    EXAM GUIDELINES

    Timelines, q&a about the questions

    • Questions are published in this page 10.12. 20.00.
    • You can ask questions about the questions until Monday 13.12. 23.59.59 (Finnish time). Send your questions to elina.hilden@aalto.fi, the answers will be published in this page 14.12.
    • Absolute deadline for submissions is 23.12. 23.59.59. No late submission allowed.


    Answering the questions, evaluation

    • There are 7 questions in total.
    • Please choose 4 questions to answer (write 4 essays). DO NOT ANSWER MORE THAN 4 QUESTIONS.
    • Each essay is valued max 10 points (Together max 40 points in total)
    • Exam is an individual task
    • The evaluation will be done according to your ability to analyze and reflect the readings and other material, to show case examples and/or individual experiences, as well as to synthetize and combine different sources of information (same criteria as with the reflective journals)


    Content of the answers

    • The length of each essay should be approximately 600-900 words. This is a recommendation, but usually below 600 words is not enough for a complete answer.
    • Providing appropriate references is critical! (Here is a good citation guide: https://www.mendeley.com/guides/harvard-citation-guide)
    • Definitions for concepts, theories, frameworks, etc. should be given with appropriate references.
    • Copy-paste the question to your answer
    • Academic writing style
    • Note that the questions are quite extensive. Therefore, in each essay, it is important to state why you have chosen certain perspective in your answer, and what that perspective means for your answer.


    Turnitin use, submission

    • Please note that your submission is analyzed by Turnitin (which will detect e.g. plagiarizing). Draft version submission is possible (you can see the plagiarism check results before final submit). If you quote some statements etc. directly, do it properly with referencing.
    • All times Finnish time


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    Q&A (updated 14.12., contains q&a from previous years)

    The DL was 23.12 right? I'm a bit confused since Dec 19th was previously mentioned as the DL and in the submission section it says DL 21.12.

    - 23.12. 23.59.59 is the deadline. We have fixed it to the submission box as well.

    Should I submit 4 different PDF files, or save all my essays to one file?

    - You should submit all your essays as one document.

    It says that there are 8 questions but only 7 are listed. Is there one missing?

    - No, it was a typo. There's only 7 questions:)

    I've written a reflection essay on the same topic, can I use this framework as long as I don't quote myself but instead write new text and further analysis around the framework?

    - Yes, exactly like that:) You can write about the same topic, but it have to be new text and content.

    Question #3: can this event/ these events have happened already? Can it be sort of like a hindsight of resilience or does it need to be conjecture of possible future scenarios?

    - Yes, you can refer to things that have happened.

    Question #1: is there a specific archetype/ pattern you are referring to in this question? We've covered quite a few different ones in classes (metaphors in platform business models, archetypes in sustainable business models etc.). Or is this a more general question on the benefits and pitfalls of utilizing these types of frameworks?

    -As the question says: "pattern and archetype -based business model innovation tools/frameworks" - you may discuss them in plural  form, or on general level:)

    Is it ok to use the case companies that I already used in the reflective journals.

    - Yes, you can use the same case companies. However, the exam answers should be understood without any knowledge about your previous assignments.

    Is it ok to take benefit from the already submitted essays (reflective journals).

    - Autoplagiarizing (copypasting own text) is not ok. Further developing own thinking is of course ok. However, the exam answers should be understood without any knowledge about your previous assignments (do not, for example, "cite" or refer to previous journals).

    About the selection of a firm case: can we select a firm that does not exist anymore (e.g Enron) or should we focus only on contemporary firms?

    - You can use any case(s) you find appropriate. Please describe the case(s) shortly, do not assume that the reader knows the case(s). 

    Can we repeat the same type of journal more than one time? Or it’s not necessary that we follow a journal type?

    - Journal type restrictions do not apply in the exam. You don't have to follow any particular format. You can use the formats if you want, of course. And you can use one format as many times as you like.

    Can I refer e.g. to answer two in answer one, etc. Can I combine answers?

    One question - one answer. One should be able to understand each answer independently, without reading other answers. 


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