digital transformation in imc university of applied
Post on 13-Mar-2022
2 Views
Preview:
TRANSCRIPT
Digital Transformation in IMC University of Applied
Sciences Krems: An Analytical Report
Omar Shaaban 28 Dec 2020
ABSTRACT: Digital transformation in higher education goes beyond technology.
The objective is to adopt new ways of working in order to continue to provide user-centric services in
the face of changing technology, competition, audience needs and behaviour.
Digital (core) services, educators and students with digital skills, decisions that take into account
available evidence are some of the hallmarks of digitally transformed higher education.
In conditions of great uncertainty and competition higher education must move from wondering what
the future might hold to predicting the future - making proactive decisions and acting based on that
information. Evidence-based, quantitative, and predictive decision making is a quite reliable way of
gaining competitive advantage (Šereš, Laslo & Pavlićević, Veselin & Tumbas, Pere. (2018)
KEYWORDS: Digital Transformation. Modern University, Digitalisation., IMC cognitive centre,
Future of Universities.
Introduction
Like the observation about the future often attributed to the science fiction writer William
Gibson, digital transformation (DX) is already here, but it's not yet evenly distributed.
Educause research shows that 13% of colleges and universities are engaging in digital
transformation today, 32% are developing a DX strategy, and another 38% of higher
education institutions are exploring DX. With only 17% of institutions investing no time in
DX, higher education truly is driving digital transformation ( Educause,2020)
Universities should rethink their role in society the local economy and its contribution to
international development, the traditional role was learning, certification, and researching.
However, IMC University has clear statements in its Strategic report but they are still under
the traditional theory, I think the modern role should adopt a new Mission which is
surrounding the “Making the future” concept instead of “targeting the future”.
The purpose of this report is to present the result of a research project that investigated and
analyze IMC University business in order to develop a digital transformation strategy suiting
the Global trends in the education industry.
And the objectives of the project were to identify and understand the Business capabilities, the
digital maturity, and the customer experience factors so that affect the Digital transformation
strategies. At the end of this Analytical report, I will write a list of recommendations in order
to exercise the business model innovation as a suggestion for future improvement
Method
I relied on the online library, web searching, strategy report for IMC University, the
government reports about education and universities in Austria and Germany and I have
divided my project into four steps in order to do the following:
Firstly; initiation, I analyze the IMC business model, defining who is the target customer -
what does IMC offer to the customers - how will IMC create a value proposition- how IMC
will generate revenue. Secondly: Ideation by learning from the 55 Business model patterns
from The St. Gallen Business Model Navigator and develop a new model that fits IMC.
Thirdly: Integration by examining all four questions in the new business model, check the
Consistency.
Lastly, implementation design of a business model as fundament for a pilot, and I have
planned my project as the following map:
For analyzing IMC business, I used:
1- Porter's Five Forces Framework which is a method for analyzing the competition of a
business. It draws from industrial organization (IO) economics to derive five forces that
determine the competitive intensity and, therefore, the attractiveness (or lack thereof) of
an industry in terms of its profitability. (Wikipedia contributors. (2020, December 8)
2- SWOT analysis to evaluate the internal strengths and weaknesses, and the external
opportunities and threats in the IMC university environment. The internal analysis
identifies resources, capabilities, core competencies, and competitive advantages,
(Sammut‐Bonnici, T.2015)
3- I use also the Customer Journey Map (CJM), The fundamental idea behind CJM is
relatively simple; it is a visual depiction of the sequence of events through which
customers may interact with a service organization during an entire purchase process.
CJM lists all possible organizational touchpoints customers may encounter during the
service exchange process.
4- Digital Maturity Assessment (DMAT) is the status of a company’s digital transformation.
Digital maturity is an important construct for further scholarly inquiry as insights on the
paths different organizations take, allow for a more profound understanding of this
ongoing socio-technical phenomenon.
5- Also, I used the Value Proposition Canvas (VPC) in order to set a vision for the digital
business model and developing a value proposition is a laborious process. It requires fully
understanding the customers and other stakeholders in order to design a solution that
really provides internal and external value then Business Model Canvas (BMC1a ) as a
tool to facilitate innovation, it is a visual chart with elements describing a firm's or
product's value proposition, infrastructure, customers, and finances. It assists firms in
aligning their activities by illustrating potential trade-offs. (Wikipedia contributors.
(2020b, December 14).
In terms of recommendations:
1-I have innovated a new business model which is often the key to capturing value from
innovation within the IMC university
2-Also. I write POPIT Advices, which refers to the Technologies and Data as IT, Process as
P, Organization as O. and people as another P.
3-Finally, mindset advice in terms of Vision – Culture- Adoption- Execution-Growth.
I also utilized the internet and literary resources in my research, which still informed the
recommendations I offer in this report, I explored topics such as the high education industry
in Europe, insights regarding Business analysis in the high education sector, and the suggested
development strategies in Digital transformation, In this report, I assimilate these subjects and
evaluate how they could inform Digital transformation strategies in IMC University, As such
internet and library resources allowed me to reach bound experiments to locate strategies from
external environmental initiatives that could enhance Digital transformation journey in IMC
University.
As noted above I condensed my project into four phases, each phase required a unique
adaptation of internet library research methods detailed above
Results
Business Analysis; Porter 5 forces
P5F Diagramm (Dr. Roger Hage, 2017)
The following (Table 1), shows Threat of New Entrants, Competitive Rivalry, Supplier
Power, Buyer Power and Threat of Substitution.
Threat of New Entrants:
1. Minimal infrastructure
requirements allow international
trainings and education start-ups to
venture into online earning and
vocational study sector
2. new training centres and high
schools from east Europe create an
Competitive Rivalry:
1.High competition between online
universities
2.High loyalty to high ranking universities
3.competitors have a strong financial
support
4.Some competitors have a government
background
This Photo by Unknown Author is licensed under CC
BY
intensified competitive environment
for higher education institutions.
Supplier Power:
The suppliers of the online part of the
education industry consists of
teachers, administration, software, and
technology.
Buyer Power:
1. BA Students
2. MA students
3. Student researchers
4. Parents
5. R&D sections in industrial
companies
6. Local Government
Threat of Substitution:
1.Online degrees
2.certification houses
3.training centres
4.specialized and skill-based courses offered by the Public sector
5.home schools and conventional schools. companies offering software and programs
created to improve study
SOWT the Internal and external analysis
Internal University Strengths and Weakness
Strengths:
1. Positive reputation in the local industrial community
2. Governmental support
3. Skilled and experts’ lecturers in digital transformation
4. Faculty and staff supporting the campus mission
5. Facilities include new and well-maintained, attractive buildings and grounds with
growth potential
Weaknesses:
1. Less Vision’s clarity toward Digital transformation
2. Incompatible digital transformation Culture
3. Highly competitive market for diverse faculty and staff
4. Low ranking among Austrian and German FH and Universities
5. very low international lining up (Zeit campus CHE Ranking , 2020)
External University Opportunities and Threats
Opportunities:
1.Diversity of region (students – industry)
2.External Community and University relationships: Interest in academic program
expansion - Interest in expansion of cultural activities - Interest in University services
3.Societal trends: Increased value of higher education completion: Growing demand
for graduates
4.Increase demand for mid-career redirection and lifelong learning
5.Increased interest in global initiatives especially the high education institutes from
west Europe and the US
Threats:
1.Development of other FH and Universities locally and internationally
2.Spreading the Non-degree short education programs such as certification and
specialized learning paths
Mastrer student Journey Map (CJM)
The following (Table 2), shows detailed journey map for a Master student from France as a
Persona.
Technology analysis Digital maturity assessment
(Table 3) shows the influences of Customer experience, Operations, Business model, Vision,
Engagement, and Data governance on the IMC University Digital maturity, as I found it, it is
in between Beginners and Conservatives.
Value Proposition Canvas (VPC) ,In the following (Table 4) also shows Gains, Pains ,
Creators of gains and Pain relievers , then the Customer job to be done
IMC Business Model
In the following (Table 5) the Business Model Canvas (BMC) as is.
Customer Segments
1-tuition from Domestic
student
2-tuition from International
student
3- Industry research
4- Donor
5- Government fund
Customer Relationships
1-Virtual and real shows
2- Open days
3-in High Schools
promotions tool
4- Digital communications
Channels
1-On campus
2- Online
3- Partnership
Value Proposition
1- offer a considerable range
of higher education
2- Research and
development
3- reputation
Key Activities
1-Teaching
2-Learning
3-Research and
Development
Key Resources
1-Staff
2-Students
3-VR and other Laps
Key Partners
1- Industry agents
2- Government
3-Alumni
4- Schools
5- Other universities
Cost Structure
1- Staff cost
2-Student services
3-Maintenace
4-Infrastructure
5-Back office cost
Revenue Streams
1- Tuition
2- Research charges
3-Grants and donation
4- Courses fees
Discussion and Recommendations
According to the findings above, I would recommend IMC university to start moving toward
the future and build their modern Business model, hereunder the Innovated model:
(Table 6) Innovated Business Model Canvas (BMC) to be
Customer Segments
1- English speaking at-
home learning students
2- German speaking at-
home learning students
3- Domestic in-campus
students
4- International in-campus
students
5- Research students
6- International researchers
7- Industry professional
internationally and
locally
8- Start ups
9- Childhood online
education sector
10- NGOs and United
Nations institutes
Customer Relationships
1- Students , researchers
and start-ups Digital
services
2- Personal mentoring
3- Self-service and
automated platform
4- Thesis supervisors
5- Research methods guides
6- Customers Mobile app
7- Alumni support
8- Parent relationships
9- IMC Children events
Channels
1- digital channels (
courses, research
platform)
2- partnerships Advertising
3- Mobile apps
4- IMC Children magazine
with stories and paints
5- Local Events and
festivals
Value Proposition
1- academic and non-
academic fermium content
2- Accelerator service
3-Research and development
1- Modern Skills
2- Development
3- International reputation
4- Trainings
Key Activities
1- teaching and learning in
multifunction learning
platform
2- New and verity courses
certification
3- B2B E-commerce
platform between
international researcher
and R&D in companies
4- online magazine to
create and distribute
contents
5- A start-up technical and
advisory incubator
collaborative program to
help new start-
ups succeed
6- specialized academies
such as Innovation
academy and “Jonior
Wissenschafler” online
platform for Children
7- Professional Mentoring
paid services for students
outside IMC.
Key Resources
1. staff
2. Labs
3. researchers
4. Study digital
platform
5. B2b platform
6. Start ups
7. Parents
8. Partnership
9. Local and
international NGOs
8- Special courses for
NGOs and United
nations , targeting
special ethnic and
regional groups
Key Partners
1- Alumni
2- high Schools and
elementary schools
3- research centres
4- Public and private HE
institutions
5-shared services
6- other content providers
7- parents
8- Fundraising institutes
9- NGOs and United nation
organizations
10- Companies for train
students
Cost Structure
1- staff cost
2- student service
3- CRM
4- outsourced service cost
5- shared service cost
6- International Public
relation cost
7- start up in house and
online supporting cost
8- new technology
instalment cost
9- Back office cost
Revenue Streams
1- certification fees and
study tuition
2-Grants
3- content sales
4- B2B commissions
5- Government fund
6- NGO and UN designed
courses fees
7- start up services fees
Firstly, About the new business model:
1- IMC Modern University business model is mixture from the following patterns;
(table 7)
1- Add-On ; IMC MOOC courses are
free and charge for certification and
exams
2- Affiliation : by B2B research-industry
platform IMC will support researchers to
sell their intellectual products to
companies and get commission
3- Auction: by offering financial
supporting for certification for
specifics courses and specific groups
4- Hidden revenue : by make advertisement
to other brands with IMC products and
gain money
5- Crowd souring : by asking researchers
and students around the world to
provide new ideas can be a start for
disruptive innovation via IMC
Community.
6- Customer loyalty : by creating emotional
connection between IMC and the enrolled
Children and their parents , they have the
power of WOM
7- Digitization : turn courses into digital
variants
8- Direct selling : students and others will
buy directly from IMC e-commerce
platform
9- E-Commerce : providing products
through online channels
10- Freemium : IMC MOOC courses free ,
Special courses and certificates for charge
11- Leverage customer data : collecting
customer data and selling to third
party or use it to increase advertising
12- Licence : developing researches and ideas
and licensed to other manufacturers
13- Make more of it : by using IMC know
how to help Start-ups and
Manufacturers to build their products
14- Mass customization : customize courses
for international NGO interest which
targeting special groups
15- Open source: free accessibility to IMC
research platform and scientific blogs ,
money earned from support,
16- Peer to Peer : IMC offer online meeting
points to sharing experiences and
researches
17- Revenue sharing :additional profit
from the high demanded courses will
shared with lecturers and content
creators
18- Reverse engineering : IMC obtain ideas
and insights from other MOOC institutes
to design own courses and saving
investments.
19- Reverse innovation : adaption courses
to the emergent countries
20- Self-service : by self-paced courses
21- Solution provider : provide full
learning and training and researching
and mentoring services
22- Target the poor : offering low price
certification , and gain from higher
enrolment
23- Two-sided market : B2B IMC
platform offer service from
researchers and enterprises .
24- Used design : IMC providing start-ups and
researchers and student with the necessary
support in order to help them to produce
their own
25-White label: produce courses and allow NGOs and UN to distributed under their brands
2- IMC should Enter MOOC market ,the Massive Open Online Course (MOOC) Market size
is expected to grow from USD 3.9 billion in 2018 to USD 20.8 billion by 2023, at a
Compound Annual Growth Rate (CAGR) of 40.1% (MOOC report , 2020) , and the most
futuristic Roles related with Robotics, Augmented and virtual reality, Autonomous
transports , Greenpower ,Cloud security, Machine learning , Space exploration , Data
science, Senior health care, Biotech (Galvis, N. (2020).
3- Following new courses categorizing being closer to the Market, According to the annual
workforce report , the most demanded jobs in the future are related with high technology
such as Artificial Intelligence and Autonomous transports , Data science ,Digital
transformation , Automation and robotics , and business services and development (World
Economic forum. 2020).
4- Establish "Jonior Wissenschafler" Future academy for children offer variety courses online
for kids in German and English .
5- Establish Innovation academy , short courses with certification .
6- Design more certificates according to Work force annual report mentioned above.
Secondly, POPIT Advices:
1- Technologies and data:
a. Creating multifunctional platform for Students, researchers and R&D in
companies
b. Mobile Apps for students and researchers
c. Blockchain -E commerce full services integrated with the Platform
d. Artificial intelligence to provide more personalized courses and streamline
admin tasks and make global classrooms available
e. Online data base and communications service
f. Chatbot available 24 hours and
g. M2M communication
2- Organization structure:
a. creating new roles
b. empowerment
c. digital lab incubator
3- People:
a. digital skills training
b. recruiting new skills
c. global training program
d. innovation academy
4- Communication:
a. designing Digital handbook to be as a bible for IMC University stakeholders
b. being sociable sharing scientific analysis for public
Finally, Digital Organization Mindset
1- Vision: winners in the digital transformation race execute a strategy that takes what
they've learned in their improvement of manual business operations and turns them
into digital ones starting with exposing key business data via APIs.
2- Culture: Digital transformers foster the right culture for digital change and it's not just
about getting the right people with the right skills in place. The culture around
everything , and getting a commitment from senior management is crucial , because
without sponsorship, the innovation of the business model is bound to fail.
3- Adoption: it starts with knowing how to get buy-in across business, academic and non-
academic products , technical and operational leadership.
4- Execution: in order to deliver better digital customer experiences, digital
transformation leaders ensure they have the resources in place to execute. They make
operational decisions using analytics to improve engagement with customers and
partners.
5- Growth: take advantage of monetization opportunities for IMC education and
research services before the competition does.
6- KPIs: Don't put too much emphasis on KPIs in the short term, it takes time to
innovate.
Limitations of the Report
Due to the short time, I couldn’t analyze the competitions in the Austrian market, Europe and
Internationally as well. And could not have in the consideration the BA students, researchers,
and R&D from local communities and local government experiences that was due to the lake
of time and the new year vacation.
References
1- Šereš, Laslo & Pavlićević, Veselin & Tumbas, Pere. (2018). Digital Transformation of
Higher Education: Competing on Analytics. 9491-9497. 10.21125/inted.2018.2348.
2- How Colleges and Universities Are Driving to Digital Transformation Today. (2020).
EDUCAUSE. https://er.educause.edu/articles/2020/1/how-colleges-and-universities-
are-driving-to-digital-transformation-today
3- Wikipedia contributors. (2020, December 8). Porter’s five forces analysis. Wikipedia.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Porter%27s_five_forces_analysis
4- Sammut‐Bonnici, T. (2015). SWOT Analysis. Wiley Online Library.
https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/abs/10.1002/9781118785317.weom120103
5- Business Model Canvas. Wikipedia.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Business_Model_Canvas
6- Strategie der IMC FH Krems IMC Krems strategy https://www.fh-
krems.ac.at/fileadmin/public/downloads/allgemein/strategie-targeting-the-future.pdf
7- Austria’s higher education system has four sectors
https://www.bmbwf.gv.at/en/Topics/Higher-education---universities/Higher-
education-system.html
8- [145 Pages Report] The global MOOC market size
https://www.marketsandmarkets.com/Market-Reports/massive-open-online-course-
market-237288995.html
9- Dx: Digital Transformation of Higher Education. (2020). EDUCAUSE.
https://www.educause.edu/focus-areas-and-initiatives/digital-transformation
10- The Future of Jobs Report 2020. (2020). World Economic Forum.
https://www.weforum.org/reports/the-future-of-jobs-report-2020
11- Galvis, N. (2020). 19 Futuristic STEM Jobs: Finding a Career in the Future.
RobotLAB. https://www.robotlab.com/blog/19-futuristic-stem-jobs-finding-a-career-
in-the-future
12- Wichtige Infos zur IMC Fachhochschule Krems. (2020). CHE Hochschulranking.
https://ranking.zeit.de/che/de/hochschule/1031
13- 2020 World University Rankings - Compare Universities & Colleges | U-Multirank.
(2020). World University Rankings | U-Multirank. https://www.umultirank.org/
14- Thomas, S. (2020, June 24). Global Early Childhood Education Market Size Will
Reach to USD 480 Billion By 2026: Facts & Factors. EIN News.
https://www.einnews.com/pr_news/520194434/global-early-childhood-education-
market-size-will-reach-to-usd-480-billion-by-2026-facts-factors
15- The St. Gallen Business Model Navigator, 2013
top related