AØKK08438U Seminar: AI, Disruptive Technologies and Finance (F)

Volume 2024/2025
Education

The course is a part of the financial line, signified by (F)

It is recommended, but not mandatory, to have followed at least one of the following courses or seminars at the Department of Economics and/or similar for other accredited institutions: Financial Decision Making, Financial Theory and Models, Asset Pricing Theory, Applied Corporate Finance, Financial Econometrics, Advanced Financial and Macro Econometrics, Advanced Empirical Finance, Behavioral Finance, Economics of Banking, Private Equity, Venture Capital, Accounting, Business Law (Erhvervsret), Taxation Law (Skatteret), Corporate Analysis and Equity Valuation, Strategic Marketing, Entreprenuership, Behavioral Finance, Industrial Organization, Strategic Valuation of a Firm.

Content

The purpose of the seminar is for students to identify and study disruptive technologies such as digitalization and AI and associated impacts on strategic decision making, ownership and governance, and financing in firms. Technology and life science startups, often funded by venture capital may disrupt long standing business models, products, and services through new technologies and business models, while existing firms may have to respond by rethinking past practices to better benefit from incumbent advantages such as scale economics and familiarity. Existing firms may also employ tools and methodologies used in private equity such a strategic urgency, capital rationing, and speed and accountability in execution. This might be either in current private or stock exchange listed ownership/governance models, or through acquisitions by private equity firms and/or alternatively industrial foundations. Industrial foundations employ an ownership and governance model often seen in Denmark, combining stock exchange listings with ownership control retained by a foundation. Firm ownership and governance models ultimately focus on firm value creation, although often with different time horizons, while for some, other considerations such as philanthropy may come into play. Students have extensive freedom to choose their topics from those that have already been introduced in the courses listed above or similar from other accredited institutions. Consult the syllabi of those courses for inspiration. The teacher will assist the students in determining and defining an appropriate seminar topic

Learning Outcome

After completing the seminar the student is expected to be able to fulfill the learning outcome specified in the  Master curriculum and to be able to:

Knowledge:

  • Identify, describe, and discuss core problems related to disruptive technologies and finance.
  • Demonstrate ability to use and apply main concepts.
  • Assess and discuss applied techniques, methodologies, and models as applicable.

Skills:

  • Select and apply core models/concepts to analyze problems related to disruptive technologies and finance.
  • Analyze a given problem by selecting and applying the appropriate tools.
  • Write exam paper, orally present own analysis to a group of peers.

 

Competencies

  • Apply the acquired skills to new areas of analysis in disruptive technologies and finance.
  • Apply and modify the studied tools and methods in new situations.

Be prepared for more advanced studies including the Master Thesis

Students are encouraged to choose literature from the courses listed under “Relations to subjects and courses”, as well as other literature relevant to the chosen topic.

B.Sc. in Economics or similar. Students are recommended (but not required) to have already taken at least one F-marked course.
At the seminar the student is trained independently to
- identify and clarify a problem,
- seek and select relevant literatur,
- write a academic paper,
- present and discuss own paper with the other students at the seminar.

The aim of the presentations is, that the student uses the presentation as an opportunity to practice oral skills and to receive feedback. The presentations is not a part of the exam and will not be assessed.

Mandatory activities in the seminar:
- Kick-off meeting
- Finding literatur and defining the project
- Writing process of the seminar paper
- Presentation of own project and paper
- Giving constructive feedback to another student´s paper
- Actively participating in discussions at the presentations and other meetings.

There is no weekly teaching/lecturing and the student cannot expect guidance from the teacher. If the teacher gives a few introduction lectures or gives the opportunity for guidance, this as well as other expectations are clarified at the kickoff meeting.

Process:
It is strongly recommended that you think about and search for a topic before the semester begins, as there is only a few weeks from the kick-off meeting to the submission of the project description/ agreement paper.

The seminar project paper must be uploaded in Absalon before the presentations, as the opponents and the other seminar participants have to read and comment on the paper. It is important that you upload a paper that is so finalized as possible due to the fact that the value of feedback and comments at the presentation is strongly associated with the skill level of the seminar paper.

After the presentations, you can with a few corrections improve the seminar paper by including the feedback and
Kick-off meeting: 13.15-15.00 on first Thursday in full semester week. Participation is mandatory.

- Extra meetings / introductory teaching / guidance: Any non-mandatory meetings to be agreed at kick-off meeting

- Deadline for submission of commitment paper / project description: No later than March 1. / October 1. To be confirmed at kick-off meeting

- Deadline for uploading a seminar assignment paper in Absalon: No later than one week before the presentations. To be confirmed at kick-off meeting

- Presentations: In the time period 20 November-11 December (fall) 1 – 23 May (spring).
To be confirmed at kick-off meeting

- Exam date: 20 December at 10.00 AM (Fall) or 3 June at 10.00 AM (Spring) - latest uploading of Seminar paper to the Digital Exam portal for assessment.
The deadline cannot be extended.
  • Category
  • Hours
  • Project work
  • 186
  • Seminar
  • 20
  • Total
  • 206
Written
Oral
Individual
Feedback by final exam (In addition to the grade)
Peer feedback (Students give each other feedback)
Credit
7,5 ECTS
Type of assessment
Written assignment
Type of assessment details
A seminar paper in English that meets the formal requirements for written papers stated in the curriculum of the Master programme and at KUNet for seminars.
Exam registration requirements

Attendance in all  activities at the seminar as stated in the formal requrements in the   Master curriculum and at the KUnet for    Seminars (UK)  and   Seminars (DK) is required to participate in the exam.

Aid
All aids allowed

Use of AI tools is permitted. You must explain how you have used the tools. When text is solely or mainly generated by an AI tool, the tool used must be quoted as a source.

Marking scale
7-point grading scale
Censorship form
External censorship
Exam period

Exam information:

The student uploads the seminar assignment in the Digital Exams portal for assessment. The exam date cannot be changed.

The seminar paper must be uploaded to the Digital Exam portal. More information will be available from the middle of the semester.

For enrolled students more information about examination, rules, aids etc. is available at the intranet for   Master (UK) and   Master (DK ).

Examination Dates can be found here (latest uploading of Seminar paper to the Digital Exam portal for assessment.)

Re-exam

Reexam information:

The reexam form in seminars is a seminar paper with a synopsis.

Deadline and more information is available at   Seminars(UK) and   Seminars(DK).

More information about reexam etc is available at   Master(UK) and   Master(DK).

Examination Dates can be found here (latest uploading of Seminar paper to the Digital Exam portal for assessment.)

Criteria for exam assesment

A seminar paper in English that meets the formal requirements for written papers stated in the curriculum of the Master programme and at KUNet for seminars.