On Saturday, the 23rd of March, Tilburg University will hold their Master’s open day. On this day you can visit the campus, get to know the Master degrees offered, and get in touch with current students and teachers. IMMIT will be represented here as well, so if you want to know more about the program, sign up now via the link! Please note, attendance can only be in person. Are you unable to attend? It is possible to receive the recording of the sessions after the open day, check the link above for more information about this.
Are you unable to wait, and want to get more information about the program already? Send us a message via the contact form, and we will be in touch as soon as possible!
On the 18th of November 2023, dr. Emiel Caron gave a presentation about IMMIT together with a current student of IMMIT. You are able to view this presentation via the following link.
The presentation is divided into different sections, so if preferred, you are able to skip through the video and only watch sections that you are interested in.
Do you still have questions regarding IMMIT after watching the presentation? Don’t hesitate to contact us!
On November 23rd, the Turku School of Economics will hold a webinar introducing their joint degree programs, one of which is IMMIT. The webinar will be held via Zoom, and starts at 16:45 Finnish time (15:45 CET). If you would like to join, send an email to Paula Järvinen (pkjarv@utu.fi).
Are you unable to attend, but would still like more information or speak to someone of IMMIT? Consider joining the Tilburg University Master’s open day, or contact us via the following link: Contact us.
During the graduation ceremony of cohort 15, the best thesis award for their cohort was also awarded. This year, Justine Gauchon was the receiver of this annual award. She wrote a thesis on the Critical Success Factors for Change Management in the public sector. We have asked her a few questions about her thesis, and her experience during her two years as an IMMIT student.
Can you tell us about your thesis and its results?
This thesis was conceived during my internship, inspired by a corporate project undertaken with the public sector. The organizational transition faced significant challenges, reflecting a broader pattern of difficulties, with approximately 70% of public sector projects encountering obstacles primarily due to resistance to change. The main objective of this thesis was to develop a practical framework to assist project managers and consultants in effectively managing change and ensuring project success.
The framework’s development process involved a comprehensive review of existing literature and was further enhanced through seven interviews and three case studies. The resultant framework encompasses five Critical Success Factors (CSFs), which are as follows: 1. Organizational Effectiveness: This factor addresses the organizational aspects crucial for the successful implementation of change. 2. Change Commitment: This factor focuses on employees’ perspectives and their willingness to embrace and support change initiatives. 3. Project Management: Addressing the overall project management aspects, this CSF plays a pivotal role in overseeing digital transformation (DT) initiatives and driving their success. 4. IT/Technology: Highlighting the supportive role of technology in facilitating the adoption of appropriate tools and methodologies during the change process. 5. External Environment: Acknowledging the contextual factors that influence the execution of DT initiatives within a broader external context.
These five CSFs are categorized across three distinct levels: employee-level, organizational-level, and project-level. The last two CSFs, IT/Technology and External Environment, are regarded as supportive and contextual factors, respectively. Each of these CSFs encompasses a range of sub-factors that contribute to their overall effectiveness.
It is worth noting that practitioners involved in this research generally agreed on the importance of all identified sub-factors. However, three sub-factors emerged as particularly significant, including the pivotal role of Ambassadors (employees who lead change efforts and persuade their peers of the benefits of change), the Use of technology as a tool to align methodologies within DT projects and change implementations, and the importance of establishing Proximity among employees, the organization, and external stakeholders.
What do you do now?
As of now, I am working as an IT strategy consultant in the business consulting branch of a software firm, Hardis Group.
What memory do you treasure the most?
It is difficult to distill the IMMIT adventure into a single memory as there were numerous experiences over the two years. However, if I had to choose, it would be the trip to Riga with members of the IMMIT cohort and friends we made in Finland. We stayed there for a few days and had the most fun while exploring the city.
On Saturday, the 18th of November, Tilburg University will hold their Master’s open day. On this day you can visit the campus, get to know the Master’s offered and get in touch with current students and teachers. IMMIT will be represented here as well, so if you want to know more about the program, sign up now via the link! Attendance can be both in person and online. Are you unable to wait, and what to get more information about the program already? Send us a message via the contact form, and we will be in touch as soon as possible!
On Monday the 14th of September, the students of cohort 15 were able to sign their diploma’s and become official graduates of IMMIT! After a short ceremony, in which teachers and representatives of the three universities gave a short speech, the students signed their diploma’s and became alumni of the IMMIT-program. Together with friends and family, they were then able to share this moment whilst enjoying some food and beverages.
We’d like to congratulate the new IMMIT graduates, and wish them lots of success in the business world they will now join!
Following the opening of the academic year for IMMIT, they engaged in a fun, sportive event together with the ITEM students of Tilburg University. Afterwards, we got to know each other better through some drinks and a lovely BBQ!
The master in IMMIT has officially started for cohort 17! The opening of the Academic Year at IAE – Aix-Marseille University followed with an opening of IMMIT with all the new students of cohort 17. Timo Leino from Turku University and Emiel Caron, Hülya Koçak, and Vesna Nedimović from Tilburg University came over as well to welcome them to the IMMIT-family and introduce them to the program.
Abstract: There are many different strategic objectives in managing an acquisition. One of the objectives that have grown in importance in recent years is the digital component of an acquisition. Especially in IT-driven acquisitions, spotting digital value levers and developing transformative capabilities help unlock more value from M&A. However, developing these digital dynamic capabilities in the context of M&A is novel and only practised by the most innovative firms.
This paper aims to uncover what role the digital dynamic capabilities play in the pre-signing phase of an IT-driven acquisition and whether there are any advantageous digital dynamic capabilities for IT-driven acquisitions. This thesis focuses on solving these questions by conducting informed grounded theory by studying multiple cases with semi-structured interviews and an extensive literature review.
From the analyses of the interviews and a confirmation of the validating focus group, insights into critical and supportive digital dynamic capabilities for the pre-signing phase of an IT-driven deal have been found, and a select few capabilities are picked to build a new theoretical model, namely formulating digital strategies, conducting IT due diligence, analysing the financial value of IT, leveraging digital knowledge inside the firm and external recruiting of digital expertise. These and other supporting digital dynamic capabilities are essential in unlocking value from IT-driven acquisitions.
Abstract: Both digital transformation and ESG (Environmental, Social, Governance) objectives are mainstream, yet critical to today’s economy. Multiple studies argue that there is a connection between digital transformation and ESG within the business context, but what that connection precisely entails remains a black box. The insurance industry is lagging in both digital transformation and ESG, so it could be assumed that insurance firms also lag in the possible connection. Several important factors were discovered by conducting an extensive literature review, several semi-structured interviews with experts in the field of insurance, and a validating document analysis.
There seems to be no direct influence between digital transformation and ESG if this is not included in the organization’s business strategy. To have the most significant possible impact on ESG objectives after a digital transformation, a practical roadmap has been designed as a support for insurance firms, where the first step is to include ESG objectives into the business strategy, then to change the organizational structure and company culture, to lastly be able to make more sustainable decisions and to invest in a greener IT infrastructure.
