Statement of Inquiry

Digital technologies are transforming economic systems, creating new opportunities and challenges that impact individuals, communities, and societies in ways that require critical analysis of power dynamics, values, and systemic change.

Summative Assessment Task

Digital Economy Concept Analysis

Документ с темами и планом рассказа: тут

Knowledge and Understanding (Criterion A)

Accurate explanation of the economic concept Relevant and appropriate use of terminology Comprehensive understanding of real-world applications

Analysis and Evaluation (Criterion C)

Effective analysis of impacts on people and communities Critical evaluation of benefits and challenges Well-supported arguments with evidence from research

Choose a topic

Preparations

Missed assignments deadline

Review

Presentations

Topics

1. Flexible Employment & Labor Transformation

Explore how digital platforms have created new employment models that challenge traditional labor relationships. Focus on how these changes affect workers' rights, identity, and economic security. Key concepts include the shift from stable employment to task-based work and the spatial transformation of workplaces.

Gig economy (context: changing labor regulations)
Platform-based employment (context: Uber, Deliveroo cases)
Contract vs. full-time workers (context: social benefits disparities)
Digital nomadism (context: immigration laws and remote work)
Microwork (context: task fragmentation in digital labor)
Collective bargaining in digital environments (context: labor rights evolution)

2. Sharing & Crowd Economy

Investigate how digital platforms enable collective resource sharing and distributed problem-solving. Examine how trust is established in digital environments and how these models create alternative economic systems. Consider the power dynamics between platform owners and users.

Crowdsourcing (context: distributed problem-solving)
Crowdfunding (context: democratization of capital)
Sharing economy models (context: sector-specific implementations)
Reputation systems (context: trust in digital transactions)
Digital trust mechanisms (context: platform accountability)
Platform cooperativism (context: alternatives to corporate platforms)

3. Digital Commerce & Customer Experience

Analyze how commerce has evolved through digital channels and how customer relationships have been transformed by data and personalization. Explore the system changes in retail and the expression of consumer identity through digital touchpoints.

E-commerce models: B2B, B2C, C2C (context: evolving retail landscapes)
Brick-and-mortar vs. online retail (context: omnichannel strategies)
Marketplaces (context: platform business models)
Loyalty programs (context: data collection strategies)
Customer journey mapping (context: digital touchpoints)
Microtargeting (context: personalized marketing)
Omnichannel integration (context: seamless customer experience)

4. FinTech & Digital Currencies

Examine how financial technology is disrupting traditional banking and creating new forms of value exchange. Consider the ethical implications of financial digitization, including accessibility issues and changing power relationships in monetary systems.

Cryptocurrency (context: decentralized financial systems)
Blockchain technology (context: trust and verification)
NFTs (context: digital ownership and authenticity)
E-trading platforms (context: democratization of investing)
Cashless society (context: financial inclusion/exclusion)
Loot boxes (context: gambling regulation in gaming)
Digital financial inclusion (context: global accessibility disparities)

5. Startup Ecosystem & Digital Entrepreneurship

Study how digital technologies have enabled new business creation processes and organizational structures. Focus on how work environments and management philosophies have changed in response to digital capabilities and values.

Business model innovation (context: digital disruption)
Diversification strategies (context: tech company expansion)
Modern office design (context: productivity and creativity)
Workplace gamification (context: employee engagement)
Scaling strategies (context: growth management)
Customer-centric values (context: shift from profit maximization)
Agile teams (context: replacement of hierarchical structures)

6. Global Digital Economy

Investigate how digital technologies have transformed the geographic distribution of economic activity. Analyze how space and location concepts are being redefined through remote work, digital trade, and evolving supply chains.

Borderless selling (context: cross-border commerce)
Global sourcing (context: international supply chains)
Offshoring (context: labor cost optimization)
Reshoring (context: changing global dynamics)
Nearsourcing (context: proximity to markets)
Insourcing (context: strategic resource allocation)
Digital trade regulations (context: international governance)

7. Monetization & Service Models

Explore how companies create value and generate revenue in the digital economy. Consider the systematic collection and use of data, and ethical questions around privacy and user control in these business models.

Loyalty data analytics (context: consumer behavior insights)
Transaction Processing Systems (context: business operations)
Office Automation Systems (context: workflow digitization)
Monetization models: freemium, subscription (context: revenue strategies)
Data economy (context: valuation of user information)
"As-a-service" business models (context: subscription economy)
Ethical data monetization (context: privacy concerns)

8. Automation, AI & Future of Work

Examine how intelligent technologies are reshaping employment and workplace dynamics. Focus on the changing relationship between humans and machines, and the power shifts occurring as decision-making becomes increasingly automated.

Warehouse robotics (context: logistics transformation)
Productivity gamification (context: worker management)
Workplace safety automation paradox (context: injury statistics)
Partial job automation (context: task evolution)
Human-robot collaboration (context: complementary capabilities)
AI recruitment tools (context: hiring process transformation)
Skills transformation (context: labor market adaptation)

9. Digital Manufacturing & Industry 4.0

Analyze how production processes are being transformed by digital technologies. Consider how these changes affect product design, resource utilization, and the relationship between producers and consumers.

Additive vs. subtractive manufacturing (context: production methods)
3D printing applications (context: industry-specific use cases)