Course 2020-2021 a.y.

30154 - TECHNOLOGY AND INNOVATION MANAGEMENT

Department of Management and Technology

Course taught in English
Go to class group/s: 31 - 32 - 33 - 34
CLEF (6 credits - I/II sem. - OP  |  SECS-P/08) - BESS-CLES (6 credits - I/II sem. - OP  |  SECS-P/08) - WBB (6 credits - I/II sem. - OP  |  SECS-P/08) - BIEF (6 credits - I/II sem. - OP  |  SECS-P/08) - BIEM (6 credits - I/II sem. - OBS  |  SECS-P/08) - BIG (6 credits - I/II sem. - OP  |  SECS-P/08) - BEMACS (6 credits - I/II sem. - OP  |  SECS-P/08)
Course Director:
ANDREA FOSFURI

Classes: 31 (I sem.) - 32 (I sem.) - 33 (I sem.) - 34 (II sem.)
Instructors:
Class 31: ANDREA FOSFURI, Class 32: SILVIA ZAMBONI, Class 33: STEFANO BRESCHI, Class 34: ANDREA FOSFURI


Mission & Content Summary

MISSION

Innovation is the primary engine of economic growth, providing advances in endeavors such as medicine, agriculture, and education. At the same time, innovation is a powerful means of competitive differentiation, enabling firms to enter new markets and achieve higher margins. Scholars and managers are interested in how innovation affects the competitive dynamics of markets, how firms can strategically manage innovation, and how firms can implement their innovation strategies. The mission of this course is to equip students with the tools and the knowledge required to understand, analyze and manage the creation, development and exploitation of innovation within companies.

CONTENT SUMMARY

  1. Part one: Industry Dynamics of Technological Innovation:
    • Sources of innovation
    • Types and patterns of innovation.
    • S-curves and diffusion of innovation.
    • Standards battles.
  2. Part two: Technology Commercialization Strategy and Protection:
    • Profiting from innovation.
    • Protecting innovation through Patents.
    • Trademarks, Copyrights and Trade Secrets.
  3. Part three: Managing the Innovation Process:
    • Selecting Innovation Projects.
    • Managing the R&D portfolio.
    • Organizing for innovation.
    • Managing new product development teams.
    • Managing the new product development process.

Intended Learning Outcomes (ILO)

KNOWLEDGE AND UNDERSTANDING

At the end of the course student will be able to...
  • Master the core concepts and ideas concerning innovation.
  • Learn about project selection, collaboration strategies, and strategies for protecting the firm’s intellectual property.
  • Understand the role of organizational structure and new product development teams.
  • Improve oral and written communication and decision making.

APPLYING KNOWLEDGE AND UNDERSTANDING

At the end of the course student will be able to...
  • Interpret the technological environment and identify meaningful trends.
  • Make decisions about innovation and technology and communicate them effectively.
  • Craft a firm’s strategic direction and formulating its innovation strategy.
  • Understand how a firm’s organizational structure affects its ability to innovate and to profit from innovation.

Teaching methods

  • Face-to-face lectures
  • Online lectures
  • Case studies /Incidents (traditional, online)
  • Group assignments
  • Interactive class activities (role playing, business game, simulation, online forum, instant polls)

DETAILS

  • Case studies: the class collectively analyzes a relevant case that the instructor has distributed upfront.
  • Group assignments: students work in team to solve some business cases related to innovation and technology.
  • Idea presentation: teams work in developing innovative ideas and present them in class.
  • Instant polls: students are asked to assess ideas of other teams, also used for gathering responses on different topics.
  • Online quizzes: for a quick assessment of the learning process.

Assessment methods

  Continuous assessment Partial exams General exam
  • Written individual exam (traditional/online)
     x
  • Group assignment (report, exercise, presentation, project work etc.)
 x    
  • Active class participation (virtual, attendance)
 x    

ATTENDING STUDENTS

The students' assessment is based on three components:

  1. Written exam (graded over 31), consisting of open and multiple-choice questions. The open questions are aimed to assess the students' ability to use the tools illustrated during the course to analyze decisions and contexts where innovation plays a crucial role. The multiple-choice questions are aimed to assess the students' effort to learn and master the main concepts of the course.
  2. Group assignments (up to 2 extra points) aimed to assess the students' ability to analyze complex situations where innovation plays a crucial role.

NOT ATTENDING STUDENTS

The students' assessment is based on:

  • Written exam (graded over 31), consisting of open and multiple-choice questions. The open questions are aimed to assess the students' ability to use the tools illustrated during the course to analyze decisions and contexts where innovation plays a crucial role. The multiple-choice questions are aimed to assess the students' effort to learn and master the main concepts of the course.  

Teaching materials


ATTENDING AND NOT ATTENDING STUDENTS

Melissa Schilling. Strategic Management of Technological Innovation. 6th Edition. McGraw Hill. 2020.

 

IMPORTANT: Acquiring the textbook is not required. We will follow it during the course, but slides, cases and readings are sufficient for preparing for the final exam. This material will be available on B-B.

Last change 21/07/2020 17:37