Innovation Management / Innovation Management

The Academic Board of Business Administration, Esbjerg
Teaching activity id: 9264201.
Teaching language: English.ECTS / weighting: 7,5 ECTS / 0.125 full-time equivalent.
Examination language: 0.
Exam activity id: 9264202.Approved: 29-09-17.
Period: Spring 2018.
Grading: External examiner.
Assessment: 7-point scale.
Offered in: Esbjerg.
Subject director:
Associate Professor Villy Søgaard, Department of Sociology, Environmental and Business Economics.

Prerequisites:
Relevant Bachelor Degree.  

Purpose:
The main aim of the course is to equip students with the knowledge to understand innovation management at the strategic level and to some extent at the operational level. An integrative approach focusing on the context of innovation, including the ways in which customers and subcontractors may participate in the process, is emphasized. Innovation processes in both manufacturing and service industries are considered. A secondary aim of the course is to provide an understanding of the socio-economic role of business innovation as well as possible societal and environmental consequences and ethical considerations.


Content - Key areas:
  • Definitions, fundamental concepts, models and a framework for managing the innovation process
  • The socio-economic framework for innovation.
  • Different units of analysis (the organization, network and national systems of innovation) and their influence on strategic options and decisions. ­
  • Consideration of possible societal and environmental consequences as well as possible ethical challenges.
  • Different forms of operational strategies and process innovations. ­
  • How concepts such as flexible production, mass customization, agile production and so on are related to the innovation process. ­
  • Presentation of scientific articles related to areas above.






Goals description (SOLO taxonomy):
After completing the course students are expected to have gained knowledge of fundamental concepts and models of innovation theory. They should have good command of concepts and be able to explain models and their relationships. Moreover, they should be able to apply these concepts in a practical context.

Thus, students should demonstrate the knowledge by being able to:
- describe a framework for developing and implementing innovation projects by using concepts related to the framework in different practical contexts
- evaluate practical innovation projects by using the premises in the frame of reference
- discuss and argue for alternative ways of organizing, developing and implementing practical innovation projects taking possible environmental and ethical challenges into account.
- link relevant theoretical concepts and a practical innovation project
- reflect on and discuss central aspects in relation to the innovation literature


Literature:
Textbook:
Joe Tidd & John Bessant (2009), Managing Innovation, 4th Edition , John Wiley & Sons Ltd., Chichester, England

Articles:
Abernathy, W.J. and Utterback, J. M. (1984) Patterns of Industrial Innovation. Technology Review June-July 1978, p. 25-36
Andersen, P. H. and I. Drejer (2008). "Systemic innovation in a distributed network: the case of Danish wind turbines, 1972—2007." Strategic Organization 6(1): 13-46.
Bensaou, M. (1999), Portfolios of Buyer-Supplier Relationships. Sloan Management Review/Summer 1999, p. 35-44
Hamel, G. and C.K. Prahalad (1990) "The Core Competence of the Corporation", Harvard Business Review, vol. 68, no. 3, May-June 1990, pp 79-93.
Hansen, M.T. The Search-Transfer Problem: The Role of Weak Ties in Sharing Knowledge across Organizational Subunits. Administrative Science Quarterly, 44 (1999): 82-111.
Kim, D. H. (1993), The link between Individual and Organizational Learning. Sloan Management Review/Fall 1993, p. 37-48
Lampel, J. and Mintzberg H. (1996), Customizing Customization. Sloan Management Review/Fall 1996, p. 21-30
Markusen, A. (1996): Sticky Places in Slippery Space: A Typology of Industrial Districts, Economic Geography, vol. 72, Iss. 3, 293 – 313
Nonaka, I; Toyoma, R. and Konno N. (2000), SECI, Ba and Leadership: a Unifired Model of Dynamic Knowledge Creation. Long Range Planning 33 (2000), 5-34.
Pavitt, K. (1984), Sectoral patterns of technical change: Towards a taxonomy and a theory. Research Policy 13 (1984) 343-373
Pisano (1998), The Dynamic Capabilities of Firms: An Introduction. In Dosi,G. Teece, D.J. and CJ. Chytry (1998), “Technology, Organization, and Competitiveness.” Oxford University Press, NY
Proctor, T. Tan, K.H. and Fuse, K. (2004), Cracking the Incremental Paradigm of Japanese Creativity. Creativity and Innovation Management, Vol. 13, No. 4. December 2004, pp. 207-215.
Pujari D. (2006), Eco-Innovation and new product development: understanding the influences on market performance. Technovation 26 (2006), 76-85
Roy, S., et al. (2004). "Innovation Generation in Supply Chain Relationships: A Conceptual Model and Research Propositions." Journal of the Academy of Marketing Science 32(1): 61-79.
Søgaard, V. and Madsen, S.O. (2007), The Red Queen and The Environment. Business Strategy and the Environment. Vol. 16 (6), 430-441

Time of classes:
Every spring 4th quarter.
Scheduled classes:
2 x 2 hours in 8 weeks. (2 x 2 lectures are conducted separate for different programmes)

Form of instruction:
Lectures, presentations, case discussions, supervision available. Guest lectures will be given.
2 x 2 of these lectures are conducted as separate lectures for the different programmes: MSc in Economics and Business Administration and Environmental and Resource Management. In these lectures topics that are specifically relevant for each study programme will be treated.

In the course, the students are first introduced to definitions, fundamental concepts and models and a framework is developed to relate the different theories and models. Next, the influence of strategic position is discussed. Different units of analysis are used to understand the strategic influence, i.e. the organization, the network(s) and national systems of innovation. Specifically, the innovation process is studied as an interaction between subcontractors and buyers. The development of appropriate competence profiles in both types of companies is addressed. Different forms of operational strategies and process innovations are discussed. Concepts such as flexible production, mass customisation, agile production and so on are related to the innovation process. The students are requested to present different articles to the class, which may supplement or complement the textbooks used.

Student workload: Workload 187.5 WH of which approximately 120 hours for preparation and participation in lectures, 15 hours for preparation of student presentations and 52.5 hours for exam.

Time of examination:
Ordinary examination in June and reexamination in January.

Registration for the course is automatically a registration for the ordinary examination in the course. Cancellation is not possible. If the student does not participate in the examination, the student will use an examination attempt.
The university may grant an exemption from the rules in case of exceptional circumstances.
Examination form at the re-exam can be changed.


Form of examination for the certificate:
Written exam

Supplemental information for the form of examination:
A four hour written exam based on a case relevant for the study programme. There may be different cases for different study programmes.

Duration: 4 hours.
Place: The examination is held using the students own PC.
Internet access: Internet access is necessary.
Distribution of assignment: Will be handed out in the examination room.
Submission of examination paper: Via SDU Assignment in Blackboard. Handwritten enclosures cannot be submitted as part of the examination paper.
Number of pages: Unlimited.
Examination aids: All examination aids permitted. It is not allowed to communicate with others.

To be eligible for examination, the student must contribute actively during the course (e.g. by making presentations). The examination can be taken in Danish or English. If the teacher and/or the co-examiner are not Danish-speaking, the exam must be taken in English. According to §6 in the ministerial order on examinations, the university is allowed to grant exemptions from the rule that an examination must be conducted in the same language as the language of instruction.

Programmes:
MSc in Economics and Business Administration - Sports and Event Management
Spring Semester, 2. quarter, elective subject. Offered in: Esbjerg
MSc in Economics and Business Administration - Marketing and Innovation
2nd semester, 4. quarter, mandatory. Offered in: Esbjerg
MSc in Environmental and Resource Management
2nd semester, 4. quarter, mandatory. Offered in: Esbjerg
International Graduate Programme
Spring Semester, 2. quarter, elective subject. Offered in: Esbjerg
MSc Cultural Sociology in Law, Power and Social Justice
2nd semester, 4. quarter, elective subject. Offered in: Esbjerg
MSc Cultural Sociology in Social Transformation Processes
2nd semester, 4. quarter, elective subject. Offered in: Esbjerg