Postgraduate Course: Management of R&D and Product Innovation (BUST11169)
Course Outline
| School | Business School |
College | College of Humanities and Social Science |
| Credit level (Normal year taken) | SCQF Level 11 (Postgraduate) |
Availability | Not available to visiting students |
| SCQF Credits | 20 |
ECTS Credits | 10 |
| Summary | This course is concerned with understanding how companies in the research-based industries (e.g. software, pharmaceuticals, life-sciences and digital products) bring products to market. |
| Course description |
Innovation has been seen as a major source of corporate and economic growth. While competitive advantage can come from size, or the possession of rare and inimitable resources, the pattern is increasingly favouring those organisations which can mobilize market and technological skills and experience to create novelty in their products and services, and in the ways in which they create and deliver these products and services. The capacity to manage innovation has hence become an important source of competitive advantage.
This course is concerned with understanding how companies bring new products to market. Although not exclusively, the course will focus on research intensive industries where R&D play a significant role in developing new products. Specifically, by the end of the course students should be able to:
-understand the significance and nature of innovation
-combine and analyse critically empirical evidence and relevant conceptual material on the innovation process especially in the R&D-based industries address the complexities of specific practical problems surrounding the management of innovation, such as issues in the management of R&D, organising for innovation, aligning innovation and business strategy, and product innovation management
Syllabus:
What is innovation and why does it matter?
Context and innovation management
Organising R&D
Strategy and innovation
Searching for innovation
Selecting for innovation
Managing NPD - Implementation
Capturing value from innovation
Student Learning Experience:
An interactive and problem-centred lecture programme introduces students to the fundamental conceptual instruments necessary to understand and analyse significant elements within product innovation processes. The course introduces students to current case studies of product innovation in a range of industries, with a particular focus on R&D intensive industries. An underlying theme of each case study and recommended literature is the trans-disciplinary approach necessary to adequately analyse of product innovations. During the course students are asked to critically evaluate important theoretical papers and practical case studies. The blog examines the ability of the students to marshal complex arguments, within a readable structure which relates to clearly presented hypotheses and conclusions. The project invites students to relate fundamental theoretical principles to a case study of a product innovation by themselves.
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Entry Requirements (not applicable to Visiting Students)
| Pre-requisites |
|
Co-requisites | |
| Prohibited Combinations | |
Other requirements | None |
Course Delivery Information
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| Academic year 2015/16, Not available to visiting students (SS1)
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Quota: 18 |
| Course Start |
Semester 2 |
Timetable |
Timetable |
| Learning and Teaching activities (Further Info) |
Total Hours:
200
(
Lecture Hours 19,
Seminar/Tutorial Hours 4,
Summative Assessment Hours 70,
Programme Level Learning and Teaching Hours 4,
Directed Learning and Independent Learning Hours
103 )
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| Assessment (Further Info) |
Written Exam
0 %,
Coursework
100 %,
Practical Exam
0 %
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| Additional Information (Assessment) |
30% Blog
30% Individual report on group project
40% Group project developing a portfolio and a group presentation. |
| Feedback |
The course aims to maximise interactivity and learning before assessments. Learning makes sense of course content in the light of your previous experience and ideas, puzzling about how the content might be relevant to issues/your future, cross-referencing with other courses/ reading/ thinking and actively listening to the ideas of your peers. Thus, most feedback occurs in informal settings, supplemented by course meetings and online interaction. Formative assessments will be offered periodically during the lecture and tutorial sessions.
Feedback deadlines
You will receive formal feedback on your first assignment within maximum 15 working days, in time to improve for the project assignment. For the group project and presentation, you will receive verbal feedback at the presentation, so that you can build upon this feedback when finalising the individual report. You can also discuss the project (both the group and the individual report) with the lecturer. Summative marks will be returned within 15 days after the assignments deadline.
Students will gain feedback on their understanding of the material when they discuss their answers to the tutorial questions in the tutorials. Students may also ask questions in Lectures to assess their knowledge.
Feedback format:
The course tutor will respond to your emails with feedback.
The course tutor will participate in the blogs, feeding back where appropriate to individual students on their contributions
The course tutor will read and feedback where appropriate on your project |
| No Exam Information |
Learning Outcomes
On completion of this course, the student will be able to:
- Understand and discuss critically the product innovation processes.
- Critically discuss the literature relevant to product innovation processes.
- Critically discuss the similarities and differences between the product innovation processes in different sectors.
- Link product innovation processes to a range of organisational and social issues.
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Reading List
| There are no required texts for the course. All of the materials required will be accessible via the course Learn site, with particular reading recommended to suit students' interests on countries/sectors/technologies. |
Additional Information
| Graduate Attributes and Skills |
Cognitive Skills:
After completing this course, students should be able to:
-analyse and evaluate research and innovation processes, verbally and in writing, (using presentations, project and essay work),
-demonstrate the ability to research, synthesise and present materials relating to complex and problematic innovation processes.
Subject Specific Skills:
After completing this course, students should be able to:
-Engaging in critical discussions on product research and innovation processes, adhering to rigorous rules of evidence and defending hypotheses in group discussions.
-searching, assess, utilise and present data, information and knowledge from physical and digital sources.
-independently conceptualise, plan and execute a research project |
| Keywords | MGMT-MRD-20 |
Contacts
| Course organiser | Dr Raluca Bunduchi
Tel: (0131 6)51 5544
Email: Raluca.Bunduchi@ed.ac.uk |
Course secretary | Mr Peter Newcombe
Tel: (0131 6)51 3013
Email: Peter.Newcombe@ed.ac.uk |
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