THE UNIVERSITY of EDINBURGH

DEGREE REGULATIONS & PROGRAMMES OF STUDY 2017/2018

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DRPS : Course Catalogue : Business School : Business Studies

Postgraduate Course: Translational Study - Innovation and Entrepreneurship Masterclass (Biz) (BUST11228)

Course Outline
SchoolBusiness School CollegeCollege of Humanities and Social Science
Credit level (Normal year taken)SCQF Level 11 (Postgraduate) AvailabilityNot available to visiting students
SCQF Credits20 ECTS Credits10
SummaryThe Translational Study Innovation and Entrepreneurship Masterclass is a student-led, independent study course designed to promote student exposure to the challenges and opportunities associated with translating innovation into a market context. The course builds on the outcomes of the OPTIMA Grand Challenge and Innovation-Driven Entrepreneurship (IDE) courses, or other background experience considered relevant. Students will work in small teams to examine a specific innovation of interest. The projects will be related to actual scientific research results and will address ¿real world¿ considerations in commercialisation, drawing on guidance and input from leading edge researchers in the CDT team, including colleagues from the Business School. Each team is assigned a staff member as mentor.
Course description This course is intended to deepen students¿ appreciation and skills in the real world implementation of innovation. Specifically, as part of an integrated studies PhD programme, the course aims:
a) To explore a limited set of innovations relevant to the students¿ research, with relatively near-term product potential or short development timeframes.
b) To examine the need to conduct primary research on the industry and market relevant to the anticipated product. This will involve engagement with industry participants to better understand customer needs, product development requirements, manufacturing parameters, and distribution and support processes.
c) To identify the resources and processes necessary to bring the product to market.
d) To articulate the key lessons they are learning through these activities.


The course is designed as an integral part of the PhD with Integrated Studies offered by the OPTIMA CDT, but will also be able to accommodate Business School PhD students through the focus on teamwork. It builds on the overall programme of OPTIMA activity, in particular the Grand Challenge and the Innovation Driven Entrepreneurship course. In addition, it sensitises the students to the range of real world issues involved in commercialisation and thus prepares them for further optional courses in innovation and entrepreneurship.

The course is organised in three phases: 1) ideation, 2) development research, and 3) entry evaluation.
Phase 1, ideation, is a 3 week activity in which the teams explore a limited set of innovations relevant to their research studies. Teams will be allocated a specific case drawn from experience within the OPTIMA network and will assess how this compares with competing or other similar innovations. At the end of this phase teams will present their findings and will be assessed on the content and delivery of their presentations.

In Phase 2, development research, the teams will examine what primary research on the industry and market relevant to the anticipated product or process has been carried out. Students will be encouraged to engage with industry participants to better understand customer needs, product development requirements, manufacturing parameters, and distribution and support processes. This phase will occupy 4 weeks, depending on the complexity of the particular case examined. At the end of this phase teams will submit a draft report focussing on issues of market feasibility for formative feedback.

Phase 3, entry evaluation, is a 3 week activity in which teams explore the resources and processes necessary to bring the particular innovation to market. At the end of the phase, teams will submit a formal written report presenting their analysis, including a critical appraisal of the commercialization path adopted. Teams will be assessed on the content and delivery of their report. In additiona, teams will present their findings to a panel including industry representatives..

Each phase will be introduced by a formal overview lecture, with further lectures and seminars covering key issues and supported by supervisory meetings each week. The experience and learnings acquired from the course will be consolidated through the submission of an individual Reflection on Learning paper, supported by a personal learning log which the students will maintain throughout the course activities.
Entry Requirements (not applicable to Visiting Students)
Pre-requisites Co-requisites
Prohibited Combinations Other requirements None
Course Delivery Information
Academic year 2017/18, Not available to visiting students (SS2) Quota:  None
Course Start Semester 2
Timetable Timetable
Learning and Teaching activities (Further Info) Total Hours: 200 ( Lecture Hours 5, Seminar/Tutorial Hours 3, Dissertation/Project Supervision Hours 8, Fieldwork Hours 70, Online Activities 20, Formative Assessment Hours 20, Summative Assessment Hours 10, Other Study Hours 20, Programme Level Learning and Teaching Hours 4, Directed Learning and Independent Learning Hours 40 )
Additional Information (Learning and Teaching) Other Study - face to face groupwork
Assessment (Further Info) Written Exam 0 %, Coursework 100 %, Practical Exam 0 %
Feedback a) Presentation at the end of the first, three week Ideation Phase, summarising their findings, in a formal session with detailed formative feedback provided from a panel of expert CDT personnel. A summative assessment will also be carried forward (10%).
b) A draft written report, focusing on the market potential, will be submitted at the end of the second, four week Development Research Phase. This will constitute an initial draft for the final case appraisal, and will attract detailed formative feedback students in order to inform the further development of their project, without being allocated a mark at this stage . Written report of a maximum of 2,000 words, excluding supporting appendices.

c) A formal written report including consideration of all the issues involved in achieving commercialisation will be submitted at the end of the third, three week Entry Evaluation Phase. This will be marked by two members of the CDT, including the Business School course organiser, providing both formative and summative assessment (40%). The report will be accompanied by a formal presentation to a panel of expert personnel including industry representatives who will provide detailed formative feedback as well as a final summative assessment (20%). PowerPoint or similar set of slides to be submitted and presented, within a time slot of 30 minutes, including Q&A.
d) As the above is group work, students will also provide a brief Reflection on Learning paper, based on a Personal Learning Log, provided on an individual basis. This Log will cover the students¿ experience in working in teams and will provide a critical assessment of their own contribution, as well as summarising the overall translational process. This will be marked by two members of the CDT, including the Business School representative, and detailed formative feedback will be provided to the students in order to support their further development through their doctoral studies (30%). Written paper of 500 words Reflection on Learning, supported by a Personal Learning Log with a maximum of a half page of commentary per week.
No Exam Information
Learning Outcomes
On completion of this course, the student will be able to:
  1. Work effectively in teams and understand the various roles that individuals can play in teams, including leadership and taking responsibility for individual contributions.
  2. Understand the specific challenges associated with translating a research-driven innovation into a commercial context, and develop a critical appreciation about how the available theories, principles and concepts in the field of innovation and entrepreneurship can throw light on the practical issues confronted.
  3. Explain the imperatives for primary research on market needs and new product requirements, using an appropriate range of specialised techniques and skills reflecting current best practice.
  4. Describe the general stages of technology commercialization, informed by developments at the forefront of academic and industry experience, including a critical awareness of different organizational forms and resource requirements.organizational forms and resource requirements.
  5. Communicate the results of market and industry research using appropriate methods to both scientific and business audiences and critically assess the potential commercial value of a novel innovation for a specific market need, taking account of the need to make informed and ethically sound judgements in the face of inconsistent and incomplete information.
Reading List
ESSENTIAL READING

J. Tidd and J. Bessant (2011) Innovation and Entrepreneurship John Wiley & Sons, Chichester. (The reference textbook for the course, to be reviewed each year.)

Peter F. Drucker (1985) Innovation and Entrepreneurship. Butterworth Heinemann,
Oxford. (The Classic reference)

RECOMMENDED ADDITIONAL READING

DTI (December 2003) Innovation Report: Competing in the global economy: the innovation Challenge. (The Sainsbury Report.) London.
M. Southon and C. West (2005) The Beermat Entrepreneur: Turn your good idea into a great business. Pearson, Harlow.
A. Jolly, Ed., (2013) The Innovation Handbook: How to profit from your ideas, intellectual property and market knowledge. 3rd Edition. Kogan Page, London.

Further items will be identified, according to the development of the projects
pursued.
Additional Information
Graduate Attributes and Skills Not entered
KeywordsInnovation,Entrepreneurship
Contacts
Course organiserProf James Fleck
Tel: (0131 6)51 3238
Email: J.Fleck@ed.ac.uk
Course secretaryMrs Susan Keatinge
Tel: (0131 6)50 3810
Email: Susan.Keatinge@ed.ac.uk
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