COURSE DESCRIPTION
Enterprises in many industries are driven by the need to achieve technological innovation in
order to prosper or even survive. This course focuses on the strategic management of
technology and innovation in firms of various types. These technology innovations can
encompass software, hardware, or other forms of technology and even the very processes
needed to design, develop, and manufacture the resultant technological products.
COURSE/PROGRAM OBJECTIVES
Students develop an understanding of technological innovation and the issues and strategies
for organizing, managing, diffusing, and protecting innovation. This broadens the horizons of
students who have concentrated on technical computing and Information Technology courses
and require enrichment in the area of managerial science.
LEARNING OUTCOMES
The course content includes all the chapters in the text, and a set of business cases, assigned
on a weekly basis. The schedule appears below:
HARDWARE/SOFTWARE/MATERIALS REQUIREMENTS:
None
COURSE REQUIREMENTS
Students who do not complete all assignments should receive an incomplete in the course
(not more than TC-)
All students must pass the midterm and final exams in order to pass the course
GRADING GUIDELINES
METHODOLOGY
Lectures should be enhanced using the following teaching tools: textbook, PowerPoint slides,
handouts and case studies. Lecture slides/notes in PowerPoint format are available from the
publisher and assist the students ability to follow the lecture and prepare for exams. The
white board should be used in particular to give the students a visual representation of the
concepts as many of the graphics and multithreaded details are abstract and complex.
COURSE TEXT
CASE STUDIES
An integral part of the learning process in this course is the analysis of case studies taken
from real-world situations underscoring the topics covered in each class. Students will be
organized into small teams that are self-directed and work together to analyze the weeks case
using a series of questions prepared by the instructor. The team approach is similar to project
organization methods used in industry, enabling students to develop their analytical and
presentation skills. Individual cases are available for download for a reasonable fee from
the Harvard Publishing website http://www.hbsp.harvard.edu. Each case is shown below
along with the Harvard order number and must be ordered individually by each student.
BIBLIOGRAPHY
http://www.hbsp.harvard.edu.
ENTRANCE COMPETENCIES
Students will benefit most if they have prior work experience, to leverage their own
experience in analysis of the material and the business cases. Some experience with
quantitative analysis, e.g., a working knowledge of Microsoft Excel, will also be beneficial.
Absent either or both, an inquiring mind, an interest in being challenged with novel concepts,
and excitement at the prospect of cooperative engagement with a broad and diverse student
body, are all the tools one needs to be successful in the course.
COURSE EXPECTATIONS
Students will explore, through reading of the text and analysis of relevant cases, the
complexities in crafting and managing a technology strategy for an enterprise.
EXIT COMPETENCIES
Students will gain facility in analyzing business cases, identifying salient qualitative and
quantitative measures of progress and efficacy, and most importantly, through weekly team
preparation and presentation, the skills, utility, and overarching benefits of cross-disciplinary
and cross-cultural cooperation in analyzing, crafting, and executing a corporate initiative.