Durham University
Programme and Module Handbook

Postgraduate Programme and Module Handbook 2023-2024 (archived)

Module BUSI53315: INNOVATION AND TECHNOLOGY MANAGEMENT

Department: Management and Marketing

BUSI53315: INNOVATION AND TECHNOLOGY MANAGEMENT

Type Tied Level 4 Credits 15 Availability Available in 2023/24 Module Cap
Tied to N2P109
Tied to N2P309
Tied to N2P609
Tied to N2P909
Tied to N5K609
Tied to H1KG09

Prerequisites

  • None

Corequisites

  • None.

Excluded Combination of Modules

  • None

Aims

  • To enable students to study the major theories of innovation, and to appreciate from theoretical perspectives the principles and practice of managing innovation and technology at an advanced level.

Content

  • The role of innovation in the evolution of new markets, the fluid phase of technological uncertainty, the emergence of the dominant design and establishment of variety based forms of innovation.
  • Invention and innovation, radical and incremental models of innovation.
  • The influence of architectural and modular innovation on competitive implications
  • The role of alliances and strategic maneuvering in establishing new markets, and Christensen’s disruptive/sustaining model of innovation.
  • How innovations are communicated and diffused across social systems and to the potential adopters of technologies; The diffusion process and the danger of the 'chasm': traditional and social network-based approaches to diffusion of innovation.
  • Assets of the firm and innovation management; Intellectual capital, and intellectual property strategies to gain competitive advantage from innovation
  • New product development: static models of innovation, technology-push and market-pull models. How to manage technological innovation within organisations; a review of the historical approaches to innovation and new product development
  • Distributed innovation, open innovation, and the implication of diversity on innovation and technology management. Technology brokering and recombinant innovation.
  • Breakthrough innovation: current perspectives in the management of innovation, the shift from economic models based upon scarcity to abundance and the role of ‘The Long Tail’ concept to innovation management.
  • Technology-led vs Design-led innovation. The role of design in maximising competitive advantage from innovative technologies

Learning Outcomes

Subject-specific Knowledge:
  • By the end of this module students will:
  • Have an advanced contextual knowledge of innovation as a key organisational process in modern companies, and how innovation can shape and determine new industries and markets.
  • Have an advanced contextual knowledge of innovation as a key organisational process in modern companies.
Subject-specific Skills:
  • By the end of this module students will:
  • Be able to critically evaluate the impact of innovation on organisational strategy.
  • Be able to critically evaluate the impact of innovation on organisational strategy.
Key Skills:
  • Written communication; oral communication; teamwork; interpersonal skills; planning, organising and time management; problem solving and analysis; using initiative; computer literacy.
  • Written communication; oral communication; teamwork; interpersonal skills; planning, organising and time management; problem solving and analysis; using initiative; computer literacy.

Modes of Teaching, Learning and Assessment and how these contribute to the learning outcomes of the module

  • The learning outcomes will be met through a series of lectures, seminar discussions and presentations, together with guided reading.
  • The assessment of the module, by written assignment and group presentation, is designed to: test the acquisition and articulation of knowledge; test conceptual understanding and skills of application and interpretation within the business context.

Teaching Methods and Learning Hours

Activity Number Frequency Duration Total/Hours
Lectures 10 1 per week 2 hours 20
Seminars 4 1 per fortnight 1 hour 4
Preparation, Reading, Data Collection and Independent Study 126
Total 150

Summative Assessment

Component: Group presentation Component Weighting: 30%
Element Length / duration Element Weighting Resit Opportunity
Group presentation based either on a case study or on the assessment of the innovation capabilities of a real company. There will be approximately 4 students in each group and all will be expected to present. All group members will receive the same mark for this element. 20 minutes 100% Individual written assignment of 1,000 words (maximum).
Component: Assignment Component Weighting: 70%
Element Length / duration Element Weighting Resit Opportunity
Individual written assignment 2,000 words maximum 100% Same

Formative Assessment:

Group presentation


Attendance at all activities marked with this symbol will be monitored. Students who fail to attend these activities, or to complete the summative or formative assessment specified above, will be subject to the procedures defined in the University's General Regulation V, and may be required to leave the University