Management of Innovation

• Credit value: 15 credits at Level 6
• Convenor: Marion Frenz
• Tutors: Professor Daniele Archibugi, Marion Frenz and Professor Helen Lawton Smith
• Prerequisites: Management Studies I and Management Studies II or Introductions: Understanding the Business World
• Assessment: a two-hour examination (70%) and individual presentation (20%) and online multiple choice quizzes (10%)

This module provides an introduction to key concepts and theories in innovation studies. We examine how firms manage innovation processes, explore different knowledge sources for innovation and look at technology and innovation strategies. A range of different methods used by firms to protect their innovations from imitation is evaluated.

You will also learn about wider framework conditions that have a bearing on business innovation, including availability of finance for innovation, public policies and agencies promoting innovation.

The aims of this module are to:

• develop an appreciation of the role of different types of innovations and their diffusion in the performances of firms, regions and economies. We consider the impact of groundbreaking technological breakthroughs, but also incremental improvements in goods, services and processes.
• analyse the key determinants driving business innovation, including internal sources - for example R&D personnel - and learning through collaborations with other businesses with the aim of developing new products, processes and services.

By the end of this module, you will understand:

• different types of innovations
• key factors influencing firms' innovation performance
• a range of theories explaining the rate and type of innovations
• the relevance of, and rationale for, intellectual property rights, standards and innovation policy
• the impact of different types of innovations on the firm, economy and society as a whole.