1) Innovation and entrepreneurship: from the idea to the business
2) Types and patterns of innovation; the opportunities for innovation.
3) The dynamics of innovation: technological cycles, standards struggle and design dominance.
4) Networks for entrepreneurship and innovation.
Students attending classes:
a) Schilling, M.A, Izzo, F., Gestione dell'innovazione, 3° ed., McGraw-Hill, 2013 – Chapeters 2,3,4,5,8,9,12
b) supplementary materials provided by the theacher on the e-learning platform Moodle.
Students who do not attend classes:
a) Schilling, M.A, Izzo, F., Gestione dell'innovazione, 3° ed., McGraw-Hill, 2013 – All Chapters except chapter 13 – All cases on the textbook are included in the exam program.
Learning Objectives
KNOWLEDGE and COMPETENCES:
The student develops knowledge and skills in the area of entrepreneurial innovation, being able to understand the scope, dynamics and the main obstacles that may be encountered in the conception and implementation of an innovative initiative and the methods to try to overcome them.
SKILLS ACQUIRED:
The course aims to provide students with a method that allows them to deal in a structured setting and management of the innovation process in a managerial perspective.
Prerequisites
Good knowledge of the basics of management and, in particular, of business strategy.
Teaching Methods
Lessons: 48 hours, including presentations by professionals of innovation management
Type of Assessment
The exam is oral.
Attending students may also present and discuss a report on a topic agreed with the teacher.
During the test the student must demonstrate:
a) knowledge of the topics concerning the course program
b) ability to discuss them with proprer language
c) ability to make the appropriate connections between the different parts of the program
c) ability to support their arguments with appropriate references to cases.
Course program
STUDENTS ATTENDING CLASSES:
1- Entrepreneurship and innovation: general.
- Innovation: what is it
- Invention and creativity
- Innovation and entrepreneurship in economic analysis
- The link between innovation and entrepreneurship according to Schumpeter
- The relationship between innovation, entrepreneurship and change
2. The entrepreneurial innovation as a complex phenomenon.
- The asymmetry between the concepts of entrepreneur and entrepreneurship
- The entrepreneur and his economic function: the model Fazzi
- Entrepreneurship as a network feature
- Models of "entrepreneurial network": a) Maidique model; b) Roberts Fusfeld model c) Hauschildt and Chakrabarti model;
3. Forms of innovation
- The basic characters: degree of novelty, nature, object
- Radical and incremental innovations
- Sustaining and disruptive innovations
- Modular or architectural innovations
- The analysis according to Abernathy and Clark
4. Innovation as a process
- The nature of the innovation process: Trott’s equation
- The model for representing innovation process: the "polar" cases
- The ideation phases: from the idea to the "business idea"
- The phases of implementation
5. Sources of innovation
- The analysis model
- The subjects and the places for innovation
- The circumstances: Drucker’s 7 sources of intentional innovation
6. Starting a new venture
- Prerequisites and conditions for successful innovation: the Vallini model
- Startups: characters and specific issues
- Boot models: technology push and demand pull
- Open innovation
7. The dynamics of innovation
- The technological cycles
- The development of a dominant design
- The size of the value of an innovation
8. Some specific issues of innovation management
- The choice of entry strategy.
- Collaborative strategies
- The protection of innovation
- The management of the new product development process.
The object of the course topics will be developed through the analysis of case studies that will be part of the program.
Students who wish may play a group work centered on the analysis of a topic or event related to innovation that will be discussed in the examination
STUDENTS NOT ATTENDING CLASSES:
1. The importance of technological innovation
- The impact of innovation on society
- The links between strategy and innovation
2. Sources of innovation
- Creativity
- Innovation
- Collaborative networks
3. Forms an Models of innovation
- The forms of innovation
- The technological curve
- Technology cycles
4. Conflicts of standards and dominant design
- The emergence of a dominant design
- Value dimensions of a technology
5. The choice of the market entry time
- The benefits of first mover
- The factors that determine the optimal entry strategy
- The options for choosing the right timing
6. The definition of strategic orientation
- The assessment of the competitive position
- The skills and key-competencies
- The strategic intent
7. Selection of innovation projects
- The development budget
- Quantitative and qualitative methods for choice
8. The collaborative strategies
- The advantages of the autonomous development
- The benefits of collaboration
- The forms and ways of co-working
- The choice of partners
9. Mechanisms of protection of innovation
- Appropriability
- Patents, trademarks, copyrights,
- Trade secret
- Effectiveness of different methods of protection
10. The organization of innovation processes
- The company's size and structure tags
- Modularity and coupled loosey organizations
- Management of international innovation processes
11. The team management for the development of a new product
- The creation of the development team
- Structure and management of the team
12. The management of the new product development process.
- Process objectives
- The types of the development process
- Partners in the process
- Customer engagement
- The tools for process improvement
- Performance measurement
13. Strategies for innovation in SMEs
- Small business and the innovation process: constraints and opportunities
- The role of the entrepreneur
- Sources of innovation for SMEs
- Relations with external actors and technology transfer processes
- Innovation Strategies for SMEs