GRA 3154 International Perspectives on Innovation

APPLIES TO ACADEMIC YEAR 2016/2017

GRA 3154 International Perspectives on Innovation


Responsible for the course
Sverre August Christensen

Department
Department of Law

Term
According to study plan

ECTS Credits
6

Language of instruction
English

Introduction
The objective of the course is to show how different perceptions on innovation has evolved as a result of theoretical, academic, technological, industrial, economic and political development. And how the international development has effected Norway

Learning outcome
Students will be able to:

  • Comprehend theories on innovation and technological development.
  • Reflect upon how different forces, such as theoretical, academic, technological, industrial, economic and political forces, affect the perception and understanding of innovation.
  • Appreciate the historical development of theories of innovation, with emphasis on the traditions underpinning our understanding today.
  • Acquire a general understanding of the main political dimensions related to innovation.
  • Consider innovation's role and place in society.
  • Understand business and companies’ roles towards innovation.
  • Understand the governments’ roles towards innovation.
  • Get a thorough understanding of the Norwegian innovation system, or Norwegian clusters.
  • Contemplate on firms in relation to innovation, development and crises.
  • Be able to discuss and appreciate different viewpoints and opinons on innovation and innovation policy
  • To reflect in writing on the issues above.

Prerequisites

All courses in the Masters programme will assume that students have fulfilled the admission requirements for the programme. In addition, courses in second, third and/or fourth semester can have spesific prerequisites and will assume that students have followed normal study progression. For double degree and exchange students, please note that equivalent courses are accepted.

Compulsory reading

Collection of articles:
Compendium with selected articles/book chapters

Other:
During the course there may be hand-outs and other material on additional topics relevant for the course and the examination.


Recommended reading

Course outline
0. Introduction
  1. The American challenge
  2. National champions
  3. Silicon Valley, The smart phone industry
  4. Small is beautiful and the Japanese lessons
  5. European integration – the Single European act
  6. Globalisation and innovation
  7. The Norwegian SI and clusters
  8. The Norwegian SI in oil
  9. The Nordic model
  10. The Indian and/or Chinese Challenge.
  11. Has innovation slowed down?
Summing up

Computer-based tools
Not applicable

Learning process and workload
A course of 6 ECTS credits corresponds to a workload of 160-180 hours. Regular lectures and workshops including paper presentations.

Please note that while attendance is not compulsory in all courses, it is the student’s own responsibility to obtain any information provided in class that is not included on the course homepage/It's learning or text book.


Examination
The course grade will be based on the following activities and weights:
20 % class participation (class participation,class discussion, presentations etc).
80% 3 hour written examination


Form of assessment Weight Group size
Class participation 20%
Written examination 3 hours 80% Individual

Specific information regarding student assessment will be provided in class. This information may be relevant to requirements for term papers or other hand-ins, and/or where class participation can be one of several components of the overall assessment. This is a course with continuous assessment (several exam components) and one final exam code. Each exam component is graded using points on a scale from 0-100. The final grade for the course is based on the aggregated mark of the course components. Each component is weighted as detailed in the course description. Students who fail to participate in one/some/all exam components will get a lower grade or may fail the course. You will find detailed information about the points system and the mapping scale in the student portal @bi. Candidates may be called in for an oral hearing as a verification/control of written assignments.

Examination code(s)
GRA 31541 continuous assessment accounts for 100% of the final grade in the course GRA 3154.

Examination support materials
Bilingual dictionary
Permitted examination support materials for written examinations are detailed under examination information in the student portal @bi. The section on support materials and the use of calculators and dictionaries should be paid special attention to.

Re-sit examination
It is only possible to retake an examination when the course is next taught. The assessment in some courses is based on more than one exam code. Where this is the case, you may retake only the assessed components of one of these exam codes. All retaken examinations will incur an additional fee. Please note that you need to retake the latest version of the course with updated course literature and assessment. Please make sure that you have familiarised yourself with the latest course description.

Additional information
Honour code. Academic honesty and trust are important to all of us as individuals, and are values that are integral to BI's honour code system. Students are responsible for familiarising themselves with the honour code system, to which the faculty is deeply committed. Any violation of the honour code will be dealt with in accordance with BI’s procedures for academic misconduct. Issues of academic integrity are taken seriously by everyone associated with the programmes at BI and are at the heart of the honour code. If you have any questions about your responsibilities under the honour code, please ask. The learning platform itslearning is used in the teaching of all courses at BI. All students are expected to make use of itslearning.

Semesters

Translations