GRA 8175 Technology Management and Disruptive Innovations

APPLIES TO ACADEMIC YEAR 2014/2015

GRA 8175 Technology Management and Disruptive Innovations


Responsible for the course
Espen Andersen

Department
Department of Strategy and Logistics

Term
According to study plan

ECTS Credits
2

Language of instruction
English

Introduction
Rapid changes in technology – information technology in particular - changes the competitive environment for many industries, in some cases (music recordings, newspapers, certain mobile phone manufacturers) putting existing companies out of business. To counter this, and to take advantage of technology developments, managers need to understand how technologies evolve, under which conditions they can threaten existing business models, and how to effectuate organizational change to defend or abandon existing practices before it is too late.

Learning outcome
The intent of this course is to give the student an understanding of how technology changes over time, the impact of rapid technology evolution for business environments, how to recognize disruptive innovations and counter them, how to market your products or services as disruptive.

Prerequisites
Granted admission to the EMBA programme.

Compulsory reading
Books:
Christensen, C. M. and M. Raynor. 2003. The Innovator's Solution: Creating and Sustaining Successful Growth. Boston, MA, Harvard Business School Press.

Articles:
Articles and cases which will be made available before the course.

Recommended reading

Course outline
The course will be based on four themes, with roughly the same time devoted to each. They are:

  • Understanding the role of IT in organizations: This part of the course will analyze organizations in terms of the chains, shops, networks framework, trying to understand how value is created in each of these strategic configurations, and how IT supports this value creation.
  • Understanding technology evolution: Focus on how technologies evolve, how to position your self as a provider or user of technologies, phases of competition, sustaining and disruptive technologies, network externalities and intellectual property.

Computer-based tools
It's Learning

Learning process and workload
1 ECTS credit corresponds to a workload of 26-30 hours.

Taught over 16 hours at Part Time level. The course is case-based and will involve substantial preparation and classroom participation.

Attendance to all sessions in the course is compulsory. If you have to miss part(s) of the course you must ask in advance for leave of absence. More than 20% absence in a course will require retaking the entire course. It's the student's own responsibility to obtain any information provided in class that is not included on the course homepage/ It's learning or other course materials



Examination
The course evaluation will be based on:
50% Individual class participation
50% Assignment

This is a course with continuous assessment (several exam elements) and one final exam code. Each exam element will be graded using points on a scale (e.g. 0-100). The elements will be weighted together according to the information in the course description in order to calculate the final letter grade for the course.

Specific information regarding student evaluation beyond the information given in the course description will be provided in class. This information may be relevant for requirements for term papers or other hand-ins, and/or where class participation can be one of several elements of the overall evaluation


Examination code(s)
GRA 81751 - Continuous assessment; accounts for 100 % to pass the course GRA 8175, 2 ECTS credits

The course is a part of a full Executive Master of Business Administration Program and all evaluations must be passed to obtain a certificate for the degree.


Examination support materials



Re-sit examination
Re-takes are only possible at the next time a course will be held. When course evaluation consists of class participation or continuous assessment, the whole course must be re-evaluated when a student wants to retake a exam. Retake examinations entail an extra examination fee.

Additional information