APPLIES TO ACADEMIC YEAR 2013/2014

GRA 3109 Corporate Innovation - RE-SIT EXAMINATION

Responsible for the course
Atle Midttun, Nils-Otto Ørjasæter

Department
Department of Innovation and Economic Organisation

Term
According to study plan

ECTS Credits
6

Language of instruction
English

Introduction
The course provides an overview of challenges and options facing the enterprise in sustaining intrapreneurship and innovation as a key to commercial success. The course introduces the students to basic theories of economic organization and their implication for corporate innovation. Particular attention will be given to the resource based perspective and the knowledge based theory of the firm. The course also focuses on operative models and techniques for corporate innovation, including, incubator systems, organizing the innovation activities, innovation process models, spin-inns and spin-offs, portfolio management, venture-systems, and how they can play together within the context of the firm and its value network. Based on theoretical and practical applications, the course discusses the strengths and weaknesses of each form as well as the challenges of combining various and partly competing models within the firm.

The course will also provide a first introduction to the complex interplay between firms, industrial networks and public institutions in industrial development and innovation.

The students will be assigned investigations and analysis of actual models of innovation in Norwegian firms, as part of the course-work.

Learning outcome
The course will enhance the students’ basic theoretical understanding of corporate innovation. The students will familiarize themselves with the use of central theoretical perspectives through practical applications from core Norwegian enterprises within important sectors of the economy.

Acquired knowledge
Students should master the most important theories relevant to corporate innovation. They should be able to apply them both within different company settings and across sectors. Furthermore, they should be able to understand and take into account innovation challenges at various stages of the innovation process.

Acquired skills
The students should acquire skills enabling them to:
· analyse innovation challenges facing the modern firm, including organizational, financial, marketing and knowledge management aspects.
· design innovation strategies for future value creation;
· follow up and implement innovation strategies as part of a business development or corporate strategy team.
They should also be able to analyse the interplay between corporate innovation and its relevant societal and policy context, including corporate social responsibility (CSR).

Reflection
Students should be able to critically examine various corporate innovation theories and their application to business. They should be able to express their opinions clearly and independently, orally as well as in writing.

Prerequisites
A bachelors degree qualifying for admission to the MSc Programme

Compulsory reading

Collection of articles:
Atle Midttun og Nils-Otto Ørjasæter. Litteratur til GRA 3109 Corporate Innovation

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
·Knowledge based versus production and transaction cost- based theories of the firm

· Knowledge management within the firm

· Balancing technology development and commercialization within the corporation

· Balancing radical and incremental innovation within the firm

· Corporate venturing and innovation

· Mergers and acquisitions as an innovation strategy

· Strategic approaches and process models for intrapreneurship

· Open innovation and management innovation in supply chains

· Corporate innovation and its policy context

· Corporate innovation and corporate social responsibility

Case Examples
To demonstrate practical applications, the course will have invited presentations from leading Norwegian enterprises in class

Computer-based tools
Standard, It's learning/homepage

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

Please note that 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
Paper: maximum 15 pages 70%
Examination: 3 hours written exam 30%

Mandatory class participation and presentations. 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 31094 for the term paper (70%)
GRA 31095 for the three hour written examination (30%)

Examination support materials
Only bilingual dictionary allowed.

Exam aids at written examiniations are explained under exam information in the student portal @bi. Please note use of calculator and dictionary in the section on examaids

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.
Where this is not the case, all of the assessed components of the course must be retaken.
All retaken examinations will incur an additional fee.

Additional information
Honor Code
Academic honesty and trust are important to all of us as individuals, and represent values that are encouraged and promoted by the honor code system. This is a most significant university tradition. Students are responsible for familiarizing themselves with the ideals of the honor code system, to which the faculty are also deeply committed.

Any violation of the honor code will be dealt with in accordance with BI’s procedures for cheating. These issues are a serious matter to everyone associated with the programs at BI and are at the heart of the honor code and academic integrity. If you have any questions about your responsibilities under the honor code, please ask.