STRATEGY, INNOVATION AND TECHNOLOGY MANAGEMENT - 2

This course is a core educational activity of the Master's Degree Programme in International Management. The aim of the course is to provide the preliminary knowledge that is deemed necessary for dealing with the strategic and organisational phenomena related to the introduction and diffusion of innovations in companies, with a focus on technological innovation.
The course provides students with an overview of the most recent phenomena in the field of innovation and technology, the main theories useful for the comprehension of such phenomena, as well as a set of practical and conceptual tools for their management and valorisation within the entrepreneurial organisational environment. In this course, students learn the basics for analysing these phenomena and for their strategic management.
This is a 12 ECTS course and is provided on the first semester. This syllabus provides the information for the whole course.

By the end of the course, students will have acquired an advanced theoretical knowledge of innovation and technology management in various business processes (from production and supply chain management to communication, finance, and strategy formulation). In addition, through guided case studies, group activities, and assignments students will deal with (simplified) real-world cases with which they will have to test the knowledge acquired.

This course doesn't require any prerequisite. However, it is advisable to have bachelor-level knowledge of management.

Basics of strategy, organization & environment
Case study on strategic analysis and strategic response to environmental threats
Principles of innovation management
Technological innovation
Case study on the analysis of technological innovation and related strategic response
Organisational innovation
Case study on the analysis of organisational innovation and related strategic response
Business Model Innovation
Case study on the analysis of business model innovation and related strategic response
Principles of technology management
Technology management and innovation in production and operations
Case study on technology management and innovation in productions and operations
Technology management and innovation in procurement & supply chain management
Case study on technology management and innovation in procurement & supply chain management
Technology management and innovation in communication
Case study on technology management and innovation in communication
Technology management and innovation in finance
Case study on technology management and innovation in finance

The teaching materials, including the course slides, will be made available during the course in electronic format on the Moodle platform

The exam is written and oral.
Students will have to produce project papers (possibly including audiovisual) regarding methods and tools proposed iduring the course. Part of these papers may be developed in relation to the active laboratories that will be proposed during the course. 
Students will also have to take an oral exam to verify their learning and actual knowledge of the contents of the proposed project.

The general evaluation criteria of the project papers are the following:
- completeness and precision, with respect to the topic assigned;
- rigorousness of terminology and, in general, professionalism;
- quality of the sources and accuracy of citations,
- degree of comprehension achieved by the student about the course topic, measured (for instance but not only) through the capability of students to propose their own examples or own way of explaining concepts and theories.
- correct application of the tools and concepts explained in the course;
Further specific evaluation criteria will depend on the assignment.
Please note: the tasks assigned will be very specific and circumscribed. The answers to the questions should be equally precise and specific.
Generic and off-topic talk, as well as unsourced data and information, will result in penalties. Plagiarism and the use of AI tool-generated text will result in penalties or failure, and possible further sanctions. If you don't know what plagiarism is, check: https://content.compilatio.net/documents/brochure/EN_GENERAL_Compilatio_Essential_rules_for_avoiding_plagiarism_2016.pdf .

written and oral

Excellence (28-30): the project papers are all developed in a complete manner, with rigorous terminology, using sources of academic & scientific quality, promptly reported according to the APA citation criteria. The text demonstrates full mastery of the course material, with precise reference to the theoretical models, concepts and tools learned, and is free of banalities and/or parts that are useless for the purposes of the discussion.

High score (25-27): the project papers are solved adequately, with rigorous terminology, with sources of academic & scientific quality, promptly reported according to the APA citation criteria. The text demonstrates broad knowledge of the course material, with significant references to the concepts and tools learned, and does not dwell unnecessarily on parts not strictly required by the exam text.

Average score (22-24): the project papers are adequately solved although the terminology is sometimes non-specific and the sources reported are only partially adequate, or necessary, or are not scientifically relevant. with sources of academic quality promptly reported according to the APA citation criteria. The text shows that the theoretical contents and tools of the course are known but not always applied correctly or adequately. The text contains minority parts that are not relevant to the exam problem.

Low score (18-21): the project papers are treated superficially, with common language and through. The search for external sources is barely sufficient and mainly uses non-scientific sources (e.g. company reports, newspaper sources, etc.). The sources are correctly cited according to the APA citation criteria. The knowledge shown of the models and tools taught in the course is limited. The text contains relevant but not majority parts that are not pertinent to the purposes of the exam problem.

Failure: if the project papers present one or more of the negative characteristics described above (generic and off-topic talk, as well as unsourced data and information, will result in penalties, plagiarism, and the use of AI tool-generated text) the result is a failure. In general, any element that demonstrates a superficial, unprofessional or opportunistic attitude may give rise to failure. In case of doubts about how the exam was conducted and whether the work is actually the student's work, the professor might decide to conduct an oral exam to further verify the student's actual knowledge.

Lectures, class discussion, laboratories and case-study development, possibly in cooperation with third parties.

Due to the highly interactive and practice-oriented nature of the course, regular attendance at lessons is recommended.

This subject deals with topics related to the macro-area "Natural capital and environmental quality" and contributes to the achievement of one or more goals of U. N. Agenda for Sustainable Development