2 or 3 credits
Spring 2025 LectureIn today's business environment, it is increasingly apparent that business success is driven by a firm's ability to create and capture value through technology and innovation. Thus, the processes used by firms to develop new technologies, the choices they make regarding how to commercialize their technical knowledge, and the strategies they used to position and build a dominate competitive position all are important issues facing the firm. This course seeks to develop tools for understanding industry evolution with respect to new technology, forecast technological change, and understand the basis for technology in competitive advantage. We take an in-depth look at how technological innovation affects the competitive dynamics of markets, how firms can strategically manage these dynamics, and how firms can create and implement strategies to maximize their likelihood of success. The course introduces tools, concepts, and analytical frameworks that will enhance your ability to define and analyze strategic problems that stem from innovation and technological change, and to identify sources of competitive advantage from both an industry and firm-level perspective. Permission of department required.
Learning Outcomes1Assess the degree to which a firm or industry is subject to technological factors.
2Evaluate the temporal dynamics of an industry, lifecycles and s-curves from both a technological maturity and adoption (installed customer base) perspective.
3Design firm strategies to capitalize on internal technological capabilities and external opportunities.
4Formulate collaboration strategies and strategies for protecting innovation.