Course Resources Archive

It is widely accepted that successful innovation is essential to organisational survival and growth and this module provides students with the opportunity to develop a rich understanding of this complex topic. During the module, students will be encouraged to take an holistic view of innovation processes in multiple contexts, particularly SMEs: product and service innovation, process innovation and innovation in the marketplace. Building on an understanding of the strategic logic for innovation and the functioning of development and market processes, students will be introduced to critical issues in innovation management, including ideas and creativity, the roles of venture champions and other actors, knowledge and learning processes and aspects of the organisational context for innovation. Student learning will be reinforced by a research project, in which an innovation context is analysed and reported.

The meaning of innovation; innovation contexts, including SMEs and the third sector; the strategic logic of innovation; innovation development processes; market processes; actors and success factors in innovation processes; creativity and the management of ideas; knowledge management; organisational learning; venture champions and entrepreneurship; the organisational context: structure, culture and the leadership of innovation.

A student passing this module should be able to:

1. Have an integrative and holistic understanding of the nature of innovation and the innovation process (PLO1).
2. Understand the criticality of innovation to organisational survival, growth and sustainability, across commercial and social enterprises (PLO3)
3. Have a critical understanding of the factors that contribute to innovation success and failure; the roles of actors in innovation processes, including venture champions, project teams, network members, supporters, opposers and senior management (PLO2).
4. Have an integrative understanding of the role of creativity, knowledge and learning processes in innovation; the criticality of organisational structure, culture and leadership to innovation success. (PLO1)
5. Have developed communication and literacyskills through classroom and peer discussion, conducting of primary and secondary research, preparation of a project report, production of a critical reflection and making an interim presentation. (PLO6)
6. Have enhanced independent learning and workingcapabilities, through the conduction of a research project and the preparation and presentation of a project report. (PLO4, PLO5)

The Library Catalogue contains full details of the current reading list for this module. Further details may also be found in the Module Guide.