Handbook

In this course, students will first learn the fundamentals of innovation and technology including the impact of technology on organisational strategy, internal and external factors influence a firm’s technology strategy, diffusion of technology and technology disruption. Students are next introduced to the stages of the entrepreneurial life cycle, categories of entrepreneurial opportunities and processes for generating new business ideas. After translating opportunities into a well-crafted plan and pitch, students will learn various financial strategies to support new business and how to design experiments using minimum viable products to test market-driven hypotheses and refine multiple aspects of the business model. Next, students will explore essential factors influencing customers to adopt new products in the current business environment and approaches to scaling businesses built on new products and services. Finally, the course concludes by analysing how startups can embed globalisation into the foundations of their ventures and looking at strategies of established firms in creating breakthrough innovations.  

Each week students will study core readings covering fundamental concepts and frameworks on each topic and do activities applying the concepts and frameworks to digital innovation. In addition, students will read a series of cutting-edge articles specific to digital innovation and participate in simulations, multimedia and traditional case covering innovative firms, digital products and digital transformation. As part of the course, in collaboration with a team, students will create and pitch a business plan, including the financial model, experimental designs and launch strategy, for an innovative product or service that addresses a social, cultural or environmental issue. Students will also create a white-paper, consulting report or reflective blog exploring cutting-edge digital innovations and then applying their findings and research to analyse how the technology can disrupt a specific industry.