Innovation Management

Professor Pamela Adams

The management of innovation is one of the most important and challenging aspects of contemporary business. Innovation is a fundamental driver of competitiveness for firms in a wide variety of sectors. Efficiency, productivity and sustainability are the concern of managers in all organizations. The objective of this course is to help managers deal with the issues surrounding innovation. The course has an international focus since innovation development and diffusion are essentially international activities that involve companies selling products and services abroad or working with foreign suppliers and partners. Students are provided with a set of tools to assess a firm’s innovative capabilities and identify how they may be leveraged or improved.  Students also explore recent advances in the academic literature on innovation management, including topics related to competitive dynamics, strategic choice, product development, technology sourcing  and organizational context. Case studies are used extensively in the course in order to help students apply the conceptual frameworks presented to real-world business challenges.