Student guide Facoltą di Economia A.A. 2011/12

Managing research and development
Lesson timetable, Notice board, Additional material
Lecturers
BARBANTI PAOLO DANIELE
Aim of the course
In an increasingly competitive and rapidly changing global market, innovation takes an added value and it plays a large part in improving the quality of life. In order to enhance the success of a company we must create and deliver customer-relevant new products and services. However, managing innovation and new product development processes is not easy; the real challenge is to understand the key concepts for successful innovation and knowing about best practices and how to integrate them into an organisation to ensure customer-relevant innovations. Therefore it is essential that managers understand the strategies, tools and techniques for managing innovation.  This course will explore ways by which companies can manage innovation and new product development successfully.

Syllabus
  1. Importance of new product development
  2. Attributes of an environment that promote innovation
  3. The organization and management of R&D organizations
  4. Spin-offs in hi-tech companies
  5. Need for innovation, what successful companies do
  6. Why new products succeed and fail ?
  7. The product innovation: mission, vision, strategy and goals of new product development
  8. New product development: creativity, concept generation, concept evaluation and selection
  9. Identify steps in the research process
  10. Project Management for R&D
  11. Management techniques to promote innovation
  12. The development process – step
  13. Reducing time to market and the market launch process
  14. The role of consumer/end user input and data in product innovation
  15. Market orientation and understanding the voice of the customer/end user
  16. Cross-functional relationships: the R&D-marketing relationships
  17. Competitive intelligence and benchmarking
  18. Marketing new product: the role and management of the sales force

Examinations
Assessment will be based on group coursework and an exam, which will be taken at the end of the course. In addition to active participation in the weekly discussions, students will be expected to prove detailed knowledge of the course material.

Reading list
Additional material will be listed at the beginning of the course