MEF11.

5,SummerTerm2016

21/03/2016

Innovation Management
Innovation Case Study
M-EF_11.5
Summer Term 2016

Prof. Dr. Oliver Serfling

Assignment
There is no exam at the end of the course. You will receive your
final mark based on the following two assignments:
Presentation of case-study topic (30% of mark):
You are asked to identify a specific innovation (product, service,
or firm) from the third wave of industrial revolution that will
shape our economy and lifes in the future and present your
research idea and results from your first research in the lecture.
Deadline for submission of Presentation Slides is: 10/04/2016
Presentations are planned for April, 11th 2016.
Write an Innovation Business Case (70% of mark):
Relate the innovation characteristics and activities to a number of
more specific issues that have been taken up in the course
literature and in teaching
Write a case-study of ~ 2,600 words (i.e. ~ 8 text pages A4, 12pt,
1.5 line spacing)
A list of central questions that should be addressed will be
provided in due time
Submission Deadline: 26/06/2016
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1st step: Idea Presentation

In a first step, read the Article of the Economist about the third
wave of digital revolution and other articles linked on Moodle
Then select either:
a specific product or service (or a specific firm)
or a specific technology

from the parts of the IT industry that might be seen as influential

during the third wave
Conduct a first research and identify to what extent you find
information related the innovation activities that are addressed by
the central questions.
Draft a short presentation consisting of 3-5 slides (PPT) on

the chosen Product, Firm, Technology

describing the previsioned content of your innovation case study
upload it on Moodle by April 10, 2016
And present it in class on April 11, 2016

Get a consent from the instructor about your innovation before

starting writing
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Framework Topic for Innovation Case Study

THE 3RD WAVE

- DIGITAL REVOLUTION
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The Third Wave - Digital Revolution

Properties that make Digital Technology transformational:
Perfect Transmission: Unlike analog signals, digital
signals can be transmitted perfectly, without error.
Infinite Replication of digital signals
Zero marginal cost of production of digital signals (almost),
superseding traditional analog tasks
These properties lead to:
improved scalability of operations
ease in combining new and old business processes
connecting industries and communities to generate novel
opportunities

Consequences of Digital Transformation

Adaption to ubiquitous digital connectivity becomes essential to
competitiveness in industries
Digital Transformation is no traditional disruption scenario:
Paradigm is not: displacement and replacement
But connectivity and recombination
E.g. Uber creates value by bringing drivers and customers together
not by replacing them

Business Models are changed on both:

the customer value proposition
and how its value is captured

Digital Technology and Internet of Things (IoT) will transform

virtually every sector and every business

by digitizing business components

to enable a new range of product, services and business models
old mdels will be deflated
having profound implications for the economy at large
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Digitization and Smart Innovation

Watch the interview with Peter Bilello, President of CIMdata, a PLM

consultancy. Explain:
How does Digitization shape the competition?
What are the major industry trends and topics?
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Presentation of your Case Idea

On April 11, you are required to present the topic of your
Innovation Case Study.
In order to select an Innovation from the field of the 3rd
wave of industrial revolution, conduct an internet research
about this phenomenon. Start this by reading the articles
provided on Moodle.
Within the given 5 minutes of your presentation, try to
adress the following three questions:
1. What is the impact of digitization on the success of your
selected innovation?
2. How are common business features connected and
recombined?
3. What is the role of Big Data, (predictive) analytics or sensor
systems in your selected innovation?
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Presentation Plan
No.

Name

Title

ZainAlam

QuantumComputing

Fattahi

EInk Display

Faizan Siddqqi

Pupil Based Monitoring

Tubaseng

SmartParking

Aghajanyan

EBanking

Marko

NFC

Gustiarawanti

AppleSiri

Adhikari

RollsRoyce

UlHaqueQureshi

Hyperloop

10

HoSiManh Tuan

Grabcar

11

Karimov

mHealth

12

NomdedeuOrtiz

Smartmeters

Presentation Plan
No.

Name

Title

13

Shiganian

Iceland GenomeProject

14

Zhang

PayPal

15

Chauhan

CryptoCurrencies

16

Ipinar

UBER

17

Kobaladze

BMW7er

18

Pajtim Veliu

Electric Cars

19

Luapscu

Bitcoin

20

Nguyen

Google Car

OtherIdeas:
FinTec Startups,e.g.Rippleshot
BlockChain applications

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2nd Step: Case Study

The Case Study should address one (or more) example(s) of
product/service/process innovation. It should cover the following
issues:
a.
b.
c.
d.
e.
f.

Introduction (Origins and Rationale)

Description of the Innovation
The Innovation Process
Performance measurement and Benefits
Limitations, Risks, Problems, Barriers
Lessons learned and Outlook

The Case study should be descriptionbased:

i.e. describes organizational actions that and evaluates these using
theory or models of innovation.

The case study has to stick to the highest norms of good

academic writing
Comply with the provisions of the faculty manual on academic
writing (linked on Moodle) Cite Properly!
Do not hesitate to revise your paper revision increases quality!
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Central Questions for the Innovation Case

The Innovation (and/or technology)

What type of innovation is the new product/service/process?

What are the sources for the innovation?
What was the fundamental insight that caused the invention?
What is the Business Model? How is value created and captured?
How has the Innovation being financed?
Which theory can explain the patterns of that innovation best?
Is this innovation a dominant design or might it become dominant in
the future? Is it a necessary condition for the business model that it
becomes dominant?
What is the impact of digitization and ubiquitous computing on its
success?
How are common business features connected and recombined?
What is the role of Big Data, (predictive) analytics or sensor
systems?

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Central Questions for the Innovation Case

The Firm (if applicable)
To which technological trajectory does the firm belong?
How would you characterise the firms innovation strategy?
Does the firm use external collaboration to enhance its
innovations? If so, what types of collaboration, and why
exactly those forms? And what types of partners?
Does the firm use corporate ventures, and if so, of what type
are they?
What parts of the firm seem most important for innovation to
be successful in the firm?

Central Questions (2)

The Industry
What is the competitive environment? What type of competition is
threatening the survival of the firm on the short and the long term?
In what stage of development is the industry in which the firm is
active?
What type of market (international / local, mass / niche) is at focus?

The Economy
Are there institutional regulations that are particularly important
influencing the innovation activities of the firm? And how does the
firm itself try to influence political developments?
What regulatory conditions might be/become necessary to support
the success of that innovation?
Does the innovation seem to be successful? Why (not)? How could it be
improved? What are future Directions of Development?

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Sources for your case study

you will find a lot of material on the internet
also ready-made innovation case studies:

e.g. http://businesscasestudies.co.uk
Make use of them, but critically
Cite them properly. Do not engage in plagiarism!
Gather additional information and relate the results of the case to the
central questions

Library: check the Textbooks on Innovation and have a look at

the cases there
Other Business Journals and Newspapers (unusual in
Academics, but appropriate here):
e.g. Forbes, Businessweek, Wall Street Journal, Financial Times,
etc.
Havard Business Review
The Economist
Startup Magazines: Grnderszene, Business Punk, etc.
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Sources: Collections of Case Studies

There a some books that provide a collection of innovation case studies,
providing useful, brief, accounts of well-known innovations.
Van Dulken (2000) Inventing the 20th Century: 100 Inventions that
Shaped the World,
Nayak and Ketteringham (1993) Breakthroughs!
Stefik and Stefik (2004) Breakthrough: Stories and Strategies of Radical
Innovation,
Smil (2005) Creating the 20th Century: Technical Innovations of 1867
1914 and Their Lasting Impact,
Smil (2006) Transforming the 20th Century: Technical Innovations and
Their Consequences
Jewkes et al. (1969) The Sources of Invention.
Brown (2003) Inventing Modern America: From the Microwave to the
Mouse
Van Dulken (2004) Inventing the American Dream: A History of Curious,
Extraordinary and Just Plain Useful Patents.
Christensen (1997) The Innovators Dilemma: When New Technologies
Cause Great Firms to Fail
Seabrook (2008) Flash of Genius: And Other True Stories of Invention.

Furthermore, there a plenty of books with Biographies of Inventors and

Company History.
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Sources: Academic Journals on Innovation

There are several academic Journals that focus Technology,
Resarch and Development and Innovation:

Research Policy
R&D Management
Industry and Innovation
Technovation
International Journal of Innovation Management
Technology Analysis and Strategic Management
Journal of Product Innovation Management
Creativity and Innovation Management
European Journal of Innovation Management
International Journal of Innovation and Learning
Technological Forecasting and Social Change

Some of them can be accessed electronically by HRW-Lib.

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Questions?

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