Course syllabus

Teknologistrategier
Technology Strategy

MION25, 7,5 credits, A (Second Cycle)

Valid for: 2013/14
Decided by: Education Board B
Date of Decision: 2013-04-10

General Information

Elective for: E4, E4-pla, I4, I4-ai, I5-pvs, M4
Language of instruction: The course will be given in Swedish

Aim

The goal of the course is to create a deep understanding for the technology strategy in relation to the business strategy in companies. Enterprising has become more and more complex and there is a high demand that the management is taking the correct strategical decisions; business and technology, in a fast way!

In order to prepare the students for this complex environment and especially the technological development, this course aims to give them a broad overview of the technological development processes and its near relation and implication for the business strategies in the companies. The course is mainly focused on the earlier innovation phases in companies where there is a high demand and a necessity for foresight in order to accomplish unique and sustaining competitive advantages.

Learning outcomes

Knowledge and understanding
For a passing grade the student must

Competences and skills
For a passing grade the student must

The areas that are affected are:

After the course, the student shall be able to use established concepts and the main terminology in an easy and explicit manner in order to communicate orally and in written formats with other functions within the company and in its Swedish and international market network.

Contents

Technological change: patterns and models The students are given a broad picture of the technological developments and change processes and its implication for the strategies of business. We discuss different innovation processes and phases of technological development (technological shifts and paradigms). We emphasize the connection between changes in the knowledge base of technology and business strategies in relation to different industrial structural changes.

Technological foresight The development of long term technological strategies, built upon inevitable future technological and market trends. Can these assumptions be more realistic through the use of more formalistic methods? What time horizons can be applied? We do a systematic exposition of qualitative and quantitative methods (including scenario construction) for technical foresight and technological evaluation. Special effort is put on the integration of technological foresight in the decision processes and the planning of R & D.

Strategic decisions and decision processes This element of the course focuses mainly on strategic considerations which the management should include and consider in their decision process to formulate their business strategy. This may for example concern decisions about new products, services and systems. This can also include the development of current ones in order to in an improved way meet the demands of the market. We discuss here different considerations whose purpose is to stimulate and quality certify strategic decisions in companies.

Examination details

Grading scale: TH
Assessment: The examination consists of two parts: A case which is self constructed in a team of maximum of four (4) students and a written individual literature examination. The grade is balanced between the case (60 %) and the written individual examination (40%). The boarding overnight, case seminars, guest lectures and the presentation including the discussion of the written case are obligatory.

Parts
Code: 0112. Name: Project.
Credits: 3. Grading scale: UG. Assessment: This part can give 60 points, out of totally 100 points for the course.
Code: 0212. Name: Examination.
Credits: 4,5. Grading scale: UG. Assessment: This part can give totally 40 points, out of 100 points for the whole course.

Admission

Admission requirements:

Required prior knowledge: MIOF01 Marketing and globalization.
The number of participants is limited to: No
The course overlaps following course/s: MIO090

Reading list

Contact and other information

Course coordinator: Univ. lektor Carl-Johan Asplund, carl_johan.asplund@iml.lth.se
Course homepage: http://www.pm.lth.se