To provide students with an understanding of the role of technology and innovation within industrial organisations and with the ability to manage technology as a resource within products, services and processes.

Business opportunities and strategies, product and technology strategies, planning, support and finance for technology based businesses, product lifecycles costs, cost estimating. Innovation Management, types of innovation, the innovation process, successful innovation and innovators, creating the innovative organisation, new technology-based firms. Markets for new products and technologies, identifying and interpreting customer needs, translating customer needs into product specifications. New product and service ideas, forecasting techniques, technology trajectories, product concept generation, selection and testing, product planning, product platforms, product specifications. Sources of technology, technology transfer, strategic alliances, the management of patents and intellectual property, Research & Development management, Success Factors, Product Development Process, the use of Prototypes, Product Development Organisation, product commercialisation and launch. Managing technical projects, project definition, planning and execution.

On completing this modules students will be able to: Describe the innovation process and the keys to successful innovation and technology management. Demonstrate an application of product planning and product platform management. Describe different sources of technology for new product development. Describe the technology transfer process and demonstrate an understanding of the advantages and disadvantages of using external sources of technology. Discuss the management of patents and intellectual property. Describe a generic new product development process and demonstrate and understanding of the factors tat are associated with successful new product development. Demonstrate an understanding of the processes used to manage new product development projects. Identify and evaluate new business opportunities and develop appropriate product and technology strategies to exploit such opportunities.

N/A

N/A

Typically students will receive a traditional lecture that will be followed by group work, presentations and discussions. The module will make extensive use of case studies and analysis of real industrial problems will form a significant part of this module.

Ongoing research into innovation management and NPD will inform this module particularly providing case material for student discussion.