Central theories and methods will be introduced and discussed. In Core Lecture 2, these are mainly in the following areas:

‘Marketing and Commercialization of Innovation’

• Customer-oriented design

• Concept and acceptance testing

• Diffusion and adoption of innovation

• Positioning and marketing mix

‘Organization and funding innovation’

• Basic problems and foundations

• Stakeholders and roles

• Growth and development

• Innovation-friendly culture

• User innovation networks

• Business model innovation

• Funding innovation

Together with the first part, Core Lecture 2 will give an overview of the closely linked disciplines of entrepreneurship and innovation management. Central theories and models will be introduced and discussed. The two Core Lectures are the Specialization’s main courses:

- The rest of the course system in the Entrepreneurship and Innovation Specialization is based on the knowledge learned.

- It serves as a basis for the application-oriented project seminars.

- It provides students of the Entrepreneurship and Innovation Specialization with the ability to understand specific problems in a larger context.

Students will learn and understand important approaches, i.e. theories, methods, and empirical findings in the areas entrepreneurship and innovation in General: the marketing, organization, and funding of innovation. Students will be able to structure and solve complex problems in the field of entrepreneurship and innovation using existing theories, methods, and empirical findings, as well as to reasonably evaluate existing solutions. Students will also learn the following skills:

Social skills:

- Participating in different team work settings in order to solve problems/complete tasks

  Personal skills:

- Analyzing various perspectives of a given situation, for instance a practical innovation challenge, and developing suitable solution strategies

- Independently organizing their time and preparing for class each week

  Communication skills:

- Presenting and defending findings/solutions/ideas in a factual, logical and structured way

- Demonstrating argumentation skills (both verbally and in writing)

  Analytical and problem-solving skills:

- Analyzing real, multidimensional issues and developing solutions

- Identifying strengths, weaknesses, potentials, and risks

- Developing solutions and promoting innovation in organizations

By successfully completing the Core Lecture, students will be well prepared for the challenges of the upcoming practical and application-oriented projects in the Specialization’s application-oriented courses.

To complete this course with a positive grade, students must attend 80% of scheduled classes

Lectures and discussions, individual and group work for each module in the reading list, accompanying tutorial

The final grade in the course will depend on:

    exam: max. 75 points (56% of the final grade)
    quizzes: max. 20 points (15% of the final grade)
    modul checks: max. 39 points (29% of the final grade)

“Module check”: At the beginning of each class, students will be asked to provide a written answer to a knowledge transfer question pertaining to the last session. These questions will require independent preparation for each module, based on the slides and the reading list.

Students also have to pass the final exam (min. 37.5 points) as well as obtain a total of at least 50 points (of a possible 134). In principle, attendance is not mandatory; however, the points for each module can only be obtained when present in class. A special format is available for working students, more details will be provided in the first Core Lecture class.

The final exam is based on the contents of the slides, the reading list, and class discussions held during the semester. The written exam is always held at the end of the semester. Students may repeat the exam at the end of February. Students can repeat the course to try for a better grade; the second grade will be final.

students of the specialization "Entrepreneurship and Innovation" (no sequencing)