In a time of rapidly evolving technologies and new disruptive business models, innovation is a key factor in creating competitive advantage. This is also reflected in the numerous scientific publications which investigate various dimensions and determinants of firms' innovation performance. Starting with a close look at how one can actually define innovation performance (Is it the quantity of innovation produced, or rather the quality?) this course focuses on various factors that affect an organization's innovation performance and how to influence them.

Key topics discussed will include:

• Measuring innovation performance
  What measures exist and when does it make sense to use them?
• External collaboration and knowledge sourcing for innovation
  How can firms form alliances to develop innovation? How can a firm utilize M&As to acquire innovative firms and then benefit from the transaction?
• Startups as a source of innovation
  How can firms leverage collaboration with startups to increase innovation performance? How do CVC (corporate venture capital) investments affect the investor's innovation performance?
• The human side of innovation performance
  How do factors such as inventor networks and inventor retention affect the resulting innovation performance? 
• International innovation performance
  What affects the innovation performance of international subsidiaries? When does innovation off-shoring work?

After completing this course students will have the ability to:

• Explain various measures of innovation performance
• Explain when innovation performance is or is not a suitable indicator and strategic goal
• Explain how organizational factors and open innovation activities affect innovation performance
• Explain how firms can improve their innovation performance

Apart from that, completing this course will contribute to students’ ability to:

• Efficiently work and communicate in a team
• Improve their oral and written communication and presentation skills
• Read and interpret scientific articles

In order to successfully pass this course, your absence is limited to 20 % of our appointments.

The class will feature presentations by the course instructors, student presentation and group work.

The final grade of the course will depend on:

•     Individual participation (20%)
•     Individual assignments  (20%)
•     Presentation (20%)
•     Term paper (40%)

Grading key:
Excellent (1)    ≥ 87,5 %
Good (2)    ≥ 75,0 %
Satisfactory (3)    ≥ 62,5 %
Sufficient (4)    ≥ 50,0 %
Fail (5)    < 50,0 %

by appointment, klaus.marhold@wu.ac.at