CUSTOMERS, MARKETS, AND TECHNOLOGY

MOD 1

Start by reading and following these instructions:

1. Quickly skim the questions or assignment below and the assignment rubric to help you focus.

2. Read the required chapter(s) of the textbook and any additional recommended resources. Some answers may require you to do additional research on the Internet or in other reference sources. Choose your sources carefully.

3. Consider the course discussions so far and any insights gained from it.

4. Create your Assignment submission and be sure to cite your sources if needed, use APA style as required, and check your spelling.

5. Do not just answer the questions. This is a graduate course and you should be able to explain the logic behind your answer and point to a credible source to support your position, even if it is just the textbook. You are expected to spend at least 5 hours studying the problems, finding and studying good sources, and understanding the nature of the potential solutions and at least an additional 5 hours answering these questions and polishing your writing so the answers are compelling. Invest your time wisely, giving more time to the complex answers in order to ensure that you demonstrate that you truly understand the answer. 

Problems:

1. Consider some new technology or process you have been involved with in the last two or three years. What issues affected you as an individual? What factors enabled you to be successful in adapting to the new process?

2. Use your favorite Internet search engine to find different definitions of technology and innovation. How would you characterize these definitions? How are they the same and how do they differ from the ones in the text? Why are there so many variations?

3. Find a large company in which you are interested. Once you have identified the company, find its industry and its major competitors. Then find the following:

1. Where the focal company ranks in responsibility toward its various stakeholders?

2. How does the firm's level of social responsible actions affect its bottom line?

3. What innovative actions have been taken in the industry/organizations to improve its reputation?

All of this information should be available online. What would you say about the technology and innovation responsibilities of the focus company and its managers in its environment? Explain your answer with information from your analysis.

MOD 2

Start by reading and following these instructions:

1. Quickly skim the questions or assignment below and the assignment rubric to help you focus.

2. Read the required chapter(s) of the textbook and any additional recommended resources. Some answers may require you to do additional research on the Internet or in other reference sources. Choose your sources carefully.

3. Consider the discussion and the any insights you gained from it.

4. Create your Assignment submission and be sure to cite your sources, use APA style as required, check your spelling.

5. Do not just answer the questions. This is a graduate course and you should be able to explain the logic behind your answer and point to a credible source to support your position, even if it is just the textbook. You are expected to spend at least 5 hours studying the problems, finding and studying good sources, and understanding the nature of the potential solutions and at least an additional 5 hours answering these questions and polishing your writing so the answers are compelling. Invest your time wisely, giving more time to the complex answers in order to ensure that you demonstrate that you truly understand the answer. 

Problems:

1. Use your favorite Internet search engine and find an example of a successful innovation and one that was not so successful. (Finding failures is difficult.) What were the reasons given for success? For failure? Which of these reasons relate to poor planning? What does this tell you about the keys to success in innovation?

2. Do you believe creativity can be learned? Find an article or website that is devoted to capturing creativity in the work environment. What does the author say about individual creativity and group creativity?

3. Find an article or website that provides guidelines for developing an innovative organization. What do you think of the advice given?

4. In developing an organizational climate that supports innovation, management often overlooks critical issues. This is true especially when setting up and nurturing communication networks. Many good ideas are lost because the right person is not available at the right place at the right time to bring the innovation to fruition. What issues do you believe are critical in planning for the integration and sharing of information in an innovative firm? How do these issues differ for product and process innovations?

MOD 3

Start by reading and following these instructions:

1. Quickly skim the questions or assignment below and the assignment rubric to help you focus.

2. Read the required chapter(s) of the textbook and any additional recommended resources. Some answers may require you to do additional research on the Internet or in other reference sources. Choose your sources carefully.

3. Consider the discussions and the any insights gained from it.

4. Create your Assignment submission and be sure to cite your sources, use APA style as required, check your spelling.

5. Do not just answer the questions. This is a graduate course and you should be able to explain the logic behind your answer and point to a credible source to support your position, even if it is just the textbook. You are expected to spend at least 5 hours studying the problems, finding and studying good sources, and understanding the nature of the potential solutions and at least an additional 5 hours answering these questions and polishing your writing so the answers are compelling. Invest your time wisely, giving more time to the complex answers in order to ensure that you demonstrate that you truly understand the answer. 

Problems:

1. Use your favorite job listing Internet site. Look for postings for e-commerce managers. Find at least 10 and summarize the qualifications listed. How does this list compare to the one you developed in Relating to Your World exercise 1? What does this tell you about what we believe we need in personnel and what we seek when looking for employees?                 

2. Choose a company you believe is innovative. Go to its website and find how it describes the innovative processes in its organization. How does what you learned in this module align with what the company does?

3. Find an article or website that provides guidelines for implementing innovation in organizations. What do you think of the advice given?

4. When you made a radical change in your life leaving home, getting married, moving to a new city what kinds of emotions and feelings did you experience? Was there stress associated with the change? As you reflect on that change, what lessons did you learn that you can use to help others who are facing changes in the workplace from the implementation of new technologies? What did you learn about yourself and your reaction to innovation and change implementation?