Description

Individual Essay One (1000 words):  30%

The Context

Customers want innovation.  The businesses that provide it can succeed to a greater degree than their competitors that are content to offer the same things (or services) to their customers created in the same old way.

Hence the mantra for CEOs:  “innovate or die”.

Organizations such as Google, Amazon, Netflix, Airbnb, Apple and Dropbox are successful because they have refreshed the idea of what their markets want.

The innovation activity is about successfully delivering change in its many forms. Being good at innovation has always been important - what has changed in recent years is the sheer speed and scale of innovation in industries all over the world.

Innovation processes are also increasingly complex. With inputs from different levels and department within an organization and increasingly from a wide variety of external sources, increasingly, operations mangers are expected to take a greater and more active part in service and product innovation.

The Task

You are asked to complete a case study of an organization in Qatar.  In detail, it will be important to establish how ‘innovative the organization is’ or indeed whether it is not ready to innovate.

In your answer – and drawing on guidance from Chapter 3 ‘Product and Service Innovation’ of the core textbook (Lecture 3 – Tuesday 17th March 2020) – you are expected to detail:

·             The strategic role of product and service innovation – if it exists – in the chosen organisation.

·             Where they exist, are the product and service innovation process objectives specified?

·             Is the product and service innovation process defined?

·             Are the resources for developing product and service innovations adequate?

·             Is the development of products and services and of the process that created them simultaneous?

You should submit your Essay by:

·             2359 on Saturday 28th March (Full time students)

·             2359 on Saturday 4th April 2020 (Part time students).

Essay Structure

Introduction (10% = 100 words).

This is what I am going to tell you.

Context – organization/sector/products/service

Scope:

·             The strategic role of product and service innovation – if it exists – in the chosen organisation.

·             Where they exist, are the product and service innovation process objectives specified?

·             Is the product and service innovation process defined?

·             Are the resources for developing product and service innovations adequate?

·             Is the development of products and services and of the process that created them simultaneous?

Body:  (80% = 800 words).

This is what I am telling you.

Answer:

·             The strategic role of product and service innovation – if it exists – in the chosen organisation: 

·             Where they exist, are the product and service innovation process objectives specified?

·             Is the product and service innovation process defined?

·             Are the resources for developing product and service innovations adequate?

·             Is the development of products and services and of the process that created them simultaneous?

Conclusion (10% = 100).

This is what I have told you.

Clear summary and ‘take home’ message.