Postgraduate Course: Product Development (DESI11024)
Course Outline
| School | Edinburgh College of Art |
College | College of Humanities and Social Science |
| Credit level (Normal year taken) | SCQF Level 11 (Postgraduate) |
Availability | Not available to visiting students |
| SCQF Credits | 20 |
ECTS Credits | 10 |
| Summary | The course is divided into three main sections. The first provides the student an understanding of the key dynamics related to bringing technical products to the markets (W1-4). The second provides students with a practical guide on how to start up a company, including invited talks given by entrepreneurs and representatives of funding bodies (W5-7). Finally, in the third section (W8-10), a number of case studies are discussed, concerning among others innovative product development in integrated software systems and aspects of entering emerging markets.
The course is practice based and project oriented. Students in small groups will be asked to develop their own product development plan based on a product idea of their own. The plan should address aspects such as: how to demonstrate your product? How to segment your user base? How to manage the transfer of your technology to the market? How to deal with business analysts and other market actors? How to start up a company around a product idea? What funding to look for? How to enter emerging markets with your product?
COURSE OBJECTIVE
The objective of the course is to provide students with a clear and comprehensive understanding of the key issues dynamics related to bringing technical products to the markets.
SPECIFIC LEARNING OUTCOMES
On completion of the module, students should be able to:
1. Understand the strategic importance of matching the marketing mix with consumer/customer needs through user relations.
2. Identify the key elements involved in selecting suitable market entries for a product/ technology, including market strategy and business model.
3. Investigate different sources of information relevant to a new business venture, including finance and sustainability; investigate relevant actors ¿ platform controllers, regulators, analysts.
4. Understand the role of marketing research and market(ing) strategies.
Assessment Plan
In this practice-based course students will be expected to develop an integrated business proposal as a response to a product, system or service developed as a group work within the course. This integrated business and product development proposal will be assessed by group presentation and individual essay. Assessment criteria will be based on the completeness of their business plan, with respect to the aspects covered during the course.
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| Course description |
Week 1 Course Introduction: The course will be introduced, comprising an overview of course objectives, rationale, schedule, assessment and readings.
Week 2 Theories of innovation: critiques of the linear model of innovation will be introduced, together with discussion on Innovating infrastructures and incremental innovation.
Week 3 Mapping the market: how to find customers and understand their needs, identify relevant actors and places to promote your product during and after development.
Week 4 Technology transfer: including scale up and sustainability issues.
Section 2 ¿ Practical Guide
Week 5 Setting up a Start-up Company: how to start up a company around a product idea. Basics of Business Planning.
Week 6 Forms of support to start up a company: identifying funding bodies and venture capitalists.
Week 7 Success Stories: entrepreneurs will be invited to discuss their own experience.
Section 3 - Cases
Week 8 Innovation in Integrated Software Systems:
Week 9 Entering emerging Markets:
Week 10 New business models; making value from data
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Entry Requirements (not applicable to Visiting Students)
| Pre-requisites |
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Co-requisites | |
| Prohibited Combinations | |
Other requirements | None |
Course Delivery Information
| Not being delivered |
Learning Outcomes
On completion of this course, the student will be able to:
- Understand the strategic importance of matching the marketing mix with consumer/customer needs through user relations.
- Identify the key elements involved in selecting suitable market entries for a product/ technology, including market strategy and business model.
- Investigate different sources of information relevant to a new business venture, including finance and sustainability; investigate relevant actors, platform controllers, regulators, analysts.
- Understand the role of marketing research and market(ing) strategies.
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Reading List
Campagnolo, G.M., Fele, G., From Specifications to Specific Vagueness: How Enterprise Software Mediates Engineering Relations. Engineering Studies, 2(3), 221-243.
Coopmans, C. (2011), 'Face value': New medical imaging software in commercial view, Social Studies of Science, 41(2): 155-176.
Fleck, J. (1988). "Innofusion or diffusation? : the nature of technological development in robotics." Edinburgh PICT Working Paper No. 4, Research Centre for Social Sciences, The University of Edinburgh: Edinburgh.
Fleck, J,. J. Webster, and R. Williams 'The dynamics of I.T. implementation: a reassessment of paradigms and trajectories of development', Futures Vol. 22 pp. 618 - 640, 1990.
Gregson, G & Hendry, S 2009, Stimulating Innovation & Entrepreneurship in Scotland: Summary Report on University of Edinburgh Business School & MBM Commercial LLP Growth Series. University of Edinburgh Business School & MBM Commercial LLP Growth.
Hyysalo, S (2010). Health Technology Development and Use: From Practice Bound Imagination to Evolving Impacts. London: Routledge.
Pynch, T. The Hard Sell: The Language and Lessons of Street-Wise Marketing, (with Colin Clark), London: HarperCollins, 1995.
Pollock, N., Williams, R., & D¿Adderio, L. (2007). Global software and its provenance: generification work in the production of organizational software packages. Social Studies of Science, 37(2), 254¿280.
Pollock, N., Williams, R. (2010). The business of expectations: How promissory organizations shape technology and innovation. Social Studies of Science, 40: 525-548.
Rosiello, A. and Parris, S. (2009) 'The patterns of venture capital investment in the UK bio-healthcare sector: the role of proximity, cumulative learning and specialisation' Venture Capital, An International Journal of Entrepreneurial Finance Volume11, Issue 3, p185 ¿ 211
Spinardi, G. ¿Prospects for the Defence Diversification Agency: Technology Transfer and the UK Defence Research Establishments¿, Science and Public Policy, Vol. 27, No. 2 (April 2000), 123-135.
Spinardi, G. ¿Defence Technology Enterprises: A Case Study in Technology Transfer¿, Science and Public Policy (August 1992), 198-206.
Stewart J and Hyysalo, S (2008) Intermediaries, Users and Social Learning in Technological Innovation, Interntional Journal of Innovation Management, Vol 12, No 3. (Sept 2008) pp295-325
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Additional Information
| Graduate Attributes and Skills |
Not entered |
| Keywords | Not entered |
Contacts
| Course organiser | Prof Chris Speed
Tel: (0131 6)51 5747
Email: |
Course secretary | Miss Emma Binks
Tel: (0131 6)51 5740
Email: |
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