MGT 561 Management of Innovation & Technology Sam Houston State University College of Business Administration Fall 2003 6:00 - 9:00 Th  AB-1 Room 209
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If we were to go back in time 100 years and ask a farmer what he'd like if he could have anything, he'd probably tell us he wanted a horse that was twice as strong and ate half as many oats.  He would not tell us he wanted a tractor.  Technology changes things so fast that many people aren't sure what the best solutions to their problems might be.   
     Philip J. Quigley, former CEO of Pacific Telesis, Readers' Digest, January 2000.

It's easy to come up with new ideas; the hard part is letting go of what worked for you two years ago, but will soon be out of date.                  Roger Von Oech, Creativity expert and writer, cited in BITS & PIECES, 2001.

MGT 561 is a study of current topics in the management of creativity, innovation, technology, and quality assurance.  Guest speakers and experiential exercises will be utilized in addition to lectures, student presentations and class discussion of topics.
Prerequisites: Completion of MIS 388, MGT 380, and MGT 475 stem work.

Texts:    Robinson, A. & S. Stern.  Corporate Creativity.  San Francisco:  Berrett Kohler, 1997.
               Khalil, T.  Management of Technology.  Boston:  McGraw Hill, 2000.
               Allen, K.  Bringing New Technology to Market.  Upper Saddle River, NJ:  Prentice Hall, 2003.
                http://www.shsu.edu/~mgt_ves/mgt481/lessons.htm    MGT 481 Lessons 3 & 4.
               NWA Quality Analyst.  Available on SHSU computer network.

Major Projects:    *  Hands-on research of a new technology. Presentation required.
                              *  Technology forecast for a selected technology.  Research paper & presentation required.

Dr. Sower is a Professor of Operations Management at Sam Houston State University where he has taught since 1990. He is a Senior Member of the American Society for Quality and is Certified as a Quality Engineer. He also is a member of APICS, the Academy of Management, DSI, and other professional organizations. He holds a B.S. in Chemistry from Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University, an M.B.A. from Auburn University, and a Ph.D. in Operations Management from the University of North Texas. Dr. Sower is co-author of two books, author or co-author of 16 articles in refereed journals, 21 articles in refereed conference proceedings, and numerous presentations.  He is a recipient of the Sam Houston State University's Excellence in Teaching (1996) and Excellence in Research (2001) Awards.  In addition to his academic experience, he has over 18 years of experience in process engineering, engineering management, and general management of a manufacturing operation.

Example exam question with graded answers:
    What is the meaning of life?
    Answer 1:    "I think..."   Grade = F Until you earn the stature of Plato or Socrates, "I think..." is insufficient.
    Answer 2:    "Plato said...; Socrates said..."  Grade = C  Mere regurgitation of facts.
    Answer 3:    "Plato said...; Socrates said...; A synthesis of their views and mine is..."  Grade = A  Reasoned argument.

The Business Career Fair
 
 
 
 
 

Oral Presentation Guidelines:
0.  It is permissible for you to switch presentation dates with a colleague by mutual agreement.  Just let me know ahead of time if you do so.
1.  Remember that this is a formal presentation.  Appropriate dress is business casual minimum.  Your presentation should be well organized and rehearsed--not just an informal discussion of your topic.
2.  Provide me with a copy of all presentation materials (e.g. handouts, PowerPoints, overheads, etc.) prior to beginning your presentation.
3.  Plan on taking 20 minutes for your presentation with about 5 minutes for questions (total of 25 minutes).  Part of your grade will be based on how well you manage your time (i.e. going over will hurt your grade).  I will give you a signal when you have used 15 of your 20 presentation minutes.  We should have extra time at the end of class for informal discussion or more questions.
4.  We will do the presentations in Room 206 which has overhead, VCR, and Internet/SHSU Network connections.  The classroom computer has CD and 3.5" floppy drives.  Let me know a week ahead of time if you need additional technologies.  If you prepare electronic materials at home or work, be sure that they are compatible with the software available on the SHSU computer network.
5.  You have put a lot of work into this project.  At presentation time, relax and enjoy sharing what you have found with your colleagues.  This should be part of the reward for all that hard work.