Entrepreneurship and Innovation

This is a copy paste from Canvas:

Your tasks are as follows:
You have to write an individual assignment of 1500 words. Your assignment should be fully referenced using the Harvard style. You are expected to combine theory, research and analysis a critical discussion, using relevant examples. The assignment question is the following:
Every sector goes through periods of relative calm when innovation is about doing what can be done better¬¬, or periods of disruptions where the rules of the game are changed or rewritten – for example by the emergence of a new technology or by external market changes as you have seen in the Ford case for the first assignment in Unit 3. Many organisations do well in the first period, but they struggle in the second, with many failing to survive, creating opportunities for new entrants.
In this assignment, analyse innovation dynamics in a company of your choice and the sector in which it operates by considering the following discussion questions:

1. Looking back over the past five years or so, analyse one key innovation of an organisation or organisational unit of your choice that has significantly impacted the sector and industry where it operates. Provide critical reasons why you think this has happened.
2. Looking forward over the next five years, what key disruption (choose only one) in the sector or industry could influence innovations in the same company you discussed earlier? What do you think should be its entrepreneurial response and strategy and why?
   Guidelines
   Please address the following submission requirements:

• Carefully observe the attached example for final assignment from previous batch to learn how all the frameworks were used.
• Structure of assignment can be:

1. Introduction
2. Task One
   • Multiple theoretical framework
   • Empirical research and discussion
3. Task Two
   • Multiple theoretical framework
   • Empirical research and discussion
4. Conclusions
   Short introduction can set the scene, introducing the industry and the company that are going to be analysed in the past and future. Why they are relevant and interesting to answer the assignment question need to be argued critically, both conceptually and practically, for better answers.
   In the example paper, the student analysed Netflix and the top OTT and its subscription video on Demand (SVOD) markets
   Literature and theory: Guiding theories and frameworks for analysing the industry and the general company environment need to be discussed and presented. One or a combination of them needs to be selected, justified and applied to analyse both past and future. The same can be done for the company. It is important to discuss and apply theory, frameworks or learned concepts to analyse innovation in the firm. Eg, Porters five forces (V IMP), BMC, Pestle, SWOT. Insert of innovation models is suggested from the main reference book Bessant and Tidd (2015) (login and link shared below)
   Empirical research: A broad range of literature should be combined with empirical research, typically from secondary sources on the industry and the company.
   Discussion:
   • Using frameworks, theory and the literature as a reference point to choose industry/environment and the company innovation models for analysis is important.
   • This should be followed by empirical research. Past- future as well as industry – company innovation changes need to be related logically and critically in the discussion.
   • Entrepreneurship opportunities and challenges should not be left out of the discussion. Better answers could identify theoretical framework limitations for the analysis or alternative scenarios for the industry-company or past -future.
   IMPORTANT GUIDELINES SHARED FROM TUTOR DIRECTLY:
   • The first question is about an innovation that has impacted the sector and
   The second is about what disruption could influence innovations in this company
   Whichever you choose as the past innovation and the future disruption, please make sure to add data and that it’s not a superficial reporting article. Add some Depth and an explanation of the relevance in the sector
   And remember that its about INNOVATION NOT COMPANY.
   • MUST ADD DATA – Like revenue and costs.
   • MUST ADD CRITIQUE

• You are required to add models like BMC, PESTLE, SWOT, Porter’s five forces, internal, external analysis frameworks and Innovation Models.
• MUST INSERT VISUALS like additional diagrams, photos, tables BUT the visuals must be meaningful and add value, and not just be pretty pictures.
• Assignment should not feel like reportage BUT AN ACADEMIC STUDY.
• The way you write your submissions is as important as the insights you make.
• Your responses should NOT read like a Consultants’ Report, they should be structured as proper academic submissions.
• Please make use of academic theories, models and concepts – these should not be generic reproductions but tailored to your argument.
• The structure needs to be stronger
• Focus on substantiation from literature and data.
• develop your argument in a logical form
• demonstrate sound critical ability, always keep room to add more critique
• substantiate your main assertions with appropriate referencing
• be lucid in expression and use visuals BUT the visuals must be meaningful and add value, and not just be pretty pictures
• your insights/content should be relevant, succinct, material, incisive, engaging
• Use any type-face you like for headings.
• Your submission is to be limited to 1,500 words +/- 10%.

MARKING:
• Use of key concepts & theories
• Evedence of reading and empirical research
• Arguments and critical thinking
• Language, presentation and style
• Application of Entrepreneurship and Innovation Concepts

• Clear demonstration, by appropriate and correct application, an understanding of the theory, concepts, tools, techniques etc, used in the submitted work.
  • Methodological Rigour
• a transparent methodology, which is justified, and is a good fit with the subject of analysis
  • Argument
• will be underpinned by a transparent and clear logical argument.
  • Effectiveness
• will be revealing. The analysis will clearly identify issues and challenges for the subject operation, and make recommendations for ways in which these challenges can be addressed.
  • Critical ability
• demonstrate application of theory that goes beyond the merely descriptive. Work earning low marks would be reportage … very descriptive. Of all the criteria “Critical Ability” is the most difficult for students, but it is also the criterion that we prize most in our graduates. Work earning higher marks will demonstrate that the student understands, for example: the limits to applicability of theory; the context specificity of theory.
  • Substantiation
• will be well supported by reference to the module notes, videos, textbook and relevant literature.
  • Wider Reading
• Will show clear evidence of wider reading of peer-reviewed articles in relevant literature. Any material referenced should be applied in the work. It is not sufficient to merely “pepper” the work with additional references.
  • Expression
• will be engaging, well structured, make good use of graphics, tables and other presentational devices. The best work will be accessible to the reader; the reader should not have to hunt for arguments, or supporting references etc. The work should be an enjoyable read!
  • Overall
• The criteria listed above are used to separately assess different aspects of the submitted work, but there is also a need to make some comment on the work ‘in the round’. How does the work ‘hang together’?
  Please submit your assignment by Thursday April 18 2024
  Software called Turnitin is used to help detect plagiarism.