Johns Hopkins University
Engineering Business and Management: 530.461/660.461
Fall 2009
Instructor:
Dr. Neil Rothman
Contact Information:
104 Whitehead Hall
rothma1@jhu.edu
Office hours:
Mon 7:45 – 8:45pm
Wed 7:45 – 8:45pm
Or by appointment
Date and Time:
Section 1 – Monday 5:00 – 7:45pm, Shriver 104
Section 2 – Wednesday 5:00 – 7:45pm, Latrobe 107
Course Description:
An introduction to the business and management aspects of engineering
organizations, including new product and technology development strategy,
innovation, intellectual property protection, development processes, and project
management. The course utilizes lectures, case analyses, readings, and team
assignments to develop insight into managerial roles and challenges. Historical
examination of technology evolution provides a backdrop for the analysis of the
commercialization potential and construction of a business case for a specific
technology.
Required Materials:
Readings on electronic reserve:
o Design Paradigms, Case Histories of Error and Judgment in Engineering, Henry
Petroski
o The New Business Road Test, John W. Mullins
o "Comparing Academic and Corporate Technology Development Processes",
Bradley L. Golish, et al.
Course Objectives:
This course seeks to expose the undergraduate student to the operations of
engineering organizations and the commercialization of new technologies and
products. A student who successfully completes this course should be capable of:
o understanding the interrelationship between technology evolution and historical,
social, and economic changes
o understanding the development of product and technology innovation strategies
and how their implementation impacts the structure and management of the
engineering business
o understanding the process by which new technologies and products are
developed and commercialized
o analyzing the commercial viability of new technologies and products
Student Responsibilities:
o Students are expected to have completed the assigned readings and cases prior
to each class period and be prepared to present them to their peers.
Johns Hopkins University
Engineering Business and Management: 530.461/660.461
Fall 2009
o
o
o
o
It is the responsibility of the student to obtain notes and assignments from
colleagues for any classes that are missed.
Unless otherwise specified, all assignments are to be done individually.
Laptops are not permitted in class.
All assignments are to be submitted in hard copy (not handwritten) and on time.
Grading
A
90 – 100
B
80 – 89
C
70 – 79
Plusses and minuses may be used at the instructor’s discretion.
Case studies – 35%
Readings – 25%
Team project – 25%
Class participation – 15%
There is no final exam in this class, but the final team report and presentation will
be due on the dates scheduled for final exams: Section 1 – December 14; Section 2
– December 16.
The instructor reserves the right to change topics, readings, cases, and
assignments in order to further course objectives.
Cases:
During a case course, you may find it hard to measure how much you are learning
from the cases. This contrasts with lecture and/or problem courses where
experience has given you an intuitive feeling for how well you are acquiring
substantive knowledge of theoretical concepts, problem solving techniques and
instructional practices. But in a case course where analytical ability and the skill of
making sound judgments are less apparent, you may lack a sense of solid
accomplishment, at least at first. Admittedly, additions to one’s managerial skills
and powers of diagnosis are not as noticeable or as tangible as a binder full of
lecture notes. But this does not mean they are any less real or that you are making
any less progress in learning to be a manager.
In the process of searching for solutions, very likely you will find that you have
acquired a considerable knowledge about types of organizations, the nature of
various businesses and the range of management practices. Moreover, you will be
gaining a better grasp of how to evaluate risk and cope with the uncertainties of
enterprise. Likewise, you will develop a sharper appreciation of the common and
the unique aspects of managerial encounters. Such is the essence of management,
and learning through the case method is no less an achievement. If throughout the
course you can remain open to the diverse views found in your community of
students while developing your own skills of critical reasoning and decision making,
your learning will climb to heights accessible to a select few.
Johns Hopkins University
Engineering Business and Management: 530.461/660.461
Fall 2009
Excerpted form “Case Preparation for the Beginner: A Nudge Toward an Open
Door”, written by Associate Professor William F. Crittenden of Northeastern
University, January 1998, p.41.
Ethics Policy:
The strength of the university depends on academic and personal integrity. In this
course, you must be honest and truthful. Ethical violations include cheating on
exams, plagiarism, reuse of assignments, improper use of the Internet and
electronic devices, unauthorized collaboration, alteration of graded assignments,
forgery and falsification, lying, facilitating academic dishonesty, and unfair
competition.
Report any violations you witness to the instructor. You may consult the associate
dean of student affairs and/or the chairman of the Ethics Board beforehand. See
the guide on “Academic Ethics for Undergraduates” and the Ethics Board Web site
(http://ethics.jhu.edu) for more information.
Questions on Readings
1. Summarize the reading briefly
2. What are the lessons for those who manage engineering organizations
or develop and commercialize new technologies/products?
3. No more than 1 page in length
Case
1.
2.
3.
4.
Study Guidelines
Summarize the story briefly
What are the conflict/principal issues in the case?
What should the managers do?
What are the lessons for those who manage engineering
organizations?
5. No more than 1 page in length
Team Assignments
As a team you will investigate the commercial potential for a new
technology. Interim team assignments are intended to provide continuous
feedback throughout the team project. They will not be graded, but
comments and recommendations will be provided. The final report and class
presentation will make up the entire project grade for the team.
Johns Hopkins University
Engineering Business and Management: 530.461/660.461
Fall 2009
Sect
1
Sect
2
9/14
9/2
Product
Innovation
Strategy
9/9
Organizational
Structure and
Management
9/21
9/28*
9/16
10/5
9/23
10/12
10/19
Subject
Technology
Evolution
Guest Lecture:
Technology
Development in
Large
Organizations
Sources and Types
of New
Technologies
Guest Lecture:
University
Technology
Transfer
Case Due
Army Crew Team,
Harvard Business
School Press 9-403131
Reading Due
Team
Assignments
HBR ideacast 58: Three Signs of a
Miserable Job
(iTunes or hbsp2.libsyn.com/rss)
Design Paradigms - Chapter 4 - Galileo and
the Marble Column, Chapter 7- The
Britannia Tubular Bridge
ISBN 0-521-46649-0
Nintendo, Harvard
Business School
Press HKU814
"Comparing Academic and Corporate
Technology Development Processes" J
PROD INNOV MANAG 2008;25:47–62
9/30
Innovation and
Technology
Development
Materials
Technology
Corporation,
Harvard Business
School Press 9-696082
"Smart Growth: Innovating
to Meet the Needs of the Market Without
Feeding the Beast of Complexity"
http://knowledge.wharton.upenn.edu
10/7
New Product
Development
Process
IDEO, Harvard
Business School
Press 9-600-143
"The Black & Decker Corporation:
Compact Power – Innovation in the
Cordless Professional Drill
and Driver Market" Design Management
Institute Case Study 9-997-003
(Team project
assigned)
Johns Hopkins University
Engineering Business and Management: 530.461/660.461
Fall 2009
10/26 10/14 Fuzzy Front End
Markets,
10/21 Industries, and
Customers
Researching
11/9 10/28 Markets and
Customers
Valuation
Guest Lecture:
11/16 11/4
Intellectual
Property
11/2
Concept
11/23 11/11 Development and
Refinement
11/30 11/18
12/7
12/2
Product
Architecture
Project
Management
Review team
projects
SweetWater,
Harvard Business
School Press 9-695026
Zimmer, Harvard
Business School
Press KEL276
Team New Zealand,
Harvard Business
School Press 9-697040
TeraCog, Harvard
Business School
Press 2184
Teradyne Jaguar
Project, Harvard
Business School
Press 9-606-042
New Business Road Test, Chapter 1
ISBN 978-0-273-70805-6
Technology
assessment
"Discovering New Value in Intellectual
Property" Harvard Business Review Reprint
R00109
Market needs
analysis; user
persona
"Palm-to-Palm Combat" http://www.time.com/time/magazine/articl
e/0,9171,987979,00.html
"Beyond Techno Gadget" @issue vol.6 no.2
Business case
outline,
functional
specifications,
and value
proposition
Prototype and
concept
testing plan
* - September 28th is Yom Kippur. We will reschedule this class period to a mutually agreeable time and
date.