Managing Technology and Innovation

MGMT702 Managing Technology and Innovation Semester 2 2016 Assignment 2: Case Study Questions: “PayPal Plays Catch-Up”, Fortune, June 2016, pp. 82-87). Format: Approximately 2000 words for each of TWO answers (approximately 4000 words in in total, not including list of references, list of contents, appendices). The use of professional business English is expected. Required: You will research your answers and provide support from appropriate and correctly cited theoretical frameworks and referenced evidence from supporting cases and/or examples. Answer each question separately. Questions carry equal marks. Answer BOTH questions: 1. Both PayPal and NTT provide examples of large firms attempting to recreate themselves as innovative digital companies. Compare and contrast the companies’ strategies to evaluate the reasons (e.g. factors from the external environment that push or pull the technology, and factors in the internal company environment that enable the innovation) for their relative success or failure in this process. (50 marks) 2. With reference to both PayPal and NTT evaluate the relationship between company leadership, culture, structure and innovation climate, and successful innovation (e.g. the extent to which the companies’ management of technology and innovation can be linked to the companies’ performance over the past 10 years). What lessons can be learned for successfully managing innovation? (50 marks) Required additional reading plus your text book Exploring Innovation Kodama, M. (2001) "Strategic innovation in traditional big business: Case study of communications business in Japan", Management Decision, 39:5/6, pp. 338-354.