Field Study Seminar: Managing Product and Service Innovation

Course Number 6211

Professor Stefan Thomke
Winter, Field Study Seminar, earning 3 credits
Includes 15 1.3 hour Sessions in early winter
Paper or project
Enrollment: Students may choose FSS: MPSI for 3 credits or HC: MPSI for 1.5 credits

Course Requirements

The Field Study Seminar (FSS: MPSI) is related to the Half Course: Managing Product and Service Innovation (HC: MPSI).

Students who wish to explore this topic in greater depth and learn-by-doing should enroll in this full-semester course, Field Study Seminar on Managing Product and Service Innovation. Students enrolled in the Seminar will attend the same 15 class sessions as those taking the half-course, HC: MPSI, but instead of a final exam, they will complete a field-based project of their own choosing in the second half of the Winter term. The project may be done individually or in teams (strongly encouraged).

Career Focus

This course is intended for a broad set of business careers in which the development of new products and services plays an important role. Such careers may include entrepreneurial start-ups, management consulting, and senior positions in R&D, marketing or strategic planning. Because product and service development is fundamental to the management of organic growth, the demand for MBA students with course work in this field has generally been very high. We will focus on tools, techniques and concepts necessary in managing and improving development and innovation processes in product and service-based businesses.

Educational Objectives

The objectives of his Field Study Seminar are the same as those for the Half Course: Managing Product and Service Innovation. (See that course description.) With guidance, students design and develop product and service concepts, either on their own or in conjunction with company sponsors. Alternatively, students can work on research papers that address important activities in product and service development based on their own interests or career goals. It is expected that all students in FSS:MPSI meet as a group a few times to discuss progress and experiences.