Assessment item 2
Innovation audit report
Value: 30%
Due date: 02-Apr-2018
Return date: 24-Apr-2018
Length: 3,000*
Submission method options
Alternative submission method
Task
Innovation is increasingly being considered as a core competency that organisations must develop. Companies that consistently innovate don't rely on chance; they address innovation in a systematic way.
Your task is as follows:
• Drawing on a wide range of literature on innovation develop a framework that you could use to assess an organisation in terms of innovation. Describe your framework and justify the critical elements (with reference to the literature).
• The next step is to apply this framework to a particular organisation of your own choice. Where are the gaps? What is being done well, what areas need to be improved? Note: This organisation may be your own workplace, or an organisation you would like to work for.
• Finally, develop a plan to address areas of weakness. You may choose to focus on a few key areas and discuss them in detail.
Note: If your chosen organisation has a focus on services make sure that you choose literature that is appropriate for service innovation.
Getting started
• Carefully read through assessment items 1 and 2 as they are linked.
• Start reading about innovation. Your textbook (particulary chapters 1 and 4 and chapter 15 for service innovation) and the subject readings will get you going. Several additional references will be placed in resources in the MKT520 subject site to assist you further.
• If you choose to focus on a service, you will need to look at literature on service innovation but you may still also find useful and relevant material on innovation as it relates to physical goods.
• Make sure you are able to clearly define innovation
• From your reading on innovation, start selecting key elements for your framework, choosing those most relevant for chosen organisation.
• Start thinking about how you will assess your chosen organisation in relation to the various elements of the framework you create.
Please note that different frameworks will be developed by different students but they will generally share some common elements.
* Word limit includes executive summary but excludes reference list and appendices. Students may submit work that is +/- 10% of the word limit.
Your work should be referenced using APA-6 Style. For details of referencing requirements see:
student.csu.edu.au/library/integrity/referencing-at-csu and the user friendly CSU referencing guide apps.csu.edu.au/reftool/apa-6
* Word limit includes executive summary but excludes reference list and appendices. Students may submit work that is +/- 10% of the word limit.
PLEASE SUBMIT YOUR WORK AS A WORD NOT A PDF DOCUMENT. THIS WILL MEAN THAT FEEDBACK CAN INCLUDE COMMENTS WITHIN THE TEXT OF YOUR ASSIGNMENT.
Rationale
This assessment task is designed so that you can utilise your work experience in conjunction with your critical literature work on innovation to design a theoretical framework to conduct an audit of your workplace and make recommendations for change.
This task aligns with subject learning outcomes 1 and 2:
• to be able to critically reflect on the role of innovation in organisations and the challenges companies face in new product development.
• to be able to synthesise innovation literature to develop a theoretical framework for use in an audit of innovation practices of a specific organisation and make recommendations for improvement.