Book Review Assignment
The Semester Project for MGMT 609 addresses the subject of Innovation and Entrepreneurship. The goal of the semester project is to get each student thinking in innovative and entrepreneurial ways. To look at each problem they are confronted with, as an opportunity for innovation. If innovation is the key to success, then implementing the Process of Innovation is the path to achieving it. At the conclusion of the Semester Project, each student should have the satisfaction of experiencing the development of an innovative idea. The Semester Project is worth 100 points towards the final grade and it consists of two assignments. The Book review is Part 1 and the Business Case is Part 2. This document describes the requirements for Part 1, the Book Review.
Part 1:
The first assignment is a book review that is worth 25 points. The book that is to be read is: Innovation: The Five Disciplines for Creating What Customers Want, by Curtis R. Carlson & William W. Wilmot, c 2006, ISBN 13: 978-0-307-33669-9 Refer to the Assignment Due Date Schedule on Blackboard to determine the due date for submitting the Book Review.
A book review is not a book report. A book review has three major elements: Description, Applied Discussion of Major Ideas, and Evaluation. Book reports are limited to a description only.
Description- Write 1-1½ pages describing the book. Do not write a summary chapter by chapter. The description should answer the following questions: What are the title, author, publisher and year? Is it primarily a technical book? What are the major themes of the book? Who do you think is the intended audience for the book?
Applied Discussion of Major Ideas- Write at least 3 pages discussing the major ideas of the book. In your own words, what is the meaning of these ideas as they apply to your own work environment? How does the author suggest they be applied? Give specific examples from your work environment to demonstrate that you understand the book's concepts and how to apply them. In other words, does your company use the concepts? If so, how? If not, how could they employ the concepts? Again, give specific examples from your work setting.
Evaluation- Finally, evaluate the book. Write no more than 1 page describing the usefulness of the ideas in your workplace. How practical are the ideas? How well organized and written is the book? What did you like about the book? What areas could be improved? Would you recommend it?
Additional questions that should be addressed in the Applied Discussion section of the Book Review include the following:
1) What are the Five Disciplines of Innovation? Provide a brief explanation of each discipline.
2) What does the "NABC" acronym stand for? What does it refer to in the text and how is it used?
3) What are the implications of the Company Lifetime Curve on page 34 of the book?
4) What are "watering holes" as described in the book? How are watering holes used in the Innovation Process?
5) What are the different levels of innovation identified in the text? Provide a brief explanation of each level.
6) How important is it to have an innovation champion for each project? Can innovation projects succeed without one?
7) Why are teams important to the Innovation Process? Explain.
8) What are Innovation Motivators? What is the Formula for Failure?
The book review must be at least 5 full pages in length. Your work must be your own, not that of another person. Quotes from others may be used if they are properly cited in the text and attributed to the appropriate source. Using a review written by another person or adding large portions of text from the internet will result in a "0" grade for the assignment.
Notes:
1) Follow format requirements identified in the course Quality Standards.
2) The paper should be at least five pages in length. Illustrations are not to be included in this total.
3) The use of outside references is encouraged.
4) Refer to the Business Case documentation for details about the Part 2 assignment for the Semester Project. There is a separate due date for Part 2.