Individual Essay Assignment Remit (70%)

Assignment:

For this assignment: Choose a country and two different disruptive technologies.

Using the national systems of innovation approach, select two institutions from your chosen country and analyse how each of those institutions shaped the development and diffusion of your two chosen disruptive technologies. Provide suggestions on how the institutions you have chosen could better support/constrain the development of the two disruptive technologies of your choice. Illustrate your answer with relevant and up-to-date examples.

In your essay, you can argue in favour of the development of one or both of your chosen technologies if you think that these technologies play a positive societal role, or you may argue that one or both of your chosen technologies should be constrained if you think that the disruptive technologies of your choice do not play a positive societal role.

Choosing the two technologies for the Assignment

•   When choosing disruptive technologies, you must select two technologies from two different lectures ((1) biotechnology, (2) one of the three renewable energies - wind, solar, or e-vehicles, and (3) AI, or the sharing economy). You must not compare technologies that were discussed in the same lecture (e.g., wind vs. solar energy).

Using Theories in the Assignment

•   For this assignment, you must refer to and apply the theories and academic

literature discussed in the module (e.g. the national systems of innovation (NSI) literature). For a higher mark you can also use relevant academic articles not discussed in lectures or included in the Resource List.

•   Make sure that you identify the specific NSI approach you want to use in your

analysis, that you explain the theory and that you justify your choice of theory.

You should also evaluate the theories you are using (e.g. what are the strengths and weaknesses of theNSI approach you have chosen to apply? Why is the NSI approach you have chosen to apply relevant to the country you have chosen to analyse? A specific NSI approach maybe good at explaining the development of one of the technologies you are using but not another, etc).

Providing Recommendation in the Assignment

•   When providing suggestion for change of the institutions you have chosen, you can

discuss whether the country of your choice should support or constrain/limit (for example if you think there are more societal benefits to limiting the development of a technology) the development of the disruptive technologies you are discussing. Make sure you explain and justify your decisions.

Use up to date empirical evidence in the Assignment

•   For any analysis included in the assignment, use up-to-date empirical evidence (e.g., statistics, company examples, country examples, newspaper articles, media reports, industry reports, etc.).

Marking Criteria

•   Please have a look at the marking criteria below. As you can see marks are awarded according to a number of criteria including: The clarity and focus with which you address the assessment task (for a good mark you must answer the essay question and be as focused as possible); the logical structure of your argument; evidence of knowledge of course material including the clarity of the explanation of key theoretical ideas and key concepts; the relevance and quality of the examples you use to illustrate your arguments; your independent and critical thinking.

Module Learning Outcomes:

LO 1   Discuss and critically analyse the nature of innovation processes across different industries.

LO 2   Explain the disruptive impact of radical technological change on firms, global value

chains, international business eco-systems and business networks.

LO 3   Appraise the impact of disruptive innovation and technological change on

international, national and regional innovation and business systems.

LO 4   Apply a system’s approach to the analysis of the complex societal challenges

associated with disruptive innovation at global level.

LO 5   Develop problem solving skills for dealing with real world complexity, ambiguity and uncertainty.