Technology - Innovation and Strategy

The program is aimed at:

1. Entrepreneurs and business executives who want to develop innovative business ideas but also promote and consolidate their business activity by introducing innovation and specialized business skills in their business practice.
2. Teachers of different levels, who wish to deepen the field of innovation and entrepreneurship in order to teach corresponding courses in the skills workshop that is introduced in education.
3. Executives of public bodies and legal persons under public law who understand as important the development of creativity and application of innovative ideas in the day-to-day activities and functions of their organizations.
4. Young entrepreneurs and startups executives with innovative and extroverted orientation.
5. Researchers seeking to translate their research into a business idea.
6. Trainers and faculty members from public and private educational institutions who wish to pursue entrepreneurship and innovation issues.
7. To the general population who wish to be informed about the contribution of innovation to professional life and everyday life

Education is based on the mixed learning model. It includes 30 hours of asynchronous TV training and support counseling and ten (10) hours of live training, to be implemented in two five-hour meetings. The live meetings will be devoted to experiential collaborative exercises and analysis of actual case studies.

Educational planning, educational material and educational methodology respond to those interested in acquiring specialized knowledge and skills in this field, regardless of the level of education and professional engagement.

At the end of the training program the participants of the seminar will be able to:

Knowledge Level

• Define the concepts of entrepreneurship, technology and innovation.
• To distinguish the different forms of development of innovation.
• Describe the types of innovation.
• To analyze the personal characteristics of the entrepreneur.
• Describe the technological developments in the environment of modern enterprise.
• Acquire knowledge of the basic principles of the innovation strategy.
• Assess sources of technology in the wider international environment.
• Understand the importance of business planning in modern business.
• Describe the role of human resources in the development of intraentrepreneurship and innovation.
• Understand the importance of the financial information and the content of the financial statements.

Skills Level

• Design and implement innovation development strategies.
• To draw up complete and reliable business plans.
• To draw up an innovation plan for their business.
• Implement business ideas and innovations.
• Apply creativity development techniques.
• Use methods of evaluating investments and innovative business ideas.
• Follow the main steps of planning, starting and developing the new business through the prism of innovation.

Attitude Level

• To accept the importance of innovation and entrepreneurship in growth and successful business operation.
• Encourage the development and implementation of new innovative business ideas.
• To prefer a business culture that promotes creativity, initiative, the strengthening of intraentrepreneurship and the development of new innovative ideas.
• Adopt strategies and methods for developing innovative business techniques

Subject 1: Technology, Innovation and Invention – Conceptual Definitions

Purpose:

It is the correlation and theoretical clarification of the concepts of technology, innovation and invention.

Expected Results:

When you have completed the study of the chapter you will be able to:

• – Understand the importance of technology for economic development and social development.
• – Distinguish between basic research, applied research, and technological development.
• – Associate technology with innovation.
• – Analyze similarities and differences between innovation and invention.

Subject 2: Innovation

Purpose:

It is the presentation of the content of the innovation, the exploration of its alternative forms and characteristics and the presentation of a methodology for assessing the current state of innovation in a business.

Expected Results:

When you have completed the study of the chapter you will be able to:

• Describe the forms of innovation development.
• Identify the key features of innovation.
• Understand the key methods of applying innovation.
• Compare methods to each other and identify pros and cons on a case-by-case basis.
• Choose the best method to develop and apply innovation.
• Follow a specific process of evaluating the feasibility of an “innovative” idea.
• Identify potential obstacles to the innovation process.
• Subject 3: Innovation and Entrepreneurship

Purpose:

It is the presentation of the innovation-entrepreneurship relationship, as well as the methodology of design, development and implementation of an innovative idea.

Expected Results:

When you have completed the study of the chapter you will be able to:

• Understand the importance of healthy entrepreneurship and how to achieve it.
• Acquire knowledge, skills and methodologies to create, finance, operate, survive and develop an innovative idea, new business or business activity.
• Analyze the steps of the design implementation of the innovative idea.

Subject 3: Innovation and Entrepreneurship

Purpose:

It is the presentation of the innovation-entrepreneurship relationship, as well as the methodology of design, development and implementation of an innovative idea.

Expected Results:

When you have completed the study of the chapter you will be able to:

• Understand the importance of healthy entrepreneurship and how to achieve it.
• Acquire knowledge, skills and methodologies to create, finance, operate, survive and develop an innovative idea, new business or business activity.
• Analyze the steps of the design implementation of the innovative idea.
• Use the scheduling tools.
• Make the choice between producing the innovation “internally” and outsourcing it to third parties depending on the circumstances and the information you will have at your disposal.
• Plan the production and distribution of product or service innovation.
• Understand the importance of incubators for entrepreneurship.

Subject Module 4: Organizational Innovation and Creativity

Purpose:

It is the presentation of the basic principles governing organizational innovation and the important role played by the development and improvement of the creativity of the executives of the company for the “birth” of an innovative idea

Expected Results:

After the end of this chapter you will be able to:

• Describe the concept of organizational innovation.
• Enumerate ways of developing an innovation culture.
• You define the concept of creativity.
• Analyze the nature of creativity.
• List the characteristics of the creative person.
• Describe the phases of the creative process.
• Explain the importance of creative thinking and describe the factors that affect it.
• Apply processes that contribute to the development of a climate of creativity and innovation in your working environment.

Apply a range of techniques that improve creativity and contribute to the production of innovative ideas.

Subject 5: Strategies for Innovation: Competitive Advantage and Models for Development and Management

Purpose:

It is to clarify the concept of strategy, strategies for innovation and gaining competitive advantage, as well as to understand their development and management models.

Expected Results:

When you have completed the study of the chapter you will be able to:

• Understand the importance of the strategy for modern, innovative business.
• Link innovation to the competitive advantage of businesses.
• Describe the concept of innovation strategy.
• Analyze models of development and application of innovations.
• Argue for models of development and application of production of innovative products and services.
• Analyze the concept of New Innovative Products and Services Development Models (N.I.P.D.M.).

Subject 6: Innovation Engine Development: Networking and Innovation Models

Purpose:

It is the analysis of the key features of networking and collaboration models as key pillars of innovative action.

Expected Results:

When you have completed the study of the chapter you will be able to:

• Understand the meaning and key features of networking and innovation models.
• Analyze the relationship between innovation and networking.
• Describe how managers and businesses collaborate with HEIs and research centers.

Analyze how to develop clusters and networks.

Dimitris Manolopoulos, Associate Professor
Athens University of Economics and Business Department

Resume

Dimitris Manolopoulos is Associate Professor at the Department of Organization and Business Administration at the Athens University of Economics and Business (AUEB). He is a graduate of the Department of Public Administration of the Panteion University of Social and Political Sciences, holder of a Master’s Degree in Economics (M.Sc.) in International and European Economic Studies (OAS) and a Doctorate Degree (Ph.D) from University of Reading, UK. His research interests mainly refer to the International Management, the role of technology as a factor of competitive advantage of modern enterprises and the Organization and Management of Corporate Resources. His articles have been published in prestigious international scientific journals, which have received a considerable number of international heteroreferences.

He authored a book on the challenges of internationalized business in the twenty-first century, as well as a monograph on the ecosystem of Foreign Direct Investment in Greece. Over 40 of his works have been presented at leading international conferences, and six articles have been published in collective volumes and books. It’s Dr. Manolopoulos is a member of the World and European Academy of International Operations, the British Academy of Business Administration, and the Academy of Strategic Management.

In addition to undergraduate courses, Dr. Manolopoulos teaches courses related to the International Business Administration and the Theories of Organization and Business Administration in the postgraduate programs of the United States. For his teaching work he has been repeatedly honored with teaching excellence from various graduate programs.

Before joining the University, he was employed by Planet Ernst & Young S.A. as a consultant of companies where he was given the opportunity to participate in numerous research and consultancy projects and studies in Greece and abroad for large private and public organizations, and for six years as a strategist and programmer in the Public Power Corporation. He has also held seminars in the area of corporate strategy, business management and organization, as well as human resources management.