Current Topics in Innovation & Entrepreneurship

The master seminar empowers students to explore topics around the multidimensional impacts of innovation using a rigorous & scientific approach.

  • DE - Bitte beachten: Es gibt keine deutsche Kursseite, da der Kurs nur in Englisch angeboten wird.
  • EN - Please note: This page has no German version because the course is only offered in English.

Quick Info: Master | Seminar | English | Summer Semester | 6 ECTS

Summary

Course
Innovating for Impact (PStO 2018 and PStO 2021)
Current Topics in Innovation & Entrepreneurship (PStO 2024)
Chair
Institute for Innovation Managment
Lecturer
Prof. Dr. Jelena Spanjol
Assistant
Dr. Zhuoer Qiu
Target Group
M.Sc. BWL
Examination
Presentation (15 minutes per student) and seminar paper (22,200 signs per student). Each examination part accounts for 50% of the final seminar grade.
Prerequisites
Feeding and Managing the Innovation Pipeline & New Products: From Ideas to Markets (recommended) (PStO 2018)
Value Portfolios and Temporality (PStO 2024)

If you are interested in pursuing a master thesis at the IIM, this seminar is prerequisite. (Please also see the guidelines for Master Theses on the ISC website).
Course Material
Kick-off slides and recommended readings
Rotation
Every summer term
Language
English
ECTS
6
Application / Participation
Students are welcome to apply by sending an email to Zhuoer Qiu zhuoer.qiu@lmu.de with (1) a half-page letter of motivation, (2) CV, and (3) current grade transcript (Notenspiegel) by Monday, April 21, 2025, at 17:00.

Acceptance/rejection notifications will be sent to students no later than Friday, April 25, 2025, at 23:59.
Course content
The seminar provides students an opportunity to conduct a structured inquiry into a specific and relevant research question through a scientific research project. For the duration of the semester, student work in teams to produce an original academic research paper. The seminar topics focus on innovation-related questions.
Course objective
The seminar is dedicated to helping students develop their academic reading, writing, and research skills. Special attention will be paid to identifying theoretical and managerial contributions in the research paper and translating between managerial questions and scientific body of knowledge, writing a scientific paper, and presenting the findings. This seminar also serves as a preparation for students who are interested in writing a master thesis on topics related to innovation management.
Exam registration
Cancellation of registration

Please note that the schedule is preliminary and subject to change. Please check back often in LSF.

What is this course about?

Product recalls present a significant challenge for firms, impacting not just financial performance but also reputation and consumer confidence. A single recall could set off a domino effect—declining sales, weakened brand equity, and reduced firm value. In today’s digital landscape, where negative news spreads instantly, the repercussions could be even more severe. Understanding what might contributes to product recalls, and how to mitigate the adverse factors is important to firm management. In this seminar, you will analyze secondary data to explore the causes and consequences of product recalls.

What will I gain from this course?

Students will deepen their academic writing skills: Understanding how to define research questions, conduct a literature review, report on approaches, and write a research paper. In terms of method, students will learn to adopt an empirical-first approach to conduct research that is motivated by a real-world phenomenon, problem, or observation. Upon defining the research questions, students explore and analyze data collected from accessible archival sources, with the aim to add new insights to the literature.

How is the seminar conducted?

  • The seminar is held in English (instructions, presentations, and final paper) with some elements (data) in German.
  • You will work in teams.
  • To most effectively provide guidance to students, the maximum number of participants is limited to 15.
  • Per examination guidelines, your attendance at the kick-off session makes your participation in the seminar binding.