SprottSchool of BusinessPrepare + diagnose
Read the case and assigned theory. Separate the decision from its symptoms, identify the evidence, and rank the issues.
You arrive with a position worth testing.BUSI 4607 · undergraduate strategy course
Management of Technologyand Innovation
Read the case. Work the evidence. Make the decision. Defend the move.
Thirteen case-intensive classes connect technological change, competitive strategy, service and business-model innovation, and value capture to one term-long platform consulting project.
One strategic decision practice
8business
cases
cases
1platform
consulting project
13 classes · 3 course modules · evidence before recommendation
consulting project
The course journey From technological change to a defensible platform strategy.
One decision discipline across the term
Prepare the evidence. Argue the alternatives. Commit to a course of action.
Every case puts you in the decision-maker’s seat. Your job is not to retell the story; it is to diagnose the decision, use the exhibits and theory, and defend what should happen next.
The Case Rhythm
The same analytical sequence powers case discussions, presentations, reports, and the platform project.
Analyze + choose
Apply the right framework at the right level, work the exhibits, compare plausible alternatives, and state decision criteria.
You leave description behind and make a choice.Defend + implement
Test the recommendation under challenge, trace second-order effects, and specify who does what, when, and with what stop condition.
You turn an opinion into an executable strategy.The three-module arc
Understand how innovation moves—then decide how a firm should move.
The eight cases are organized across three modules: 3 + 2 + 3. AI Wars in 2025 is the third case in Module 3, where the course turns from creating value to capturing it.
Your course materials
A strategy text, eight cases, and the tools to do more than summarize them.
The textbook supplies the common language. Ares supplies the cases, articles, and analytical tools. Brightspace tells you what to prepare for each class.
Mandatory textbookFramework spine
Strategic Management of Technological Innovation
Melissa Schilling · 7th edition · McGraw-Hill · 2023
Chapters 1, 3, 4, 5, 6, and 9 support innovation patterns, dominant designs, timing, strategic direction, and value capture.
Student purchase · ISBN 9781264080939Optional case-method support: Learning with Cases, 3rd edition, is available at MacOdrum Library under call number HF1111 .M38 2005.
Carleton Library · AresNo additional cost
Cases, articles, and analytical tools
Eight cases · three articles · two tools
The reserve pack includes every assigned case, the service and business-model readings, the Case Analysis Coach, and the AI Wars unit-economics spreadsheet.
Open Ares through the course Brightspace pageBrowse the course pack ↗Project briefEight current platforms
Your platform field guide
Shopify · Roblox · Reddit · Duolingo · Pinterest · Uber · Spotify · Unity
Each platform offers accessible product experience, public operating measures, and an unresolved strategic question sharpened by artificial intelligence.
Starting points, not assigned answersBrowse the platform brief ↗Assignment guidesUse before you build slides
Questions and rubrics
Case roles · platform tutorial · term paper
The case questions are a floor, not a ceiling. The rubrics show exactly where theory, exhibits, alternatives, arithmetic, implementation, and defence earn marks.
Latest Brightspace versions take precedenceMaterial rule: cases and articles remain their authors’ intellectual property and are for your personal use in this course. Do not redistribute them.
Your semester
Thirteen classes form one strategic decision lifecycle.
Open any class to see what to prepare, what the room will work through, and what carries forward into your case role or platform project.
How your work is assessed
Marks follow the work of analysis: evidence, choice, implementation, and defence.
The six assessed components total 100%. Select an item to see what it asks you to produce and what distinguishes strong work.
10%Participation
The official presentation grouping: the Technology Platform Tutorial (5%) and Term-Paper Presentation (5%) together form “Two In-Class Presentations” (10%) in the course outline. The Written Term Paper is a separate 40% assessment.
How your strategic judgment develops
The assignments are connected stages, not unrelated deliverables.
You begin by learning to make a case decision, then build deep platform knowledge, and finish by quantifying and defending a strategic change.
Case preparationFind the decision
→
Use theory and exhibits to distinguish the central choice from background facts and symptoms.
Case rolesArgue and challenge
→
Present a recommendation or test it as a reporting team; both roles require evidence and a position.
Platform tutorialBuild operating knowledge
→
Use the product, map its business model, and assemble dated company measures from primary sources.
Term projectMake the 10X case
Quantify the gap, show the mechanism, stress-test assumptions, and specify implementation and exit conditions.
The evidence rule
A recommendation earns its force from the chain beneath it.
Begin with the decision. Choose a framework because it fits the question and level of analysis. Use the exhibits and primary company disclosure. Compare realistic alternatives. Then recommend and implement.
If the number, assumption, or causal link cannot survive a question from the other team, the strategy is not ready.
1DecisionWhat must the manager decide now?
2Framework + evidenceWhich theory fits, and what do the case exhibits or company disclosures establish?
3Alternatives + criteriaWhat can the firm realistically do, and how will you choose?
4Recommendation + implementationWhat happens first, who owns it, what breaks, and when should the firm stop?
Every strong submission makes this chain visibleDecision → framework → evidence → alternatives → recommendation → implementation
Before the course begins
Arrive ready to discuss the case, not discover it in the room.
Your checklist is saved in this browser. The official outline carries the reusable requirements and policies; Brightspace carries the current dates, room, and fixed deadlines.
Questions students usually ask
Know how the course works before the first case opens.
By the final class