RP Strategy

Research strategy

On this page we describe how we will perform the research project, what is expected from students and what the time schedule looks like.

We first need to find out what we define as innovation, why innovation takes place and how it can be measured. We have found prof.dr.ir. J.J. Krabbendam wiling to help us with this. He starts with an introductionary class and selects relevant chapters from the book from V.K. Narayanan called 'Managing technology and innovation for competititve advantadge'. These chapters are studied by the participants and the results of this are presentend in a presentation round. After these presentations, we should be able to define more specific research questions related to the theme.

To learn more about the macro, meso and micro level researches, including topics like the ‘PEST’-analysis and Porter’s diamond, a few classes will be given by prof. dr. S.J. de Boer.

After these classes, each participant will be able to perform a research and write a report that gives an answer to a certain research question that plays at the macro or meso level. Participants will present their answers to these questions to the other participants. A summary of this report will be adopted in the preliminary report of the project. These efforts will be rewarded with 2,5 study points, which means that we expect that participants need 100 hours to give answer to one of these questions.

Now we will be ready to go out and see if the companies, universities and research institutes we will visit, indeed innovate for the reasons, in the way and on the subjects we found out. We will not only do this in Japan but also in the Netherlands, for instance during the contract research assignments or excursions. Every participant will make a report that compares the situation we encountered in one of the visited companies, universities or research institutes in Japan with the place were he or she did the contract research assignments. This results will be presented to the group as well and a summary will be adopted in the final report.

Finally, we should be able to draw conclusions and give answer to the general research question.

What is expected from students?

Besides the contract research assignment, participants also have to do a preliminary and a final research. For the latter two researches, study points can be obtained. Although you can use at least some of these study points in your Electrical Engineering curriculum ('vrije keuze-ruimte'), participants are advised to adopt these study points in the the minor ‘International Exploration’ which is adapted to our study project.

The minor consists of the preliminary and the final researches, a discussion of the innovation process in a certain case, the course on the Japanese language and culture and either the course 188048 ‘International Business’ or the course 180002 ‘Organization and management of Japanese enterprises’.

This is summarized in the table below:

Minor Non-minor
Technologie en organisatie, capita selecta (181005) 3 sp 1 sp
This course contains only the study in which we define ‘technological innovation’ in the 1 sp version and both this and the study of a particular case of ‘technological innovation’ (2sp) in the 3 sp version
Study Tour Preparation (188084) 2,5 sp 2,5 sp
This course contains the preliminary research (macro and meso-level)
C.S. Internationaal Management (188049) 3,5 sp 3,5 sp
This course contains the final research (micro-level)
Organization and management in Japanese enterprises (180002) or International Business (188080) 3 sp Not compulsory
Japanese course 2 sp Not compulsory, but strongly advised
The study points for the Japanese course will be included in the course ‘C.S. Internationaal Management’ (188049) which then will be rewarded with 5,5 sp

The introduction to the theme will consist of the study in which we define 'technological innovation'. A description of this, the preliminary and the final report can be found on these pages. Information about Organization and management in Japanese enterprises (180002) can be found in vist. Also information about International Business (188080) can be found there. More on the Japanese course can be found here.

Time schedule

We will concentrate the study project activities as much as possible in the third term of the college season 2003-2004. First of all, because the deadline of the preliminary report is not too close to the departure time (November 2004). Secondly, this term is favorable because it does not contain much classes of second and third year courses (due to the D1-project and the IR-assignment, respectively). Third year students should have in mind that the individual research (IR-)assignment can in principle be done at every moment during the year. Students that have to do their D1-project cannot participate in this project. Below, for each item of the minor it will be explain when it takes place.

Preliminary research
This must be done in the third term (2003-2004). At the end of March and the beginning of April (2004) the classes about the theme and the introduction classes on the macro, meso and micro-level researches will be held. This research will end with a general presentation in September 2004, accompanied with the presentation of the preliminary report.

Final research
The final research starts with the visit of Dutch companies, for instance during the contract research assignment and it will end within two months after the study tour (that is, before January 2005). This period of two months allows participants to enjoy a holiday in Japan and gives the committee enough time to collect the contents and finish the final report in time.

Japanese course
Marcel van den Elst provides a course on the Japanese language and some cultural background. It consists of three sessions of 16 classes each following the coursebook ‘Japanese for busy people’ by the Association of Japanese-language teaching (AJALT). The exact content of the sessions can be found here. It will take place as much as possible in the third term.

Organization and Management of Japanese enterprises (180002)
The course Organization and Management of Japanese enterprises (180002) is provided by prof.dr. J.A. Stam in the third term. More info on this course can be found at VIST. Participants that are not able to do this course this year may think of following it next year, or to do the more general course International Business (188080) by prof.dr. De Boer. This is a self-study course and can be done anytime. More information on this course can be found on Teletop.

A time-schedule for the third term can be found here!