94267 - Quality and Innovation

Learning outcomes

At the end of the course the student will be aware of the importance of quality management and will know the concepts of quality assurance and quality control. She/he will learn how to manage the innovation in complex organization and how to booster innovation process. At the end of the course, tha students will be able to address and understand market researches. The student is expected to be able: 1. perform and understand a quality assessment according to the morst important international standards; 2. contribute to design, perform and exploit a market research; 3. fulfill the requrements of quality standards and foster the application of quality in laboratory and industry

Course contents

The CU will be made of three modules with the following contents:

(1) Quality Management

1. Understanding the concept of Quality and the motivations to implement quality management systems.
2. The concepts of Quality Management, Quality Assurance and Quality Control
3. Certification vs accreditation. International Standards for Quality Management Systems: the ISO and OECD standards for Quality Systems: ISO 9000, ISO 14000, ISO/IEC 17025, ISO 15189, GLP, GMP.
4. Quality Management tools and Quality Management principles common to all standards: the PDCA cycle, Quality Audits, Quality Documentation, factual decision basis, application of statistical tools.
5. Quality cost analysis

(2) Innovation Management

1. Basic concepts on innovation
2. Technology management
3. Indicators of innovation
4. Ten types of innovations
5. Creativity and innovation
6. Open innovation and co-creation
7. Responsible Research and Innovation

(3) Market research

1. Key issues on market research
2. Recognition of opportunities: strategies and approaches
3. Competitive intelligence: an overview
4. Rethinking market research in global competition

Readings/Bibliography

Lecture notes will be available for students.

Additional bibliography:

ISO Quality system standards: ISO 9000, ISO 9001, ISO 14000, EN ISO/ICE 17025

Smith, D. (2011) Exploring innovation. McGraw Hill

Teaching methods

The course unit is divided in three modules taught independently at different times in the academic year.

Each module is organized in theoretical classes where main concepts are explained, as well as tutorial classes with discussion of case-study examples.

Assessment methods

Each module is assessed independently through homework assignments (20%) and a written assignment (80%).

The Curricular Unit grade will be the arithmetic mean of grades from the three modules.

Office hours

See the website of Isabel Maria Palma Antunes Cavaco

See the website of Ruben Huertas Garcia

See the website of Angelo Kenneth Romasanta