Can the Minerva School at K.G.I change the model of an “elite university”?

http://www.nytimes.com/2013/11/03/education/edlife/minerva-strives-for-affordable-elitism.html

A story about the University of the People.

http://www.nytimes.com/2013/11/03/education/edlife/where-are-the-graduates-of-university-of-the-people.html

An article about Gene Wade, founder of UniversityNow.

http://www.nytimes.com/2013/11/03/education/universitynow-rides-a-low-cost-wave.html

Another article from the same NYT series, challenging the “credit hour” model of college education.  (This one actually mentions W.G.U, as irony would have it…)

http://www.nytimes.com/2013/11/03/education/edlife/degrees-based-on-what-you-can-do-not-how-long-you-went.html

I was sent a series of articles in hard copy form – including one by Clayton Christensen – about the disruption to higher education that online programs pose.  I am going to post them if I can find them all electronically.  But here’s Professor Christensen’s article.  (These are all from the NYT, November 2013)

http://www.nytimes.com/2013/11/03/education/edlife/online-education-as-an-agent-of-transformation.html

Speaks to some of the truths and myths of being an entrepreneur we discussed in class:

http://www.entrepreneur.com/blog/225357

 

http://journals.ama.org/doi/abs/10.1509/jmkg.74.5.80

This article argues new product success rates increase when sales departments work with R & D. Cross-functional teams (Sales-R&D, Marketing-R&D, and Sales-Marketing) should be harnessed at different stages of new product development. For instance, during the conceptualization stage Sales should work with R&D closely because of their direct customer knowledge. In the product development stage Marketing becomes of greater importance because R&D needs to tailor the concept’s appeal to an identified/broad market. When the product launches R&D takes a back seat and Sales-Marketing takes over.

How could Universities better harness this model? Is it possible that one day Tech-Transfer offices will become a University’s main source of capital? If Tech Transfer were to set up a mandatory process of engagement in the conceptualization stage (prior to extensive research) with Sales, where should the University find partners in Sales? Could partnership between a University and a Sales Organization work through product launch? Would University Marketing Departments push back or jump in head first?

Is there hope that University Tech Transfer Offices could become more desirable than VC firms? Remember, VC/private equity wasn’t even existent 100 years ago.

This is an interesting article about the link and differences between entrepreneurship and innovation.  “The key to innovation is doing things differently, and the key to entrepreneurship is to monetize the difference. Innovation and entrepreneurship are two sides to a coin”

http://www.topmba.com/mba-programs/executive/choosing-emba/innovatorship-link-between-innovation-and-entrepreneurship

 

We pride ourselves in having a judicial system that lets the little guys stand up to big, powerful corporations and aggressors. When they wrongfully foreclose on our homes, or pollute our water with hexavalent chromium, or conceal the dangers of asbestos, the courts are here to protect us.  The courts are our defense against organized bullying. But what happens when the courts become the tools of organized bullying?

This article touches on the hot button issue of major tech companies filing law frivolous law suits to prevent smaller tech start ups to innovate effectively.  The fear of huge litigation costs are something start ups cannot afford and, as a result, are limiting these smaller entities in what they can develop.

Click Through For Full Article

http://www.fenwick.com/fenwickdocuments/managing_innovation.pdf

This article provides an interesting read on the biotech industry, and an additional perspective on how a licensing arrangement can allow for widespread technology use while still rewarding and incentivizing others to innovate for the greater good.