RSM Research and Innovation 2 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: Which innovation strategy involves a firm deliberately using both internal and external paths to market when advancing technology?
- Closed innovation
- Open innovation (Correct answer)
- Disruptive innovation
- Incremental innovation
Correct answer: Open innovation
Open innovation, a concept popularized by Henry Chesbrough, combines internal R&D with external ideas and commercialization paths.
Question 2: In design thinking, which phase involves generating a wide range of possible solutions without judgment?
- Empathize
- Define
- Ideate (Correct answer)
- Prototype
Correct answer: Ideate
The ideate phase is characterized by divergent thinking and brainstorming to produce as many ideas as possible.
Question 3: What does the 'absorptive capacity' of a firm refer to in innovation research?
- The firm's manufacturing throughput capacity
- The ability to recognize, assimilate, and apply external knowledge (Correct answer)
- The firm's budget allocated to R&D activities
- The number of patents a firm holds
Correct answer: The ability to recognize, assimilate, and apply external knowledge
Absorptive capacity, introduced by Cohen and Levinthal, is a firm's ability to identify, internalize, and exploit external knowledge.
Question 4: Which research paradigm holds that social reality is constructed through human interaction and interpretation?
- Positivism
- Interpretivism (Correct answer)
- Critical realism
- Pragmatism
Correct answer: Interpretivism
Interpretivism argues that social phenomena are meaningfully constructed by actors and must be understood from their perspective.
Question 5: The 'S-curve' model in technology management describes which phenomenon?
- The exponential growth of startup valuations
- The performance improvement of a technology over time following a sigmoid trajectory (Correct answer)
- The decline in R&D spending as a firm matures
- The adoption of social media by businesses
Correct answer: The performance improvement of a technology over time following a sigmoid trajectory
The S-curve shows that technologies improve slowly at first, then rapidly, before plateauing as limits are approached.
Question 6: What is a 'lead user' in the context of innovation research?
- A customer who purchases the most units of a product
- A user who faces needs ahead of the market and benefits from solutions (Correct answer)
- An executive who champions an internal innovation project
- A beta tester hired by the firm
Correct answer: A user who faces needs ahead of the market and benefits from solutions
Lead users, as defined by Eric von Hippel, experience marketplace trends before the general market and are positioned to innovate.
Question 7: Which type of validity concerns whether a research instrument truly measures the construct it claims to measure?
- External validity
- Construct validity (Correct answer)
- Internal validity
- Ecological validity
Correct answer: Construct validity
Construct validity assesses the degree to which a test or measure accurately represents the theoretical concept being studied.
RSM Research and Innovation 2
Which innovation strategy involves a firm deliberately using both internal and external paths to market when advancing technology?