UNIVERSITY EXAMINATIONS: 2020/2021
EXAMINATION FOR THE DEGREES OF BACHELOR OF SCIENCE IN
APPLIED COMPUTING/ BACHELOR OF BUSINESS INFORMATION
TECHNOLOGY
BUSS 303: TECHNOLOGY AND INNOVATION
FULLTIME/ PART TIME/DISTANCE LEARNING
DATE: DECEMBER, 2021 TIME: 2 HOURS
INSTRUCTIONS: QUESTION ONE IS COMPULSORY, CHOOSE TWO OTHER
QUESTIONS
QUESTION ONE (20 marks) Compulsory
a) Differentiate between the following set of terms (4 Marks)
i) Technology and Innovation
ii) Radical innovations versus incremental innovation.
b) The process of innovation begins with picking up various kinds of trigger signals. These
might be about technology, markets, competitor behavior, shifts in the political or
regulatory environment, new social trends, etc. – and they could come from inside or far
outside the organization. In enabling an effective search, discuss the following:
i) Monitoring technological trends (2 Marks)
ii) Market forecasting (2 Marks)
iii) learning from others (2 Marks)
iv) Involving stakeholders (2 Marks)
c) Explain FOUR roles played by universities in technology transfers (2 Marks)
d) With the aid of examples, explain the advantages and disadvantages of small and large
firms in regard to innovation. (6 Marks)
QUESTION TWO (15 marks)
a) Explain the following terms as Used in Innovation (4 Marks)
i) Copyright
ii) Patent
b) In defining their innovation strategies, what four questions must firms be in a position to
answer about their competitors’ innovative resources compared to their own? (4 Marks)
c) Explain FOUR reasons why it is important for innovation to diffuse a move (4 Marks)
d) Discuss THREE forces that promote research and development in an organization
(3 Marks)
QUESTION THREE (15 marks)
a) Innovate or perish’ has become the mantra of the 21st century organizations. Discuss why
technological innovation is critical for survival in a globalized competition (8 Marks)
b) Industries often follow technological trajectories according to which the relative
importance of product innovation and process innovation change over time.
Provide support for the above statement and at the same time try to critique it. (7 Marks)
QUESTION FOUR (15 marks)
a) Describe FIVE factors that foster technology transfer (5 Marks)
b) Whether you are trying to lead your industry, create a new market or just do things more
efficiently, innovation is difficult and liable to fail. Success begins with a careful
understanding of what you are trying to achieve, the potential for resistance and planning,
but there are various organizational barriers to innovation that repeatedly show up:
Discuss five such barriers to innovation. (10 Marks)
