Intellectual Capital Management

3 Credit Hours

In the information age, ideas and innovation are becoming the principal drivers of economic growth and competitive advantage. In this context, the agile management of intellectual capital can be the difference between survival and extinction. While knowledge of property and corporations is an important part of intellectual capital management, an understanding of legal doctrine without a larger strategic plan for how it should be used, combined, and integrated into business models does not adequately prepare businesses to tackle the challenge. The goal of this course is to provide the complementary strategic planning skills necessary to harness the full power of intellectual property and to also understand when and how non-proprietary models may add value for a business. Using business case studies drawn from a variety of industries, the course develops a "value articulation" heuristic as a vehicle for planning optimal intellectual capital strategies. The heuristic adopts a "lifecycle" approach to intellectual capital management, which includes: the creation and protection of intellectual property; the transference of this property (whether protected by patent, copyright or trade secret) to trade dress, design patents and/or trademarks; the translation of the resulting intellectual capital to other product types (derivative, complementary, next-generation, etc.); and its transportation across the product chain as a vital part of strategic value chain management. While the course builds on intellectual property, knowledge of this topic is not a prerequisite. For those who are knowledgeable in intellectual property, the course operates as a complement addressing how businesses can and do strategically manage intellectual assets as an aspect of their larger intellectual capital management strategies. Teaching Method: Industry specific examples will be investigated through a series of business case studies, typical of the type used to examine business management. The insight of students who have had experience with intellectual capital is encouraged. The class will be divided into 10 teams for purposes in-class discussion of assigned case studies and for drafting of a final paper and presentation. Comprehensive PowerPoint presentations will be provided for all classes. Method of Evaluation: The final grade will be based 40% on class discussion and 60% on a final paper which will be presented during the last two class sessions. It is possible to use the final paper to fulfill writing requirements. Students can elect to do either 1, 2 or 3 draft papers, with any three-draft paper requiring an extended version of the team paper.