Instructor’s Manual
ANSWERS TO OPENING CASE QUESTIONS
1. What factors do you think enabled Iddan, an engineer with no medical background,
to pioneer the development of wireless endoscopy?
Counterintuitive though it may seem, sometimes NOT being an expert in a particular field is
2. To what degree would you characterize Given’s development of the camera pill as
“science-push” versus “demand-pull”?
The camera pill illustrates the fact that many innovations are not strictly science-push or
3. What were the advantages and disadvantages of Iddan and Meron collaborating
with Dr. Swain’s team?
4. What were the advantages and disadvantages of Given being owned by Medtronic?
Being owned by Medtronic would give Given access to much greater resources to market and
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Instructor’s Manual
ANSWERS TO DISCUSSION QUESTIONS
1. What are some of the advantages and disadvantages of a) individuals as innovators,
b) firms as innovators, c) universities as innovators, d) government institutions as
innovators, e) nonprofit organizations as innovators?
This is an ideal time to create a table on the board and encourage students to contribute
advantages and disadvantages of each source individually, such as the one below:
Advantages Disadvantages
Individuals Many creative ideas originate individuals;
Individuals often have very
Firms Significant capital to invest;
Complementary assets to produce, distribute,
etc.;
May reject projects that
don’t appear to have an
immediate commercial
Universities Typically have extensive knowledge and other
resources;
May pursue esoteric
projects rather than those
Governmen
Like universities, may have extensive knowledge
May lack complementary
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Instructor’s Manual
universities, firms, non-profits);
Etc.
Nonprofits Often have ties to multiple other external entities
(e.g., universities, non-profits, etc.);
May be reliant on external
sources of funding such as
2. What traits appear to make individuals most creative? Are these the same traits that
lead to successful inventions?
An individual’s creative ability is a function of their intellectual abilities, knowledge, style of
thinking, personality, motivation, and environment. In addition, an individual with only a
moderate degree of knowledge of a field might be able to produce more creative solutions than
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Instructor’s Manual
3. Could firms identify people with greater capacity for creativity or inventiveness in
their hiring procedures?
Individuals can be tested for factors indicative of creativity such as intrinsic motivation,
intellectual abilities, knowledge, style of thinking, and personality traits. Of course these types of
4. To what degree do you think the creativity of the firm is a function of the creativity
of individuals, versus the structure, routines, incentives, and culture of the firm? Can
you give an example of a firm that does a particularly good job at nurturing and
leveraging the creativity of its individuals?
Students should be encouraged to debate the role of innate individual creativity versus the firm
structure, routines, incentives and culture that can nurture or thwart such creativity. Many
5. Several studies indicate that the use of collaborative research agreements is
increasing around the world. What might be some of the reasons that collaborative
research is becoming more prevalent?
The increasing prevalence of collaborative research agreements can be attributed to several
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Instructor’s Manual
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Copyright © 2017 McGraw-Hill Education. All rights reserved. No reproduction or distribution without the prior written consent of McGraw-Hill
Education