General Information
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Instructor Bio
Andrew Seepersad is a Director at the Business Design Initiative (BDI) a sessional instructor at the Rotman School of Management. BDI is an education center focused on Innovation Management, specifically the use of Design and Anthropological methods as levers to enable more effective and efficient corporate innovation. A graduate of the Rotman MBA, Andrew is currently pursuing his Doctorate at the Paris School of Business focused on Innovation. He is a trained Facilitator and Educator, having earned certificates in Learning Experience Design, Design Thinking Facilitation and Lego Serious Play Facilitation.
Previously, he worked for over a decade in Strategy, Finance and Commercial Operations at BP Global. As an Innovation Management/Strategy Consultant, he has led projects with Telus, Toronto Police, Scotiabank, and Canadian Stage. As a Facilitator, he has led engagements with several Leadership Teams including Starbucks Canada, Expedia, Lakeridge Health, and Ecobee.
Target Audience
Students interested in understanding how globally recognized corporations, agencies and professional services firms practice design-driven innovation. Students will directly interact with Singapore-based public, private and not-for-profit organizations to uncover the leading and sustainable approaches to innovation (aka how they are designed and how they design). Examples of firms include Changi Airport, Chemistry, Singapore Design Council, Carousell, etc. (visits to be confirmed). This course is open to all second year full-time and part-time MBA students. Although there is no pre-requisite for this course, prior Business Design courses would be helpful.
Course Dates and Format
Class Dates: November 9, 16, 23 from 16:00-19:00
Travel Dates: January 7-16, 2024
Course Mission
Singapore, a UNESCO Creative City of Design, has established itself as a global hub for innovation and design. The Singapore Design 2025 Masterplan recognizes design’s critical role in transformational change from an industrial to a knowledge-based economy and aims to position Singapore as an innovation-driven economy by 2025. In this immersive study tour, students will explore, examine and experience the various flavours of design that Singapore has to offer. Through site visits, cultural tours and hands-on research, students will be introduced to the diverse new service, experience, organizational and process design approaches from Singapore-based global brands. The goal is to understand how innovation happens inside a variety of sectors and discover new ways for students to navigate and manage corporate innovation initiatives post-MBA. A group discussion will follow each company visit, aimed to help students reflect and cultivate a learning mindset, cultural adaptability, and business intelligence.
Course Scope
This course involves lectures and live discussions during a nine-day tour in Singapore. The coursework will blend classroom modules with company visits to provide students with the knowledge of industry-leading design methods, models and case study frameworks for business innovation. The site visits will offer a unique engagement with firms that use design-infused methods to innovate new services, processes and experiences. This course will expose students to relevant and resilient ways to engage in business innovation and transformation. Site visits will encompass dialogues, storyshares and cultural immersion.
Evaluation and Grade Breakdown
| Component | Due Date | Weight |
|---|---|---|
| Participation (Individual) | Before and During Travel | 20% |
| Company Profile (Group) | Before Travel | 10% |
| Company Business Case (Group) | Before Travel | 30% |
| Reflection Blog Posts (Individual) | During/After Travel | 40% |
Required Resources and Cost
A course pack (innovation travel guide) will be provided. The cost is $3,500 CAD which includes hotels, transportation, welcome and farewell meals, and select cultural immersions. This fee does NOT include flights. Students are responsible for flights to Singapore and return to Toronto, visa/transit visa to Singapore. Rotman will provide a small cash bursary of $1,300 per student.
Deadline to pay in full: September 18, 2023 at 11:59pm
Deadline to drop (w/full refund): September 25, 2023 at 11:59pm
Fall courses add/drop closes: September 22, 2023 at 1:30pm
Note: We understand the drop deadline takes place before the actual course starts, however, we need to finalize numbers for the class in order to plan the travel portion. In light of this, students may incur charges if they drop after this deadline.
Experiential Course Limit
There are limits to the number of RSM27XX range courses that students may take for credit toward their degree. Please refer to the Experiential/International Course Eligibility Specifics and Limits section on the RO website for all details.