94267 - Quality and Innovation

Learning outcomes

Students will be aware of the importance of quality management and will know the concepts of quality assurance and quality control. They will learn how to manage the innovation in complex organization and how to boost innovation processes. Students are expected to be able to: 1. Understand and apply the principles of quality management to any type of organization; 2. Understand the key issues of innovation management and build innovation management indicators; 3. Understand and apply risk management modelling, risk reduction and remediation and risk communication

Course contents

The CU will be made of three modules with the following contents:

(1) Quality Management

1. Understanding the concept of Quality and the motivations to implement quality management systems.
2. The concepts of Quality Management, Quality Assurance and Quality Control
3. Certification vs accreditation. International Standards for Quality Management Systems: the ISO and OECD standards for Quality Systems: ISO 9000, ISO 14000, ISO/IEC 17025, ISO 15189, GLP, GMP.
4. Quality Management tools and Quality Management principles common to all standards: the PDCA cycle, Quality Audits, Quality Documentation, factual decision basis, application of statistical tools.
5. Quality cost analysis

(2) Innovation Management

1. Basic concepts on innovation
2. Technology management
3. Indicators of innovation
4. Ten types of innovations
5. Creativity and innovation
6. Open innovation and co-creation
7. Responsible Research and Innovation

(3) Risk management

The contents of this module cover:
1 - Risk management framework and risk management processes, including the ISO 3100 in the context of organizations, and environmental risk management, as set up by health and environmental agencies.
2 - Identification of chemicals of concern, the physic-chemical properties affecting their emission, environmental fate, exposure and effect in human health and ecosystems.
3 - Hazard identification, exposure assessment, risk characterization, risk communication, and risk minimization.
4 - Deterministic and probabilistic risk assessment (modelling with Oracle’s Crystal Ball), characterization of uncertainty and sensitivity analysis.

Readings/Bibliography

Lecture notes will be available for students.

Additional bibliography:

ISO Quality system standards: ISO 9000, ISO 9001, ISO 14000, EN ISO/ICE 17025

Smith, D. (2011) Exploring innovation. McGraw Hill

Teaching methods

The course unit is divided in three modules taught independently at different times in the academic year.

Each module is organized in theoretical classes where main concepts are explained, as well as tutorial classes with discussion of case-study examples.

Assessment methods

Each module learning is evaluated independently, exploiting: i) written tests; ii) oral presentations or interviews; iii) written assignments or combinations of them. The Course Unit grade will be the arithmetic mean of grades from the three modules. ChIRS grades scale goes from 1 to 100, pass grade is
40, and will be translated into ECTS and different University scales. Criteria: knowledge on a very limited number of topics covered in the course and analytical ability that emerges only with the help of the instructor, using generally correct language → 40-45;
Knowledge on a limited number of topics covered in the course and independent analytical ability only on purely executive
issues, using correct language → 45-60;
Knowledge on a large number of topics covered in the course, ability to make independent critical analysis choices, mastery
of specific terminology → 60-80;
Essentially comprehensive knowledge on the topics covered in the course, ability to make independent critical analysis and
connection choices, full mastery of specific terminology, and ability for argumentation and self-reflection → 80-100.

Teaching tools

Lectures slides and notes will be available on the course moodle https://emmcchir-learning.ualg.pt

Office hours

See the website of Isabel Maria Palma Antunes Cavaco

See the website of

See the website of Luis Miguel De Amorim Ferreira Fernandes Nunes