Semester I

Semester II

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COURSES DESCRIPTIONS

(GS500) Islamic Culture: (0)

This course is intended to acquaint the student with the main cultural issues of classical and modern Islam: the challenges of modernity, the requirements of development in the Islamic world and the main trends of modern Islamic reformist thought. A special emphasis is made on the needs of the Arabic language to meet the requirements of modern scientific expression and writing. Relevant original texts are studies in these courses to achieve their objectives through first-hand knowledge of the subject.

(GSTS501) Computer Applications: (0)

The course aims at enhancing the students’ competence in using Personal Computers and benefiting from different modern applications of information technology in accessing, processing, and quantitatively analyzing, reporting, and presenting relevant information. An intensive guided resort to the Internet is stressed during the course. 

(GSTS502) English: (0)

The course aims at enhancing the students’ knowledge of terms commonly used in the field of science and technology, equipping students with reading skills to enable them to read and understand references material written in English, and educate them on how to write a proper report. 

(GSTS510)  Scientific Writing (1, 0, 1)

This course is designed for technology management students to guide and help them in writing their diploma projects and Master theses. This course offers students good practices in scientific and technical writing as they develop, research, and revise projects and theses. The course aims to enhance the capability of students to write good scientific research and to prepare them for their professional lives in scientific and technical fields by helping them organize their knowledge, while exploring ways of applying it, thus developing their professional expertise.  The course emphasizes quality of writing and dissemination with a view to improve readability, maximize the contribution of the research done, and improve the opportunities for publishing. It also concerns the quantity of scientific production by initially addressing the issue of increasing productivity through peer-guidance and best practice in organization of work. Passing successfully this course is a precondition to submit their diploma project or master thesis. The outlines of the course include how to search the literature; how to structure and write the reports; how to show, analyze and discuss the results; how to extract conclusions; how to use the references and write them, how to write the reports in good format according to the AGU guidelines for the preparation of Master Theses and how to prepare good presentations.

(ITMTM520) Research Methods (2, 0, 2) 

This course is designed to help students identify, define, and formulate a research problem, objective, and methodology. It establishes the foundations of research methodologies, with emphasis on the planning and procedures of empirical research in interdisciplinary fields.  It discusses via a series of well-structure tasks the various aspects of research including: problem selection, problem definition, research objectives, research strategies, research methodology, data collection & analysis, verification, evaluation, reporting and presentation of research results. Every student is expected to prepare a review paper on a subject related to Technology Management and prepares scientific report and presentation of a research proposal and literature review. Each student is expected to deliver two or more seminars.  Satisfactory presentations and discussions in these seminars are prerequisites for the submission of the diploma project or the master thesis proposal. The outlines of the course include: The nature of scientific and management research; Formulating and clarifying the research topic; Critically reviewing the literature; Understanding research philosophies and approaches; Formulating the research design; Negotiating access and research ethics; Selecting samples; Using secondary data; Collecting primary data through observation; Collecting primary data using semi-structured, in-depth and group interviews; Collecting primary data using questionnaires; Analysing quantitative data; Analysing qualitative data; Writing and presenting research; Ethics of research & Plagiarism.

(ITMTM521) Economics for Technological Projects: (2, 0, 2)

This course prepares students to properly apply mathematics and principles of economics for technological projects in analyzing and solving modern technology problems. It also provides students with the skills needed to evaluate the economic implications of investment decisions and technology design, post-implementation, abandonment and replacement, as well as consideration of multi-attributes and analysis of multiple projects. The course  includes: Prepare and interpret a cash flow diagram, Time value of money – Interest - interest formulae - Concept of equivalence - Irregular cash flow - Deferred annuities - Interest rates that vary with time - Uniform gradient of cash flows - Nominal and effective interest rates - Interest compounded more than once per year -  Project appraisal methods and applications, Economical evaluation of a single project, Economical comparison and selection among alternatives, Net Present Worth method (NPW), Equivalent Annual Cost  (EAC), Payback period method, Average Annual Rate of Return  (AARR),  Discounted Cash Flow Yield method (DCF), Evaluating projects with the Cost-Benefit Ratio method- Depreciation methods - Replacement Analysis - Breakeven and Sensitivity Analysis. 

(ITMTM530) Quantitative Analysis (2, 1, 3)

This course will help students, among other things, to study the scientific approaches to managerial decision making. The techniques taught in this course will help students to solve an increasingly wide variety of practical problems in most types of business, with emphasis on technology management. The course includes: Introduction to quantitative analysis, Probability concepts and applications, Decisions analysis, Regression analysis, Forecasting models, Various methods and models for linear programming: applications with computer analysis, Integer programming and non linear programming, Inventory control models, Waiting lines, and Queuing Theory.

(ITMTM531)  Strategic Management  (3, 0, 3)

This course starts by introducing students to the principles of management and, hence addresses policies and procedures of strategic management; its nature, importance, and relationship with operational and tactic management. It enables students to build up major skills of performing strategic analysis of internal and external environments in preparing strategic reports of firms and in accomplishing the strategic choice phase.  It builds the skills of students to use strategic models and functional indicators in evaluating the strategic performance. The course also aims at introducing students to the challenging aspects that distinguish technology management from other areas of management, both in theory and practice. Placing technology in a strategic context, elevating it to the policy level, and integrating technological capabilities into the strategy making process.

(ITMTM534) Information Technology Management: (2, 1, 3)

This course aims to analyzing information technology from a management control perspective, emphasizing organization environment, technology, decision models and performance evaluation as determinants of information processing systems. The course discusses in general areas of strategic information technology planning, information systems department management, end-user computing, organizational problems, information technology for competitive advantage, information as a means of adding value to business processes, advantage from Information technologies, implementation problems and policies, evaluation of information technology. This course introduces the drivers of the use of information technology in the new world of business. Deals with information technology in the context of organizations, focusing on business pressures and the strategies used to counter them. Provides a framework around which the rest of the course is built. Traces the growing importance of Information technology management and presents a conceptual model to show the key areas and the principal issues for executives in each area. Presents case examples of how these ideas are being implemented in practice. (ITMTM535) Simulation and Modeling (2, 1, 3)

Students should familiarize with modeling types, modeling simulation phases, probability and statistics in simulation, distribution theory and types, random numbers generation, stochastic events (variates) generation, queuing method, and business and industrial applications. Students will also learn the theory on which simulation of discrete systems depends, will be able to identify features of the process with components of the mode, and will learn the various phases of developing a successful simulation model. The students will then undertake a project that analyzes one of a variety of technology management problems by designing a representative model, implementing the model, completing a verification and validation process of the model, reporting on the model in oral and written form, and changing the model to reflect corrections, improvements and enhancements.

(ITMTM536) Technological Innovation Management: (2, 1, 3)

The objective of this course is to give an in-depth knowledge of the concepts, approaches, importance, processes, styles and models of managing technological innovation and to give an understanding of the applications of the different technological innovation management methods, tools, measurements and audits. By the end of this course, the successful graduate student should be able to: Distinguish between the different innovation types, characteristics and processes; Determine the technological innovation space available to organizations; Manage innovation within organizations; Manage knowledge after the understanding of its classifications, processes and obstacles; Manage research and development (R&D); Evaluate and audit Innovation.  The course outlines include: Managing Innovation; Innovation – what it is and why it matters; Innovation as a core business process; Building the innovation organization; Developing an innovation strategy; Innovation networks; Decision making under uncertainty; Sources of innovation; Building the innovation case;  Creating new products and services;  Exploiting new ventures; Capturing learning from innovation; Capturing the benefits of innovation; Innovation Evaluation, Patent analysis and patent as innovation indicator; Innovation auditing.

(ITMTM537) Technological Selection and Acquisition  (2, 1, 3)

The objective of this course is to give an in-depth knowledge and understanding of the types of technology acquisitions and the processes, characteristics, advantages, drawbacks and barriers of each type. By the end of this course, the successful graduate student should be able to: understand the methods utilized in technology acquisitions; understand the processes of each type of technology acquisitions; understand the practical implementation of the different phases of the technology acquisition processes to meet firms and nations technological needs. The course outlines include: Technology and its fundamental role in the development of organizations, societies and nations; Importance and needs of technology and technology management in GCC countries; A framework for understanding technology management activities and tools; Internal Technology Acquisition;  R&D Processes; External Technology Acquisition; Processes of External technology Acquisition;

Initiation, Planning, Search, and Evaluation; Negotiation Strategies, Techniques & Tactics; 

Implementation & Operation; Technology Exploitation; Technology Commercialization; Technology Marketing Processes; Technology Transfer; Technology Utilization; Technology Utilization Processes; Technology Identification; Technology Learning; Technology Protection.

(ITMTM538) Science Technology and Innovation Policies Analysis (3, 0, 3)

This course is intended to introduce the methods and approaches for policy analysis in the domain of technological innovation. It will address the policy cycle and policy formulation, implementation, and evaluation. The course will review and assess innovation policies in developing and developed countries using case-study approach and research on the impact of innovation policy on development. The political context, enabling environment and conditions for sustainable innovation will be discussed in a critical manner. Case studies on comparative analysis on the national innovation system will be presented in class. Students are expected to conduct critical review and research on innovation policy on current issue in the GCC including policies related to e-business, e-government, green technology, clean energy, smart city, ICT, finance, and education.

(ITMTM540) Diploma Project: (4, 0, 4)

(For Diploma Students only)

The project is indented  to deepen and focus theoretical and scientific competence in his/ her field of study. It also aims to enable students to conduct scientific research, apply research methodology, utilize technology to solve practical problems in the field of Technology Management, use modern scientific and technological tools to formulate ideas, conduct research, study, analyze, and present the research results in the form of a written report. The subject of the diploma project will be selected by the student after the consultation and approval of the academic staff supervisor.