STM-TGIST

Background
    The College of Management at Mahidol University is a new institution, starting its
operation in 1998. The College offers Master of Business Administration in 4 areas: general management, entrepreneurship management, science and technology management (STM)
and human resource management. All programs are conducted in English. The first class
of about 200 students are now completing the core courses. In addition to 27 credits in the
core courses, a number of specialization courses will be required. For the Science and
Technology Management, the following 5 courses, 3 credits each, are offered:

CMMG 610 Fundamentals of Management of Science and Technology
CMMG 611 Management in Research and Development of Science and Technology
CMMG 612 Science and Technology: Policy and Planning
CMMG 613 Management of Innovation of Science and Technology
CMMG 614 Technology Transfer Management

    In addition, a student may choose either to do a master thesis (12 credits) and take
a defense examination or to do an independent study or an internship (6 credits each)
plus 2 additional courses, then followed by a comprehensive examination.

Rationales

1. Challenges. Before launching STM, it is worthwhile to revisit the rationales

leading to the offering this specialization. Most important is the market.
The demand for the graduates with MBA in STM in Thailand must be
carefully assessed first. No doubt, industrialization will continue in Thailand
despite the current slowdown caused by the economic crisis. Capable
professionals will be needed to manage the industrial sector and the
government agencies overseeing the industrialization. However, it is also
necessary to recognize that the management must optimize the use of science
and technology in the industrialization. The use of S&T must achieve the
improvement of quality, economy, safety and environment-friendliness (QESE)
in industrialization. These elements should enhance the competitive advantage.
STM graduates from Mahidol University should be well trained using the above
courses, internships and research to meet these challenges. They will be prepared
to become the leaders in technology-based business and key players in the real
economy of the country in the next millennium.

3.     Strength.   Mahidol University has a strong reputation in medicine and sciences. The
operation of STM should draw on the strength in these fields. Staff in the university who
have experience or expertise in managing medical technology, health-care facilities, research
and development laboratories, technology licensing and trade should be invited to contribute
to the teaching and research in the STM program.

4.  Weakness.   Being new, CMMU has few young faculty members. Although they have
received good training, their experience is still limited.

5.  Opportunity.   There are well-trained STM academics and professionals in Thailand
and they are working in different institutions and firms. Many are interested in teaching
and research in STM. So it should possible to invite these STM experts to help in the planning
and the implementation of the STM program. In addition, key institutions such as Ministry of Science, Technology and Environment (MOSTE), National Economic and Social Development
Board (NESDB), National Science and Technology Development Agency (NSTDA), Board of Investment (BOI), Federation of Thai Industries (FTI), Thailand Development Research
Institute (TDRI), Thailand Environment Institute (TEI) and some academic institutions are
actively engaged in STM projects, promotion and development. Involvement of some of these institutions in the STM program will be advantageous.

6.  Threat.   Economic survival will take precedence in hard time for most firms. Such priority
dictates the need to employ financial and marketing tools in management more than STM.
Despite modernization and pressure from competition, the trader culture will continue to
dominate the future of Thai business. Firms that appreciate and make use of the STM tools
in building competitive edge for their technology-based business are currently limited.
Under this difficult environment, STM will not be so readily welcome.

Strategies
    In order to succeed in launching the STM program within the current context, MCOM
will have to focus on the following principal strategies:

1. Promoting the roles of STM in strengthening the future of technology-based

business.
2. Establishing strategic alliances with appropriate partner institutions, both

local and international institutions.
3. Inviting and recruiting Thai and foreign STM academics and professionals.

1. Collaboration between CMMU and TGIST has been established and 3 areas

of mutual interest have been identified. These are (a) promotion of STM;
(b) designing STM courses; and (c) soliciting STM experts from local and
international institutions.
2. The first enrollment in STM for 1998 started with 18 students. Now it has

grown to 25 students due to transfers of additional students from other major.
For the second enrollment in 1999, there are 13 STM students.
3. Two STM courses have been offered to the first enrollment in the 4^th Trimester,

namely Fundamentals of STM and Management of Research and Development.
Three other STM courses are being designed and will be taught in the 5^th
Trimester. The students of the second enrollment will start taking the
Fundamentals of STM in their 2^nd Trimester.
4. A full-time Canadian staff, Mr. Tom Livingston, has been appointed to teach

STM courses as well as other core courses. One part-time staff, Dr. Silvio Emery,
is teaching in the STM program. A teaching team of 4 members of NSTDA headed
by Dr. Chatri Sripaipan is in charge of the design and teaching of Management
of R&D. In addition, 2-3 Thai professionals have expressed interest to take part in teaching and research in STM program in the next Trimester.
5. Since STM is still new to Thailand and local enterprises, research should be

conducted on the contemporary issues concerning STM. A research agenda
entitled � Assessing the Science and Technology Management Capabilities of
Thai Enterprises� has been formulated. The main aim is to show the level of
the STM capabilities of Thai business and industry.  Under this research agenda,
students can conduct thesis research on selected groups of firms. A compilation
of these thesis research findings will form a publication output from the STM
program.   It should increase the visibility of the STM program which in turn
should draw more students into the program. It is hoped that the research
experience will enable CMMU to initiate a consulting service and short training
courses on STM to local enterprises and governmental departments responsible
for science and technology activities in the future. Currently, 15 students have
signed up to do thesis research under the proposed research agenda.
6. CMMU and TGIST are gathering a collection of textbooks and reading materials

on STM.  Relevant videos, television features and CD-ROMs will be considered.
7. CMMU and TGIST have held preliminary discussions on future teaching and

research collaboration with representatives from University of Waterloo,
University of Saskatchewan, Canada, Nanyang Technological University in
Singapore and other European institutes.

1. To reach an annual enrollment to 40 STM students in 3 years, presentations of the

STM program will be made to potential students in graduating classes in science
and technology as well as to those working in technology-based enterprises and governmental departments.
2. To serve the business and production sectors, 9 short training courses, seminars

and public lectures will be organized in 3 years on key STM issues such as
e-commerce, genetically modified organism, intellectual properties,
telecommunication, green industry, and techno-education.
3. To assist public sector, 3 annual conferences on STM themes will be held in

3 years in collaboration with well-known institutions from overseas.

1. The STM curriculum will consist of 5 courses. The first course on the Fundamental

of STM will be designed to serve 3 purposes. Firstly, it will provide an overview
on STM for both STM and non-STM students who want a big picture on the
nature and the relevance of STM in business management in the future.
Secondly, it will prepare the STM students for taking 4 other courses in the
STM program. Thirdly, parts of the course can be taken as short-term training
or certificate programs for working executives.
2. For each course, there will be 3 modules and each module of 12 lecture-hours will

be taught in 4 weeks at 3 hours per week. A total of 15 weeks will cover lectures,
exercises in class and examinations. Each module will consist of both theory and illustrative cases.
3. To encourage learner-centered education, group work on cases and hand-on

experiences will be emphasized in each course. A planned study trip to a local
or overseas destination may be used in place of or supplementary to a group work.
Work/trip report should be included as a part of the overall evaluation.
4. Well organized course-packages consisting of reading materials and/or videos

or CD-ROMs must be assembled by the instructors for each module and for the
course.
5. Examination or evaluation will be carried out at the end of each module.
6. Courses must be designed in such a way that non-science students as well as

students with science or technology background will be able to benefit fully
from them without obvious disadvantages.

Objective:  The students will be able to express the scope and roles of STM, the working of S&T
and the advantages or the benefits, both social and economic, resulting from efficient STM in
business and society.

Outlines:
Module 1:  Why STM?

• Science and technology in society and public understanding of S&T.
• Science and technology policy, planning and indicators.
• Science and technology strategy in business and competitiveness.
• STM in relation to marketing, finance and human resource.

• Science, technology, engineering and commercialization (STEC).
• Innovation, social changes and economic growth.
• Innovation, business competitiveness and profits.
• Research and development, technology transfer and technology strategy.

• Goals of STM: to cost-effectively enhance quality, economy, safety and

environment (QESE) in business and society.
• Technology strategy of firms and national S&T policy and planning.
• Cost and benefits in making choices: R&D vs technology transfer; improvement

vs invention.
• Quality systems; environment impact assessment and intellectual properties.
• Human aspects in STM: relationship between management and S&T professionals.

Objective: The students will be able to explain the reasons to conduct R&D, R&D process
and factors impacting on the success or failure of R&D.

Outlines:
Module 1:  Why R&D?

• Goals of R&D: improving the means to enhance quality, economy, safety and

environment (QESE) through R&D.
• Functions of R&D in the business, production, product development and technology

transfer.
• Roles of public sector R&D and R&D support.
• R&D investment: risk and return; luxury or necessity.

• National and international R&D (public R&D).
• R&D in firms: small, medium and large (private R&D); link to business.
• Basic R&D vs applied R&D: from idea to result to benefit.
• R&D organization, manpower, funding and evaluation.

• Process of R&D management: project selection; project formulation; monitoring

and evaluation; analysis of cost vs benefit.
• Intellectual properties: law and practices.
• Human aspects of R&D: motivation, commitment and rewards.
• Social and ethical aspects of R&D: secrecy and piracy.

Outlines
Module 1:  Why policy or strategy?

• Policy as an express of vision on S&T of the future.
• Planning as a road map leading to S&T goals.
• Technology strategy for the future business.
• Increasing the chance of success and lowering the wasteful cost through planning.

• Socio-economic influence on S&T policy and planning.
• Tools in policy formulation and planning: information; priority setting;

foresighting; required resources; adjusting policy and plan.
• Setting technology strategy: picking the winner; link to future business;

cost-effectiveness; assessing alternatives; window of opportunity; life span.
• Human resource required for policy formulation, planning and setting strategy.

• Assessing risks, business and social, in relation to S&T policy and plan or to

technology strategy.
• Coping with the risks; crisis management; damage control.
• Monitoring and risk prevention.
• Beyond the risks: in search of breakthrough.

Objective:  The students will show understanding and critical thinking on the needs
for innovation, the innovation process and the means to optimize the innovation benefits.

Outlines:
Module 1:  Why innovation?

• Innovation to survive in the changing future.
• Innovation as a powerful driving force for change.
• Innovation to bring an idea to product and to profit.
• Innovation to vitalize and to invigorate business or society.

• System and process of innovation in business and society.
• Key factors affecting the outputs (product and process) and the outcome

of innovation.
• Innovative mind-set: creativity; lateral thinking; reaching beyond the box.
• Innovative champions: characteristics, motivation and rewards.

• Anticipating future changes and trends.
• Assessing innovation cost and opportunity.
• Organizational setup suitable for innovation (learning organization).
• Impacts of innovation on employees, business culture and social values.

Outlines:
Module 1:   Why technology transfer?

• Technology transfer is a fast-track to start and to upgrade technology-based

business; catching-up strategy.
• Technology as a tradable item between a seller (or developer/owner) and a buyer

(or user).
• Global market is the source of all kinds of technology with varying degrees of

sophistication. We must make choice.
• Technology transfer as an alternative to technology development through R&D.

• Process of technology transfer: local-to-local; foreign-to-domestic; local-to-foreign;

strategic alliance and megaprojects.
• Technology transfer in the form of hardware, software and humanware.
• Surveillance (information), assessing alternatives, negotiation, contract, purchase

and acquisition and diffusion.
• Improvement of transferred technology; adaptation; R&D and resale of improved

technology.

• Linkage between technology transfer R&D and policy, plan and strategy.
• Harmonizing the technical assessment, financial estimate and regal framework.
• Risk assessment; success and failure.
• Post-transfer services and monitoring.

If you have comments or suggestions, email me at [email protected]

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[science and technology awards]     [publications & textbooks]     [thaicv]
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[thesis supervision]    [S&T reform]    [TAST]    [TERO]   [education]

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Last updated: 19 October, 1999
created and developed by Thitika Vajrodaya
e-mail: [email protected]