How Disruptive Innovation is changing….Frederick Fox Lecture Series
The sponsor of this event was the Fox School of Business/Frederick Fox Lecture Series. It took place on April 19th at the Union League in Center City. The speaker was former CEO and chairman of Ford China, Mr. David Schoch, MBA ’78. He spoke about disruptive innovation in how peoples views on the transportation industry are changing. One thing I learned from this lecture was that China has committed to electric engines, this drastically changes the trajectory of the transportation industry in China. In order for large companies, that are not traditionally in the electric market, to compete in China, they must figure out ways to adapt to these changes. One valuable insight the speaker provided from his years of experience is how such a large company like Ford can adapt to certain changes without fundamentally changing there core business model. (Such as partnering with a technology firm like google) This activity relates to my career goals in two ways. First the lecture directly provided information and insight into the topics that I’ve been introduced with in the classroom. For example managing disruptive innovation is at the core of MIS studies, and learning how a company as large as Ford adapts to these changes provides a glimpse into the challenges MIS graduates face after going into the workforce. Secondly, this event allowed me to network with working graduate students, MIS staff, and my fellow peers, this increased my network and helped me develop my professional network.