Ability to measure value from the customer's point of view is central to the determination of market offerings: Customers will only buy the equivalent of perceived value, and companies can only offer benefits that cost less to provide than customers are willing to pay. Conjoint analysis is the most popular individual-level value measurement method to determine relative impact of product or service attributes on preferences and other dependent variables. This research focuses on how value measurement can be made more accurate and more reliable by measuring the relative influence of selected methodological variations on performance in prediction and on stability of value structure, and by grouping customers with similar value structure into segments which respond to product stimuli in a similar manner. Influences of the type of attributes included in the conjoint task, of the factorial design used to construct the product profiles, of the type and form of model, of the time of measurement, and of the type of cluster-based segmentation method, are evaluated. Data was gathered with a questionnaire that controlled for methodological variations, and with a notebook computer as the measurement object. One repeated measurement was taken. The study was conducted in two phases. In Phase I, influences of methodological variations on accuracy in prediction and on respective value structure were examined. In Phase II, different cluster-based segmentation methods--hierarchical clustering (HIC), non-hierarchical clustering (NHC), and fuzzy c-means clustering (FUC)--and according conjoint models were evaluated for their performance in prediction and in comparison with individual-level conjoint models. Results show the best models for a variety of design parameters are traditional individual-level, main-effects-only conjoint models. Neither modeling of interactions, nor segment-level conjoint models were able to improve on prediction. Best segment-level conjoint models were obtained with a fuzzy clustering method, worst models were obtained with k-means and the most fuzzy clustering approach. In conclusion, conjoint analysis reveals itself as a reliable method to measure individual customer value. It seems more rewarding for improvement of accuracy in prediction to apply repeated measures, or gather additional data about the respondent, than to attempt improvement on methodological variations with a single measurement.

Thesis (M.B.A.)--University of Hong Kong, 1981.

This work proposes a framework of concept generation and evaluation that takes into consideration the benefit of creativity and innovation in current market trends. By educating engineers in how to increase creativity in concept design and assess it quantitatively, the next generation of designers will be a step ahead of the market. This research begins with an in-depth survey of current creativity assessment methods in engineering in order to determine where the limitations currently lie in this field of study. The limitations discovered based on this unique analysis were used as motivation for the development of the proposed creativity assessment method. Specifically, we introduce a set of metrics that break down concepts to their component and subfunction level to assess the novelty and quality of component solutions ��� called the Comparative Creativity Assessment (CCA) Method. Secondly, we break down market-tested innovative products to isolate innovation information to utilize in concept generation inspiration ��� called the Repository of Innovative Products (RIP). Finally, revisions to the initial CCA method and RIP are proposed and analysis of past data results are compared to the new revised results. Revisions to the CCA method include additional metrics that factor in interaction effects from function pairing and component assemblies deemed innovative as well as eliminate evaluator subjectivity in the analysis. Observations from the experiments conducted are presented in a Lessons Learned chapter. / Graduation date: 2013

Originally presented as the author's Thesis (Ph. D.)--WHU, Otto-Beisheim School of Management, Vallendar, Germany. / Includes bibliographical references (p. 195-205) and index.

Thesis (PhD)--University of Stellenbosch, 2003. / ENGLISH ABSTRACT: The main proposition of this study is that the notion of a single set of universal success factors (enablers) of innovation is naïve. Rather, the importances of different enablers are contextually based and dependent upon different kinds of projects and their attributes. By investigating the roles of project radicalness and maturity in governing the importance of enablers of innovation in the process industries, two major conclusions were made, viz. (1) the importance of enablers are significantly moderated by project attributes, and (2) the mutual interactions between moderators of enabler importance prevent the formulation of middle-range theories of innovation radicalness or maturity, which propose normative relationships between innovation attributes and enabler importance. Although a number of previous studies have posited such outcomes, this study provides empirical evidence thereof for a set of generic enablers of innovation. These findings have suggested that the modelling of innovation at the project level should follow a contingent approach. While contingency theory has widely been applied to correlate structural and environmental attributes when the unit of analysis is the organisation, the literature on project management has largely ignored the importance of project contingencies, assuming that all projects share a universal set of managerial characteristics. This void is addressed through the development of a contingency model of the influence of secondary contingencies (project radicalness and maturity) on the importance of enablers. It represents an integrative perspective of the contextual importance of a number of enablers (and constructs thereof) that have previously been investigated and reported independently. Given that theory development in project management is still in its early years, it may therefore be concluded that the study contributes to the validity of classical contingency theory arguments in the context of the project. Although it does not consider an exhaustive list of all possible contingencies, and findings thereof strictly pertain only to process innovation, it does represent a considerable step in the evolving process of theory development on the modelling of innovation at the project level. / AFRIKAANSE OPSOMMING: Die studie poneer in hoofsaak dat die idee van ‘n enkele stel universele suksesfaktore (drywers) vir innovasie, eng is. Dit word eerder voorgestel dat die belangrikheid van verskillende drywers kontekstueel is en bepaal word deur verskillende tipes projekte en hul eienskappe. Na gelang van ‘n ondersoek na die rolle van projek radikaalheid en stadium van ontwikkeling in die bepaling van die belangrikheid van drywers van innovasie, is twee hoofgevolgtrekkings gemaak, naamlik dat (1) projekeienskappe ‘n beduidende invloed op die relatiewe belangrikheid van drywers het, en (2) die onderlinge interaksies tussen moderators van die belangrikheid van drywers dit verhoed om middelomvang teorieë van innovasie radikaalheid of stadium van ontwikkeling te formuleer, wat normatiewe verhoudings tussen die eienskappe van innovasies en hul drywers voorstel. Alhoewel sulke resultate deur ‘n aantal vorige studies gepostuleer is, verskaf hierdie studie empiriese bewyse daarvan in terme van ‘n generiese stel drywers van innovasie. Bevindinge in hierdie verband het getoon dat innovasie op die projek-vlak deur ‘n voorwaardelikheidsmodel gemodelleer moet word. Alhoewel voorwaardelikheidsteorie algemeen gebruik word om strukturele en omgewingseienskappe op organisatoriese vlak te korrelleer, het die projekbestuur-literatuur tot dusver grootliks die belangrikheid van projekvoorwaardelikhede geïgnoreer deur aan te neem dat alle projekte ‘n universele stel bestuurseienskappe deel. Hierdie leemte word geadresseer deur die ontwikkeling van ‘n voorwaardelikheidsmodel vir die invloed van sekondêre voorwaardelikhede (projek radikaalheid en stadium van ontwikkeling) op die belangrikheid van drywers. Dit verteenwoordig ‘n geïntegreerde perspektief van die kontekstuele belangrikheid van ‘n aantal drywers (en konstrukte daarvan) wat voorheen onafhanklik nagevors en gepubliseer is. Aangesien teorie ontwikkeling in projekbestuur steeds jonk is, word die gevolgtrekking gemaak dat die studie bydra tot die geldigheid van klassieke voorwaardelikheidsteorieargumente in die konteks van die projek. Alhoewel dit nie ‘n veelomvattende lys van alle moontlike voorwaardelikhede beskou nie, en die bevindinge daarvan streng gesproke slegs betrekking het op proses-innovasie, verteenwoordig die studie ‘n beduidende stap vorentoe vir teorie-ontwikkeling in die modellering van innovasie op die projek-vlak.

Thesis (MBA)--University of Stellenbosch, 2010. / The ability to bring products to market which comply with quality, cost and development time goals is vital to the survival of firms in a competitive environment. New product development comprises knowledge creation and search and can be organised in different ways. New product development requires the close collaboration of virtually all functions within a company. The existence of an effective cross-functional team, with clearly-defined objectives, is thus critical to the successful development of any new product. Furthermore, the success of new products depends mainly on the new product development process. The purpose of this research study is to review literature on new product development processes and the effect it has on organisational performance and also to take a critical look at the new product development and implementation (NPD & I) process applied in Telecom Namibia (TN). This study also provides insights to various TN stakeholders, particularly senior management and relevant individuals involved in product development, enabling individuals to recognise the role product development plays towards sustainability of the company. The study also provides a working guide for managers to identify opportunities for improving the new product development (NPD) process. The primary research objective is to critically audit the effect of new product development processes on TN’s performance. The secondary research objective is to develop frameworks and methodologies for guiding the development of effective strategies that have been tested in numerous businesses. A major finding of this study is that the success of new products depends mainly on the new product development process and that it has a major impact on organisational performance.

New product ideation is the transformation of a raw idea into a robust concept with consideration of fit and feasibility of technologies, customer benefits, and market opportunity. Although the ideation process often involves ambiguous processes, it is the most critical activity in new product development (NPD). As a creativity task, the ideation process is considered heuristic rather than algorithmic. However, managing the ideation process as either a completely heuristic or an entirely algorithmic procedure leads to just conventional outcomes. Rooted in cognitive psychology, this study proposes that ideation activities in NPD should be pursued as Simonton's "constrained stochastic behavior." An ideation task not only needs good componential factors but also requires constraint to frame the task by precluding unwieldy ideas while promoting high variability of ideas. Focusing on the inputs and attempting to strike a balance between algorithmic and heuristic ideation process may provide the mechanisms to manage the psychological perceptions with an aim to stimulate and orchestrate the ideation staff's cognitive efforts to generate the creative idea. To achieve this goal, new product idea creativity is considered as the ideas that could turn out to be products that are novel to and useful for customers, and appropriate to firms' existing production systems. In addition, the study asserts that componential factors include two factors: specialization representing idea creators' depth of NPD knowledge, experience, and skills in a product domain, and diverse expertise representing the breadth of ideation team's knowledge, experience, and skills concerning the same domain of NPD. These factors are essential and collectively can enhance creativity in the development of new product ideas. Finally, goal constraint is defined, operationalized, and incorporated in the NPD ideation framework. This constraint encapsulates the overall criteria and stylistic principle for a particular product domain and reflects the frame of reference for new product idea development. The findings provide mixed results, and yield at least three new concepts. First, the process of new product idea development truly requires specialization and diverse expertise if its ultimate goal is creativity. Both componential factors are essential and together can enhance new product ideas on all important dimensions. Second, goal constraint exhibits a linear relationship, rather than an inverted U-curve relationship, with idea newness and usefulness-two dimension of creativity important for customers. Finally, goal constraint can enhance creative outcomes of new product ideas, especially in the ideation team exhibiting a low level of specialization.

Customers play an active role throughout the marketing process. This dissertation concerns itself with customer's co-creation of value for self (co-production) and for other customers (co-consumption) during service production and delivery. With the servuction system as its overarching framework, this study explains how changes in the customer's perceived co-production and co-consumption, caused by a service innovation, influence her perceptions of service innovation characteristics and modify her adoption behavior. It draws on a multidisciplinary body of knowledge and develops a conceptual framework and a set of substantive propositions. The empirical research was contextualized in three services: self check-out at grocery stores, Build-A-Bear stores, and meal assembly centers. It focused on members of Generations X and Y who were familiar with these services. The qualitative investigations and pilot study helped adapt the extant scales and construct new scales. In line with prior works, the focal service encounters were simulated through a series of consumption scenarios. The exploratory factor analysis in the pilot study and the confirmatory factor analysis in the main study indicated that the instruments were culturally informed, internally reliable, and construct-wise valid. The results indicate that co-production and co-consumption play important roles in explaining innovation characteristics and adoption decisions. More specifically, the focal customer's co-production of the service for self (CPS), other customers' co-production of the service for the focal customer (OCP), the number and the nature of other customers (crowding and homophily) can help to explain the focal customer's evaluation of service innovation characteristics as well as her adoption decision. The focal customer's disposition to participate (DTP) and its interaction with CPS are also useful explanatory constructs. Focal customer's co-production of the service for other customers (CPO) and its interaction with DTP emerged as non-significant. In comparing the high- and low-DTP groups, it was found that the former was more convenience-prone in two service contexts, and the latter in the third context.

The thesis aims to identify the strategic points and the steps that must be observed to ensure that the new product introduced to the market will be successful. In the text some general background to innovating is discussed, the process of product development ending with introduction to a market. In the applied section the market situation is outlined and the position of Vitana is determined. There are two products thoroughly analyzed -- with diametrically opposed success. For this purpose an analogy to the theoretical part followed by the instruments of the marketing mix is proceeding. For both products, the processes of launch are described in detail and the steps which brought about or hindered the desired result are identified. In conclusion it is defined whether in this case the typical causes of failure in innovation apply.

Esse estudo se inicia na filosofia subjacente à pesquisa constante da literatura dedicada à gestão de portfólios de projetos de desenvolvimento de novos produtos e termina na aplicabilidade das proposições para intervenção nesse sistema complexo. Contrapondo-se a realidade do mundo empresarial ao panorama de pesquisas acadêmicas sobre o tema, verificou-se que há uma lacuna entre o que é cientificamente proposto e a sua aplicabilidade no cotidiano empresarial. Portanto este estudo buscou analisar a complexidade da gestão de portfólio de projetos de desenvolvimento de novos produtos, procurando determinar os paradigmas adotados para seu estudo e para as suas proposições. Também se propôs uma metodologia analítica baseada na analogia ao mercado consumidor, sistema tão ou mais complexo que o portfólio de desenvolvimento de novos produtos. Para tanto, utilizou-se do método indutivo, partindo de um conjunto de conhecimentos observáveis na revisão sistemática de literatura, além da aplicação dessa nova metodologia analítica, com seu ferramental próprio, com alta carga de abstração. Foi então possível evidenciar a complexidade do objeto de pesquisa e a incongruência epistemológica e paradigmática da pesquisa sobre o tema, que, em grande medida, utiliza níveis de abstração diferentes para o objeto da pesquisa e para suas proposições, incorrendo com isso, em dificuldades na aplicabilidade de suas propostas. No longo prazo, essa metodologia pode vir a ser de grande utilidade, não só para auxiliar os gestores e profissionais em geral, que trabalham com desenvolvimento de produtos, como para melhorar a aplicabilidade das proposições acadêmicas no âmbito empresarial. / This study starts with the philosophy underlying the research literature dedicated to the management of new product development project portfolios and ends with the application of the proposals for intervention in that complex system. Contrasting the reality of the business world to the panorama of academic research on the subject, it was verified that there is a gap between what is scientifically proposed and its applicability in daily business. Therefore, the aim of this study is to analyze the complexity of the new product development project portfolios, trying to determine the paradigms adopted for its study and for its propositions. An analytical methodology based on consumer market, a system as complex as the new product development portfolio, was also proposed. For this much, the inductive method was utilized, starting from a set of observable knowledge in the systematic review of literature, in addition to the new methodology and its own tooling, with a high load of abstraction. It was then possible to highlight the complexity of the research object and an epistemological and paradigmatic incongruity on the research subject, which, to a large extent, ends up using different levels of abstraction for the research object and for its proposals. In the long term, the new methodology can be very useful, not only to help managers and professionals in general who work with product development, but also to improve the application of academic propositions in business.