M.Ing. / Change is an every day occurrence in any environment, especially in the technology market, where technology doubles approximately every 10 years [1]. Therefore it is of utmost importance that this change should be managed for any organization to maintain its respective market position. For most industrial products that are introduced into the market it is essential for those products to be able to change to fit the expected technical changes that will transpire. These changes take place because of the demand those consumers that use the technology place on the market. Thus the value of customer service is irrefutable, and it should be addressed accordingly. In the development phase it is thus important to design the product with future change in mind to cope with the demands that consumers place on one's product. Placement of a control system in the industrial market should be done ingeniously to be able to stay in the specified market and cope with change. The Delta V, an advanced control system, is one such product that is positioned in the market in an intelligent manner [21]. To be able to do the right positioning one needs expert engineering management skills to be able to remain in the market and not sta~ate in this constantly changing technical environment. Engineering management should take a holistic interest in the global markets since most technical products are active in these global markets. Support is seen as a global competitive aspect of a product's success or failure. Management skills in this market place are thus one of the strongest advantages an engineering organization can have which in return can prove a significant difference in the organizations survival. Thus securing the edge that any organization wants and strives for to be one step in front of its competitors. As such the purpose of this research is then to present aspects of positioning and support of an engineering product via a case study in an integrated fashion.

M.Com. (Business Management) / The innovation and marketing of new products has become increasingly important for the profitability of companies. Developing new products is a risky endeavour. Research shows that new product development often fails. As such, it is very important that product development managers are aware of the factors that can cause product failure. This research studied the product innovation process in the South African electronics industry. The objective of the study was to prove the relationship between proficient development-activity execution and innovation success. The research took the form of a structured questionnaire, that was mailed to respondents. After analysis -of the data, it was possible to accept the research hypothesis. The research showed that marketing activities were not well executed; in contrast technical activities were better completed. It proved the notion that a market orientation should be favoured above a product orientation. Companies in the electronics industry seem to have enough marketing resources available. however. they under-utilize these resources - with disastrous results. The research proved that following a strict product development process can improve new product performance. No one activity causes success or failure but the combination of pivotal activities has a definite effect on product innovation success.

The major objective of this study was to establish a department in an organization, which would co-ordinate all new product planning activities. To attain this objective it was necessary to study the characteristics of a firm and then using these, develop a department which would utilize the firm's strengths and avoid its weaknesses. Initially the components required in a product policy were presented to act as a guide for management in establishing its new product planning department. The first step of the organizing process was the complete analysis of the basic stages that new product ideas pass through. This analysis included collection and screening of product ideas, the development of specifications for the product, and the testing of the product prior to commercialization. The decisions required, and the personnel involved at each stage were clearly indicated as the product idea evolved. Throughout the thesis, the need for an organized marketing research operation is emphasized. It is claimed that to have effective new product development there must be thorough and complete market knowledge available. Marketing research is an integral part of the activities proposed in this thesis. The department that is proposed consists of a committee with representatives from each of the major line functions in the firm. It is a staff department with functional authority. The new product development activities in the firm are guided and controlled by this coordinating body. The members of the new product planning department work in close co-operation with the line department managers and the executive committee. Management of a firm adopting the proposed system must be devoted to progress through new product development. For the new product planning department to be successful more than an organizational structure is required. The company as a whole must accept the premise that an organized approach to innovation is essential. This frame of mind must be prevalent before the proposed department will be able to work co-operatively with the various line functions in the firm. An integrated approach to new product development is therefore being proposed. To test the validity of the suggested system it was compared to the new product development operations in a leading Canadian chemical company. The operations of the firm are discussed in detail prior to analyzing them relative to the proposed system. Successful new product development is the key to the future for most industrial companies. Careful planning based on thorough and methodical analysis will result in new products being introduced with consistent success. To enable the planning process to take place a department must be established which will co-ordinate all new product activities and produce optimum results. The system proposed in this thesis, if properly implemented, will meet these requirements. / Business, Sauder School of / Graduate

D.Ing. / The effective management of technology and new product development in a high technology small to medium enterprise associated with a large corporation with specific reference to the development of solar photovoltaic water pumps is investigated in this study. Innovative product and the development thereof have already become this century's battleground. The availability of information to all and the ease of communication have contributed to changing the battleground. Small organizations and companies can now also participate in high technology environments, different from the past. Technology management and new product development are subjects that are thoroughly studied, discussed and understood in larger corporations (LCs) and multinational enterprises (MNEs). It would appear that the same cannot always be said when it comes to small to medium high technology enterprises. The following research questions can be asked: • How does the current body of knowledge (regarding technology and new product development) influence and impact on technology and new product development in a small to medium enterprise? • How does the interface and interaction between various small to medium enterprises (SMEs) and SMEs and other large corporations impact on new product development in a small to medium enterprise? • How does a small to medium enterprise cope with relatively limited resources when attempting to develop a new product? • How does the informal nature of a small to medium enterprise impact on new product development? • Does a small to medium enterprise use a structured process to manage new product development? As SMEs become more prominent role players in technology intensive industries, answers to the above questions will strengthen the SME in the relevant areas and enhance the role that SMEs will play in the future. To answer the research questions the study comprises: • an applicable literature survey in the areas of technology management and new product development, • an investigation into the business environment and interaction a typical SME encounters during new product innovation including resource management, • the development of an alternative model for the new product development (NPD) process in an SME, • an industry acceptability survey of the proposed alternative model and • a case study (photovoltaic water pump system) of the development of a new product, mapped onto the developed alternative NPD process. A study of the literature and own experience have shown: • a lack of addressing the above questions and the impact thereof and • a lack of practical and appropriate guidelines to implement technology management and ensure repetitive successful innovative new product development (NPD) in small to medium high technology enterprises. The author suggests a reduced complexity NPD process model, which takes cognisance of intangibles such as the chaotic interaction between various stages and tasks within the NPD process, informal decision making and natural information feedback mechanisms and illustrate why an SME that observes a given structural discipline displays an inherent advantage over large corporations and multinational enterprises. The model is exposed to a limited scope industry survey and applied to a case study (development of a photovoltaic water pump powered by sunlight). The acceptability survey, although limited, suggests that industry supports the hypotheses on which the development of the proposed alternative new product development process is based. The proposed management process was mapped onto the case study to ascertain whether it is practical. The application of the proposed management process to the case study resulted in further insight into possible alternative methods of reporting on new product development work. A complete photovoltaic water pump system as a new product emanated from the case study with significant marketability.

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Here, the customer collaborations in product development, their impacts, and contingencies in Chinese manufacturers are explored. A grounded-theory-building cross-case analytic approach is used to acquire a deeper understanding of customer collaboration in product development within the Chinese context. The results show that the firm level analysis in multiple cases helps identify different techniques of customer collaboration in product development. The two coordination dimensions (information exchange and co-development) are clearly demonstrated in three stages (concept generation, project execution, and product usage) and two directions. In particular, it has been found that the focal firms involve cosupplier in the process of customer collaboration. Building on RBV and interorganizational learning theory, a customer collaboration-operational capability model is hereby proposed. Two operational capabilities (supply chain operating capability and integrated product development capability) and contingencies (technology/market familiarity and service proactiveness) are also identified based on case evidences. / In this final study, the impacts of project complexity and novelty on product design collaboration are tested. Three types of involvement activities (customer, supplier, and manufacturing involvement) are identified as product design collaboration in NPD project. A conceptual model is then built based on organizational information processing theory (OIPT). The relationships are tested in the international samples from eight countries, and the results demonstrate the different roles of involvement activities in dealing with project complexity and novelty. Particularly, project complexity has direct impact on manufacturing involvement. Project complexity has indirect impact on customer and supplier involvement through manufacturing involvement. In addition, only project novelty has direct impact on customer and supplier involvement. / In this study, the impacts of internal and external resources, as well as their interactions on the product innovation capability of Chinese manufacturers are investigated. Three internal resources (financial, physical, and human) and two external resources (external expert and cooperated project) are identified as antecedents of firm product innovation capability. The conceptual model is then built based on resource-based view (REV) and absorptive capacity (ACAP). Panel data from the Guangdong Technology and Innovation Assessment Center are used to test the relationships in the model. The results show that internal and external resources have different impacts on product innovation capability. Moreover, the interactions between internal resources and external resources significantly influence product innovation capability. / Study 1: Building Product Innovation Capability of Chinese Manufacturers: A Longitudinal Study / Study 2: Customer Collaboration in Product Development: An Exploratory Study of Manufacturers in the Pearl River Delta of China / Study 3: The Effects of Project Complexity and Novelty on Product Design Collaboration / Supply chain integration and innovation are two highly interrelated strategies firms must apply in order to gain a competitive advantage in the turbulent business environment of today. An increasing number of companies have begun looking beyond their boundaries to explore the use of external resources in creating additional value in their product innovation. Therefore, the process with which firms integrate their supply chain partners in new product development (NPD) has aroused the interest of researchers and practitioners. The three studies in this dissertation address innovation and NPD issues in supply chain management. / study 1. Building product innovation capability of Chinese manufactures: a longitudinal study -- study 2. Customer collaboration in product development: an exploratory study of manufacturers in the Pearl River Delta of China -- study 3. The effects of project complexity and novelty on product design collaboration. / Wang, Zhiqiang. / Adviser: Xiande Zhao. / Source: Dissertation Abstracts International, Volume: 73-03, Section: A, page: . / Thesis (Ph.D.)--Chinese University of Hong Kong, 2010. / Includes bibliographical references (leaves 128-143). / Electronic reproduction. Hong Kong : Chinese University of Hong Kong, [2012] System requirements: Adobe Acrobat Reader. Available via World Wide Web. / Electronic reproduction. [Ann Arbor, MI] : ProQuest Information and Learning, [201-] System requirements: Adobe Acrobat Reader. Available via World Wide Web. / Electronic reproduction. Ann Arbor, MI : ProQuest dissertations and theses, [200-] System requirements: Adobe Acrobat Reader. Available via World Wide Web. / Abstract also in Chinese.

Originally presented as the author's thesis (Ph. D.)--WHU, Otto-Beisheim School of Management, Vallendar, Germany. / Description based on print version record. Includes bibliographical references (p. 195-205) and index.

Thesis (M.B.A.) - Carleton University, 2005. / Includes bibliographical references (p. 194-203). Also available in electronic format on the Internet.