AbstractTitle Knowledge integration under uncertainty:A sensemaking perspective on experts’ verbal communicationAuthors Hugo Guyader and Mario KienzlerSupervisors Marie Bengtsson and Christian BerggrenBackground Uncertain situations are characterized by a lack of comprehension,due to a lack of knowledge. It is not possible to know beforehand,what the consequences of an action will be. However, teamsof experts within NPD projects are required to act despite thisuncertainty. Even though they should be paralyzed, the teammembers integrate their individual knowledge and manage to developtechnologically-innovative products or services which answer thecustomers' requirements.Purpose The study analyzes the verbal communication of experts during theknowledge integration process from a sensemaking perspective.The experts are engineers from a NPD project dealing with thedevelopment of a new steam turbine.Definitions Knowledge integration: collective social process which isrequired to integrate distinct but complementary knowledge residingin various individuals, which’s output is integrated knowledge—e.g.embedded in an artifact.Sensemaking: ongoing process of giving meaning to actions,beliefs and events in order to understand their implication in acontext.Experts: trained specialists with experience in one or a few specificfields.Results The experts’ verbal communication is characterized by punctuatedexpecting and frequent arguing. Thereby, arguing is characterizedby questioning, rewording and summarizing. Arguing is seen as themain communicational facilitator during the knowledge integrationprocess.Key words Knowledge integration, uncertainty, sensemaking,verbal communication, new product development.

Swedish firms have become increasingly accountable for their impacts on the economy, society, and environment. Since the year 2016, Corporate Sustainability has emerged as a relatively new phenomenon forcing SMEs that meet certain criteria to report annual sustainability metrics. However,sustainability reporting has not yet become standardized. Previous literature acknowledges the importance of sustainability orientation for the firm and the managers’ role in developing a general understanding of how sustainabilitypractices add value to the firm. Moreover, the particular organizationalpractice of sustainability reporting is still immature and have scarcely been attended by contemporary literature.  This study aims to develop an understanding of how sustainability reporting practices look like in the firm, and whether sustainability reporting practiceshas affected today’s innovation management. To answer the research questions, a mixed research method were chosen with an inductive approach.Three kinds of data was collected and analyzed – sustainability reports, survey, and firm-level interviews – in a step-wise manner to explore the complexities of sustainability reporting practices and its’ impact on firms’ innovation management.  In this study, we found that there are complexities in establishing clear routines in the sustainability reporting practices due to the multiple internal and external actors involvement, and because of knowledge gaps within the firm. In addition, sustainability reporting practices positively impactinnovation management through the building of general awareness, or even culture towards sustainability. In turn, this has boosted the firms’ creativity in sustainable innovations. Moreover, sustainability reporting practices impact New Product Development in particular, through stakeholder engagement in reporting the contents included in the sustainability reports.  This study contributes to an updated understanding of Sustainability Reporting practices in general and its’ role in Innovation Management in particular. The adoption of sustainability reporting transfer activities that are intertwined and embedded with organizational- and managerial perspectives when pursuing alignment of Corporate Sustainability in an already complex system. Therefore, we conclude that sustainability reporting is vital indeveloping stakeholder engagement for firms aiming at incorporating sustainability practices. Moreover, this subsequently influences the outcomes in New Product Development.

Saab Dynamics is a business unit of Saab AB that offers solutions, services and products for military operations. In Saab Dynamics product portfolio the rocket launcher Carl-Gustaf is included. Carl-Gustaf is a portable, recoil free and reusable weapon system. Saab Dynamics also manufactures ammunition to Carl-Gustaf which can be varied between with explosive effect, smoke grenades, illuminating and fine caliber. To respective type of ammunition there is dummy grenades which has the same appearance, weight and loading procedure with the difference that the grenade is inert.  Initiation to the study came from an identified need to update the fuze on Drill Round 545C. The project was made on Saab Dynamics facility in Karlskoga and the purpose was to generate feasible concepts of the fuze, including to generate production documentation of the final concept. Since a concept development process was going to be executed it was considered relevant to investigate how this process should be performed at the company. From this the question at issue has been formulated.  Which success factors can be identified at a concept development process at Saab Dynamics? In addition, a sub-goal with the study is to produce production documentation to the updated fuze of Drill Round 545C according to ISO 22081 and manufacture a physical prototype.  The study is split into two parts, a qualitative study with purpose of answering the issue, and a concept study with purpose to produce the final prototype. Through interviews with employees and a literature study, success factors have been identified. A total of five success factors was found, together with some specific situations where they have significant matter. The success factors are: Communication, Group Composition, Openness in the group, Process fitted according to the specific project and Focus on boundaries between sub-projects. The concept study was performed through a systematical method for construction and design, with distinct activities and decision points. Four concepts were generated from the method, where all of them was manufactured through additive manufacturing and tested. All of the concepts fulfilled the requirements and by decision matrixes a final concept was decided. From the chosen concept a physical prototype and production documentation was created. This concept fulfilled the set goals and thereby the result of the concept study is assumed successful. Reflections were made after the concept study regarding the success factors, as some of them would have positively affected the concept development process. In future investigations, evaluations of the current working methods at Saab Dynamics are recommended as this study had limitations to not evaluate these. The report also emphasizes the importance of spreading the knowledge and experience that exists, as a possible area of improvement. / Saab Dynamics är ett affärsområde inom Saab AB, som erbjuder lösningar, tjänster och produkter för militär verksamhet. Inom Saab Dynamics produktportfölj ingår granatgeväret Carl-Gustaf, ett axelburet, rekylfritt och återanvändbart vapensystem. Till vapensystemet tillverkar dessutom Saab Dynamics ammunition som kan varieras mellan sprängverkan, rökgranater, lysgranater och finkalibrig ammunition. Till respektive typ av ammunition finns dessutom övningsgranater, som innehar samma utseende, tyngd och laddningsförfarande med skillnaden att granaten är inert.  Initieringen till studien grundas i ett identifierat behov av uppdatering av tändrörsattrappen till Drill Round 545C. Projektet utfördes på Saab Dynamics i Karlskoga, där syftet var att ta fram flera genomförbara koncept för tändrörsattrappen samt att ta fram tillverkningsunderlag för ett slutgiltigt koncept. Eftersom det skulle utföras en konceptutvecklingsprocess ansågs det också relevant att undersöka hur denna typ av process bör utföras inom företaget. Utifrån detta har det formulerats en frågeställning samt ett delmål med studien.  Vilka framgångsfaktorer går att identifiera vid en konceptutvecklingsprocess på Saab Dynamics? Dessutom ska studien ta fram tillverkningsunderlag till den uppdaterade tändrörsattrappen enligt ISO 22081 samt tillverka en fysisk prototyp.   tudien har delats upp i två delar, en kvalitativ studie med syfte att svara på frågeställningen samt en konceptstudie med syfte att ta fram den slutgiltiga prototypen. Genom att intervjua anställda med erfarenhet av konceptutveckling på Saab Dynamics och kombinera detta med en litteraturstudie har framgångsfaktorer identifieras. Resultatet av studien innebär att fem framgångsfaktorer identifierats samt några specifika situationer då de har väsentlig betydelse. Framgångsfaktorerna är: Kommunikation, Gruppsammansättning, Öppenhet inom gruppen, Process anpassad för det specifika projektet och Fokus på gränsytor mellan delprojekt. Konceptstudien utfördes enligt en systematisk metod för konstruktion och design med tydliga aktiviteter och beslutspunkter. Utifrån metoden genererades fyra koncept som tillverkades med additiv tillverkning och testades. Samtliga av koncepten uppfyllde funktionskraven och beslutsmatriser användes för att identifiera ett slutgiltigt koncept. Utifrån det valda konceptet tillverkades en fysisk prototyp och tillverkningsunderlag. Konceptet uppfyllde kraven som ställdes och därmed anses resultatet från konceptstudien lyckat. Dessutom kunde reflektioner angående framgångsfaktorerna dras efter konceptstudien då de hade påverkat genomförandet av konceptutvecklingsprocessen positivt.  I framtida studier rekommenderas utvärdering av de aktuella arbetssätt på Saab Dynamics då denna studie hade avgränsningar att inte analysera dem. Rapporten betonar även vikten av att sprida de kunskaper och erfarenheter som finns inom företaget som ett eventuellt förbättrings-område.

Given  the  necessity  to  achieve  vertical  integration  in  complex  NPD  projects,  this  study  offers  a perspective  on  the  implication  of  customers  and  suppliers  involvement  under  technological uncertainty.  The  purpose  of  this  work  is  to  use  SoSE  in  order  to  develop  a  framework  that  may support Marine system design in NPD under technological uncertainty. It has been assumed that it is possible to achieve the Pareto optimum with respect to the key variables influencing the success of the NPD process; furthermore, this study will explore the possibility to tackle the goal misalignment between Customer, Suppliers and OEMs interacting in an evolving scenario and to offer a decisional ground  for  the  mitigation  of  such  misalignment.  Concluding,  the  purpose  of  this  study  has  been expanded by answering three research questions on how Technological uncertainty influences NPD in  Marine  System  Design,  what  alternative  frameworks  can  be  used  to  structure  such  designs  and how System of Systems Engineering can be used to build such alternatives.  The structure of the model built in this report is based on the concepts related to Enterprise System of Systems Engineering (SoSE), Agency Costs and Transaction Costs theories. The analysis is based on a  case  study  where  a  propulsion  system  has  to  be  developed  in  order  to  meet  the  incumbent environmental deadline imposed by the Policy maker, while taking into account future adaptations.     Basing  on  the  results,  the  largest  misalignments  pertain  to  the  Value dimension,  where  the  actors prioritized different features depending on their different positioning of the actors in the value chain, leading to an increase of the Agency costs in the NPD. On the other hand, the possibilities to share the  knowledge,  to  split  the  costs  over  the  involved  parties  and  to  reduce  the  Transaction  costs represent  the  main  advantages  perceived  from  the  actors.  An  integrative type  of  structure  of  the collaboration  within  the  actors,  for  instance  establishing  a  Joint  venture  or  through  Integrated development, would reduce the misalignments.  Finally,  ABB  can  use  SoSE  in  order  to  manage  its  internal  R&D  process  and  the  involvement  of customers  and  suppliers.  In  general,  SoS  can  help  OEMs  in  dealing  with  uncertainty  thanks  to  the concept  of  fluid  boundaries.  As  a  consequence,  the  integrated  system  will  benefit  of  greater flexibility while complying with the requirements given by the customers and the suppliers.

Purpose: The purpose of this study is to investigate whether, in the context of making a go/no-go decision regarding a failing new product, the use of a stopping rule and/or a new decision-maker would reduce the escalation of commitment (EOC). Design/methodology/approach: This study uses a classroom experiment design and uses logistic regression and a chi-square test to analyze its data. Findings: The findings show that both responsible and non-responsible participants are more likely to perceive the negative performance of a new product as less negative and believe that the goal for the product can be reached when there is a stopping rule and proximal negative feedback indicates a level of performance below but very close to it than when there is no stopping rule. Therefore, they are more likely to continue the failing new product, whether they are responsible for the product or not. However, non-responsible decision-makers are more likely than their responsible counterparts to discontinue the failing new product in the absence of a stopping rule. Research limitations/implications: This paper extends the theory of EOC by showing that the use of a stopping rule and/or a new decision-maker may not reduce EOC. Practical implications: This paper provides useful guidelines for managers on how to reduce EOC. Originality/value: The originality and value of this paper are found in the investigation of a situation in which the use of a stopping rule and/or a new decision-maker may not reduce the EOC.

To achieve and maintain a superior competitive position, firms must develop market sensing capability-the ability to sense events and trends in markets ahead of competitors (Day 1994a). According to Day, in firms with superior market sensing capability, "the processes for gathering, interpreting, and using market information are more systematic, thoughtful, and anticipatory than in other firms" [emphasis added]. Although Day asserted that market orientation captures the essence of a market sensing capability, researchers have suggested that market orientation, by itself, does not provide the requisite ability to develop competitive advantage because of its focus on detecting rather than anticipating market trends. While prior research, most notably pertaining to market orientation, has addressed the detection of current market trends, a gap in our knowledge remains regarding the ability to anticipate future market conditions. This research seeks to address this lacuna by exploring a firm's market foresight capability, defined as the organizational capability that allows the firm to anticipate emerging shifts in the market before they are evident to competitors. Organizations possessing superior market foresight capability derive a multitude of benefits from having greater insight into future market conditions. These benefits include the ability to determine which future market trends warrant further exploration and exploitation, the identification of critical resources that will be needed in the future, and-of primary interest in this dissertation-the ability to develop new products that meet customer needs in the future. This research seeks to better inform managers as to the organizational characteristics that enhance the firm's ability to anticipate future markets by developing and testing a model of the antecedents and new product outcomes of a firm's market foresight capability. The constructs selected as determinants of market foresight capability are supported by dynamic capability theory, which focuses on the organization's information processes, learning culture, and coordination/integration influences that elevate lower-level capabilities of individuals and teams to an organization-level or dynamic capability. The organizational information processes that are hypothesized to positively impact market foresight capability include active scanning, market experimentation, and lead user collaboration. The impact of information processes on market foresight capability is contingent on an organization's learning culture (future orientation and learning orientation) and interdepartmental connectedness, which influence the coordination and integration of information between organizational actors. A firm's potential for long-term competitive advantage lies in using the insights resulting from its market foresight capability to create advantageous resource configurations. To create valuable resource configurations, the firm with superior market foresight capability must capitalize on its ability to anticipate change through the development of new product and service offerings that better serve the needs of customers. It is hypothesized that superior market foresight capability results in heightened new product creativity, faster speed to market, and better market-entry timing. These new product outcomes of market foresight capability are further hypothesized to lead to superior new product financial performance. Of course, firms cannot realize the hypothesized new product benefits unless they are able to capitalize on market opportunities. Therefore, the relationships between market foresight capability and new product outcomes are hypothesized to be contingent on organizational inertia.

Purpose: The purpose of this study is to advance the knowledge on value co-creation in new product development (NPD) in the context of slow fashion, with specific emphasis on investigating the interest of slow fashion consumers to engage in the NPD process and brands' perspective regarding this. Via exploring the value co-creation phenomena in the slow fashion industry context, this study also intends to apply and discuss the suitability of currently available value co-creation theories for the slow fashion context. Methodology: This research employed an explanatory design with an deductive approach. Both quantitative and qualitative research methods were applied using a self-administered online questionnaire for slow fashion consumers and semi structured interviews with two slow fashion companies. The questionnaire and interview questions were designed according to the subjects that emerged from a theoretical background constructed for the study. Findings: The consumers of slow fashion indicated a large interest for participation in value co-creation (VCC) activities in new product development (NPD), however on a low level of customer empowerment, mainly just giving suggestions and voting on design ideas by the brand. This wasn’t much affected by the customer typology or perceived relationship to the brand, however, the internalised extrinsic motivation lifted the contribution interest slightly. The two interviewed companies indicated to be interested to empower the customers to the same extent as the customers were mainly willing to. The companies saw the possibility to cater better for the customer needs as the main benefit, however, simultaneously they were concerned of the customers’ awareness regarding the garment quality factors or the lead times of the industry. Practical implications: The paper presents the current interest of the slow fashion consumers to participate in in VCC in NPD revealing their customer typology and perceived relationship to a brand as well as their motivations and barriers, which can be utilised by slow fashion brands when considering implementation of VCC in NPD. Originality/Value: The study represents an unexplored area of VCC in NPD research expanding knowledge by investigating the interest of slow fashion consumers to engage in the NPD process and the brands' perspective regarding this.

The combined environmental effects of technological change, increasing competition, new legislation and increasingly demanding consumers have created pressure within the financial services industry for change. One outcome has been a proliferation of new products in the marketplace. This research explores new product development within one subset of this industry -- building societies. By combining the new product development, service marketing and financial services literature, a foundation has been developed for an empirical study into the development practices and the characteristics of successful and unsuccessful new products. The determinants of success and failure for new product development have been examined utilizing a comparative methodology, and subsequently a discriminant model has been developed that successfully classifies successful and unsuccessful new products. By determining how new products are actually developed, the findings support previous claims that intangibility, inseparability, heterogeneity and perishability do have an effect on the development process. Further, the level of sophistication of the development activities is lower than in previously reported research. Notable variations from the development process for tangible new products are the inclusion of system design, system testing and personnel training stages. The majority of societies have been found to lack strategic integration of the development process, to apply different measures of success and to prefer qualitative market research techniques over quantitative approaches. As well, considerable variation exists in the organizational approaches used to manage the process, although organizational related variables were found to have a strong impact upon the predictability of a successful outcome for a new product.

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New product development and management are critical to the long-term success of the firm. New product development is also an area where the firm needs to improve performance. Two important new product decisions are selecting new concepts and estimating their future market potential and demand. Forecasting is a critical activity in supporting these two decisions. Unfortunately, forecasting is an activity where firms often struggle to be proficient. Recent advances in forecasting methods offer opportunities for improvement. One of the techniques is prediction markets, an emerging methodology that taps collective intelligence. Despite widely reported application and promise of prediction markets, they have yet to be adopted in marketing practice or examined in marketing academia. This dissertation addresses two research questions: do prediction markets produce better marketing forecasts than methods traditionally employed by firms, and if they do, how do they do it? To answer these research questions, two field studies are completed. The first is an empirical test of prediction markets compared to traditional forecasting methods implemented within a Fortune 100 firm. The second, based on a post survey, is an analysis of how market knowledge factors in combination with prediction markets design factors produce superior results. Study I finds that prediction markets do provide superior results in 67% of the forecasts and reduce error levels and ranges. Study II finds that out of several design factors, prediction market forecast accuracy is driven most by new information acquisition and knowledge heterogeneity. These findings contribute to MSI 2012-2014 Research Priorities and calls in the marketing literature to develop, better, real-time, intelligent decision support tools to help solve problems of the big data era and support improved demand forecasting. / Business Administration/Marketing