This thesis presents an analysis of New Product Development (NPD) practices and strategies in several large technology based companies. It examines the project appraisal systems, NPD strategies and organisational arrangements of 31 companies, and then examines a selection of NPD projects within five of those companies in detail. The NPD projects were examined at the time of their initial proposal, to determine the nature of the projects being considered, in terms of how radical or incremental they were to the company, i.e. how much their applications and requirements differed from current company experience and capabilities. The same projects were then examined again, where possible at the stage of their final acceptance or rejection, to determine to what extent their requirements had been met, and how their appraisal, development and exploitation methods varied from the stated practices and policies of the company. Also the nature of the solutions used to undertake and exploit the NPD projects were examined, particularly where new capabilities were required, and the company had to decide whether to develop them in-house, or acquire them from external sources, perhaps by undertaking some form of collaboration. Together, all the data collected provides an insight into how different types of projects (Radical I Incremental) performed within different appraisal and development systems, and to what extent the acceptance or rejection of projects was related to their fit within the organisation's strategic goals, or to other factors such as the appraisal systems and the involvement of external parties. The tools developed for the Radical/Incremental classification of projects, and the information on the appropriateness of various appraisal and development regimes and exploitation options, can be used to enhance the effectiveness of the NPD process. If applied, they have the potential to deliver significant time and cost savings, by means of the establishment of a specifically focused appraisal and development system for each project, based on its early Radical/Incremental classification, and the corresponding determination of the nature and sources of the proposal's requirements. This study also provides new analysis and diagnostic tools for NPD processes, which enhance the ability to investigate and monitor such activities for both operational and academic purposes.
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:bl.uk/oai:ethos.bl.uk:629572 |
| Date | January 1998 |
| Creators | Bartholomew, Robin Andrew |
| Publisher | University of Manchester |
| Source Sets | Ethos UK |
| Detected Language | English |
| Type | Electronic Thesis or Dissertation |
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