Title: Fuzzy front-end activities in new product development process: a comparative study of Japanese and Korean projects

Authors: Ruslan Mammetseyidov; Akio Nagahira

Addresses: Department of Management Science and Technology, Tohoku University, Aza-Aoba Aramaki, Aoba-ku, Sendai, Miyagi 980-8579, Japan ' Department of Management Science and Technology, Tohoku University, Aza-Aoba Aramaki, Aoba-ku, Sendai, Miyagi 980-8579, Japan

Abstract: The aim of this study was to reveal both direct and indirect impacts of fuzzy front-end activities in Japanese and Korean manufacturing firms during corresponding successful periods of each country. The analysis of 540 Japanese and 293 Korean new product development projects was carried out using structural equation modelling. The results suggest that Korean firms tended to keep more close attention on reduction of market uncertainty activities compared to Japanese firms. In addition, initial planning activities are strongly significant in minimising changes that could lead to revision of a whole project, but not on minimising changes that are necessary to adapt to requirements determined by dynamic business environmental changes.

Keywords: NPD; new product development; FFE; fuzzy front end; Japan; South Korea; SEM; structural equation modelling; smart PLS; partial least squares; project execution phase; manufacturing industry; market uncertainty; initial planning.

DOI: 10.1504/IJPD.2015.073539

International Journal of Product Development, 2015 Vol.20 No.6, pp.465 - 494

Accepted: 08 Aug 2015
Published online: 11 Dec 2015 *

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