Title: The product development process: a comparison between US and Japanese medical diagnostic imaging industries

Authors: Paula E. Bobrowski

Addresses: School of Business, State University of New York, Oswego, NY 13126, USA

Abstract: This research begins with a brief historical summary of the general medical diagnostic imaging industry development in Japan. It examines and compares the product development process in manufacturing sites located in the US and Japan. It discusses several important areas of the product development process, focusing on how firms integrate information throughout the product development process from sources that are external to the manufacturer. The findings are based on four case studies, two with manufacturers located in Japan and two manufacturers located in the US. Within each firm, multiple in-depth interviews were conducted with managers responsible for areas that are important to developing medical technologies including R&D, engineering, manufacturing, marketing, logistics and materials management.

Keywords: international technology management; medical diagnostic imaging; health care technology; new product development.

DOI: 10.1504/IJHTM.2000.001070

International Journal of Healthcare Technology and Management, 2000 Vol.2 No.1/2/3/4, pp.218-232

Published online: 30 Jun 2003 *

Full-text access for editors Full-text access for subscribers Purchase this article Comment on this article