Title: Comparative study of product innovation systems

Authors: Takaya Ichimura, Kazuyoshi Ishii, Markku Tuominen, Petteri Piippo

Addresses: Nihon University, 8-24, Kudan Minami 4-chome, Chiyoda-ku, Tokyo 102-8275, Japan. Kanazawa Institute of Technology, Japan. Department of Industrial Engineering and Management, Lappeenranta, University of Technology, P.O. Box 20, 53851 Lappeenranta, Finland. R&D Process Development, R&D Center, Valtra Inc, P.O. Box 557, 40101 Jyvaskyla, Finland

Abstract: Product innovation management, which includes new product development and product improvement, is one of the most important managerial concerns. The establishment of an effective and flexible product innovation system is necessary in every company in order to achieve competitive advantage, but the focal point and process of product development differ with regard to managerial strategy and surrounding conditions. The purpose of this study is to clarify the fundamental activity of product innovation processes and to identify the elemental functions of product development, thus comparing the pattern of development in practical investigations. In order to achieve this goal, we take the common functions of product innovation by extracting them from practical case studies. As a result we compare the cases and discuss the characteristics of a product innovation system.

Keywords: product innovation systems; fusion concept; new product development; product development process.

DOI: 10.1504/IJTM.2003.003121

International Journal of Technology Management, 2003 Vol.25 No.6/7, pp.560-567

Published online: 11 Jul 2003 *

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