Impact of Mental Models on Marketing Core and Technical Core New Product Choice

Business Administratio

Future visioning system for designing and developing new product concepts in the consumer electronics industries

This thesis was submitted for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy and awarded by Brunel University.This thesis discusses development of a future visioning system model that can be adopted to create new product concepts for consumer electronics companies operating in a highly competitive business environment. The research work investigates consumer electronic product companies and their market environment to identify problematic issues and indicates that a proactive new product strategy which opens new markets through developing concept-led products is a strategic priority, thus the concept development stage in new product development process is in need of improvement. An evaluation of existing concept development tools for the purpose of proactive product strategy is presented and concludes that future visioning procedure is the most appropriate tool. To develop a future visioning system model as a concept development tool, the theoretical future visioning system models are analysed and mapped to extract essential structure and contents of future visioning procedure. The consequent future visioning system model is then revised according to the findings and suggestions from the field research work which investigated four major consumer electronics product companies in practice. The findings also validates the necessity of adopting a proactive product strategy and evaluates acceptability of the future visioning system model for practical use. The final future visioning system model is defined after the opinions of the design managers are considered and applied. The major suggestions from the research findings are: (1) Executing proactive product strategy can be a valuable strategic tool (2) A new process is necessary for the companies to create one-step-ahead product (3) Future visioning system is recommended as an advanced approach that creates new product concept. (4) Future visioning system model should consist of eight stages: project initiation, environmental scanning, future visioning, generating product concepts, scenario planning, concept testing, concept visualisation, and finalized concepts. (5) Product concepts can be generated from future vision by applying backcasting. (6) Scenario planning should be used in the future visioning system model as a concept testing tool providing objective validating criteria. (7) Executing a future visioning system model creates new roles for the designer such as information integrator, process moderator, and futurist

Perceived Service Quality, Emphasizing Empathy of Service Providers and Retention of Customers in A Commercial Bank in Bangkok, Thailand

Using emotional intelligence of service providers in the service industry has increasingly been considered as a strategy to satisfy and retain customers (Lynn, 2004). However, the research in this area is scant. This study is the fist to examine and explore the relationship between service quality emphasizing empathy as emotional intelligence competence and customer retention in a commercial bank in Bangkok, Thailand. The specific purposes of this explanatory quantitative study were (a) to describe banking customers of the specific commercial bank headquarters in terms of socio-demographic characteristics, their perceptions of service quality of service providers, and customer retention (behavioral intentions of customers to do business and length of time as a banking customer of the specific commercial bank headquarters), (b) to examine the relationships between socio-demographic characteristics, their perceptions of service provider empathy compared with other service quality dimensions and customer retention (behavioral intentions of customers and length of time as a banking customer of the specific commercial bank headquarters), (c) to examine the influence of customer socio-demographic characteristics and customer perceptions of service provider empathy compared with other service quality dimensions, in explaining customer retention, at the specific bank headquarters (behavioral intentions of customers and length of time as a banking customer of the specific commercial bank headquarters), and (d) to generate implications for emotional intelligence training in customer retention strategies in the specific commercial bank. In this research, service quality was measured by the banking customers\u27 perceptions of service quality of service providers using five dimensions of the SERVQUAL (tangibles, reliability, responsiveness, assurance, and empathy). Retention of customers was measured by banking customers\u27 behavioral intentions using the 9-item and 12-item Modified Behavioral Intentions Battery and length of time banking at the Headquarters bank. Four-hundred respondents participated in data collection. Using systematic sampling, they were approached to complete the survey questionnaire at the entrance located outside the specific commercial bank headquarters. Findings indicated that empathy of service providers, an emotional intelligence factor, was a significant explanatory variable of customer retention. However, the relationship was inverse: the lower the empathic skills of service providers, the more favorable the behavioral intentions of customers to do business with the bank, and in this case this was a significant explanatory variable. Recommendations for future research are discussed

The Role of Inbound Open Innovation Sources on Innovativeness and Advantage of New Products in Small and Medium Sized Enterprises

This Ph.D. thesis provides a quantitative empirical study based on a theoretical model, which deepens and extends previous models by analyzing the different constructs that concur to innovation performance by utilizing various sources of inbound open innovation in SMEs. It empirically investigates the causal relationship of different sources of inbound open innovation and their effects on new product innovativeness and the effect of new product innovativeness on new product advantage in small and medium-sized enterprises in Petroleum and Gas equipment industry in Iran. The theoretical model considers the relationship between different sources of outside-in (Inbound) open innovation collaborating with external partners like customers, competitors, suppliers, universities, research institutions and consultants, and their separate diverse effects on new product innovativeness and measuring new product innovativeness effect on new product advantage of small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) in Petroleum and Gas equipment industry. Furthermore, based on previous studies, this research contributes to the concept of internal R&D capability and firm's innovation performance, this thesis measures the effect of internal R&D expenditures as annual sales percentage on new product innovativeness, which regarded as organizational R&D strengths and intensity in SMEs of Petroleum and Gas equipment industry. In addition, building on previous literature, organizational declarative memory as one of the components of organizational memory, which interacts, with concepts of facts, events, and propositions is considered to measure its effect on new product advantage. Likewise, in order to ensure the robustness of results, several control variables were included in this research. These controls have to be considered as the internal organizational component or external organizational elements. Firm size, technology turbulence, market turbulence, and competition intensity were added as control variables to account for the effects of extraneous factors on new product advantage (NPA). The research method of this study is a survey, causal (Explanatory) and descriptive quantitative research method based on structural equation modeling (SEM). It is based on a quantitative method using partial least square structural equation modeling (PLS-SEM) technique. The survey was done among 150 firms in Petroleum and Gas equipment industry in the Iranian context and the empirical analysis had been done at the firm level. For data collection procedure, the simple random procedure as the sampling method was used between 150 firms in Tehran as the capital region of Iran where the main head offices of these 150 firms are located. 150 SMEs were selected as the target population of this Ph.D. thesis and the dataset was collected from such firms. As the research method is based on partial least square structural equation modeling, (PLS-SEM), the purpose of this research is not only based on predictive approach and forecasting but also to contribute to developing and extending the current existing theory of outside-in (Inbound) open innovation activities in SMEs. This research contributes to theory development of surveying and examining the exploitation of different inbound open innovation sources and their effects on new product innovativeness performance in small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs). The data collection had been done at the firm level, the CEOs, marketing managers, R&D managers, and new product development managers were the respondents to the questionnaire. The results indicate that not all different types of outside-in (Inbound) open innovation sources positively and significantly affected new product innovativeness in SMEs. This is because of this reason that some sources are financial based which SMEs cannot afford to exploit it inside their firms, and SMEs' weaknesses and challenges in innovation practices arise from their size as well. SMEs in general and in Petroleum and Gas equipment industry in particular in this research according to their small scale and size can limit SMEs potential capacity and organizational capability to use all external sources. Furthermore, SMEs suffer from resource limitation or traditional closed innovation models. SMEs prefer to collaborate with sources that can foster and increase their internal organizational and innovation capabilities and capacities based on partnering/collaborating approach, which do not require investment strategies or investing their financial resources in external innovation sources in order to leverage the level of new product innovativeness. They prefer to use a more collaborative approach and partnership with other external innovation sources rather than exploiting sources, which require financial and monetary sources

Strategic Manufacturing Planning Decision Support System

Industrial Engineering and Managemen

Customer satisfaction and loyalty in after sales service : modes of care in telecommunications systems delivery

The study was to gain improved understanding of the forces and factors present in after-sales activities, and the role of these in enhancing or endangering business. The objective was to gain a better understanding of how a supplier could successfully manage its "customer care" activities in the dynamic mobile telecommunications market. After sales business activities in this industry have received little systematic research attention. The study described herein focuses on after sales aspects of business-to-business activities in the mobile telecommunications industry, with the emphasis on sectors that provide service. The method of study primarily relied on the case study approach. Some aspects of qualitative and action research methods were integrated into the formal study process. The study consisted of study and analysis of five in-depth cases. Qualitative and quantitative information and data were collected from each of the persons interviewed in the supplier and customer organisations. The term, "care" is used extensively in the study as a doorway into the world of after sales activities as well as an organising construct for interpreting what was found. The concept of care includes activities related to maintenance and preventive maintenance. It additionally includes services that can link back to help enhance pre-existing capabilities for delivery of products or systems. Processes and measures of customer satisfaction and loyalty provide two critical aspects of the study. The importance of the concept of care and the actions that define it were found to be critically important for a customer's total satisfaction. The importance of the care phase in the total customer process was found to increase as the customer relationship matures. Different services offer different characteristics and challenges, while for many customers, their satisfaction-loyalty relationship with a provider tends to be non-linear. The relation between customer needs, satisfaction, and loyalty, and how these ultimately relate to a providing firm's profitability, were seen to be linked in complex ways. The complexity can be studied in many ways but herein the customer satisfaction-loyalty of each service event was first evaluated separately. Customer satisfaction and loyalty were then related to each other in order to compare the separate and combined characteristics. This provided the reference basis for analysing and forecasting how a customer's behaviour might change relative to their level of satisfaction. While the determinants from these evaluations present evident limitations, they were additionally found to provide a basis for better mapping the more systemic interactions between the many possible kinds of behaviours and levels of satisfaction. The study presents information as to how communication between the supplier and its customers was organised. Based on this, it was hypothesised that, as the relationship between the supplier and customer matures, the interactions become more specialised around specific activities. Managers, on the other hand, were seen to give ever-greater emphasis, in terms of their perceptions, to their arena of activities. For example, the service manager and project manager emphasised certain specific parts of a total project while an account manager would tend to emphasise those aspects most closely related to contact-based relationships. This was seen to allow emphasis on service to be given in terms of modern functional management systems instead of the dynamic reality of the situation. This was seen to present significant challenges to an integration of different perceptions of different yet related functions. This was identified as an area of focus for providing more complete and consistent customer care. This led to the creation of a new conception of the nature of the service manager, which could be extended to the entire supplier company. This work, carried out to implement this idea, illustrates that there is a great, unrealised potential, particularly in the creation of a viable model of after sales customer care able to accommodate the complexity of contemporary business development.reviewe

The role of intellectual capital in organisational value creation: An application of a theoretical model to two case studies

This thesis was submitted for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy and awarded by Brunel University, 17/06/2004.The research in this thesis focuses on the intangible resources of organisations. Intangible resources include an organisation's collective knowledge and learning, leadership talent, the values that shape its culture, routines and processes and the collaborative relationships. These intangible resources are known as intellectual capital (IC) because they support organisational activity along with financial and physical capital. Previous research has classified IC into three principle components of human, organisational and relationship capital and has established a link between IC and organisational value. Recent studies have also emphasised the notion of interrelationships between the three components of intellectual capital in developing capabilities that drive value creation. Yet it is often unclear how the various elements interrelate to one another to generate organisational value. This thesis investigates how IC contributes to organisational value creation. Central to this research is the examination of the mechanisms through which IC factors are integrated within organisations in order to develop capabilities. As innovation is widely agreed to be a determinant of organisational value creation, this research adapted and extended the model of intelligence and innovation proposed by Glynn (1996) to develop a comprehensive theoretical framework for empirically examining the synergistic effects of IC. Building upon four major theoretical streams: resource-based view of the firm, innovation theory, intellectual capital theory and organisational capabilities, this research has elaborated the ideas and constructs presented in the original model and de-contextualised them to an intellectual capital perspective. A qualitative, interpretive approach was applied to two in-depth case studies for investigating the intangible resource-base of two knowledge intensive companies. The results were then expanded to a cross-case context in order to compare and contrast the value creating potential of the IC factors. The findings of this research are presented in the form of a descriptive framework that classifies the characteristics of a value creating process. The purpose of the framework is to provide pointers for identifying IC resources and developing capabilities in a way that provides an organisation with sustainable competitive advantage, and thereby, value

A comparative study of factors affecting product quality and customer needs compliance in the new product development process

To succeed and survive in competitive markets, products need to be of the desired quality. Quality is how well the product, in its entirety, satisfies the needs of the intended customers. With products in industrial markets, there are many different types of customers to satisfy. Research has been published that is of general use to help define the New Product Development (NPD) process and the management of its activities and this was useful as a basis for this research study. However, little previous work is available that details the specific aspect of designing for customer needs compliance. An exploratory investigation, using analysis of selected cases and experience surveys, was undertaken to help direct conceptual work. A conceptual model was developed to help describe the NPD process and customer needs compliance. The hypotheses that guided the main study sought to understand the perceptions which the design team has of the product in terms of different customer needs. They also aimed to determine how information management during NPD may affect the final design and, consequently, the quality of the product. With the objective of drawing conclusions across the four companies involved in the main study, collection methods and data analysis provided quantitative results on what is essentially qualitative types of information. The findings conclude that each of the companies do perceive a difference in the needs of the customers between different product types. However, they also imply that specific types of customers have similar needs, no matter what types of products are involved. With a small set of respondents in each company, no evidence was found to suggest that the different perceptions the people involved in the design and development of the product had could be attributed to the functional, managerial or customer involvement groupings under investigation. However, there was some evidence that customer needs compliance may be affected by the way the company handled its information management during the NPD process

The management of technological innovation in small and medium size firms in Cyprus

This thesis was submitted for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy and awarded by Brunel University.The factors affecting innovation have been largely investigated in the context of industrialized or large developing countries. Innovation is, however, equally important for small developing countries also. It is argued in this thesis that the context of innovation in such small economies is sufficiently different to justify research into the relative potency of factors influencing innovation and the practice of innovation management. These differentiated innovation practices will also have repercussions for the national innovation policy of a small developing country. The present research was conducted in Cyprus, a small developing country. A large number of manufacturing small and medium sized firms (n =140), were surveyed, during 1995, via a questionnaire administered during personal interviews with the firms' owners or managers. The survey was complemented with more extensive case studies of a subset (n = 25) of the survey sample of firms. A research model based on the antecedents approach was used in the survey research and the data were subjected to various statistical analyses including multivariate techniques. The results indicate that the SME owner/manager plays a central role in innovation, influencing directly and indirectly the main variables affecting innovation. From the multivariate analysis these factors include: strategy, expenditure on R&D, cooperation with external technology providers, use of technological information sources and overall performance of the firm. The case material supports in general these findings and also emphasizes the importance of government policies for innovation. The importance of networking for innovation was partially confirmed, in terms of the cooperation with technology and information providers. However contrary to expectations and literature claims, horizontal networking (cooperation within the sector) was not found important for innovation. Based on these results a number of practical suggestions are offered to both industrial managers and policy makers. It is believed that these suggestions are relevant, not only for Cyprus, but also for other small developing countries