Measuring new product and service portfolio advantage

The current study introduces the concept of new product and service portfolio (NPSP) advantage by creating and validating a three-dimensional measurement method that reflects novelty, meaningfulness and superiority – the three characteristics of NPSP advantage. Based on industry-wide homogeneous generalizable quantitative data from 108 manufacturing companies, the results indicate that these three characteristics of NPSP – novelty, meaningfulness and superiority – are distinct characteristics that together constitute NPSP advantage. This paper contributes to the literature on new product development, as its findings suggest that when measuring the concept of NPSP advantage, the three-dimensional construct that includes the three aforementioned characteristics has a better fit to the data than the unidimensional structure. Because it considers both new products and services, the current study offers an integrated approach to measure the desired innovation process outcome (NPSP advantage). In this way, this paper bridges the research on new product development with that on new service development.fi=vertaisarvioitu|en=peerReviewed

Success factors for service innovation: a meta-analysis

Service sectors form a considerable part of the world economy. Contrary to the logical assumption that service innovation research should represent a significant share of all innovation research, the vast majority of innovation studies focus on products as opposed to services. This research presents a meta-analysis of the antecedents of service innovation performance conducted on 92 independent samples obtained from 114 articles published between 1989 and 2015. This research contributes to our understanding of service innovation in three major ways. First, this is the first meta-analysis that specifically assesses the relative importance of antecedents of service innovation performance, while also pinpointing the differences in meta-analytic findings between antecedents of service and product innovation performance. Whilst there are some universal success factors that transcend the boundaries between services and products, the presence of marked differences implies that it would be wrong to treat the development of new services and new products as the same. Second, the meta-analysis demonstrates that the antecedents of service innovation performance are contingent on the sector context (i.e., explicit versus tacit services). Comparing results between products and services, and between tacit and explicit services, there appears to be a continuum where explicit services sit interstitial between tacit services on one side and products on the other. Third, the meta-analysis compares and contrasts the antecedents of two dimensions of service innovation performance (i.e., commercial success and strategic competitive advantage). Previous meta-analyses treated these two dependent variables collectively, which falls short of identifying issues that may affect management decisions when faced with different objectives. Additionally, this research investigates the effect of several other moderators (i.e., culture, unit of analysis, journal quality, and year of publication) on the relationships between the antecedents and service innovation performance. The results are discussed in relation to their implications for research and managerial practice

Unfolding the recipes for conflict resolution during the new service development effort

The management of conflicts that emerge during new service development (NSD) has escaped the attention of scholars. Yet differing conflict management styles (CMS) of team members and dynamics within the team create a complex managerial challenge. Additionally, the broader literature on conflict resolution shows contradictory findings preventing a clear roadmap for practitioner use when such conflicts emerge. This study draws on complexity theory and employs fuzzy set Qualitative Comparative Analysis, drawing on data from 543 members of 116 NSD projects, to unravel conflict resolution recipes. The results reveal, in detail, the variety of causal patterns that explain the linkages between individual CMS, the dynamics of the team and two critical conflict characteristics; conflict intensity and frequency. Implications for theory and practice are identified and discussed

Multi-factor service design: identification and consideration of multiple factors of the service in its design process

Service design is a multidisciplinary area that helps innovate services by bringing new ideas to customers through a design-thinking approach. Services are affected by multiple factors, which should be considered in designing services. In this paper, we propose the multi-factor service design (MFSD) method, which helps consider the multi-factor nature of service in the service design process. The MFSD method has been developed through and used in five service design studies with industry and government. The method addresses the multi-factor nature of service for systematic service design by providing the following guidelines: (1) identify key factors that affect the customer value creation of the service in question (in short, value creation factors), (2) define the design space of the service based on the value creation factors, and (3) design services and represent them based on the factors. We provide real stories and examples from the five service design studies to illustrate the MFSD method and demonstrate its utility. This study will contribute to the design of modern complex services that are affected by varied factors

Information and communication technologies’ adoption : scenarios for success and failure

Building on existing literature, this study identifies four different ICT adoption scenarios or conditions based on ICT adoption initiators, ICT adoption motivations, ICT characteristics, organizational environment, and competitive environment and ICT adoption outcome

Macedonian type built vaulted tombs and rock cut chamber tombs of the hellenistic era in ancient Thessaly (north Fthiotida and Thessaly)

The object of this study is the "Macedonian type" built vaulted tombs and rock cut chamber tombs of the Hellenistic era in ancient Thessaly (north Fthiotida and Thessaly). An attempt is made to examine the architectural form of the "Macedonian type" built vaulted tombs and rock cut chamber tombs of the Hellenistic era, that have been excavated in northern Fthiotida and Thessaly, compared to those found in Macedonia and other parts of Greece. At the same time, it is examined how were the relations of the areas in which the tombs have been found, with the Macedonians and their influence over the Hellenistic period. This period is characterized as of flourishing Macedonian domination. The approach is synthetic, based on ancient sources, existing posts and tomb data. The material on which the study is based, derives mainly from archaeological excavations, on the occasion of excavating foundations for the erection of buildings or on the occasion of illegal excavations, and old posts concerning graves and their burial offerings. The main purpose of this study is to fill the gap that exists to this day in the overall presentation and view of Macedonian-style tombs and especially of rock cut chamber tombs in ancient Thessaly. In the present study, a reference is firstly made (in chapter A) to the history of research of Macedonian type ancient tombs with the citation of the main publications concerning the tombs included therein. In order to show that the geographical distribution of Macedonian tombs in various regions of ancient Thessaly coincides with the Macedonian presence in them, the main historical events are examined. These events are directly related to Thessaloniki-Macedonian relations from the classical period to the Roman conquest of areas where the tombs were found. Data based on ancient sources, epigraphic data and publications prove the interactions between Thessaly and Macedonia (Chapter B). The deep historic involvement of these two regions was found, as well as their close and continuous involvement. Ιnfluence and imitation currents were created and directed on both sides of Mount Olympus. Spercheios valley where most of the tombs were found, is the southern border of Thessaly. This valley separates Thessaly from central Greece. Due to its location and morphology it was an intermediate passage between north and south, and a natural passage for the movement of armies, goods, ideas and cultural currents. In chapter 3 the description of hundred and one (101) tombs of Macedonian type took place. Thirteen (13) built vaulted tombs and eighty eight (88) rock cut chamber tombs were described in detail. Unfortunately, the desecration of graves and the re-shaping of their interiors resulted in the disappearance of precious burial offerings, the destruction of many data and the loss of the ability to categorize the tombs. After the study of the literature concerning these tombs, the necessary information was collected, and the publications for each one of the tombs was recorded. In some cases, there is a description of indicative burial offerings, that were dated with bibliographic documentation, in order to determine as accurately as possible the time of tomb construction and how these tombs were used. In Chapter D the typology of Macedonian type built vaulted tombs and rock cut chamber tombs that were excavated in northern Fthiotida and Thessaly was examined. An emphasis was given to their architectonic features, compared to those that were found in Macedonia and other areas in Greek territory. Built vaulted tombs were found to have all the main features of the Macedonian built vaulted group, as well as some of the architectonic special features of the Macedonian built vaulted tombs of Sterea Hellas. These tombs are a smaller and more negligent provincial imitation of similar monuments found in Macedonia and are not characterized by the brilliance of their rich counterparts. The built vaulted tombs of ancient Thessaly have a simpler design than their Macedonian counterparts, the burial chamber is smaller in size, without an anteroom and with a smaller entrance opening. Their facade lacks architectural decoration and painting, and no luxurious furnishings were found inside. The rock cut chamber tombs were found to have all the basic features of the group of Macedonian rock cut chamber tombs. Their facades were simple, carved in natural rock, and no attempt was made to form in a particular way their architectural design as well as their written decoration. Most of the rock cut chamber tombs have a chamber with a rectangular trench and around it a carved P-shaped burial board. In northern Greece, the Macedonian type built vaulted tombs were intended for royal family members, officials and nobles. In ancient Thessaly tombs were found desecerated, and it cannot be demonstrated that they contained dead Macedonians’ bodies. Studying the tombs’ architecture does not allow us to ensure that the dead were of Macedonian origin or that they were Macedonian officials or affiliated with them, as no inscriptions were found on them. For all these reasons, it was attempted to examine whether these tombs were situated in territories subordinate to Macedonian hegemony or within its sphere of influence (Chapter E).Αντικείμενο της μελέτης αποτελούν οι μακεδονικού τύπου κτιστοί καμαροσκεπείς και λαξευτοί θαλαμωτοί τάφοι της ελληνιστικής εποχής στην αρχαία Θεσσαλία (Βόρεια Φθιώτιδα και Θεσσαλία). Επιχειρείται η εξέταση της αρχιτεκτονικής μορφής των «μακεδονικού τύπου» κτιστών καμαροσκεπών και λαξευτών θαλαμωτών τάφων της ελληνιστικής εποχής οι οποίοι έχουν ανασκαφεί στη βόρεια Φθιώτιδα και τη Θεσσαλία, σε σχέση με αυτούς που έχουν βρεθεί στη Μακεδονία και σε άλλες περιοχές της Ελλάδας. Παράλληλα, εξετάζονται οι σχέσεις των περιοχών, στις οποίες έχουν βρεθεί οι τάφοι, με τους Μακεδόνες και η μακεδονική επιρροή σ' αυτές κατά την ελληνιστική περίοδο, εποχή άνθησης της μακεδονικής κυριαρχίας. Η προσέγγιση είναι συνθετική, με βάση τις αρχαίες πηγές, τις υπάρχουσες μέχρι σήμερα δημοσιεύσεις και τα δεδομένα των τάφων. Το υλικό στο οποίο βασίζεται η μελέτη, προέρχεται κυρίως από τις σωστικές ανασκαφικές έρευνες, με την ευκαιρία των εκσκαφών θεμελίων για την ανέγερση οικοδομών ή παράνομων εκσκαφών και από παλαιές δημοσιεύσεις, οι οποίες αφορούν στους τάφους και στα κτερίσματά τους. Βασικός στόχος είναι η κάλυψη του κενού το οποίο υπάρχει έως σήμερα στη συνολική παρουσίαση και θεώρηση των τάφων μακεδονικού τύπου και κυρίως των λαξευτών θαλαμωτών τάφων στην αρχαία Θεσσαλία. Στην παρούσα μελέτη έγινε αρχικά (κεφ. Α) αναφορά στην ιστορία της έρευνας των μακεδονικού τύπου τάφων της Αρχαίας Θεσσαλίας με την παράθεση των κύριων δημοσιευμάτων που αφορούν τους τάφους που περιλαμβάνονται σε αυτήν. Προκειμένου να αποδειχτεί ότι η γεωγραφική διασπορά των τάφων μακεδονικού τύπου σε διάφορες περιοχές της αρχαίας Θεσσαλίας συμπίπτει με την μακεδονική παρουσία σε αυτές, εξετάστηκαν τα κυριότερα ιστορικά γεγονότα που σχετίζονται άμεσα με τις θεσσαλο- μακεδονικές σχέσεις από την κλασική περίοδο έως την ρωμαϊκή κατάκτηση των περιοχών στις οποίες έχουν βρεθεί οι τάφοι. Αναφέρθηκαν στοιχεία βασισμένα σε αρχαίες πηγές, επιγραφικά δεδομένα και δημοσιεύσεις που μαρτυρούν τις αλληλεπιδράσεις Θεσσαλίας και Μακεδονίας (κεφ. Β). Διαπιστώθηκε η βαθιά ιστορική εμπλοκή τους και ότι η στενή και συνεχής επαφή την οποία είχαν μεταξύ τους οι δύο περιοχές, δημιούργησε ρεύματα επιρροής και μίμησης, τα οποία κατευθύνονταν και στις δύο πλευρές του Ολύμπου. Η κοιλάδα του Σπερχειού, όπου βρέθηκε η πλειονότητα των τάφων, χωρίζει τη Θεσσαλία, της οποίας αποτελεί το νότιο όριο, από την κεντρική Ελλάδα. Λόγω της θέσης και της μορφολογίας της αποτέλεσε ενδιάμεσο μεταξύ βορρά και νότου και φυσικό πέρασμα για τη διακίνηση στρατών, αγαθών, ιδεών και πολιτιστικών ρευμάτων. Στη συνέχεια έγινε αναλυτική περιγραφή των εκατόν ενός (101) τάφων μακεδονικού τύπου, δεκατριών (13) κτιστών καμαροσκεπών και ογδόντα οκτώ (88) λαξευτών θαλαμωτών (κεφ. Γ). Δυστυχώς, η σύληση των τάφων και η αναμόχλευση του εσωτερικού τους είχαν σαν αποτέλεσμα εκτός από την εξαφάνιση των πολυτιμότερων κτερισμάτων, την καταστροφή πολλών στοιχείων και την απώλεια της δυνατότητας του διαχωρισμού των ταφών. Συγκεντρώθηκαν οι πληροφορίες οι οποίες προέκυψαν από την μελέτη της βιβλιογραφίας των τάφων και καταγράφηκαν τα δημοσιεύματα για τον καθένα. Περιγράφηκαν, όπου ήταν εφικτό, ενδεικτικά κτερίσματα από αυτούς, τα οποία χρονολογήθηκαν με βιβλιογραφική τεκμηρίωση, ώστε να προσδιοριστεί με όσο το δυνατόν μεγαλύτερη ακρίβεια ο χρόνος κατασκευής και χρήσης των τάφων στους οποίους ανήκαν. Ακολούθως, εξετάστηκε η τυπολογία των κτιστών καμαροσκεπών και λαξευτών θαλαμωτών μακεδονικού τύπου τάφων της ελληνιστικής εποχής που έχουν ανασκαφεί στη βόρεια Φθιώτιδα και τη Θεσσαλία και δόθηκε έμφαση στα αρχιτεκτονικά τους στοιχεία, συγκριτικά με αυτούς οι οποίοι έχουν βρεθεί στη Μακεδονία και σε άλλες περιοχές του ελλαδικού χώρου (κεφ. Δ). Για τους καμαροσκεπείς κτιστούς διαπιστώθηκε ότι παρουσιάζουν όλα τα βασικά χαρακτηριστικά της ομάδας των κτιστών καμαροσκεπών μακεδονικού τύπου τάφων της Μακεδονίας αλλά και κάποια από τα ιδιαίτερα χαρακτηριστικά της αρχιτεκτονικής των κτιστών, καμαροσκεπών, μακεδονικού τύπου τάφων της Στερεάς Ελλάδας. Αποτελούν μικρότερη και αμελέστερη επαρχιακή μίμηση των ανάλογων μνημείων στη Μακεδονία και υπολείπονται σε λαμπρότητα των πλούσιων ομολόγων τους. Οι καμαροσκεπείς κτιστοί τάφοι της αρχαίας Θεσσαλίας σε σύγκριση με τους αντίστοιχους της Μακεδονίας έχουν απλούστερο σχέδιο, ο ταφικός θάλαμος είναι μικρότερων διαστάσεων, χωρίς προθάλαμο, με μικρότερο άνοιγμα εισόδου. Από την πρόσοψή τους απουσιάζει ο αρχιτεκτονικός διάκοσμος και η ζωγραφική διακόσμηση και στο εσωτερικό τους δεν διαπιστώθηκε η ύπαρξη πολυτελούς επίπλωσης. Για τους λαξευτούς θαλαμωτούς διαπιστώθηκε ότι παρουσιάζουν όλα τα βασικά χαρακτηριστικά της ομάδας των λαξευτών θαλαμωτών μακεδονικού τύπου τάφων της Μακεδονίας. Οι προσόψεις τους ήταν απλές, λαξευμένες στο φυσικό βράχο, ενώ δεν διαπιστώθηκε προσπάθεια ιδιαίτερης αρχιτεκτονικής διαμόρφωσης και γραπτής διακόσμησής τους. Οι περισσότεροι λαξευτοί θαλαμωτοί τάφοι διαθέτουν θάλαμο με ορθογώνιο όρυγμα και γύρω από αυτό λαξευμένο Π-σχημο ταφικό θρανίο. Στη βόρεια Ελλάδα οι κτιστοί καμαροσκεπείς τάφοι μακεδονικού τύπου προορίζονταν για τα μέλη της βασιλικής οικογένειας, τους αξιωματούχους και τους ευγενείς. Στην αρχαία Θεσσαλία οι τάφοι βρέθηκαν συλημένοι και δεν μπορεί να τεκμηριωθεί ότι αυτοί περιείχαν τα σώματα νεκρών Μακεδόνων. Η μελέτη της αρχιτεκτονικής τους δεν επιτρέπει να βεβαιωθεί το αν οι ένοικοι των τάφων κατάγονταν από την Μακεδονία ή ότι ήταν αξιωματούχοι Μακεδόνες ή ότι συνδέονταν με αυτούς, καθώς δεν βρέθηκε σε αυτούς κανένα επιγραφικό στοιχείο. Γι’ αυτούς τους λόγους, επιχειρήθηκε να εξεταστεί κατά πόσο αυτοί οι τάφοι χωροθετούνταν σε εδάφη υποταγμένα στη μακεδονική ηγεμονία ή βρισκόμενα στην σφαίρα επιρροής της (κεφ. Ε)

Service elimination decision-making and the product life cycle model : project servdrop

This paper looks at project servdrop and service elimination decision-making and the product life cycle mode

The service elimination decision-making during the service life cycle : some pilot empirical evidence

The paper aims to offer a preliminary insight into the issue of whether service providers eliminate their offerings in various stages of their life cycle, and if so, whether elimination decision-making differs depending on the service's life cycle stage. Data were secured by means of a structured questionnaire which was completed through personal interviews. Respondents answered all questions having a recently eliminated service in mind. The initial calls and follow-up efforts generated 164 usable responses (49.8 per cent response rate). A service may be eliminated from a service provider's portfolio in any stage of its life cycle. Further, in terms of precipitating circumstances, evaluation factors and elimination strategies, the service elimination process differs depending on the stage of the service life cycle that the elimination decision is taken. The most important implication is service providers eliminate services not only as a response to a crisis possibly caused by drops of sales volume, but also for other reasons. In this respect, service portfolio rationalization and particularly service elimination may result as a consequence of strategic management decisions taken for positive (e.g. development of a new service) or negative (e.g. competitive actions) reasons. Within this framework, the service life cycle (SLC) model, as a strategic tool for analysis and decision-making, may well serve to guide the rationalization process. The research questions of the study have been examined for tangible products, but this is the first relevant study that is conducted in a service context

An empirically based typology of product innovativeness for new financial services : success and failure scenarios

During the last decade, an increasing number of studies have been concerned with the factors that lead to new service success. Quite a few studies, however, have examined the role of product innovativeness in new service development and performance. The present article aims to test empirically a widespread, yet under-researched argument, according to which, different innovative types may be associated with different development patterns and performance outcomes. On the basis of a detailed literature review we designed the conceptual framework for the present study. More specifically, we propose that the performance outcome of a new service is the result of the development process followed, which, in turn, is influenced by the innovativeness of the new service. The development process is examined through three blocks of variables, namely new service development activities (i.e., the "what" component), process formality (i.e., the "how" component) and cross-functional involvement (i.e., the "who" component). Performance is viewed in relation to both financial and non-financial outcomes. The different dimensions of innovativeness form the basis of our classification scheme. To collect the data, we followed the "dropping off" method. That is, we handed in self-administered questionnaires to participants and, a picking-up appointment was set. Respondents were NSD project leaders who were asked to select two financial services, one successful and one unsuccessful, that they had developed within the last three years and reply to all questions relating to the development and launching of these services. Overall, 84 financial companies participated in the study, providing data for 132 new financial services (80 successes and 52 failures) developed and marketed in Greece. Data analysis revealed that six distinct service innovativeness types exist. They can be represented in the form of a continuum depending on the degree of innovativeness that characterizes each type. At the most innovative extreme of the continuum we find the new-to-the-market services followed by new-to-the-company services, new delivery processes, service modifications, service line extensions, while at the least innovative end service repositionings are placed. These six types are found to be associated with different development patterns in terms of activities, formality and cross-functional involvement as well as performance outcomes. Interestingly enough, our data suggest an almost inverted U-shaped relationship between the degree of innovativeness of a new financial service and financial performance. On the other hand, the major service innovations make the strongest contribution on non-financial performance, while "me-too" offerings are the least successful ones. The study has a number of research contributions as well as implications for managers involved in new service development in the financial services industry. The conceptualization of the continuum of innovativeness helps disclosing the critical points of the NSD process and its structuring which, depending of the type of new service and the degree of innovativeness that characterizes it, ensures that the management's objectives regarding the performance of the new service are attained