Product development:drivers, stakeholders, and customer representation during early development

Abstract The importance of product development in companies has increased, as competition in many industries has turned global and product life cycles have become shorter. Despite the rich literature and the significance of product development in businesses, many organisations still struggle to develop products that meet market and customer needs. Furthermore, product development for a large number of international customers involves various stakeholders with conflicting needs. Thus, product development is increasingly complex to manage. This doctoral dissertation aims to improve the outcome of product development by clarifying the factors that initiate product development in companies, the relations of different external and internal stakeholders to these drivers, and how the needs of key stakeholders are obtained. The study focuses on the early product development phases of new product development (NPD) intensive companies that are based in Finland, but have major international operations and large customer bases. The research was carried out by collecting and analysing data from companies representing product development practices in both business-to-business (B2B) and business-to-consumer (B2C) markets. The experiences of managers across different industries are utilised. This dissertation adopts a qualitative research approach, and surveys and interviews are utilised as the main data collection methods. This dissertation shows that many significant drivers for product development exist in companies. In addition, these drivers differ significantly between projects, companies, and even individuals. Based on the results, companies should clarify their product development drivers and align them among the relevant stakeholders to enhance the decision-making and focus of product development efforts. The study also reveals the relations between different external and internal stakeholders and the product development drivers, and the key stakeholders for the individual drivers. The results indicate that companies should identify the most important stakeholders based on the project drivers and allocate managerial attention appropriately. As expected, the research findings support previous studies by identifying customers as the most important external stakeholders in product development. On the other hand, the significance of product management among internal stakeholders is highlighted in the results. This dissertation indicates that companies should enable product management to lead collaboration with stakeholders close to customers in product development projects. The role of product management involves leading customer definition, representation, and customer needs identification for R&D. However, product management must also collaborate with many customer-related stakeholders in product development efforts. The main implication of this dissertation is a new managerial framework that, if successfully implemented, can significantly enhance product development outcomes by providing appropriate focus on customers and reducing unnecessary complexities through the clarification of the project drivers, the key stakeholders, and customer needs.Tiivistelmä Tuotekehityksen merkitys yrityksille on kasvanut globaalin kilpailun ja tuote-elinkaarien lyhentymisten myötä. Lukuisista tutkimuksista ja tuotekehitystoiminnan tärkeydestä liiketoiminnalle huolimatta useilla organisaatioilla on edelleen haasteita kehittää markkinoiden ja asiakkaiden tarpeita vastaavia tuotteita. Lisäksi tuotekehityksessä isolle, kansainväliselle, asiakaskunnalle on mukana useita erilaisia sidosryhmiä, joiden tarpeet ovat ristiriidassa keskenään. Tämän takia tuotekehityksen johtamisesta on tullut entistä monimutkaisempaa. Tämä väitöskirja pyrkii parantamaan tuotekehityksen tulosta selventämällä tekijät, jotka ovat syynä tuotekehityksen aloittamiseen yrityksissä, erilaisten ulkoisten ja sisäisten sidosryhmien suhteet näihin tuotekehitysajureihin sekä miten tärkeimpien sidosryhmien tarpeet selvitetään. Tutkimus keskittyy tuotekehityksen alkuvaiheisiin Suomessa toimivissa yrityksissä, joilla on voimakas panostus tuotekehitykseen ja lisäksi merkittävää kansainvälistä toimintaa sekä suuri määrä asiakkaita. Tutkimus tehtiin keräämällä ja analysoimalla tietoa yritysten tuotekehityskäytännöistä sekä tuotantohyödykemarkkinoilla että kuluttajamarkkinoilla. Tietoa kerättiin myös eri teollisuudenaloilta. Tämä väitöskirja perustuu laadulliseen tutkimukseen ja tutkimusaineiston keräämisessä on hyödynnetty kyselytutkimuksia sekä haastatteluita. Tämä väitöskirja osoittaa, että yritysten tuotekehitykseen löytyy useita merkittäviä ajureita. Tämän lisäksi nämä ajurit eroavat merkittävästi projektien, yritysten ja jopa yksittäisten henkilöiden välillä. Tulosten perusteella yritysten pitäisi selvittää, mitkä ajurit ovat niiden liiketoiminnan kannalta olennaisimpia ja tarkentaa niitä tuotekehityksen päätöksenteon ja painopisteen parantamiseksi. Tutkimus paljastaa myös ulkoisten ja sisäisten sidosryhmien suhteet tuotekehitysajureihin sekä tärkeimmät sidosryhmät yksittäisille ajureille. Tulokset osoittavat, että yritysten pitäisi tunnistaa tärkeimmät sidosryhmät projektien ajureiden perusteella ja ottaa ajurit huomioon sidosryhmäjohtamisessa. Tutkimuksen löydökset tukevat aikaisempia tutkimuksia osoittaen asiakkaiden olevan tärkein ulkoinen sidosryhmä tuotekehityksessä, kun taas sisäisistä sidosryhmistä nousee esille tuotehallinta. Tämä väitöskirja osoittaa, että yritysten tuotekehitysprojekteissa tuotehallinnan tulisi johtaa asiakkaita lähellä oleviin sidosryhmiin liittyvää sidosryhmäyhteistyötä. Tuotehallinnan tehtäviin kuuluu asiakkaan määrittely, edustus ja asiakastarpeiden tunnistaminen. Tuotehallinnan pitää myös tehdä yhteistyötä useiden asiakkaisiin liittyvien sidosryhmien kanssa tuotekehityksen aikana. Tämä väitöskirja tarjoaa uuden johtamisen viitekehityksen, joka oikein toteutettuna voi parantaa merkittävästi tuotekehityksen lopputulosta. Projektin ajurien, tärkeimpien sidosryhmien ja asiakastarpeiden selventäminen varmistaa oikeanlaisen keskittymisen asiakkaisiin ja vähentää tarpeettomia monimutkaisuuksia tuotekehityksessä

Supplies inventory management in a corporation context:a case study

Abstract Inventories and inventory management are integral in supply chain and logistics activities. This study analyses supplies inventory management in a corporation and the unique challenges in this context. The study is qualitative, and a case study of an organisation’s inventory management practices is conducted. The findings highlight the importance of reliable inventory data, documented inventory management practices and unified inventory management organisation. They also illustrate the issues and development needs in supplies inventory management in a corporation. Despite the single case study generalisability limitations, managers can utilise the findings as a reference for inventory management development projects in corporations

Inventory management in a corporation context

Abstract Inventories and inventory management are integral parts of companies’ supply chain and logistics activities. This study focuses on the elements of efficient inventory management. The study analyses how the corporation environment affects inventory management and the potential challenges in this type of context. The study is based on literature findings. Based on the study’s results, the importance of reliable inventory data, documented inventory management practices and unified inventory management organisation are vital for ensuring a corporation-level efficiency. The study findings can be used as a reference for inventory management development projects in corporations

Analysis of service transfer within the CONNECT transnational innovation network:case Nordic countries

Abstract The CONNECT service transfer analysis reported here is part of BECSI (Business ecosystems and platforms for innovations) project. The aim of the project is to enhance Finnish in- novation systems and innovation policy by analysing world-class innovation environments and ecosystem cases from different levels: Smart cities as innovation platforms, Health and Life Science ecosystems and emerging small business ecosystems. BECSI project is granted by TEKES – the Finnish Funding Agency for Innovation through 2013 innovation research thematic call “Ecosystems, spillovers and new policy approaches”. This report is part of BECSI project’s Work Package 4 (WP4) Health & Life Sciences Eco- system Cases task 4.1: San Diego health and life sciences ecosystem study. The purpose of the WP4 is to study theme-specific “local-global” ecosystems that engage both public and private actors in a wide Public-Private Partnership (PPP)-network and to analyse their growth drivers’ transferability into Finnish context. The research activities included screening case studies, transferability analyses, road-mapping and research exchange. CONNECT was founded in 1985 in San Diego, USA. The organisation has been very suc- cessful in catalysing new innovations in the region. However, there is insufficient knowledge about the transferability of the CONNECT to other business contexts at the international level. To fill this gap, this study first describes the service portfolio of CONNECT in San Diego and global CONNECT activities. Then, the study analyses the results of the CONNECT transfer activities at the Nordic level from Swedish and Norwegian perspectives. By doing so, it is possible to compare the current service portfolio of CONNECT with the service portfolios of the currently active Nordic CONNECT organisations. This is also a good way to see to which services developed by CONNECT have been implemented in the Nordic context and to what extent. As Sweden and Norway are both culturally and geographically close to Finland, it is, to certain extent, possible to reflect the transferability potential of CONNECT to Finland through the experiences in these countries. The results of this study show that Springboard is the only service that has been licensed from San Diego to Sweden and Norway. Other services have mainly been developed by local CONNECT organisations. Despite collaboration between different entities, CONNECT can be considered a relatively loose international network. Tighter collaboration would require dedi- cated leadership and sufficient funding. Finally, geographical distances and cultural differ- ences can also be considered barriers for international collaboration

Lean production development in SMEs:a case study

Abstract The competitiveness of small and medium sized enterprises (SMEs) is vital for the European economy. Also, manufacturing is often the core competence of SMEs. Adopting lean philosophy is a viable and popular approach for developing production and enabling continuous improvement. Despite the increased interest in empirical lean research, the body of knowledge about lean manufacturing development in SMEs is currently insufficient. This paper describes a study of a lean development project in a Finnish-based manufacturing SME. A current state analysis and development proposals are presented. The project applies a framework that other SMEs can utilize in identifying their problem areas and creating development proposals for their production activities. The results of the study contribute to the existing body of knowledge in lean manufacturing. In addition, managers in SMEs can utilize the study results as a reference when designing production development projects

Customer care excellence in the new product development process:a case study

Abstract Excellence in product development can be achieved by integrating various stakeholders’ requirements into a winning offering. After-market services have become increasingly important for companies, as digitalisation enables new business models and revenue streams. The integration of customer care must be performed in the product development (PD) process in the early concepting and development phases in order to ensure an excellent customer experience. The traditional elements of care — spare parts, service tools, and support — must be coupled with new services. Future cutting-edge products demand new self-support, repair, and upgrade capabilities that are enabled by the digitalisation of product-service assets and low-cost distribution platforms. This study aims to increase knowledge on how care capabilities can be created in the PD by analysing the critical care inputs and their effects in the product concepting phase. In addition, the critical care outputs in the case company’s product development process in the main phases are presented

Työhyvinvoinnin yliopistotasoinen opetus:selvitys työtieteiden opetuksen muutostarpeista Oulun yliopistossa:raportti Pohjois-Suomen elinkeinoelämälle tehdystä kysely- ja haastattelututkimuksesta

Tiivistelmä Tämä on raportti työtieteiden opetusta koskevista muutostarpeista Oulun yliopistossa. Selvityksen toteutti Oulun yliopiston kutsuma selvitysmies FT, dosentti Erkki Yrjänheikki. Yliopiston puolesta hanketta valvoi seurantaryhmä, johon kuuluivat professori Jaakko Kujala ja koulutusalajohtaja Jukka Majava. Ensimmäisessä vaiheessa selvitettiin opetusohjelman ja keskustelujen avulla Oulun yliopiston nykyisen työtieteiden opetuksen sisältöä ja laajuutta. Lisäksi selvitettiin lähinnä internet-sivustojen avulla myös muiden yliopistojen ja korkeakoulujen sekä muiden koulutusorganisaatioiden työhyvinvoinnin ja työtieteiden opetuksen luonnetta ja sisältöjä. Varsinainen käytännön elinkeinoelämään kohdennettu selvitys toteutettiin suunnattuna kyselynä ja valittujen työyhteisöjen haastattelujen avulla. Kirjallisena tehtyyn kyselyyn valittiin yhteensä 112 työyhteisöä, jotka edustavat mahdollisimman hyvin Pohjois-Suomen elinkeinoelämän rakenteita ja alueellista edustavuutta eri puolilta Pohjois-Suomea.Abstract This is a report of change needs in work science education at the University of Oulu. The study was carried out by the PhD, Adjunct Professor Erkki Yrjänheikki. The study project steering group included Professor Jaakko Kujala and Head of Undergraduate and Graduate Programs Jukka Majava. In the first phase of the study current work science teaching content and scope at the University of Oulu was clarified. In addition, the nature and content of other work science and well-being at work education at other universities and colleges was studied. The empirical survey was conducted by a mail survey and interviews at selected organisations. The survey was sent to 112 organisations in Northern Finland

Crowdsourcing-based business model for online customer service:a case study

Abstract Crowdsourcing has changed how people work and created new types of business models. Crowdsourcing can be utilised by outsourcing small organisational tasks that are usually performed in-house or building the whole business concept upon an unknown crowd. This paper presents how a literature based framework can be applied to develop an innovative crowdsourcing-based business model in online customer service. The relevant literature on crowdsourcing, business models, and customer services was reviewed. The business model of a start up firm was analysed in the empirical study. The key elements, challenges, and benefits of a crowdsourcing-based online customer service business were defined. The key challenges of the model include service quality, service availability, crowd motivation, client attraction, a balance between the crowd and client numbers, and platform-related challenges. The main advantages of the model include cost-effectiveness, an industry-specific crowd, service availability, competitive service quality, human touch, and a lower price point

Business model evolution of customer care services

Abstract Purpose: Servitization is a rising trend as companies look for new revenue streams. This paper presents a study of customer care business model evolution in the smartphone industry. The paper identifies key changes in the business models during recent years and their implications for companies seeking after-sales service excellence and new revenue sources. Design/methodology/approach: The research approach is built on the literature of product-service offerings, servitization, and business models. The empirical part is based on a multiple case study of former Nokia mobile phone business, the Apple iPhone, and Google Android. Findings: Three different customer care business models and an analysis of the changes in the smartphone industry are presented. This paper demonstrates how after-sales services have become increasingly important in generating new revenue. Moreover, the nature of after-sales services has fundamentally changed in the industry. Research limitations/implications: Due to the careful selection of the cases that represent the studied industry well, the results provide valuable insights for practitioners and researchers involved in developing after-sales service offerings in the mobile industry. However, a case study research approach may not offer a generalized picture of this phenomenon in other industries. Originality/value: A novel analysis of customer care evolution in the smartphone industry is presented. In addition, the study demonstrates that applying the concept of business models to after-sales services provides new insights into these services and their roles in business