...Product Development at DELL Since its founding in 1984, Dell corporation had enjoyed tremendous success in the desktop computer industry. Their strategy was to eliminate the middleman by directly servicing the customers through mail orders . Dell grew from obscurity to a fortune 500 company in 1992, making its founder Michael Dell one of the youngest highly successful entrepreneurs of his time. At the core of Dell’s business model was Spartanism which inspired informality in processes and low R&D costs allocation. This worked with their desktop business and their imitators such as Gateway 2000 and CompuAdd were always playing the catching-up game. However moving ahead this philosophy, their foray in to the portable computer business was not as successful. This was an industry that revolved around several technological breakthroughs and required higher workmanship & quality control to manufacture products. Here, Dell fell short of delivering quality portable computers. Their brand suffered a major setback when their first line of portables were reported to have technical problems and about 17,000 units had to be recalled just one day before the launch. Soon after, Dell’s percentage sales in portable computers went to 2% from 17%, and their stock plunged by $7 in a single day. The portable computer industry was growing fast [Exhibit 1] and was deemed to spark a new wave of consumer demand. The major problems staring Dell in face were regarding quality and management...
Words: 1668 - Pages: 7
...Anjana RAMAn, KATHAN SHAH, SURAJ SHESHADRI, Pooja Soman subject: managing the new PRODUCT DEVELOPMENT process ------------------------------------------------- date: 11/19/2013 Introduction Frog is a global design firm located around the world. They specialize in designing of products and work with clients in a range of industries including retail, entertainment, finance, medical and fashion. They have a very strong client list including Dell, GE, HP, Microsoft and Yahoo. The company is well known for its techno hip style and creating products with an aesthetic appeal. Frog is engaged in three kinds of activities; Evolving i.e. reinvigorating a company's existing asset, Expanding i.e. identifying new products and services for existing and new markets and lastly, Envision i.e. rethinking of the brand. Frog offers a multidisciplinary team for any project including visual designers, business strategists, mechanical and software engineers. Their process is organized in three phases: discover, design and deliver. The problem We have identified few problems. Firstly, frog relies heavily on the potential consumers for design suggestions. It was observed that the consumers are constrained to suggest for modification of the potential product that were more elaborate and detailed models. This can lead to incorrect conclusion of the usability of the products and in turn lead to product failure and loss of functionality and value. Also, frog design emphasizes rudimentary...
Words: 370 - Pages: 2
...Suppose that a severe typhoon damages the infrastructure (power lines and bridges) in Hong Kong and Guang Zhou, and makes it useless for three months. What actions can Cisco take to satisfy customer needs for routers? Organize your thoughts/discussion/proposed plan in 2-3 items so that it can be briefly presented to executives in an executive summary. Answer Part C(Imp) 1. What are the challenges and risks faced by technology companies in new product introduction? Answer 2. What were the risks and benefits of using Chinese contract manufacturing from the start? Answer 3. In selecting Foxconn and expanding its role in the supply chain, what were the potential risks and values to Cisco? Answer 4. What should Cisco do to mitigate these risks and ensure successful development and launch of the Viking router? Answer Part D Summary, a significant new information about the case and below question 1. Make a list of types of Cisco product families. For example, router is a product family and ASR 9000 is a product in that family. What is the difference between a router and a switch? Answer 2. What do overlapping circles...
Words: 565 - Pages: 3
...Interacting between logistics and new product development to achieve company market success. Evidence from Business Aviation Industry: Piaggio aero Company case study. Mario Mustilli and Filomena Izzo; School of Management & Economics, Seconda Università degli Studi di Napoli, Capua (CE), Italy; mario.mustilli@unina2.it, filomena.izzo@unina2.it. Abstract Our paper analyses the interacting between logistics and new product development (NPD) to achieve company market success in the Business Aviation industry. The empirical analysis focused on Italian case study: Piaggio Aero Company. We adopted both qualitative and quantitative data. We found: 1) higher levels of logistics involvement has greater NPD project performance; 2) higher levels of logistics involvement has greater NPD logistics performance; 3) higher levels of NPD logistics performance have higher levels of NPD project performance. Empirical research showed that having technology distinctive competence and innovative product are not sufficient to achieve market success in an industry with high barrier to entry as one that BA; logistics, production, marketing, and NPD must work together co-operatively as unified processes for customer satisfaction and firm success. * Written by Filomena Izzo ** Written by Mario Mustilli & Filomena Izzo INTRODUCTION** Customer closeness necessitate that everyone in the firm have the customer firmly in mind when exercising their functional capabilities. At...
Words: 4452 - Pages: 18
...achieving and sustaining a competitive advantage in its chosen environment. This report focuses on the process of setting business level-strategy, which includes (1) selecting the domain(s) in which the firm will be competing for scarce resources (e.g., capital, personnel, technology, inputs and customers) and (2) positioning the firm in each chosen domain so that its function-based core competencies are most effectively leveraged to establish a competitive advantage. The overall goal of business-level strategy is to protect the firm’s position in its current domain and, if possible, enlarge the domain in which the firm can operate with a competitive advantage. I. Overview Senior executives and managers involved in the development and implementation of business-level strategies are tasked with identifying the core competencies within the various functional departments of the company and combining them in a way that provides the company with the best opportunity for achieving and sustaining a competitive advantage in its chosen environment. The key choices that must be made when setting business-level strategy include: (1) selecting the domain(s) in which the company will be competing for scarce resources (e.g., capital, personnel, technology, inputs and customers) and (2) positioning the company in each chosen domain so that its function-based core competencies are most effectively leveraged to establish a competitive advantage. The overall goal of business-level...
Words: 5116 - Pages: 21
...Technological Forecasting & Social Change Intellectual capital and new product development performance: The mediating role of organizational learning capability Ya-Hui Hsu a,⁎, Wenchang Fang b,1 a b Department of Business Administration, Ming Chuan University, 11F, No.318, Fuhe Rd., Yonghe City, Taipei 234, Taiwan Department of Business Administration, National Taipei University, 69, Sec 2, Jian-Kuo N. Rd, Taipei 104, Taiwan a r t i c l e i n f o a b s t r a c t Previous studies rarely examined the relationship between intellectual capital and organizational learning capability. Moreover, most studies neglect the mediating effect of organizational learning capability in the relationship between intellectual capital and new product development performance. This study uses interviews and the survey method to discuss the relationships governing intellectual capital, organizational learning capability, and new product development performance. Results are based on empirical data from Taiwan's IC design industry, and are generated by the Partial Least Squares (PLS) method. Results show that human capital and relational capital actually improve new product development performance through organizational learning capability. Although structural capital positively affects organizational learning capability, managers should pay attention to possibly negative effects of structural capital on new product development performance. Relational capital is the greatest factor among these...
Words: 11227 - Pages: 45
...THE PDMA HANDBOOK OF NEW PRODUCT DEVELOPMENT T HIRD E DITION Kenneth B. Kahn, Editor Associate Editors: Sally Evans Kay Rebecca J. Slotegraaf Steve Uban JOHN WILEY & SONS, INC. Cover image: © Les Cunliffe/iStockphoto Cover design: Elizabeth Brooks This book is printed on acid-free paper. Copyright © 2013 by John Wiley & Sons, Inc. All rights reserved Published by John Wiley & Sons, Inc., Hoboken, New Jersey Published simultaneously in Canada No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, scanning, or otherwise, except as permitted under Section 107 or 108 of the 1976 United States Copyright Act, without either the prior written permission of the Publisher, or authorization through payment of the appropriate per-copy fee to the Copyright Clearance Center, 222 Rosewood Drive, Danvers, MA 01923, (978) 750-8400, fax (978) 646-8600, or on the web at www.copyright.com. Requests to the Publisher for permission should be addressed to the Permissions Department, John Wiley & Sons, Inc., 111 River Street, Hoboken, NJ 07030, (201) 748-6011, fax (201) 7486008, or online at www.wiley.com/go/permissions. Limit of Liability/Disclaimer of Warranty: While the publisher and author have used their best efforts in preparing this book, they make no representations or warranties with the respect to the accuracy or completeness of the contents of...
Words: 165678 - Pages: 663
...high-powered group that included the CEO, to discuss an important product program. Within this 80-year-old company, based in rural Jutland where local people might still consider you an outsider after 30 years, Sorensen would be very much the newcomer. Despite that, he would try to convince the others to adjust the firm’s successful design process—to change a winning game. In April 2006, Bang & Olufsen (B&O) sold a range of televisions, audio systems, loudspeakers, telephones, and other products (see Exhibit 1) in more than 60 countries. The company had a worldwide reputation for idea-based products of high quality and artistic design, many of which held places of honor in the permanent collections of the world’s greatest art museums. (According to a citation at the Museum of Modern Art in New York, B&O had “delivered the largest and most consistent design portfolio among the world’s industrial companies.”3) This level of accomplishment translated into high price points (see Exhibit 2) and profit margins, realized through an exclusive network of dealers, from devoted and discerning customers. To create products with appearance and functionality that made them instantly recognizable, the company had evolved unique design and development processes. B&O gave designers free reign to create new products that would challenge engineers to find a way to manufacture them. New ideas, materials, and technologies made their way into B&O products only if designers put...
Words: 11881 - Pages: 48
...SYSTEMS, INC.: COLLABORATING ON NEW PRODUCT INTRODUCTION On November 13, 2007, more than 100 employees of Cisco Systems, Inc. assembled in classic Cisco fashion: they dialed in from multiple locations around the world for an important meeting. The purpose of the gathering was to get the green light from senior management to manufacture a new high-end router that would make the giant networking company more competitive in an age of surging Internet traffic.1 The project’s code name, Viking, said it all. The router for broadband service providers would break ground in power and speed, reminiscent of the Norse warriors and explorers of Europe during the eighth to eleventh centuries. The meeting represented a culmination of several years of development work by a cross-functional, global team of Cisco specialists in engineering, manufacturing, marketing and other areas. Just months earlier, in mid-2007, Cisco overhauled the project by sharply boosting the router’s speed and capacity. This would allow the company to leapfrog competitors and offer a low-cost, powerful new router platform for the next 10 to 15 years. That day in November, the Viking team was seeking an “execution commit” from senior management in manufacturing. If it got the go-ahead, Cisco would be ready to commit the resources to launch the new product. But the Cisco team knew it faced many challenges. The Viking project would be one of the company’s most complex new product introductions ever. First, even...
Words: 12040 - Pages: 49
...Unifine Richardson …………………………………………………….. C-59 eBags: Managing Growth ……………………………………………… C-60 Merriwell Bag Company ……………………………………………….. C-69 Lawn King, Inc. ………………………………………………………… C-74 World Industrial Abrasives ……………………………………………... C-84 Inventory Consolidated Electric …………………………………………………... C-88 Southern Toro Distributor, Inc. ………………………………………… C-93 ToysPlus, Inc. …………………………………………………………... C-99 SHIPPER MANUFACTURING COMPANY Teaching Notes Synopsis and Purpose Shipper Manufacturing Company is a manufacturer of electrical products, laminated materials, and specialty products. The Advanced Products Division (APD), which manufactures the specialty products, has reformulated its corporate strategy. As a result, its manufacturing strategy should also be revised. In the past, APD has manufactured custom products in low volume for its customers. The division plans to gradually add higher volume products for multiple customers. As a...
Words: 33168 - Pages: 133
...LEAD USER PROJECT HANDBOOK: A practical guide for lead user project teams INDUSTRIAL PRODUCTS AND SERVICES CONSUMER PRODUCTS AND SERVICES PROFESSIONAL PRODUCTS AND SERVICES Joan Churchill • Eric von Hippel • Mary Sonnack PREFACE When Joan Churchill, Mary Sonnack and I were doing lead user projects for our research in the 1990’s, we needed some standardized training materials for lead user project teams. We therefore wrote this handbook, and progressively revised it based upon field experience. Our final revisions were made in 1998. Then, our manuscript just sat there, as we all went on to other work. It is now 2009, and researchers and practitioners have learned a great deal more than we knew in 1998 about lead users, and how to run lead user projects. In a year or two, we expect that completely new handbooks will supersede this one. In particular, we are eagerly looking forward to one now being planned by Professors Christoph Hienerth and Marion Poetz of Copenhagen Business School. Still, while we are waiting for newer materials, we think that lead user teams, consultants, and teachers may well find something of value in what we wrote 10 years ago. Accordingly we are posting this book on the Web under a Creative Commons license that permits free downloading. It can be used in conjunction with 6 short lead user project training videos developed by Joan Churchill. These are also available on the Web for free downloading from http://mit.edu/evhippel/www/index...
Words: 53514 - Pages: 215
...Article Overview: The persistent success of technology based companies depends on their proficiency in creating next generation products and their derivatives. They found that most of the companies were unable to complete such projects on schedule. The companies also had difficulty developing the derivative products needed to fill the gaps in the market that their next-generation products would create. The root cause problem was in the product definition phase and not spontaneously; all the successful companies have learned how to handle the technical and marketplace uncertainties in their product definition processes. Paper describes the actions of companies used as best practices which can improve the definition phase of any company's product-development process. They have grouped the techniques into three categories and carefully lay out the steps that companies need to take as they work through each stage. They can help companies capture new markets without major delays and tools used by managers facing the uncertainty that goes with developing products for a global marketplace. The product strategy being first step to create a clear map of company’s product stream for next 2 years. The challenge is to keep no holes for competitors to exploit opportunities. This step defines the product streams to include both products and their derivatives and it may not be final and can be revised at various miles stones in future. The second step to develop project organization which...
Words: 1205 - Pages: 5
...Strategic Management Seminar Work Topic: “Classification of Strategies” Moritz Irmen 14.11.2012 University of South Bohemia Ceske Budejovice Table of Contents 1. Introduction 2. Strategies in General 1. Market Strategy 2. Product and Service Strategy 3. Organization Strategy 4. People Strategy 5. Finance Strategy 3. Ansoff Matrix – Applied Strategies to four different senarios 1. General Information 2. Product Penetration 3. Product Development 4. Market Development 5. Diversification 4. Conclusion 1. Introduction Strategies are often being used to adapt to different scenarios in the market and push the company in the better situation to handle the new and often inexperienced environment. They are specifying the organization’s mission, vision and objectives, developing policies and plans, often in terms of projects and programs, which are designed to achieve these objectives. The wide rage of strategies, in every field/part in an organization, allows companies to find the right strategy for implementation in different kinds of scenarios. 2. Strategies in General 1. Market Strategy Market strategy is an essential part of the strategic management, in order for companies to succeed in the comparative market that exists today. This strategy takes in account the company’s relationship to existing and potential customers, its knowledge...
Words: 3051 - Pages: 13
...Its logo—the red square with the rounded white letters—is immediately identified by most of the developed world and to a bunch of developing nations as well.” It is for this reason I was surprised to find an article written about Lego's comeback. The article states that the company’s problems began in the late 1990s, when Lego stopped focusing on design and started venturing off into new product development like Galidor, in which the company co-produced a kids’ TV show basically to spark interest in the product. The Galidor did not require building skills or much imagination, which is the hallmark of Lego products. The show and the product line sparked little interest. Lego was foundering. It was at this time that Lego gave designers free rein to come up with imaginative creations. And they took it and went overboard. By 2004, the number of components went from 7,000 to 12,400 and supply costs sharply increased. However, just as design pushed Lego to the precipice, it too helped bring the company back—but this time with parameters. Gradually the company started reshaping its product line from futuristic fire trucks to fire trucks that were recognizable to kids and by 2008, the City line reclaimed it spot at the top of Lego’s portfolio and with parameters in place scaled components back down to 7,000. Going back to conventional designs kids could relate to helped bring the brand back with 7% of the global market. Greene, Jay. How LEGO Revived Its Brand. Businessweek...
Words: 289 - Pages: 2
...1. What is product management? - The organizational structure within a business that manages the development, marketing and sale of a product or set of products throughout the product life cycle. It encompasses the broad set of activities required to get the product to market and to support it thereafter. 2. Why is it product management is important in the field of marketing? -Product management is important in the field of marketing so that you can define, develop, deploy and maintain products and services. 3. Give at least 10 breakthrough innovations that change our lives. a. Air conditioner – Cooler than electric fan great for hot climates. b. Electronic Mail – you can get your mail instantly c. Electronic Load – more convenient than prepaid cards because of its cheaper denominations and it is readily available everywhere. d. Mobile Phones – easy to carry than telephone and communicate. e. Digital Camera – easier way to view your picture right after you took it. f. Foldable Umbrella – you can carry it anywhere without any hassles. Fits easily in your bag. g. Automobiles – more easy to use for starters because of its automatic transmission/ h. Play Station Portable – you can carry it anywhere and you can get games just by downloading it. No need for Cd’s i. Washing Machine – easy way to wash clothes. No need to use your hands. j. MRT/LRT – easiest way to roam around Manila without getting caught...
Words: 1129 - Pages: 5
