bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Interdepartmental Integration: A Definition with Implications for Product Development Performance
Authors: Kahn Kenneth B. 
Published: October 2003

Improved interdepartmental integration yields improved product development performance. But what do we mean by interdepartmental integration? Is it increased interaction between the various departments involved in product development—in other words, more meetings and other formal information flows between R&D marketing and manufacturing? Or is the term integration another way of saying collaboration—that is, various departments working collectively toward common goals? Or are collaboration and interaction both important elements of interdepartmental integration?Kenneth B. Kahn presents the results of a study exploring how collaboration and interaction affect product development performance and product management (post‐launch) performance. Survey respondents are marketing, manufacturing, and R&D department managers working for firms in the electronics industry. It is hypothesized that both collaboration and interaction between departments will positively influence product development performance and product management performance. It is further hypothesized that collaboration will have a stronger effect than interaction.The survey responses indicate that collaboration has a strong, positive effect on performance. (The only exception is the effect of manufacturing managers' collaboration with marketing on product development success; the effect of this variable is not statistically significant). However, interaction does not have a significant effect on product development performance or product management performance. In fact, the responses indicate negative effects for meetings and the exchange of documented information.The results support increased emphasis on company policies that facilitate collaboration between departments as opposed to those that only stress meetings and documented information exchange. Although a certain level of interaction is necessary throughout the product development process, such interaction doesn't lead to success; collaboration makes the difference between success and failure.To best manage interdepartmental integration, managers should first assess their firm's levels of interdepartmental collaboration and interaction. The scales presented in this study can be used for this benchmarking effort. The results of this assessment can be used for developing and implementing an action plan for improving interdepartmental integration. For example, a manager faced with a prevailing interaction philosophy might seek to reduce the number of meetings or the amount of paperwork flowing between departments.
R&D Project Termination Decisions: Processes, Communication, and Personnel Changes
Authors: Balachandra R. , Brockhoff Klaus K. , Pearson Alan W. 
Published: October 2003

The decision to terminate a project can demoralize project managers and team members, and increase concerns about job security. For these reasons, managers tend to delay project termination decisions. However, delaying project termination diverts scarce R&D resources from higher potential projects.Ramaiya Balachandra, Klaus K. Brockhoff, and Alan W. Pearson describe the results of a study that explores the manner in which managers inform staff of the decision to terminate or continue a project. Survey respondents are the highest ranking R&D managers in 78 large German, British, and U.S. companies. Respondents were asked to describe the procedures they use for monitoring R&D projects and deciding whether to continue a project. Underlying this research is the belief that more effective management of these processes can improve project team effectiveness, employee relations, and morale.All survey respondents use project monitoring procedures. Most use formal procedures, often supplemented with informal procedures. More than one person usually monitors projects. Project managers, their immediate superiors, and project staff typically have these responsibilities, but respondents also indicate that marketing managers often monitor projects. Compared to U.S. companies, European firms typically involve fewer people in project monitoring. U.S. firms involve more non‐R&D personnel in these tasks.Most firms focus on monitoring such variables as time, technical success, and probability of technical success. Staff motivation is the least used monitoring variable. Cost control was mentioned more frequently by German respondents than by respondents from other countries. Decisions regarding the fate of a project usually come from individuals not directly involved with the project.Termination decisions are typically communicated in writing; no respondents use staff meetings to relate such decisions. Following the decision to terminate a project, management faces the difficult task of finding suitable jobs for project team members. Rather than assign an entire team to a new project, management typically disbands a team and assigns its members to other teams. The inherently uneven progress of R&D projects complicates these scheduling problems, and thus compounds the career uncertainty caused by project termination decisions.
New Product Strategies of Large, Dominant Product Manufacturing Firms: An Exploratory Analysis
Authors: Firth Richard W. , Narayanan V. K. 
Published: October 2003

Although researchers have expended considerable effort exploring the links between new product strategy and firm‐level performance, most studies of this subject focus on small‐ to medium‐sized firms. Compared to smaller firms, however, large companies typically maintain broader portfolios of products and have easier access to capital markets. Such fundamental differences suggest the need for closer examination of the relationship between new product strategy and the performance of large firms.Based on a study of 459 new products introduced during a 5‐year period, Richard W. Firth and V. K. Narayanan profile the new product strategies of 18 large companies. They examine the methods used to acquire new products (internal development or external sources) as well as three dimensions of each firm's new product introductions: newness of embodied technology, newness of market application, and innovativeness in the market. In other words, these profiles identify the degree to which a firm's new product introductions involve core technologies and markets that are new to the firm, as well as the degree to which the market views these products as innovative. Because new product strategy is an investment decision, the study also examines the relationship between these strategic profiles and two facets of firm‐level performance: risk and return.The study identifies five archetypes of new product strategy: Innovators, who produce innovative products by using their existing resources; Investors in Technology, who focus on expanding their technological base. Searching for New Markets, firms that venture into unfamiliar markets by introducing products closely aligned with those in their existing portfolios; Business as Usual, firms that rely on existing technologies and products to serve existing markets; and Middle‐of‐the‐Road, firms content to introduce new products rated as low to moderate along all three dimensions of the strategic profile.For new products closely aligned with their core markets and technologies, the firms in this study typically rely on internal development. To introduce products involving new technologies or market applications, they turn to acquisition from external sources. Firms that emphasized market innovativeness in their new product introductions enjoyed higher returns than less innovative firms. And contrary to conventional wisdom, they gained this advantage without an accompanying increase in risk. In other words, continual innovation might provide a large firm with the means for achieving higher returns without higher risk.
Innovation and Product Development Strategies in the Italian Motorcycle Industry
Authors: Muffatto Moreno , Panizzolo Roberto 
Published: October 2003

The motorcycle industry in Italy offers fertile ground for anyone interested in developing a better understanding of the role innovation plays in enhancing a firm's competitive position. This industry includes both domestic and Japanese firms, with companies ranging from high‐volume manufacturers to specialty or niche producers. Firms trying to gain a competitive edge in this crowded field must contend with not only advances in product and process technology, but also the whims of fashion.In a survey of top‐level marketing and product development managers from eight leading firms in the Italian motorcycle industry, Moreno Muffatto and Roberto Panizzolo explore the innovation models these firms employ to enhance their competitive position. Their study has the following objectives: categorizing the various competitors in terms of their product and market strategies and their product development and innovation strategies; highlighting differences between the methods of Italian and Japanese firms competing in this market; analyzing the relationships between firms, as well as the roles suppliers play in the various innovation strategies; and identifying the various organizational models employed by the firms in this industry.Different product and market strategies are identified on the basis of three variables: total production volume, the number of different products offered, and the number of different engine capacities offered. Using these variables, the companies in the study are categorized as volume producers, specialists, or niche specialists. The firms are further differentiated on the basis of the relative emphasis each places on product technology and design, product innovation, product variety, and time‐based competition.In the firms studied, partnerships play a key role in new product development. Nearly every firm participates in joint projects, most often involving development of either an entire vehicle or an engine. Other partnerships involve firms in countries that offer emerging markets for the motorcycle industry. Organizational structures and strategies employed by the volume producers in this study include: the large product leader, who oversees concept definition and product planning; the project leaders group, which coordinates all phases of development, including activities assigned to external groups; the project managers matrix, a matrix organizational structure with a strong product orientation; and the business unit program manager, who oversees all projects within an independent business unit.
Concept Testing With and Without Product Trial
Authors: Dickinson John R. , Wilby Carolyn P. 
Published: October 2003

An effective new products team must have the means for deciding where to place its bets, and concept tests play a pivotal role in the early screening of new product ideas. To gauge potential customers' reactions to a new concept, such tests may employ drawings, descriptions, and attribute lists, as well as positioning statements and perhaps trial of a prototype product. When deciding how to present a product concept, researchers must consider the possibility that the combination of elements chosen might affect the outcome of the concept test. For example, will responses to a product concept differ depending on whether the concept test includes a product trial?John Dickinson and Carolyn Wilby explore this question in a study of a concept test involving a product line extension: baking soda toothpaste. Their study examines the possibility of interactions between two elements of concept testing: product positioning statements–in this case, statements of taste, gentleness, and all‐natural ingredients–and product trial. In other words, their study investigates whether or not concept tests involving both product positioning and trial will evoke different reponses than those that involve only exposure to the product concept.Participants in the study were randomly assigned to one of six groups. Roughly half the subjects tried the product, and all participants viewed one of three story boards. Each story board presented the product concept, with reference to one of the three positioning statements. Those participants who tried the product did so before viewing a storyboard. The concept tests recorded participants' evaluations against six primary criteria: three related to the three product positioning benefits; two involving purchase interest; and one measuring overall preference for the product. Participants also rated their confidence in their responses, yielding 12 measures for testing the effects of product positioning, product trial, and the interaction between these two elements.For the six primary criteria, analysis of the test results did not reveal any interaction effects between product trial and product positioning. In other words, the results for these criteria would have been approximately the same regardless of whether the concept test included a product trial. Although product trials can provide useful input to other phases of a development effort, the results of this study suggest that in the case of product line extensions for familiar consumer goods such as toothpaste, effective concept tests do not require product trials.
Perspective—Riding the Wind: Managing New Product Development in an Age of Change
Authors: Tomkovick Chuck , Miller Christopher 
Published: October 2003

New product development (NPD) has never been more challenging or rewarding than it is today. With the dawning of the new millennium, new product developers now find themselves in an “age of change,” the likes of which the world has never known. The rate of change is numbing, if not stupefying for many business people. With the winds of change blowing at near gale force intensity levels, this is clearly a time for NPD professionals to pursue new product and market strategies that are anchored on sound business fundamentals.This article begins with a brief review of the Product Development & Management Association's 1998 International Research Conference held in Atlanta. The theme for the conference was “Achieving Excellence in New Product Development and Management.” The article then offers a reflective look at seven NPD themes that could dominate new millennium business thinking and offer guidance to those seeking new product success.The article's first theme discusses why NPD is increasing in importance. The second theme outlines key NPD building blocks which NPD champions must bolster for new product success. The third theme explores the value in conceptualizing NPD output in items of “turns per decade.” The fourth theme champions the notion that continuous quality improvement is an integral part of NPD's contribution to a firm. The fifth theme explains why product elimination is an essential element in the innovation process. Theme number six reminds readers that fun and optimism are essential and commonly overlooked ingredients for sustaining NPD achievement. The seventh theme states that product development professionals build credibility and successful careers by delivering on promises made. Innovation opportunities embedded within each theme are explored from both firm‐level and individual developer‐level perspectives.In building the case for their themes, the authors initially provide a rationale for NPD's growing stature and importance. Then they suggest NPD strategies that firms can implement with high likelihood of success. The article concludes with suggested actions that individual developers can undertake to bolster their own careers while simultaneously strengthening the NPD profession.
The Effect of Sales Force Adoption on New Product Selling Performance
Authors: Hultink Erik Jan , Atuahene‐Gima Kwaku 
Published: October 2003

Although several studies have suggested that the sales force is a major contributing factor to new product success, few studies have focused on new product adoption by the sales force, particularly with respect to its relationship with selling performance. The present article presents empirical evidence on the impact of sales force adoption on selling performance. We defined sales force adoption as the combination of the degree to which salespeople accept and internalize the goals of the new product (i.e., commitment) and the extent to which they work hard to achieve those goals (i.e., effort). It was hypothesized that the impact of sales force adoption on selling performance will be contingent on supervisory factors (sales controls, internal marketing of the new product, training, trust, and supervisor's field attention), and market volatility. Therefore, this article also provides evidence of the conditions under which sales force adoption of a new product is more or less effective in engendering successful selling performance. The hypothesized relationships were tested with data provided by 97 high technology firms from The Netherlands.The results show that sales force adoption is positively related to selling performance. This finding suggests that salespeople who simultaneously exhibit commitment and effort will achieve higher levels of new product selling performance. Outcome based control, internal marketing and market volatility are also positively related to new product selling performance. The effect of sales force adoption on selling performance is stronger where outcome based control is used and where the firm provides information on the background of the new product to salespeople through internal marketing. Training and field attention weaken the adoption‐performance linkage. These findings may indicate that salespeople in The Netherlands interpret training as “micromanaging” and field attention as “looking over their shoulder.” We conclude with implications of our study for research and managerial practice.
Savings and Loan Demand for Liquid Assets: Theory, Evidence and Implications for Policy*
Authors: Weinrobe Maurice 
Published: October 2003

In this study a model of liquid asset management for individual savings and loan associations is developed. The model combines features of portfolio theory and inventory theory and is used to draw hypotheses on the relationship between the demand for excess liquidity and a variety of independent variables.Pooled cross section‐time series equations are estimated for the demand for excess liquidity of 198 S & Ls over the period 1974–1978. In addition to conclusions on the role of individual variables, the estimated equations reveal that the FHLBB can affect the portfolios of some, but not all, S & Ls. This implies that FHLBB liquidity policy can have an effect on the mortgage market.
Inflation and Housing Prices*
Authors: Spellman Lewis J. 
Published: October 2003

Home ownership is a claim on the stream of net rents. Like any income‐producing asset, the market capitalizes its value. The price‐rent multiple depends upon the expected growth rate of revenues and expenses, on financing terms, and on taxes. This paper derives this price‐rent multiple in terms of these variables and calculates its value from 1963 through 1978.The results indicate that housing prices grew more rapidly than rents and the CPI largely as the result of a 33% increase in the price‐rent multiple over those years. This increase in the capitalization rate occurred, despite higher nominal financing terms, because the relative terms of housing finance tended to ease and because the expected growth rate of rents increased more than its discount rate.
Determinants of Location for General Purpose Office Firms within Medium Size Cities*
Authors: Archer Wayne R. 
Published: October 2003

This study examines determinants of the downtown/non‐downtown location choice for general purpose rental office users. It presents a model of location choice which accounts for linkages, personnel commuting costs and location of market centroid. It fits the model to survey data on office space usage, distinguishing between market oriented and non‐market oriented firms.The study finds that market oriented firms are primarily sensitive to market location, while non‐market oriented firms are more sensitive to linkages and personnel commuting costs. It also finds that linkages play a limited role in the location decisions even for non‐market oriented offices because, in the medium size cities studied, few firms are linkage intensive.
Land use Controls: Can Landowners Force Governmental Bodies to Pay?
Authors: Shedd Peter J. 
Published: October 2003

A governmental body has the right to regulate owners' use of their land by exercising police powers. However, when such regulation substantially deprives an owner of the use of land, the owner can argue that a taking has occurred. Traditionally, a landowner could seek a declaration that the governmental regulation was unconstitutional and should be enjoined. At times an alternative remedy available to the landowner has been to sue for monetary damages. This latter action is called inverse or reverse condemnation.This article examines two recent United States Supreme Court cases that address whether or not an inverse condemnation action is a permissible means by which a landowner can challenge the excessive nature of a zoning regulation. Although these cases have not directly answered this question, this article concludes that such a remedy would be beneficial and should be allowed.
Black and White Preferences for Neighborhood Racial Composition
Authors: Galster George C. 
Published: October 2003

The research investigates the existence, nature and magnitude of the preferences of races to voluntarily “self‐segregate” into particular areas of urban housing markets. Housing market theory is employed to develop a model showing how housing price variations within a group can provide unambiguous evidence of their preferences for neighborhood racial composition. The model is operationalized in a multiple regression specification wherein the variations in a given racial group's housing prices become a function of the dwelling's attributes and the attributes of the neighborhood (including quality, status, stability and density) as well as housing submarket location and racial composition. The size and statistical significance of the coefficient of the last attribute provides the evidence sought.The regressions are estimated using two micro‐household data bases from St. Louis (1967) and Wooster, Ohio (1975), and results compared. Results show that St. Louis black owners had an aversion to larger black proportions within black submarket neighborhoods, with .7% lower housing prices associated with a 1% higher percentage black. Racial effects for black owners in preponderantly white areas and for black renters in all areas were statistically insignificant. St. Louis whites of both tenures did not demonstrate aversion to neighborhoods with higher percentages of blacks as long as they remained 25% black or less. In areas 25–50% black, however, white prices were 1.5% lower for owners and 3.2% lower for renters per 1% higher proportion black. Such associations continued in majority‐black areas, although the magnitudes of the price effect became progressively smaller. Wooster whites showed an aversion to living in neighborhoods having even a few percent of blacks, with prices 11% lower for owners and 7% lower for renters in such areas compared to all‐white ones.
Real Estate Settlement Pricing: A Theoretical Framework
Authors: Villani Kevin E. , Simonson John 
Published: October 2003

This paper examines the pricing of real estate settlement services. Prices charged by real estate brokers, title insurers, private mortgage companies and other settlement service providers have been a public policy issue for a decade. The Real Estate Settlement Procedures Act of 1974 did little to alleviate public concerns or change pricing practices.The paper provides both a conceptual framework and some observations on how prices for settlement services are determined. It concludes that the demand has little to do with the services themselves, but rather depends on the demand for housing. This creates an environment for unnecessary services to be performed and for prices to be far in excess of cost.