Search results

The paper provides an overview of research published in the innovation and operations management (IOM) literature on 15 methods for cost management in new product development, and it provides a comparison to an earlier review of the management accounting (MA) literature (Wouters & Morales, 2014).

This structured literature search covers papers published in 23 journals in IOM in the period 1990–2014.

The search yielded a sample of 208 unique papers with 275 results (one paper could refer to multiple cost management methods). The top 3 methods are modular design, component commonality, and product platforms, with 115 results (42%) together. In the MA literature, these three methods accounted for 29%, but target costing was the most researched cost management method by far (26%). Simulation is the most frequently used research method in the IOM literature, whereas this was averagely used in the MA literature; qualitative studies were the most frequently used research method in the MA literature, whereas this was averagely used in the IOM literature. We found a lot of papers presenting practical approaches or decision models as a further development of a particular cost management method, which is a clear difference from the MA literature.

This review focused on the same cost management methods, and future research could also consider other cost management methods which are likely to be more important in the IOM literature compared to the MA literature. Future research could also investigate innovative cost management practices in more detail through longitudinal case studies.

This review of research on methods for cost management published outside the MA literature provides an overview for MA researchers. It highlights key differences between both literatures in their research of the same cost management methods.

Contemporary literature reveals that, to date, the poultry livestock sector has not received sufficient research attention. This particular industry suffers from unstructured supply chain practices, lack of awareness of the implications of the sustainability concept and failure to recycle poultry wastes. The current research thus attempts to develop an integrated supply chain model in the context of poultry industry in Bangladesh. The study considers both sustainability and supply chain issues in order to incorporate them in the poultry supply chain. By placing the forward and reverse supply chains in a single framework, existing problems can be resolved to gain economic, social and environmental benefits, which will be more sustainable than the present practices.

The theoretical underpinning of this research is ‘sustainability’ and the ‘supply chain processes’ in order to examine possible improvements in the poultry production process along with waste management. The research adopts the positivist paradigm and ‘design science’ methods with the support of system dynamics (SD) and the case study methods. Initially, a mental model is developed followed by the causal loop diagram based on in-depth interviews, focus group discussions and observation techniques. The causal model helps to understand the linkages between the associated variables for each issue. Finally, the causal loop diagram is transformed into a stock and flow (quantitative) model, which is a prerequisite for SD-based simulation modelling. A decision support system (DSS) is then developed to analyse the complex decision-making process along the supply chains.

The findings reveal that integration of the supply chain can bring economic, social and environmental sustainability along with a structured production process. It is also observed that the poultry industry can apply the model outcomes in the real-life practices with minor adjustments. This present research has both theoretical and practical implications. The proposed model’s unique characteristics in mitigating the existing problems are supported by the sustainability and supply chain theories. As for practical implications, the poultry industry in Bangladesh can follow the proposed supply chain structure (as par the research model) and test various policies via simulation prior to its application. Positive outcomes of the simulation study may provide enough confidence to implement the desired changes within the industry and their supply chain networks.

In every industry there are resources. Some are moving, others more fixed; some are technical, others social. People working with the resources, for example, as buyers or sellers, or users or producers, may not make much notice of them. A product sells. A facility functions. The business relationship in which we make our money has “always” been there. However, some times this picture of order is disturbed. A user having purchased a product for decades may “suddenly” say to the producer that s/he does not appreciate the product. And a producer having received an order of a product that s/he thought was well known, may find it impossible to sell it. Such disturbances may be ignored. Or they can be used as a platform for development. In this study we investigate the latter option, theoretically and through real world data. Concerning theory we draw on the industrial network approach. We see industrial actors as part of (industrial) networks. In their activities actors use and produce resources. Moreover, the actors interact − bilaterally and multilaterally. This leads to development of resources and networks. Through “thick” descriptions of two cases we illustrate and try to understand the interactive character of resource development and how actors do business on features of resources. The cases are about a certain type of resource, a product − goat milk. The main message to industrial actors is that they should pay attention to that products can be co-created. Successful co-creation of products, moreover, may require development also of business relationships and their connections (“networking”).

The purpose of this study/paper is conducting a Systematic mapping review, as a systematic literature review method for reviewing the literature of new product development by textmining and mapping the results of this review.

This research has been conducted with the aim of systematically reviewing the literature on the field of design and development of products based on textual data. This research wants to know, how text data and text mining methods, can use for the design and development of new products.

This review finds out what are the most popular algorithms in this field? What are the most popular areas in using these approaches? What types of data are used in this area? What software is used in this regard? And what are the research gaps in this area?

The contribution of this review is creating a macro and comprehensive map for research in this field of study from various aspects and identifying the pros and cons of this field of study by systematic mapping review.

The growing volume of consumer transactions in used products markets has given rise to strategic decisions made by sellers in the amount of information disclosed on usage‐based attributes – product attributes that quantify the degree by which a product has been used. This paper seeks to address this issue. Based on the phenomenon referred to as the dilution effect, it is proposed that sellers would have less desire to disclose usage‐based attribute information in product advertisements for older products. The effects of usage‐based attributes on asking prices of used products are also examined and profiled across time and contrasted across three countries: Britain, Canada, and the USA.

Used product advertisements were obtained for 1995 (USA) and 2010 (USA, Canada, and Britain). The ratio of ad content dedicated to usage‐based attributes was then computed and profiled across various conditions, and variations were tested using statistical methods.

The results indicate that a dilution‐based strategy, whereby usage‐based product information is less likely to be disclosed for older products, was evident in 1995 as it was in 2010. Furthermore, cross‐country variations were observed in the use of this strategy.

The research presented can be expanded to cover other product categories where used products are exchanged and usage‐based attributes constitute a fundamental consumer consideration in such exchanges. The research can also be extended to cover a wider range of countries for analysis.

This paper extends traditional pricing theory to consider the effects of usage‐based attributes on used product prices and associated consumer communications. Given the growth in the volume of consumer transactions in used product markets, this line of inquiry is relevant not only from an academic perspective but can also inform public policy and potential regulatory measures.

In this paper, the authors aim to investigate the relationship between buyback policy and the potential number of used products that could be collected by developing a robust fuzzy reverse logistics network.

In this approach, the authors seek to determine the amount of buyback based on the condition of used products at the time of return. In this process, the authors also take into account that apart from the condition of used products, other factors exist that the actual return rate could be dependent on them. This matter propelled us to make a novel distinction between the probability of return estimated from appropriate buybacks offered to consumers, and the actual return rate of used products using fuzzy mathematical methods. Besides that, a compatible robust fuzzy optimization method has been implemented on the model to deal with uncertain properties of it and simultaneously fortifying its responses against any possible effect of return rate fluctuation.

To analyze and evaluate the model performance, the authors decided to apply a series of exhaustive randomly generated experiments onto it. Also, the authors introduced a Lagrangian relaxation solution methodology to facilitate and improve the solving process of the model. Then, the evaluation of the results enabled us to demonstrate the model validity, and underscore its utility to deal with problems with more sophisticated used product collection process that practitioners tend to encounter in the real-world circumstances.

This study suggests a novel way to design the return rate of used products in a reverse logistics network with buyback offers through a complete set of factors affecting it. Furthermore, the procedure of developing the model encompasses several important aspects that significantly decrease its complexity and improve its applicability.

This research aims to represent an initial exploration of how partitioned pricing influences consumers’ purchase decisions of new versus used products from the theoretical perspectives of prospect theory and gain/loss decision frames.

Four experiments to test the hypotheses with multiple product categories have been conducted.

Results from a series of experimental studies find that consumers prefer partitioned pricing over all-inclusive pricing for new products, whereas all-inclusive pricing is more preferred for used products. In addition, the authors demonstrate that a high-quality brand can reverse this effect for used products; specifically, consumers prefer partitioned pricing over all-inclusive pricing for a used product with a high-quality brand.

This research contributes to the literature on second-hand consumption by examining the impact of pricing strategies on consumer purchase decisions of new versus used products. This study deepens our understanding of consumer decision-making for new versus used products and it provides implications for bolstering sustainable consumption.

This paper deals with the organizing of interactive product development. Developing products in interaction between firms may provide benefits in terms of specialization, increased innovation, and possibilities to perform development activities in parallel. However, the differentiation of product development among a number of firms also implies that various dependencies need to be dealt with across firm boundaries. How dependencies may be dealt with across firms is related to how product development is organized. The purpose of the paper is to explore dependencies and how interactive product development may be organized with regard to these dependencies.

The analytical framework is based on the industrial network approach, and deals with the development of products in terms of adaptation and combination of heterogeneous resources. There are dependencies between resources, that is, they are embedded, implying that no resource can be developed in isolation. The characteristics of and dependencies related to four main categories of resources (products, production facilities, business units and business relationships) provide a basis for analyzing the organizing of interactive product development.

Three in-depth case studies are used to explore the organizing of interactive product development with regard to dependencies. The first two cases are based on the development of the electrical system and the seats for Volvo’s large car platform (P2), performed in interaction with Delphi and Lear respectively. The third case is based on the interaction between Scania and Dayco/DFC Tech for the development of various pipes and hoses for a new truck model.

The analysis is focused on what different dependencies the firms considered and dealt with, and how product development was organized with regard to these dependencies. It is concluded that there is a complex and dynamic pattern of dependencies that reaches far beyond the developed product as well as beyond individual business units. To deal with these dependencies, development may be organized in teams where several business units are represented. This enables interaction between different business units’ resource collections, which is important for resource adaptation as well as for innovation. The delimiting and relating functions of the team boundary are elaborated upon and it is argued that also teams may be regarded as actors. It is also concluded that a modular product structure may entail a modular organization with regard to the teams, though, interaction between business units and teams is needed. A strong connection between the technical structure and the organizational structure is identified and it is concluded that policies regarding the technical structure (e.g. concerning “carry-over”) cannot be separated from the management of the organizational structure (e.g. the supplier structure). The organizing of product development is in itself a complex and dynamic task that needs to be subject to interaction between business units.

The purpose of this paper is to investigate and comment on the factors used by Australian students to select their bank and the products and services they utilise, based on responses to an online questionnaire.

A mixed-methods approach, incorporating both qualitative and quantitative methods, was used to investigate this research issue. Convenience sampling resulted in 276 completed online responses. Mean ranking and factor analysis methods were employed to identify the key factors used in selecting a bank and frequency analysis used to examine the products and services utilised by students.

The key factors used by students to select a bank in Australia were bank competence, recommendations and outside influences, bank costs, returns and services, and finally location. The main bank products and services used by students were automated teller machines (ATMs), savings accounts, internet and telephone banking, and debit cards.

The use of an online survey which limits the pool of respondents to internet users and, the sample size limits generalisability of the findings.

Banks can better target and understand the key determinants used by students in selecting a bank and the products and services this group values. This will allow Australian banks to develop programs to better attract and retain student customers.

Provides insight to and understanding of the determinants used by students to select their bank and the products and services they utilise. Furthermore, this study fills a gap in the literature by focusing on the banking behaviour of Australian students, an important segment of bank customers previously under-researched.

Preface The functions of business divide into several areas and the general focus of this book is on one of the most important although least understood of these—DISTRIBUTION. The particular focus is on reviewing current practice in distribution costing and on attempting to push the frontiers back a little by suggesting some new approaches to overcome previously defined shortcomings.