Author Description

Managing Product Development brings together the work of leading international researchers in the field of product innovation and development and provides a guide to successful product development for firms in diverse industries. Competitive success between firms nearly always depends on what new products they can develop and bring to market. Based on original research, some chapters examine broad issues related to the impact of information technology and the role that social factors play in the successful development of products; they also describe the ways that Japanese firms develop products internationally. Other chapters extensively explore product development in the automobile, biotechnology, photolithographic, and textile machinery industries. Edited by an acknowledged authority on world-class manufacturing, industrial sourcing, and the global automobile industry, this work will be essential reading for scholars, students, and managers interested in product development, and will be an important addition to all academic, business school, public, and corporate libraries.