New Product Development in Small Food Enterprises

Janet Howieson; Meredith A Lawley; Willem Selen

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New Product Development in Small Food Enterprises

Journal article

Open access

Peer reviewed

New Product Development in Small Food Enterprises

Janet Howieson, Meredith A Lawley and Willem Selen

Journal of New Business Ideas and Trends, Vol.12(1), pp.11-26

2014

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Abstract

Business and Management

Marketing

new product development

stage-gate approach

small business

seafood business

case study

Purpose - The purpose of this paper is to demonstrate how small businesses may deploy a formalised Stage-Gate approach to new product development (NPD). The original Stage-Gate framework was modified to better suit a small business B2B environment in the seafood industry, and was subsequently applied to a small vertically-integrated crab catching, processing and marketing business. Design/methodology/approach - This paper uses a case study methodology. The method used at each stage of the Stage-Gate framework, as well as the time and location details, the people and skills involved, and the evaluative criteria applied for NPD are outlined and discussed; and subsequently synthesized in a modified framework. Findings - The modified Stage-Gate approach was shown to be an effective NPD method, allowing for 92 initial product concepts to be narrowed down to three commercially viable and acceptable products, over a period of less than 11 months. Cost and time were minimised by the four-day ideation process. Furthermore, repeated evaluation of the sensory and market acceptability resulted in strengthened confidence in market attractiveness, while ensuring that appearance, portion size and packaging were based on expert market opinion. Moreover, this approach was successfully completed at less than 25% of the cost of the previous unsuccessful NPD undertaken by the firm. Originality/value - This study advances our understanding of how small businesses may use a formal NPD process to increase the success rate of new products, through development of a modified Stage-Gate approach.

Details

Title: New Product Development in Small Food Enterprises
Authors: Janet Howieson (Author) - Curtin University
Meredith A Lawley (Author) - University of the Sunshine Coast - Faculty of Arts and Business
Willem Selen (Author) - University of the Sunshine Coast - Faculty of Arts and Business
Publication details: Journal of New Business Ideas and Trends, Vol.12(1), pp.11-26
Publisher: Australian Business Education Research Association
Date published: 2014
ISSN: 1446-8719
Organisation Unit: School of Business and Creative Industries; University of the Sunshine Coast, Queensland; USC Business School - Legacy
Language: English
Record Identifier: 99449836002621
Output Type: Journal article

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