Environmental factors in the management of new product development: Theoretical framework and some empirical evidence from the white goods industry

Abstract

AbstractConcern about the nature and consequences of industrial progress has had an increasing impact on industry. Some commentators have suggested that environmental pressures will advance to the point where they cease to be one of the many strategic issues facing industry and become the very framework within which all other business issues are considered.This paper aims to address the implications of evolving environmental concern over the management of product development. It develops a conceptual framework to analyse the process of managing product development while taking into account the environmental attributes of products. The paper moves on to consider the implications of such a conceptual framework against the empirical evidence emerging about product development in the white goods industry. Finally, conclusions are drawn about the nature of organisational change in business as it adjusts to the environmental agenda and suggestions are made about the significance of the findings of this research to product development in other industries.