Product Life Cycle Approach Research Articles

Price switching policies under advertising effect and dynamic environment in supply chain: Product life-cycle approach

When should manufacturers and retailers change their prices? Should they change prices based on the phases of the product life cycle (PLC) that are affected by advertising or without its effect? To answer these questions, we develop dynamic models for analyzing market demand, pricing decisions, and advertising cost according to the properties of PLC phases. Our contributions extend beyond conventional analyses. For the first time, we introduce dynamic mathematical models that capture market demand, pricing decisions, and advertising costs, intricately aligning them with the unique attributes of each PLC phase. Furthermore, this study pioneers the consideration of the effect of advertising on demand but also examining its influence on the duration of PLC phases, shedding light on a previously unexplored facet of market behavior. Furthermore, our research presents a groundbreaking perspective on the relationship between advertising, pricing, and the PLC phases. Based on the PLC perspective, product prices, especially for electronic products, decrease over time. Therefore, manufacturers and retailers should adopt appropriate price-switching policies to remain competitive. This paper examines a dynamic supply chain consisting of one manufacturer and one retailer, that demand changes over time. The price switching policies including: 1) the first policy: at the beginning of the advertising-influenced PLC phases, and 2) the second policy: at the beginning of without advertising-influenced PLC phases, are investigated. The results indicate that the wholesale and retail prices under the second policy are always lower than the first policy. In the second policy, the retailer's profit is higher, if the price reduction rate is not too low, and the other hand the manufacturer's profit is higher than other policy.

Determination of Product Life Cycle (PLC) for Formulation of Marketing Strategy UD. Matt Coffee Bondowoso

UD Matt Coffee is an agroindustry that produces various processed coffees, including green beans, roasted coffee, and ground coffee. Owner of UD. Matt Coffee took the initiative to establish this agro-industry to improve the welfare of smallholder coffee farmers in Sumberwringin District because the trading process for green bean is considered unprofitable and does not yet have added value. This study aims to determine and analyze the position of UD. Matt Coffee Arabica Coffee products uses a Product Life Cycle (PLC) approach based on the Polli and Cook method and to determine and analyze marketing strategies in developing its business based on the Product Life Cycle (PLC) for UD. Matt Coffee Arabica Coffee products. The analytical method used in this study is the Polli and Cook method to determine the position of UD. Matt Coffee Arabica Coffee products based on the product life cycle. The data collection technique used interview techniques with resource persons, namely the owner of UD. Matt Coffee. The results showed that at the growth stage through the Product Life Cycle approach at UD. Matt Coffee Bondowoso. The growth stage is characterized by rapid market acceptance and a substantial increase in UD. Matt Coffee Bondowoso’s profits and research results also show that the strategy adopted by UD. Matt Coffee Bondowoso in accordance with its position in the product life cycle, namely UD. Matt Coffee Bondowoso is looking for innovative strategies to maintain and even increase sales growth which includes market, product and marketing mix modifications.
 Keywords: Marketing, Product Life Cycle (PLC), Strategy.

Environmental footprints of disposable and reusable personal protective equipment ‒ a product life cycle approach for body coveralls

Body coveralls, often made of single-use plastics, are essential Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) and, along with masks, are widely used in healthcare facilities and public spaces in the wake of the recent COVID-19 pandemic. The widespread use of these body coveralls poses a significant threat to terrestrial and aquatic ecosystems, given their polluting nature and disposal frequency. Therefore, it is necessary to promote the adoption of alternatives that increase the safe reusability of PPE clothing and reduce environmental and health hazards. This study presents a comparative Cradle-to-Grave Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) of disposable and reusable PPE body coveralls from a product life cycle perspective. A comprehensive life cycle inventory and LCA framework specific to Indian conditions have been developed through this study. The LCA is performed as per standard protocols using SimaPro software under recipe 2016 (H) impact assessment method. Six midpoint impact categories viz. Global Warming Potential, Terrestrial Acidification, Freshwater Eutrophication, Terrestrial Ecotoxicity, Human Carcinogenic Toxicity, and Water Consumption are assessed, along with Cumulative Energy Demand. Results suggest that reusable PPE improves environmental and human health performance in all the impact categories except water consumption. Sensitivity analysis reveals that replacing conventional electricity with solar energy for PPE manufacturing and disposal will provide additional environmental benefits. The findings can help the medical textile industries, healthcare workers, and policymakers to make environmentally informed choices.

Advancing the Real-World Evidence for Medical Devices through Coordinated Registry Networks

ObjectivesGenerating and using real-world evidence (RWE) is a pragmatic solution for evaluating health technologies. RWE is recognized by regulators, health technology assessors, clinicians, and manufacturers as a valid source of...

Using Interactive Visual Analytics to Optimize Blood Products Inventory at a Blood Bank.

Blood products and their derivatives are perishable commodities that require an efficient inventory management to ensure both a low wastage rate and a high product availability rate. To optimize blood product inventory, Blood Transfusion Services (BTS) need to reduce wastage by avoiding outdates and improving availability of different blood products. We took a blood product lifecycle approach and used advanced visualization techniques to design and develop a highly interactive web-based dashboard to audit retrospective data and consequently, to identify and learn from procedural inefficiencies based on analysis of transactional data. We present pertinent scenarios to show how the blood transfusion staff can use the dashboard to investigate blood product lifecycles so as to probe transition sequence patterns that led to wastage as a means to discover causes of procedural inefficiencies in the BTS.

Developing and Applying Circularity Indicators for the Electrical and Electronic Sector: A Product Lifecycle Approach

The adoption of circularity indicators in the electrical and electronic sector is understood to play a critical role in organisational decision making during the transition from a linear to a circular economy. Yet, it is widely recognised that there is no standardised method of measuring circularity performance. Additionally, the extent of literature uncovers a range of shortcomings of existing cross-sector circularity indicators, including a predominant focus on end-of-life, limited coverage of social measurements, a lack of sector specificity and limited capture of product functionality, durability or sharing. Furthermore, the current electrical and electronic sector-specific circularity indicators focus greatly on repair and recycling, failing to acknowledge the significant impact on circularity of the design and manufacturing, distribution and use phases. Therefore, this research set out to answer how electrical and electronic manufacturers can measure the circular economy performance of their products by developing and testing multidimensional circularity indicators for all products’ life cycle stages. To achieve this, a two-fold qualitative approach was adopted. Firstly, a stakeholders’ workshop aiming to generate, categorise and rate novel circularity indicators was held. Secondly, a focus group piloted the resulting workshop’s circularity indicators. The findings highlight key factors that influence circularity indicators’ applicability to electrical and electronic products, including product function, service arrangement, and customer type. The research has implications for electrical and electronic organisations seeking pathways to the circular economy by understanding, assessing, and measuring the circularity of their products.

Further Developments of the Financially-ESG Sustainable Growth Matrix

Bellandi (20212022) has developed a matrix to assess the consistency between sustainable financial growth and sustainable ESG (Environmental, Social, and Governance, hereafter ESG) growth, and how this may impact shareholders versus other stakeholders. This article further builds on that matrix, to link the product life cycle approach and the BCG matrix to the sales growth axis of the matrix and determine both the actual revenue growth and the financially sustainable revenue growth associated to each stage of a product life cycle and each quadrant of the BCG matrix. The article also illustrates how the Life Cycle Assessment methodology can be linked to the product life cycle model, and better quantify the ESG impact of each product life cycle stage on the ESG axis of the financially-ESG sustainable growth matrix. The article shows how the reading of both product life cycle and BCG matrix can be expanded from a proprietory (shareholders) to a societal (other stakeholders) perspective. This opens a new direction of research to evidence alternative ESG improvements in each stage of the life cycle model that may make a product more ESG compliant, therefore suggesting strategies to improve the ESG rating of a business or a company. This article is also a methodological step forward to create an index of ESG sustainable growth, which is currently missing.

A novel perspective on closed-loop supply chain coordination: Product life-cycle approach

Abstract Due to the dynamic nature of product life-cycle (PLC) and exclusive features of different phases, operational and long-term decisions such as supply chain coordination (SCC) may encounter some challenges. However, no studies have been done so far to evaluate the life-cycle impacts on SCC. In this regard, this paper studies a coordination approach in a closed-loop supply chain (CLSC) during the PLC including introduction, growth, maturity, and decline phases. The market demand and return rate functions are characterized according to the different phases as well as time-varying pricing decisions. First, the proposed problem is examined under the decentralized and centralized structures with life-cycle considerations. Then, a hybrid contract inspired by two-part tariff and joint collection cost mechanisms is developed to coordinate the channel. Finally, some numerical experiments and in-depth sensitivity analyses with a focus on different PLC phases are carried out. The results indicate that although the hybrid contract is able to satisfy a Pareto optimal solution in the life-cycle model, it does not necessarily work optimally in individual phases. On the other hand, contrary to the introduction phase, as the length of growth, maturity, and decline phases increase, the profits of channel players increase which implies that in order to design a more profitable PLC structure, a fundamental planning is needed.

Which Innovations for a Circular Business Model? A Product Life-Cycle Approach

The Circular Economy concept has emerged to face current unsustainable economic trends. Circularity requires to go beyond mainstream linear business models in favour of new design strategies and production processes able to support an efficient use and a continuous flow of resources. Clarifying and promoting tools for embedding circularity in firms’ business models is becoming crucial to increase resource productivity and achieve competitive advantages. Notwithstanding eco-innovation has been recognized as a fundamental link to connect circular economy with business models restructuring, still little consensus exists on the boundaries and interlinkages among the concepts of Eco-Innovation, Circular Economy and Circular Business Models. This research contributes to the intersection of these different streams of the literature, and aims to understand which innovations can favour the transition from linear to closed-loop processes, and then to identify circular business models. Relying on a review of circular-oriented innovations, we recognize three main groups of innovations that are expected to change firms’ way of doing business in accordance with circularity, leading to the identification of an original Product Life-Cycle Archetype. Finally, relying on survey data in Emilia Romagna region, we check for the reliability of our theoretical framework in practice, analysing firms’ business strategies from a practical perspective and assessing the current implementation of an innovative path in accordance with circular priorities. The analysis reveals a positive engagement amongst the analysed firms in Emilia Romagna, in terms of cleaner production strategies. By contrast, any business innovation linked to the circular use of products has been found to be implemented.

Introduction to risk management plans in the Singapore context.

A risk management plan (RMP) contains an overview of important safety concerns associated with the use of a therapeutic product (TP) and proposed pharmacovigilance activities to monitor and manage these safety concerns in the post-approval stage. The Health Sciences Authority (HSA) of Singapore has legislated its requirements for RMPs as part of its product life cycle approach in the management of safety concerns associated with TPs. Under the Health Product (Therapeutic Products) Regulations enacted in November 2016, companies may be required to implement RMPs under the direction of HSA to help ensure that the benefits of TPs outweigh their risks. In this commentary, we present a case study on the local RMP for Dengvaxia®, the world's first dengue vaccine, which has been approved for use in Singapore. We hope that this article raises awareness among healthcare professionals about the concept of RMPs and how RMPs are implemented locally.

Potential of Traditional Sago Starch: Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) Perspective

Half of the world’s sago production comes from Indonesia, and about 90% of Indonesia’s sago originates from Papua, including West Papua. There are three types of technology used to produce sago starch in Indonesia, namely traditional, semi-mechanical and mechanical processes. In Papua generally the processing of sago starch is carried out with traditional processes. This study is intended to evaluate the environmental impacts caused by the traditionally processed sago starch products using the product life cycle (LCA) approach. Environmental impacts are estimated by analyzing the carbon footprint of GHG emissions resulting from 1 ton of dry sago starch. The scope of the product life cycle is limited to the stage of harvesting, transportation and extraction to produce dry sago starch. The results of the study show that the impact of GHG emissions generated to produce 1 ton of sago starch is 17.9 kgCO2eq. The biggest contribution came from the extraction process, especially from the drying process which was 12.25 kgCO2eq (68%). This value of impact is much lower when compared to corn starch (2700 kg CO2eq), potato starch (2402 kg CO2eq) and cassava starch (4310 kg CO2eq). This is mainly due to the low requirement of energy input of this traditional technology.

Life Cycle Assessment for Economists

Life cycle assessment (LCA) is a widely utilized technique to quantify inputs and emissions associated with the life cycle of a product, from raw materials extraction through the product's end-of-life. Given the basic economic principle of policy targeting, the case for focusing on emissions associated with a specific good as opposed to targeting each different externality needs development. This review identifies situations that merit a product life cycle approach in environmental regulation and then discusses the use of LCA with different types of policy instruments. We then discuss the methodological and implementation-related issues involved with using LCA as an economic decision aid as well as issues in designing regulations to control life cycle emissions. We conclude by identifying areas for future LCA research that are ripe for the application of microeconomic insights.

Proposal of a toolset for the improvement of industrial systems’ lifecycle sustainability through the utilization of ICT technologies

The context where European manufacturers of industrial systems operate has dramatically changed over recent years, forcing them to revise their business models and including new leverages like sustainability. One way to pursue sustainability is to implement a product lifecycle approach, considering the costs and the environmental impacts generated along the whole lifecycle of the industrial systems. Life Cycle Costing and Life Cycle Assessment methodologies enable to pursue sustainability issues, however they present some gaps. Therefore, the aim is to propose a toolset for the improvement of industrial systems’ lifecycle sustainability, through the utilization of ICT technologies, covering the gaps identified and hitting the industrial needs. The toolset is then applied to an industrial case and evaluated in a qualitative way via questionnaire.

Measuring supply chain performance: A framework for prioritizing measures

One could consider changing the expression “organisations compete on a market” to “supply chains compete on a market”. The reason for this is that most organisations are interested in reducing cost and increasing profitability. The need to evaluate the appropriate type of supply chain performance measure is therefore vital, as it can affect the decision-making process. The objective of this paper is to present a framework that identifies which performance measures and metrics should be prioritised in relation to the type of product manufactured and the type of supply chain using the product life cycle (PLC) approach. The framework presented consists of three descriptions of theories, which, when combined, provide valuable guidance for the prioritisation of performance measures. The three theories are: 1) type of supply chain, 2) type of supply chain performance measure; and 3) scope of measurement in the supply chain.

Dynamic Model of Markets of Homogenous Non-durables

A new microeconomic model is presented that aims at a description of the long-term unit sales and price evolution of homogeneous non-durable goods in polypoly markets. It merges the product lifecycle approach with the price dispersion dynamics of homogeneous goods. The model predicts a minimum critical lifetime of non-durables in order to survive. Under the condition that the supply side of the market evolves much faster than the demand side the theory suggests that unsatisfied demands are present in the first stages of the lifecycle. With the growth of production capacities these demands disappear accompanied with a logistic decrease of the mean price of the good. The model is applied to electricity as a non-durable satisfying the model condition. The presented theory allows a deeper understanding of the sales and price dynamics of non-durables.

Green Supply Chain Management: Product Life Cycle Approach

Green Supply Chain Management: Product Life Cycle Approach

Environmental Knowledge Management of Finnish Food and Drink Companies in Eco-Efficiency and Waste Management

Introduction Various tools for environmental management (EM) exist but few of them integrate the product life cycle perspective and the knowledge management (KM) approach. The life cycle perspective is an essential aspect of EM, since it classifies and describes actions related to all relevant environmental knowledge areas, from product acquisition, design and manufacture, to product service and disposal. On the other hand, use of KM to tackle environmental issues can help companies to better understand what can be done about environmental problems and how to realize the benefits of environmentally responsible actions (Frick, Kaiser, & Wilson, 2004). Most of the literature on environmental knowledge management (EKM) focuses on informational and softer decision-making tools rather than on appropriate understanding of specific environmental knowledge areas and their connection to organizational structure and culture (Heeney & Murphy, 1999). Environmental knowledge management should combine tools, mechanism, processes, structures, strategies, data, and information with people's experiences and ideas to enable the creation, capture, sharing, acquisition, and use of knowledge (Huang & Shih, 2009). Consequently, this research employs knowledge management and the product life cycle approach to address individual environmental knowledge areas about eco-efficiency and waste management and their interrelations. There are four relevant challenges for this study based on the literature. The first is incoherence between environmental knowledge about management of raw materials, energy efficiency, and waste (Kaiser & Fuhrer, 2003). Companies have knowledge gaps in understanding and utilization of product life cycle processes due to the complex relationship between raw materials, energy, and waste. The second challenge is related to an inability to identify and analyze all relevant environmental aspects and impacts within the areas of raw materials, energy, and waste management. Companies need to develop an atomistic approach for every business process in order to gain understanding about the risks, costs and benefits of their actions for the each knowledge area (Ipe, 2003; Kaiser & Fuhrer, 2003). The third challenge arises from a lack of empowerment of employees, which prevents them from taking relevant environmental actions. Boiral (2002) emphasizes that managers and environmental specialists must visit work sites and discuss with employees in order to identify their knowledge and competencies as well as to encourage them to think, share, and use their environmental knowledge. Companies also need to find solutions to integrate individual knowledge, plans, experience, and goals into organizational structures. The fourth challenge is found in external contacts and knowledge acquisition from stakeholders and suppliers. This challenge is related to the ability of organizations to acquire relevant external knowledge and integrate it appropriately into internal knowledge (Jorgensen, 2006, 2008). The general aim of this research is to analyze how companies identify relevant eco-efficiency and waste management aspects, their relations and causes, and how they act to address these aspects. Additionally, employing KM and the life cycle approach, this paper sets the following specific objectives: a) to analyze how companies acquire knowledge on eco-efficiency and waste management internally and externally; b) to analyze how companies share knowledge on eco-efficiency and waste management internally and externally; c) to outline the way in which companies use and create knowledge about eco-efficiency and waste management; d) to analyze knowledge accumulation and retrieval about eco-efficiency and waste management; This research focuses on the Finnish companies in food and drink sectors. The food and drink industry is the fourth biggest industry in Finland and, at the same time, one of the greatest users of materials and energy. …

Development of Budesonide Nanocluster Dry Powder Aerosols: Formulation and Stability

The physical and chemical stability of dry powder aerosol formulations is an essential component in the development of an inhaled therapeutic. The pharmaceutical processing methods and storage conditions are primary determinants of the stability of a dry powder inhaler (DPI) formulation. Wet milling was used to produce budesonide NanoClusters (NCs), which are agglomerates of drug nanoparticles (≈ 300 nm) with a mean aerodynamic diameter between 1 and 3 µm, capable of deep lung penetration. In this study, the reproducibility of NC processing and performance was established. The physical stability of a selected budesonide NC formulation was investigated using industry standard dose content uniformity and cascade impaction techniques. The chemical stability of the lead formulation was also determined as a function of processing parameters and storage conditions. This study confirms the reproducibility and robust stability of NC powders as a novel means to turn drug particles into high-performance aerosols.

Effectively Serving The Needs Of Todays Business Student: The Product Life Cycle Approach To Class Organization

We illustrate a class organization process utilizing the concept of the Product Life Cycle to meet the needs of todays millennial student. In the Introduction stage of a business course, professors need to build structure to encourage commitment. In the Growth stage, professors need to promote the structure through multiple, brief activities that can keep the attention of business students. In the Mature stage, professors need to use the structure to stabilize engagement levels and learning rates but be willing to make adjustments to prevent apathy in the course. Finally, in the Decline stage, professors need to dismantle the structure while allowing opportunities for utilizing materials for future business courses and addressing todays millennial students need for achievement and sense of entitlement with the course grades. The value is that this paper illustrates an approach to aid professors in organizing business courses that can be utilized in a variety of courses to better serve millennial students.

Restructuring Fixed and Variable Pay in Sales Organizations: A Product Life Cycle Approach

Organizations must review and update sales management practices and their compensation strategies according to the different stages of product life cycle (PLC). The PLC can be a valid framework for assessing organizational response in terms of marketing mix variables and sales force compensation strategy based on sales efforts. Fluctuations in sales growth, profit margins, asset turnover, and return on net assets are normal outcomes of the PLC and strongly influence compensation strategy. Restructuring fixed and variable pay in compensation plans according to the PLC will help organizations design an optimal compensation strategy. The primary objective of this article is to propose a framework for selecting an appropriate sales force compensation plan according to the various stages of the PLC.