Internal obstacles restraining productivity improvement in small Finnish industrial enterprises

Article Abstract:

There was a deep depression in the early 1990s in Finland, during which the number of jobs in Finnish industry decreased. By improving productivity, we can increase the price competitiveness of Finnish products and create the necessary conditions for increasing our standard of living. Although productivity improvement is important, it does not always succeed. A firm may have a real intention to improve productivity, but there are many things which restrain their ability to achieve this aim. The factors which make the efforts to improve productivity ineffective, or even prevent improvement operations can be called obstacles to productivity improvement. These obstacles can be classified into three categories: internal, external and general obstacles. In this paper an attempt is made to analyze the internal obstacles. The main reason for this kind of treatment is the fact that internal obstacles form the only category of obstacles which is clearly under the control of the firm. Thus, by identifying and eliminating these obstacles we can improve the actions of the whole firm. In the present paper, the possible obstacles, especially internal obstacles are discussed and classified on the basis of the theory. A study is presented which aims to establish the most significant internal obstacles for productivity improvement in small industrial firms on the basis of two different sets of regional data. [C] 2001 Elsevier Science B.V. All rights reserved. Keywords: Productivity improvement; Internal obstacles; Small firms

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Ten tools for customer-driven product development in industrial companies

Article Abstract:

Need assessment is a critical success factor of product and business development in all companies. In this paper we present 10 tools for customer-driven product and business development for companies producing industrial products. The tools help to clarify the needs and objectives of customers and to ensure that customer needs are considered when making development decisions in the different phases of product development. These tools were developed in a two-year projects with small and medium-sized companies. In our paper we describe important requirements for the development of the tool set, give a short description of the tools and their usability, and introduce different practical ways to support the selection of tools. [C] 2001 Elsevier Science B.V. All rights reserved. Keywords: Products development; Innovation management; Need assessment tools; Customer orientation; Industrial products

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An analysis of innovation management systems' characteristics

Article Abstract:

A strategy for analyzing the characteristics of the product innovation management systems in companies is proposed. An effective product innovation management system is an important tool for the manufacturing industry in achieving a competitive advantage in the market. The proposed model incorporates the three main forces in the innovation process, namely, managerial goals and strategies, customers' needs and requirements, and technological opportunities. It also establishes the goals for innovation based on these forces and ensures effective management of the innovation process based on the set goals. It proved to be effective when applied in an investigation of Finnish companies.

Product Development, Models, Technological innovations, New products, Product introduction

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