We report on a survey of the innovation activities and characteristics of 153 users of outdoor-related consumer products. We find a high level of innovation by these consumers. Thirty-seven percent report that they have developed ideas for new or improved products, and more than 9% report...

Kovarianzstrukturanalytische Erklärung studentischen Gründungsverhaltens anhand der Persönlichkeitskonstrukte "Risikopräferenz" und "Unabhängigkeitsstreben" sowie der subjektiven Wahrnehmung der Umfeldbedingungen [Nikolaus Franke, Christian Lüthje]<p>Dieses Arbeitspapier ist ebenfalls als...</p>

Kundenorientierung ist entscheidend für den Innovationserfolg!; Obwohl dem Wissenschaftler und Praktiker in der Marktforschung grundsätzlich zustimmen dürften, ist mit der konsequenten Ausrichtung auf die Kundenbedürfnisse gleichzeitig der Nachteil einer konservativen Innovationspolitik...

Analogies can trigger breakthrough ideas in new product development. Numerous examples demonstrate that substantial innovations often result from transferring problem solutions from one industry or domain to another. For instance, the designers of the new running shoe generation of Nike, Nike...

In this paper we explore how knowledge brokers - specialised design and engineering companies offering services to clients in diverse industries - use analogies for product development. Our research is based on interviews with project leaders of 13 knowledge brokering companies. The interviews...

Close orientation with the market is essential for innovation success! Although both academics and market research practitioners would generally agree with this statement, alignment with the needs of the customer often results in conservative innovation strategies. Due to their focus on what is...

In der einschlägigen Literatur wird in der Regel das Bild stark formalisierter und methodengestützter Innovationsprozesse aufgezeichnet, das primär für große Unternehmen zutreffend erscheint. Inwieweit sich diese Vorstellung auch auf Organisationen geringerer Größe übertragen lässt,...

Manufacturers usually benefit by dividing their innovation processes into distinct phases in order to ensure that the development activities are performed efficiently in an appropriate sequence. Users usually do not apply such structured processes. They follow a more intuition-driven approach....

Interdisciplinary cooperation among people trained in technical and economic fields has been identified as an important success factor in new venture teams. However, empirical findings also indicate that individuals often refuse to engage in close and trustful relationships with representatives...

Information gathering from sources outside the company plays a critical role in most innovation projects. Particularly, it seems promising to approach external market experts to develop an indepth understanding of current use problems, changing customer needs and trends for new product...