CERES :: Browsing by Author "Goffin, Keith"

Browsing by Author "Goffin, Keith"

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Open Access
Achieving Customer Satisfaction through Integrated Products and Services: An Exploratory Study
(Blackwell Publishing Ltd, 2013-11-01T00:00:00Z) Raja, Jawwad Z.; Bourne, Dorota; Goffin, Keith; Cakkol, Mehmet; Martinez, Veronica
Much of the research on satisfying customer needs is strongly influenced by the product or service dichotomy. Customer solutions however represent a type of offering that integrates products and services. Thus, solutions provide a special context that requires research attention. In this paper, we conducted an exploratory study of four customer organisations using solutions. Using the repertory grid technique we conducted 33 interviews with participants and identified 29 attributes. The data was analyzed using the Honey technique to identify which attributes are important for users and buyers of customer solutions. The findings identify relational dynamic between customers and the solution provider to be a complex and multifaceted set of dependencies that involves a number of key attributes identified. These closely related attributes included: knowledge, innovation, control, access and contract in satisfying the needs of users and buyers. The lesson that providers need to be aware of in designing NPD/NSD for solutions is that in the customer organization buyer and user attributes may vary as the two groups may have different needs. Therefore, providers of solutions need to cater for both groups when designing offerings. Importantly, the solutions context entails both product (good) and service elements that require closer attention.
Open Access
The appraisal of three gas-fired small-scale CHP systems.
(Cranfield University, 1997-10) Riley, J. M.; Goffin, Keith; Probert, S. D.
The research in this thesis has undertaken a technical. economic and environmeiital appraisal of three gas-fired, small-scale Combined Heat-and-Power (CHP) systenlýý together with a study of the UK's electricity supply industry (ESi) and CHP market. The purpose of each system is to attempt to utilise more of the heat and/or electricitY output from the CHP unit. Within the non-technical research area, t hree scenarios for the evolution of the ES1 have been developed to help establish llow changes to forces acting within the industry, might affect the development of the UK CHP market. New applications of several strategic management, alialysis tools were used to develop and select the following scenarios: (i) 'N-ewa nd reduced ('02 limits set by the Climate Control Conference + stricter environmental legislatioil, (ii) Changes to the Pool mechanism for pricing electricity. (iii) Business as usual. It was concluded that in isolation scenarios I and 3 would aid the expansion of the, CHP market, whereas scenario 2 is likely to hinder it. The selection of the scenarios and the implications for the ESi and CHP market are supported by the opinions of 'industry specialists', which were solicited in a survey specifically undertaken for this study. The investigation into the first of the three technical systems involves the substitution of two separate CHP units in place of a single larger unit. The intention is to operate the larger of the two CHP units at maximum output to satisfy the base heat-load and to use the second unit for meeting peak loads. The results for five test-cases were produced via a newlY-developed predictive model, and indicated that it is possible, for one of the case studies considered, to achieve shorter pay-back periods when using the double-unit - with a higher availability of 9.5% - rather than the single-unit system. In the other two cases (where CHP is a viable economic option), longer pay-back periods ensue by the installation of the twounit rather than the single-unit system. The operation of the two-unit system call potentially increase energy-utilisation from the CHP units at one of the other sites'. Furthermore, the proposed system can offer, in some cases, significant secondarý' benefits, which could encourage a potential investor in the technology. These benefits include the increased heat- an d-elect ri city output, increased availability from the system, back-up from the secondary unit if one unit fails. The second system determines the viability of an integrated small-scale CHP and TES system. Another predictive model was developed and tested on five test -case",. It was found that there is insufficient potential for the system and that the pot(, iitial is limited by the following factors (i) CHP-sizing methodology, (ii) the relat IvCIN, high capital cost for TEs hardware and installation, (iii) the relatively low econwilic value attributed to heat and (iv) the availability of IoN%-pricedo ff-peak electricitv. An industrial case study provided a rare and useful operational exainple of tlic proposed system and the findings indicated that the heat-store could reduce i he energy and monetary expenditures by up to 2.8/7c of the site's annual gas usage. displacing approximately 30 tones Of C02 emissions each year. Howe\-er, becauýw of the high financial cost of the TES components and installation. the pay-back period produced would rarely be acceptable to a prospecti\-e investor. except in exceptional circumstances. Finally, the viability of an integrated CHP/absorption chiller systeni was in\-(, stigated. The effectiveness of these types of systems are dependent on several factors, namely: the source-water temperature from the hot-engine CHP unit - for a high cop - and the cooling load at the site, the cooling demand at the site and the temperature of the cooling water. A first-stage predictive model was developed to determine the initial appropriateness of the installation of the integrated system at a local hospital for the first time. The indications were that the cooling demand was too low and the surplus waste-heat from the CHP unit insufficient to make the system viable at the site. A second working-system was studied with a full ('02 investigation undertaken. The intention was to compare the total C02 emissions for the integrated CHP and absorption chiller system with those for a similarl. y sized vapour-compression system. The results indicate that the installed systc1l) will produce 0.30kgCO2/kWhcoolth compared with 0.27 kg and 0.32kg for two different types of vapour compression systems at design conditions. If the CHP heat output is increased - to supply all of the heat required by the absorption chiller - then the proposed system can displace up to 0.06 kgC02 per kWhcoolth at design conditions and 0.10 kgC02 per kWh of cooling delivered for lower cooling water temperatures. This represents a reduction of 22% and 40% respectively, when compared with the vap our- compressions system.
Open Access
Capturing tacit knowledge in New Product Development : a study of post-project reviews
(2008-01-01T00:00:00Z) Goffin, Keith; Koners, Ursula
An important way to capture the knowledge generated by new product development teams is to conduct post-project reviews. This paper describes a detailed study of the role that such reviews play in generating and disseminating tacit knowledge within an R&D environment. Tacit knowledge is generally acknowledged to be a challenging topic to research and so case studies were conducted using multiple sources of data. The research identifies the main factors that influence the generation of tacit knowledge at post-project reviews, such as the atmosphere and the discussion methods chosen. Although the study is exploratory and further research is needed, the results have implications for managers who want to positively influence the generation and dissemination of knowledge in R&D departments.
Open Access
Collaborate to innovate
(Cranfield University School of Management, 2011-03-01T00:00:00Z) Goffin, Keith; Baxter, David; Schoeman, Magnus
Innovation is something that many governments strive to support, in both the private and public sectors. By bridging the two sectors and creating novel partnerships, public sector expenditure can be reduced.
Open Access
Comparative study of joining methods for a SMART aerospace application
(Cranfield University, 2007-04-19) Chau, Eric T F; Friend, Clifford M.; Allen, David; Webster, John; Clark, Daniel; Goffin, Keith
The adaptive serrated nozzle (ASN) is one of the most promising concepts to help reduce the noise level generated by aero-engines. Shear between a hot air stream and ambient air at the nozzle exit creates noise. The serrated nozzle is designed to protrude into the air stream causing mixing between the two air streams reducing the noise level. Adaptive control system using shape memory alloy (SMA) actuators deploy the protrusion only when required in order to maximise fuel efficiency. The successful joining of NiTi shape memory alloy (SMA) to the titanium parent structure is critical to the development of the adaptive serrated nozzle. However, joining of SMAs to dissimilar metals is widely known as extremely difficult if not impossible. This research provides a preliminary study into the potential of using SMAs in large engineering applications such as the ASN and the development of viable joining methods for joining SMA to titanium based alloy. Five most favourable conventional joining methods were selected for experimental investigation. Results proved that the successful joining of SMA to dissimilar alloys was extremely difficult, joint failures were mainly due to the formation of brittle intermetallics at joint interfaces. The formation of these intermetallics occurs irrespective of the type of joining method and level of heat input employed. However, it has been shown that the formation of these intermetallics can be suppressed by the manipulation of the joint composition. A marked improvement in joint performance has been achieved for joints that contained no more than 25 at% nickel. Joint improvement has also been achieved through the addition of titanium at the joint, although further research is necessary to investigate the effect of titanium addition to joint performance.
Open Access
Countering commoditization through innovation: challenges for European B2B companies
(Taylor and Francis, 2021-06-30) Goffin, Keith; Beznosov, Aleksei; Seiler, Matthias
Overview: B2B companies are an important part of the global economy, and traditionally they have relied on technological capabilities to compete. Currently, the B2B sector is under increasing pressure, as many B2B companies no longer have a technological advantage, and they also face commoditization. Companies see innovation as a way to compete against these challenges. Although product and process innovation are important in B2B markets, companies need other forms of innovation such as service and business model innovation to create a differentiated offering. B2B managers’ views on the value of market research vary widely, and many are unaware that sophisticated techniques such as ethnography can effectively identify B2B customer needs. Our Commoditization-Innovativeness Matrix is a diagnosis tool that enables B2B companies to identify actions that can counter commoditization.
Open Access
Creating breakthrough products from hidden needs
(2011-01-01T00:00:00Z) Goffin, Keith
Many managers want their organizations to develop breakthrough products and ask their R&D departments to come up with the equivalent of the iPod or iPhone. Unfortunately, the reality is very different-most organizations struggle to come up with novel product concepts, and of the thousands of new products introduced worldwide each year, product failure is more common than success. What are the reasons for product failure and what steps can companies take to avoid it? In this article we explain the key lessons from innovation research and how managers can apply them.
Open Access
Customer insights generation at the front end of innovation: an exploration within a medical device company
(Cranfield University, 2023-06) Grant, Stuart Russell; Goffin, Keith; Adams, Richard
It is generally agreed that product innovation happens when innovation teams conduct market research to uncover customer needs. It has also been reported that customer needs and customer insights are essential for radical innovation. Over the last 40 years, research into customer needs has defined needs as either articulated or unarticulated, with associated market research methods to uncover needs and insights, such as surveys, questionnaires, observation, interviews, and a repertory grid. Though customer needs are well-defined, customer insights need an adequate definition. Although definitions exist in the marketing and psychology literature, they are unclear or often conflicting within the product innovation field. For example, customer insights are either a separate concept from a need or a component of needs. As such, how both these concepts relate to radical innovation remains unclear. Furthermore, the process of uncovering customer needs has been well defined; conversely, the process that links the uncovering of customer needs and discovering customer insights requires an improved framework. Nevertheless, does understanding the relationship and process between needs and insights matter and warrant being studied? If, as suggested, finding customer needs leads to incremental innovation and customer insights lead to radical innovation, then understanding this is worthwhile. This is because, firstly, for academics, investigating what innovation teams are doing during the front end of innovation (FEI) will allow them to analyse the data from case studies research more effectively. Secondly, practitioners will better appreciate the FEI process and be able to categorise their findings from market research into needs and insights, which will assist with considering the type of innovation being pursued. Therefore, understanding the relationship between a need and an insight is required. A fuller understanding of the process of discovering insights in the FEI is needed. Through a systematic literature review (SLR) and an exploratory case study, the research attempts to investigate this conceptualisation of customer insight in product innovation and understand the relationship between needs and insights. The SLR reviewed the extant literature on the definitions of, the methods used for finding, and the relationship between needs and insights. The exploratory case study investigated the process of discovering customer insight with innovation teams in a global medical technology company. The research had two strands – retrospective and longitudinal. Five retrospective cases were conducted immediately after the FEI had finished: four interviews per case, totalling 20 interviews. Four longitudinal cases followed the FEI for ten months; an interview was conducted with the participants at 1-, 4-, and 10-month intervals throughout the front end process; this totalled 45 interviews with 15 participants from the four cases. In addition to the interview data, documentation was also collected from all nine cases. The data was collected and analysed based on coding from the literature. The research extends the body of literature on customer needs and insights. From a theoretical perspective, the study provides a clearer understanding of the definition of customer needs and insights. It also suggests the relationship between the concepts of need and insight. The framework proposed that discovering insights produces a better understanding of the front end process. This process is iterative, whereby finer needs are uncovered, and deeper insights are discovered as the team further understands the customer and the market research. From a practice perspective, the study assists innovation in better appreciating the interaction of needs and insights. The research also helps product innovation teams better categorise their market research findings into needs and insights that may drive more radical innovations.
Open Access
Customer support and new product development : An exploratory study
(Emerald Group Publishing Limited, 2001-03-01T00:00:00Z) Goffin, Keith; New, Colin
Customer support is an essential element in the successful marketing of many products – from domestic appliances to high-tech computer networks. Many aspects of support are strongly influenced by a product’s design and so customer support requirements should be evaluated during new product development. However, researchers have largely ignored the relationship between new product development and customer support. The current study addressed this gap by using case studies and a workshop, both conducted with leading companies, to identify how customer support is typically evaluated at the design stage and to determine the importance of this aspect of new product development. The results have implications for managers responsible for product innovation – they show the need to allocate adequate resources to integrating customer support requirements into new product develo
Open Access
Customer support and product innovation : three exploratory case studies
(1998-01-01T00:00:00Z) Goffin, Keith; New, Colin
Open Access
Customer support distribution channels : five exploratory case studies
(1998-01-01T00:00:00Z) Goffin, Keith
Open Access
Customer support: A cross-industry study of distribution channels and strategies
(Emerald Group Publishing Limited, 1999-01-01T00:00:00Z) Goffin, Keith
Customer support, such as equipment maintenance and repair, is an essential element in the successful marketing of a wide range of products, from computer systems to domestic appliances. Consequently, companies need to establish and maintain appropriate channels for high-quality customer support; either as a part of their own operations or through third parties. This paper describes an exploratory investigation of the distribution channels and customer support strategies of five manufacturing businesses, using case study methodology. The results show the key role that customer support plays in various industries and illustrate the types of decisions companies make on how to provide high-quality support for their customers. These findings have implications for managers in all industries where customer support is important, as they provide insights on how different channels and strategies affect the quality and efficiency of customer support.
Open Access
Decision making in unfamiliar problem domains: evidence from the investment banking industry
(Cranfield University, 2004-02) McGrath, Michael Peter; Jenkins, Mark; Partington, David; Bowman, Cliff; Goffin, Keith
This research explores the determinants of risk behaviour when an organisation operates outside its normal operational domain. Organisations are being forced outside their normal operational domains with ever-increasing frequency. Through studying a banking acquisition, an area which has not been studied before, the research identifies the risks faced by the organisation, the apparent irrational management of the risks, and the reasons for this behaviour. The research applies multiple research methods, which include the review of company documentation, interviews with key managers and external experts, a modified Delphi technique, case studies and statistical analysis. Through these methods, the risks faced by the organisation are identified and evaluated in terms of probability, impact, and degree of mitigation. Four risks are investigated in detail, and based on these, six propositions are put forward, four of which are support by statistical tests. The research shows that where the organisation had a successful outcome history in managing a given risk, or could manage the risk using normal management controls, the risk tended to be managed disproportionately well compared to its significance. Where those conditions do not apply the management of the risk tends to be proportionately lacking. There is also evidence to suggest that the existence of industry-specific regulation in relation to a risk results in the risk being better mitigated. Organisations wishing to improve their risk response in unfamiliar operational domains should therefore consider day-to-day controls as one route to improvement. Also, where possible, they should try to create a history of successful outcomes in dealing with the risk types they are likely to face in unfamiliar problem domains. Regulatory bodies need to consider the impact that their regulations will have in order to help organisations exhibit better behaviours in unfamiliar problem domains.
Open Access
Design for Supportability : An Essential Component of New Product Development
(Industrial Research Institute Inc, 2000-01-01T00:00:00Z) Goffin, Keith
During new product development, R&D engineers consider a wide range of often conflicting requirements, including product features, cost, quality, and manufacturability. Another factor, which companies often neglect, is to ensure that products are easy and economical to service and support—i.e., to install, to maintain, to repair, to operate, etc. Product support is essential for achieving customer satisfaction in many industries, including high-tech sectors such as computing as well as "low-tech" sectors such as domestic appliances and the like. Leading companies recognize both the importance of product support and the significance of evaluating support requirements at the design stage by using Design for Supportability techniques. This enables them to gain competitive advantage from customer support and earn significant revenue
Open Access
Drivers of product innovation : an investigation of German manufacturing companies
(Cranfield University, 2003-09) Lohmühler, Bertram; Goffin, Keith
Product innovation is an important driver for manufacturing companies to remain competitive. Although new products are essential to high-technology companies, other sectors are also focusing on product innovation. As the importance of product innovation becomes widely recognised, there is a need to analyse the relationship between product innovation rates and the percentage of revenues generated from new products (defined as product innovation position). Therefore, the purpose of this study is to determine why companies (business units) within the same industry sector (i. e., in the engineering and electrical & electronics engineering sector) operate with different product innovation positions. Much of the management literature is based on the assumption that product innovation leads to improved company performance in terms of competitive advantage, higher revenues with new products, higher market share and cost or quality advantages. Taking this argument into account, it might be expected that firms with high performance are innovating at a faster rate than less successful companies. But this relationship is not as clear as it appears. Overall, the reasons why companies innovate at different rates require investigation. In other words: the factors which influence product innovation positions need deeper examination. In order to identify the reasons for varying product innovation positions, the research was divided into three phases: The first phase was a survey of 81 business units, which collected data on the number of new products developed by companies. This phase identified errors in measuring the percentage of new products introduced in the last three years (product innovation rate). Therefore, in the second phase, the errors in measuring product innovation rate were corrected through a survey and telephone interviews. In this phase, data from 78 business units were analysed. In the third phase, further investigations focusing on the question why business units have different product innovation positions were conducted through case studies. The investigation used a model of Cooper and Kleinschmidt (1993) as a basis for the case study research of II business units in the industry sectors engineering and electrical & electronics engineering. The results identified three key drivers for product innovation positions: market, competition and product innovation strategy. Further, the two areas NPD management and corporate culture were found as key drivers for the management of product innovation processes. One further important finding is, that product innovation position do not show how innovative a business unit is. With regard to profits, the cross-case analysis found that independent from product innovation position only two of 11 business units earn more from new products than from the whole product portfolio (i. e., from both existing and new products). This implies that the product innovation rate and the percentage of revenues are related to the context. It has to be noted that an investigation of product innovation position was only possible by using a combination of both survey and case study approach.
Open Access
Enhancing software development through project‐based learning and the quality of planning
(Wiley, 2020-09-04) Amaral Féris, Marco Antônio; Goffin, Keith; Zwikael, Ofer; Fan, Di
R&D plays a crucial role in developing new products, the commercialisation of which can drive corporate growth. Over three decades, research has focused the new product development (NPD) process and it is known that developing new products is a knowledge‐intensive, risky activity. Since industry surveys show that many NPD projects, particularly software‐based ones, fail to meet their schedules and objectives. Consequently, today’s R&D managers still need ways to plan and conduct NPD more effectively. Project‐based Learning (PBL) – the generation of specific technical and process knowledge during and after a project – is a potential way to improve NPD. Therefore, this paper investigated the research question: Does PBL enhance the quality of planning in subsequent software development projects? The study used a sample of 47 software development projects at three multinational organisations. Significantly, the findings show that PBL does enhance the quality of planning of subsequent software development projects. In particular, the quality of planning is increased in projects with high levels of uncertainty; where team members work in a project‐based structure with strong collaboration; and when the pressure to deliver projects is high. The contribution of the research at a theoretical level is that it identified an important link between learning and the quality of planning in subsequent NPD projects. At a practical level, the study identifies specific steps R&D managers can take to improve the performance of software development projects, with all their associated challenges.
Open Access
Evaluating customer support requirements at the product design stage
(1997-01-01T00:00:00Z) Goffin, Keith
Open Access
An exploratory study of close supplier-manufacturer relationships
(Elsevier Science B.V., Amsterdam., 2006-01-01T00:00:00Z) Goffin, Keith; Lemke, Fred; Szwejczewski, Marek
Close relationships with selected suppliers can enable manufacturers to reduce costs, improve quality and enhance new product development. Although the advantages of close co-operation are widely acknowledged in the literature, the specific attributes of such relationships are not well understood. To address this gap, 39 managers responsible for purchasing were interviewed using a technique from psychology, which is particularly effective at uncovering the characteristics of relationships. This approach is innovative in the context of supplier management research and gave insights into how manufacturers expect more from their suppliers than just reliable deliveries of high-quality, well- priced parts and components. The results of the empirical research enhance our knowledge of the attributes of manufacturer–supplier relationships and also indicate how manufacturers can establish close relationships with selected suppliers. Overall, the study has established the viability of a new approach for understanding the complex topic of manufacturer–supplier partnersh
Open Access
Exploring the role of the CEO in innovation in life science R&D firms
(Cranfield University, 2013-10) Rosier, Jan; Goffin, Keith
In order for firms to remain competitive CEOs acknowledge the importance of innovation. In life science R&D firms scientists are crucial for innovation because they hold knowledge to create competitive new products. They are also known to fall outside of full control of management. Therefore, understanding the role of the CEO in innovation in life science R&D is key to understanding innovation in these firms. In order to gain insight into the role of the CEO a comprehensive review of the literature was conducted. It showed that the role of the CEO was mainly explored by means of survey-based investigations. The knowledge thus obtained has not offered insight into what CEOs actually do to lead innovation in life science R&D firms, nor does it take into account how it is perceived by R&D. It was therefore decided to conduct structured interviews of 15 CEOs of life science R&D firms to obtain a better understanding of what they actually do to lead innovation. Their views were contrasted against the perceptions of 33 R&D managers who report to the CEOs. It was found that CEOs need to make considerable use of their absorptive capacity to lead innovation and that they use this capacity to focus R&D. The R&D function refers to the need for the CEO’s absorptive capacity but emphasizes a relationship with the CEO based on trust. The unique contribution of this research is that not only takes into account the view of the CEO but also of the R&D function. For academics, it opens new avenues for research in innovation using CEO absorptive capacity. For practitioners, it advises CEOs to make efforts to improve their absorptive capacity in order to be able to lead innovation in life science R&D firms.
Open Access
From user insights to foresights: Applying video-based ethnographic narratives and user innovation in NPD
(Elsevier, 2020-01-31) Sakellariou, Evy; Karantinou, Kalipso; Goffin, Keith
Video-based ethnographic narratives is an advanced ethnographic mode for user innovation and user foresights. This mode adopts both an emic and an etic research perspective that complement each other.User “logos”, “ethos”, “pathos” and “topos” are the antecedents for ordinary user innovation.