Product Innovativeness and Entry Strategy: Impact on Cycle Time and Break-even Time

New product development time, or cycle time, has become a critical competitive variable, particularly for small high-tech manufacturing firms. The business press is filled with examples about large firms that have successfully reduced cycle time. This article investigates the relative impact of product innovation and entry strategy on cycle time and initial market performance of small firms. Using a sample of seventy-three small manufacturing firms, Abdul Ali, Robert Krapfel, Jr., and Douglas LaBahn find that faster product development is associated with shorter break-even time. Their results also indicate that these firms are achieving shorter cycle time not by sacrificing product quality, but by keeping the technical content of the product simple. Past research has not taken into account this relationship, and this may be one of the reasons why researchers have often suggested conflicting impact of entry strategy on market performance.     

Product Diversity in Asymmetric Oligopoly: Is the Quality of Consumer Goods too Low?

We analyse an oligopoly model incorporating horizontal differentiation and quality differences. High quality goods are overpriced and underproduced. When the market is fairly well covered, low quality products may be profitable when their net social contribution is negative, implying excessive entry. In a relatively uncovered market, even low quality goods are underproduced and there may be underentry. When fixed costs are independent of quality, the market tends to select the right firms. Otherwise, the market may produce low quality products when it should produce high quality ones. The model is calibrated using market data for yoghurt.     

The Impact of Product Portfolio Strategy on Financial Performance: The Roles of Product Development and Market Entry Decisions

Innovation is one of the most important issues facing business today. The major difficulty in managing innovation is that managers must do so against a constantly shifting backdrop as technologies, competitors, and markets constantly evolve. Managers determine the product portfolio through key decisions about product development and market entry. Key strategic questions are what portfolio strategies provide the greatest reward. The purpose of this study is to understand the relative financial values of each component of a product portfolio. Specifically, the paper examines the short‐term and long‐term financial impacts of product development strategy and market entry strategy. These strategies reflect two critical tensions that must be balanced in product portfolio decision making and essentially determine a firm's product portfolio. In doing so, the paper also investigates how a firm's capabilities drive each component of a product portfolio. From the empirical analyses in the context of the biomedical device industry, the paper found important insights regarding product portfolio strategies. First, a large product portfolio helps a firm's financial performance. In particular, the pioneering new products have strongest impacts on short‐term performances, and nonpioneering mature products do not provide significant contribution. Second, the results indicate a persistent first‐mover advantage. The first‐to‐market new products yield not only an immediate effect, but also persistent long‐term effects, suggesting that it is important to be first in the market even though there may be short‐term losses. Third, the results suggest the need to balance between “mature” and “new” products. Also, firms need to balance “first‐to‐market” and “late‐entered” products. Because a new or pioneering product requires more resource, it may hurt other products in the portfolio. Thus, without support from mature or follower products, new products and pioneering products alone may not increase firm sales or profit. Fourth, from a long‐term perspective, the paper found that the financial market only rewards a firm's overall capability to deliver new products first in the marketplace. Thus, short‐term performance is mainly driven by product‐level innovativeness, whereas firm‐level innovativeness enhances forward‐looking long‐term performance. Fifth, the paper also found that pioneering new products are driven by integrating both primary and complementary technological capabilities. And nonpioneering new products are mainly driven by the capabilities in primary technology domain. These results provide important insight into the relative value and timing of return on investment in radical versus incremental innovation and alternative market entry strategies. By understanding the performance trade‐offs of these different factors in the short and long term, one can develop better guidelines for optimizing innovation strategies, and their dependence on both external and internal environmental conditions.     

The Effects of Brand Strategy and Technological Uncertainty on Pioneering Advantage in the Multigenerational Product Market

This research investigates how brand strategy and technological uncertainty influence the order‐of‐entry effects for a previous generation pioneer in the successive generation. The findings of our longitudinal experiment reemphasize the importance of continuous pioneering, demonstrating that consumers exhibit a strong preference for a previous generation pioneer's product when it continues to pioneer the successive generation. More importantly, the findings indicate that continuous pioneering with a new brand leads to greater brand preferences when technological uncertainty is high. This is because in that condition, consumers perceive greater innovativeness with a new brand than with the extant one. On the other hand, an extant brand increases consumer brand preferences for a previous generation pioneer's product in the successive generation when technological uncertainty is low. The theoretical and practical implications of the results for understanding and managing pioneering advantage and brand strategy in the multigenerational product markets are discussed.     

“示弱”品牌传记在“蛇吞象”跨国并购中的正面效应

人们习惯认为,企业应通过"示强"——"凸显自己优势"的方式来赢得消费者青睐。然而,众多国际知名企业却通过"示弱"的营销思维赢得全球"粉丝"(如苹果等)。虽然美国学术界已证实"示弱营销"更能赢得消费者情感认同,但国内理论界尚未关注"示弱营销"的价值。本文在国内率先对"示弱营销"进行实证研究,以国际市场"蛇吞象"并购为背景,探索"示弱"品牌传记是否能减弱"蛇吞象"中对"强"品牌的负面影响以及其机制。结果表明:当弱品牌不采用"示弱"品牌传记时,消费者对强品牌的购买意愿下降;当弱品牌采用"示弱"品牌传记时,相比"示强"品牌传记,消费者对弱品牌的情感认同更高,对强品牌购买意愿下降得更少;品牌传记与强品牌购买意愿之间的关系经过消费者对"弱"品牌的情感认同发挥影响。论文最后讨论了本文结论对新兴国家企业在借"示弱营销"建立品牌情感,以及并购后品牌管理、品牌传播等方面的营销战略借鉴。     

浅析品牌内涵与品牌策略

随着经济全球化的发展,企业间的竞争也相应由价格竞争、质量竞争转向全方位的品牌竞争。中国企业要想和外国企业相抗衡,必须适应品牌竞争的需要,认真分析品牌内涵及属性,并制定相应的品牌策略。     

The Effect of New Product Preannouncements on the Evaluation of Other Brand Products

Some firms preannounce new products long before they are actually available on the market. Previous research has investigated the effects of such new product preannouncements (NPPs) on consumer and competitor responses. This paper examines how NPPs affect consumers' construal of and preferences for the new product and, in turn, how these evaluations influence their preferences for the brands' other products. Specifically, the paper demonstrates that consumers' construal level of NPPs spills over to their construal of other products in the brand family, causing a positive, biased evaluation of these products. Three experimental studies reveal that the mere information about an NPP can shift evaluation of currently available brand products in a positive direction through construal‐level spillover and increased perceptions of similarity. The studies contrast NPPs to new product announcements (NPAs) and consistently find more positive results for the former. Moreover, the studies find that product newness has a moderating effect on the results, such that the positive spillover effects are more pronounced for really new products than for incrementally new products. The results also show that the effects are contingent on the credibility of the NPP: If consumers do not consider the NPPs credible, no positive spillover effects will materialize. Finally, the studies demonstrate that the positive evaluative spillover is specific to the products in the brand family and does not affect consumers' perceptions or choice of competitor products. Consumers actually rate the competing brand's remaining products lower when the focal brand engages in NPPs. The study has important implications for managers regarding how to use NPPs to influence consumers' construal and evaluations of brand products.     

基于品牌社群的消费价值研究

理解基于品牌社群的消费价值是品牌社群营销成功的关键。本文首先结合价值性质和价值方向两个角度构造了一个四维消费价值矩阵模型的假设，之后开发一个量表，并先后利用EFA和CFA对该假设进行规范的实证分析，得出财务价值、形象价值、服务价值、社交价值等四大因子。文章最后阐述了四种价值的含义及营销应用，并指出了研究局限性与未来方向。     

传统品牌与网货品牌竞争下的多渠道供应链定价研究

基于传统制造商品牌的双渠道供应链,引入网货品牌的网络直销渠道,构建了两个品牌竞争下的多渠道供应链定价模型。并考虑了两条网络渠道的双重搭便车行为,通过Nash博弈得到供应链成员在分散和集中式决策下的均衡策略。研究表明各博弈方的最优定价和利润是关于渠道间及品牌间交叉价格弹性系数的增函数,且渠道竞争的影响显著于品牌竞争;两个制造商的搭便车行为与自身的最优定价和利润呈正相关,但它们的相互影响取决于直接价格弹性系数;搭便车行为对零售商是不利的。最后采用价格加成契约来协调多渠道供应链,以弥补分散决策下双重边际效应带来的损失。     

Microeconomic and Macroeconomic Influences on Entry and Exit of Firms

We examine the entry and exit process in the Finnish manufacturing industry using a six year panel of three-digit industries. The results show that scale economies form a significant entry barrier, but the evidence on their role as an exit barrier is weaker. Industry growth has a positive influence on entry and a negative influence on exit, but also variables describing the general economic climate have an influence on the entry-exit process. The variables describing the monetary transmission mechanism have an expected influence on entry. However, the role of macroeconomic influences on exit is inconclusive. Both entry and exit have almost unit elasticity with respect to industry size, measured by the number of firms in the previous period. Entry and exit rates are therefore practically independent of industry size.     

Exploring Mediating and Moderating Influences on the Links among Cycle Time,Proficiency in Entry Timing,and New Product Profitability*

Development cycle time is the elapsed time from the beginning of idea generation to the moment that the new product is ready for market introduction. Market‐entry timing is contingent upon the new product's cycle time. Only when the product is completed can a firm decide whether and when to enter the market to exploit the new product's window of opportunity. To determine the right moment of entry a firm needs to correctly balance the risks of premature entry and the missed opportunity of late entry. Proficient market‐entry timing is therefore defined as the firm's ability to get the market‐entry timing right (i.e., neither too early nor too late). The literature has produced divergent evidence with regard to the effects of development cycle time and proficiency in market‐entry timing on new product profitability. To explain these disparities this study (1) explores the mediating roles of development costs and sales volume in the relationships among development cycle time, proficiency in market‐entry timing, and new product profitability, respectively; and it (2) explores the moderating influence of product newness on the relationship between development cycle time and development costs and that of new product advantage on the link between proficiency in market‐entry timing and sales volume. The results from a survey‐based study of 72 manufacturers of industrial products in the Netherlands suggest that development costs mediate the relationship between development cycle time and new product profitability and that sales volume mediates the link between proficiency in market‐entry timing and new product profitability. In addition, the findings indicate that new product advantage strengthens the positive relationship between proficiency in market‐entry timing and sales volume. The results provide no evidence for a moderating effect of product newness. These results have important implications because to maximize new product profitability managers need to distinguish between costs and demand side effects of development cycle time and market‐entry timing on new product profitability. Keeping this distinction in mind should help them to better determine the relative profit impact of investments in cycle time reduction or improved entry timing. Moreover, the findings suggest that highly advantaged products that enter the market at the right time may have a highly attenuated sales volume. It also implies that new products with lower advantage may have very little leeway in hitting the “sweet spot” in market. The message is that “doing the right thing” (i.e., to develop a highly advantaged new product) may be at least as important as correctly balancing the risks of premature entry and the missed opportunity of late entry.     

推进实施品牌经营战略的探讨

实施品牌经营是实现企业目标的重要战略任务和举措．因此。实施品牌战略势在必行。知名品牌是高质量、高信誉度、高市场占有率、高经济效益的集中体现．代表了企业的形象和市场竞争力。是企业最重要的无形资产．在品牌竞争的时代。品牌是企业的灵魂．实施品牌经营战略．不仅可以摆脱一城一池的市场束缚．而且还能多方寻找市场热点。以品牌扩张市场规模．拓展企业生存和发展空间。当前在石油工程技术服务市场日趋饱和、工程技术施工队伍强手如林的挑战面前．石油工业技术服务已经从规模生产过渡到品牌运作的高级经营阶段．只有开发研究出独到的技术．创造出独特的名牌产品和服务．才能扩大市场占有份额．占领市场竞争的制高点．获得更大的经济效益。本文就如何推进实施品牌经营战略进行了初步探讨。     

Consumer Innovativeness and the Use of New versus Extended Brand Names for New Products*

Despite the importance of branding to new product success, little research has been conducted on how individual adoption orientation might affect brand name preferences. This paper draws on the diffusion literature to investigate how consumer innovativeness affects consumer response to alternative branding strategies (i.e., new vs. extended brands, for new products). The results of an empirical study found that consumer innovativeness has a greater effect on new product evaluations for new brand names relative to extended brand names. Also, results indicate that highly innovative consumers evaluate new products with new brand names more favorably than brand extensions. Furthermore, consumer confidence in the new product was found to mediate the effects of consumer innovativeness and its interaction with brand name type on new product evaluation. Implications include not only giving greater managerial consideration to using new brands but also supporting the chosen branding strategy with appropriate promotional efforts for respective adopter groups.     

关于实施品牌战略的理论与实践研究

21世纪世界进入了品牌经济主导市场发展趋向的时代,21世纪的竞争最主要地表现为城市的竞争,现代城市进入了品牌形象主导城市竞争胜负的时代。品牌学所确立的理论概念,指导实践形成了品牌的十大基本特征;品牌的理论概念及其基本特征决定了各个领域能够打造品牌,发展具有特色的品牌群;打造品牌经济和品牌城市必须以文化为根。从一个城市的视角看,发展强大品牌经济,打造亮丽品牌城市,是一个完整的运用现代品牌学指导实践的过程,是一个需要历经若干不同发展阶段的过程,是驾驭品牌发展规律,由"必然王国"向"自由王国"飞跃的过程。     

品牌服装广告的现状及发展策略研究

服装广告是服装企业为宣传自己的品牌、服装产品、营销方式等而进行的一系列的宣传性活动,广告在服装品牌的创建与发展中发挥了重要的传播作用。本文详细分析了我国品牌服装广告的现状,并从媒体组合、公共关系和终端展示三个方面对服装广告的发展策略进行了论述,希望给中国的服装企业提供参考。     

中国石油天然气集团公司关于推进实施名牌战略的若干意见

为认真贯彻落实国家《质量振兴纲要 (1996年～ 2 0 10年 )》和《国务院关于进一步加强产品质量工作若干问题的决定》 ,积极推进集团公司所属企业实施名牌战略 ,提高工程技术服务、产品和生产服务质量总体水平 ,全面建设具有国际竞争力的跨国企业集团 ,根据新形势新任务的要求和原国家经贸委等部委《关于推动企业创名牌产品的若干意见》 ,对推进实施名牌战略工作提出以下意见。充分认识实施名牌战略的重要性和紧迫性1　实施名牌战略势在必行知名品牌是高质量、高信誉度、高市场占有率、高经济效益的集中体现 ,代表了企业的形象和市场竞争能力…     

军品市场的双重进入壁垒及其消解

在我国转型经济的特定体制环境中，军品市场的形成和完善总是与市场交易主体持续回应和消解进入壁垒相联系。军品市场进入壁垒的形成，不仅源于一般市场环境中的竞争压力，更重要的是来自于政府对国防科技工业的特殊管制。     

基于消费者的服装品牌形象模糊综合评判模型

品牌形象是由多个指标构成的被消费者所感知的品牌的整体形象。服装产品较高的感性度,决定了服装品牌形象构成因素的多元性。本文在系统理论分析的基础上,结合对服装品牌的实际调研,确立了决定服装品牌形象的纬度构成因素,并在此基础上,构建了服装品牌形象的模糊综合评判模型。     

加入WTO对我国合成树脂工业的影响

分析了目前我国合成树脂在价格、质量、服务和技术上与国外相比存在一定的差距,在加入世界贸易组织后,我国的合成树脂企业必将面临的严峻的挑战,但也可能带来某些机遇。因此必须采取相应的对策,增强应对能力。     

产品危机中品牌资产的作用研究

品牌资产是企业重要的无形资产,能够为企业带来多方面的积极影响。在频繁爆发的产品危机中,品牌资产是否仍有积极影响？本研究基于两项实验的实证结论表明在产品危机过程中品牌资产是加剧而不是抵御了危机的负面影响。研究发现危机的严重性和群发性特征能够调节品牌资产的作用,并且发现感知期望破坏程度是产品危机中品牌资产对消费者态度变化影响的中介变量。