A Survey of Major Approaches for Accelerating New Product Development

Product life-cycles are becoming shorter, leading firms to reduce the time to bring new products to market. Being early can provide a significant competitive advantage, making the acceleration of new product development (NPD) an important area for research and inquiry. Based on their review of a wide range of literatures in business strategy, marketing, new product development, manufacturing and organization management, Murray Millson, S. P. Raj and David Wilemon report a general set of techniques for reducing the developmental cycle time for new products. The article develops a hierarchy of available NPD acceleration approaches and discusses potential benefits, limitations and significant challenges to successful implementation.     

Time for a change!

Learn how one successful manufacturer uses in-house training to cut the time it takes to do things in all areas of the company. Learn basic principles that can be used by anyone to reduce time in their work, no matter what job they do.     

Building stable customer relationships that stand the test of time

This article shows how Baldor Electric Company is using training to build a foundation for improving service in all areas of the business. It covers the background that led to Baldor Electric's decision to develop service training in-house, the steps that Baldor took in putting the course together, and the actual principles taught in the Baldor service course. The Baldor service course teaches basic principles that can be used by all employees to improve customer service, no matter what job they do.     

From Friction to Free Trade Negotiations: Australia's Engagement with the European Union

Following decades of skirmishes, Australia's relationship with the European Union (EU) has finally come of age. With the commencement of negotiations for a Free Trade Agreement, the outlook is promising for enhanced cooperation. Yet there are distinctive—and at times diverging—hierarchies of interests. This article argues that, although the EU and Australia regard each other as like‐minded partners, their interests and domestic pressures do not necessarily denote comprehensive convergence. This is due to the burden of memory, divergent concerns and values, some mutual neglect and an element of mutual misunderstanding.