Innovation models and the front-end of product innovation

[摘要] This thesis explores the innovation survival issue. As role players in an increasinglyglobal marketplace, businesses acknowledge that regular and constant innovation isthe key to remaining competitive. In other words, in order to be successful, businessesare compelled to operate and produce products that will satisfy the changing marketrequirements and exploit new technology opportunities. The study also investigatesthe difficulties and risks associated with innovation activities.Secondly, with the goal of addressing the identified problems and risks, a study ismade of formal innovation models. The different innovation models are thencompared with each other and plotted on a general Innovation Landscape. Thepopulated Innovation Landscape thus serves as a positioning guide to innovators, sothat they can select the best-suited innovation model for a specific industry andproject.A case study is then undertaken to test the level of applicability and the possiblesupport that formal innovation models can offer to a real industrial problem. The casestudy focuses on the front-end of innovation and the formal innovation model studiedwas the W-Model. The W-Model is also critically evaluated, based on the results ofthe case study, in order to propose improvements so that it can better support futureindustry innovation applications.

[发布机构] Stellenbosch University