Understanding New Product Project Performance

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to summarize the accumulated body of knowledge on the performance of new product projects and provide directions for further research. Design/methodology/approach – Using a refined classification of antecedents of new product project performance the research results are meta-analyzed in the literature in order to identify the strength and stability of predictor-performance relationships. Findings – The results reveal that 22 variables have a significant relationship with new product project performance, of which only 12 variables have a sizable relationship. In order of importance these factors are the degree of organizational interaction, R&D and marketing interface, general product development proficiency, product advantage, financial/business analysis, technical proficiency, management skill, marketing proficiency, market orientation, technology synergy, project manager competency and launch activities. Of the 34 variables 16 predictors show potential for moderator effects. Research limitations/implications – The validity of the results is constrained by publication bias and heterogeneity of performance measures, and directions for the presentation of data in future empirical publications are provided. Practical implications – This study helps new product project managers in understanding and managing the performance of new product development projects. Originality/value – This paper provides unique insights into the importance of predictors of new product performance at the project level. Furthermore, it identifies which predictor-performance relations are contingent on other factors.

Investigation Into The Effect of Varying L-leucine Concentration on the product characteristics of Spray-dried Liposome Powders

Spray-dried formulations offer an attractive delivery system for administration of drug encapsulated into liposomes to the lung, but can suffer from low encapsulation efficiency and poor aerodynamic properties. In this paper the effect of the concentration of the anti-adherent l-leucine was investigated in tandem with the protectants sucrose and trehalose. Two manufacturing methods were compared in terms of their ability to offer small liposomal size, low polydispersity and high encapsulation of the drug indometacin. Unexpectedly sucrose offered the best protection to the liposomes during the spray drying process, although formulations containing trehalose formed products with the best powder characteristics for pulmonary delivery; high glass transition values, fine powder fraction and yield. It was also found that l-leucine contributed positively to the characteristics of the powders, but that it should be used with care as above the optimum concentration of 0.5% (w/w) the size and polydispersity index increased significantly for both disaccharide formulations. The method of liposome preparation had no effect on the stability or encapsulation efficiency of spray-dried powders containing optimal protectant and anti-adherent. Using l-leucine at concentrations higher than the optimum level caused instability in the reconstituted liposomes.

PREDISSOCIATION OF H-3 N = 2 RYDBERG STATES - PRODUCT BRANCHING AND ISOTOPE EFFECTS

A translational spectroscopy technique is used to obtain predissociation kinetic energy release spectra from the lowest bound states of H-3, 2s 2A1' and 2p 2A

Trends in product recalls within the agri-food industry:Empirical evidence from the USA, UK and the Republic of Ireland

The increasing frequency of product recalls within the agri-food industry has led many to question food safety. Research studies also often focus on biological hazards without considering how past, present and emerging risks change over time. We undertake a systematic review of the different biological, operational and chemical hazards within the agri-food industry using a dataset of 2070 registered food recalls in the USA, UK and Republic of Ireland between 2004 and 2010. We show product recalls have become more frequent over time and operational hazards, rather than biological and chemical hazards, are the most frequent recall type within the agri-food industry. © 2012 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

A Novel Method to Enable Trade-offs Across the Whole Product Life of an Aircraft Using Value Driven Design

The increasing need to understand complex products and systems with long life spans, presents a significant challenge to designers who increasingly require a broader understanding of the operational aspects of the system. This demands an evolution in current design practice, as designers are often constrained to provide a subsystem solution without full knowledge of the global system operation. Recently there has been a push to consider value centric approaches which should facilitate better or more rapid convergence to design solutions with predictable completion schedules. Value Driven Design is one such approach, in which value is used as the system top level objective function. This provides a broader view of the system and enables all sub-systems and components to be designed with a view to the effect on project value. It also has the capacity to include value expressions for more qualitative aspects, such as environmental impact. However, application of the method to date has been restricted to comparing value in a programme where the lifespan is fixed and known a priori. This paper takes a novel view of value driven design through the surplus value objective function, and shows how it can be used to identify key sensitivities to guide designers in design trade-off decisions. By considering a new time based approach it can be used to identify optimum programme life-span and hence allow trade-offs over the whole product life.

Product standardisation as a tool to control prescribing costs a case study of alginate liquid preparations

Introduction Product standardisation involves promoting the prescribing of pre-selected products within a particular category across a healthcare region and is designed to improve patient safety by promoting continuity of medicine use across the primary/secondary care interface, in addition to cost containment without compromising clinical care (i.e. maintaining safety and efficacy). Objectives To examine the impact of product standardisation on the prescribing of compound alginate preparations within primary care in Northern Ireland. Methods Data were obtained on alginate prescribing from the Northern Ireland Central Services Agency (Prescription Pricing Branch), covering a period of 43 months. Two standardisation promotion interventions were carried out at months 18 and 33. In addition to conventional statistical analyses, a simple interrupted time series analysis approach, using graphical interpretation, was used to facilitate interpretation of the data. Results There was a significant increase in the prescribed share of the preferred alginate product in each of the four health boards in Northern Ireland and a decrease in the cost per Defined Daily Dose for alginate liquid preparations overall. Compliance with the standardisation policy was, however, incomplete and was influenced to a marked degree by the activities of the pharmaceutical industry. The overall economic impact of the prescribing changes during the study was small (3.1%). Conclusion The findings suggested that product standardisation significantly influenced the prescribing pattern for compound alginate liquid preparations within primary care across Northern Ireland. © 2012 The Authors. IJPP © 2012 Royal Pharmaceutical Society.