Functional perspectives on innovation: The correlates of innovation in the marketing and manufacturing functions

Author

Kamath, Rajan R. ; Mansour-Cole, Dina M. ; Apana, R.

Author_Institution

Coll. of Bus. Adm., Cincinnati Univ., OH, USA

Volume

40

Issue

3

fYear

1993

fDate

8/1/1993 12:00:00 AM

Firstpage

293

Lastpage

299

Abstract

Existing knowledge about the correlates of innovation and the context of strategic decisions is used to develop propositions about the differences in the correlates of innovation in marketing and manufacturing functions. The theoretical model proposed is eclectic: it draws upon theory development in the fields of economics, engineering management, and corporate strategy. It is proposed that manufacturing managers link their innovation decisions to their assessment of the product´s uniqueness in comparison with competitor´s products. In contrast, marketing managers link their innovation decisions to the clarity of innovation objectives based on the customers´ needs. The analysis of data from key informants in 172 firms is used to test the propositions. Whereas product uniqueness and clarity are significant correlates of innovation in the total sample, support is found for the proposition that the manufacturing subgroup focuses more on clarity

Keywords

management; manufacture; marketing; corporate strategy; economics; engineering management; innovation; manufacturing; marketing; strategic decisions; theoretical model; Acceleration; Couplings; Data analysis; Innovation management; Management training; Marketing management; Product development; Pulp manufacturing; Technological innovation; Testing;

fLanguage

English

Journal_Title

Engineering Management, IEEE Transactions on

Publisher

ieee

ISSN

0018-9391

Type

jour

DOI

10.1109/17.233191

Filename

233191