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2017 | Book

Introduction Read chapter Read first chapter

Product Development for Distant Target Groups

An Experimental Study for the Silver Market

Author: Malte Marwede

Publisher: Springer Fachmedien Wiesbaden

Book Series : Forschungs-/Entwicklungs-/Innovations-Management

Part of: Springer Professional "Wirtschaft+Technik" , Springer Professional "Technik" , Springer Professional "Wirtschaft"

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About this book

Malte Marwede explores the impact of cognitive distance in product development, in particular whether large distances between developers and the customer target groups adversely affect the creation of customer-centric product ideas. Furthermore, he shows how practical user involvement measures can potentially mitigate negative effects of cognitive distance in an applied industry-context. Silver Agers, people in their third age, and the aviation industry are in focus for the empirical analysis. Extensive market knowledge and insights are provided for this target group.

Table of Contents

Frontmatter
Chapter 1. Introduction
Abstract
The current demographic trend raises the question of how best to cater for the emerging market of elderly consumers with customer preference matching products and services. The proportion of silver agers, that is, people above 65 years of age, is constantly increasing in the more developed regions of the world, reaching 30% in 2030 (United Nations, 2013). This renders silver agers a key target group for consumer product companies – a point of view shared by the two aviation companies who supported the experimental study component of this dissertation project.
Malte Marwede
Chapter 2. Theoretical foundations of silver agers and user involvement
Abstract
Most countries, and Western countries in particular, are experiencing the demographic ageing that results from increased life expectancy and/or decreased fertility rates. This trend poses a challenge for societies on many levels. First of all, the share of the population who are in the active workforce will decrease under the current retirement legislation. This leads to a projected increase in dependency ratio in Europe from 42 retirees above 65 years per 100 workers to 65 in 2060 (Samuel, 2016).
Malte Marwede
Chapter 3. Foundations of research in the field of cognitive distance
Abstract
Literature on cognitive distance in an innovation context is very scarce. Therefore, this chapter analyses existing research streams and schools of thought in cognitive distance literature and their applicability in an innovation context in order to study the implications for new product development. Co-citation analysis is applied to identify and visualise the different research areas dealing with cognitive distance, with the aim of detecting conceptual subdomains applicable for the individual cognitive distance potentially evident between product developers and distant target groups.
Malte Marwede
Chapter 4. Research questions and hypotheses for the experimental study
Abstract
Chapters 2 and 3 provide an overview of user involvement, research on silver agers and on cognitive distance. All fields are studied thoroughly per se, but particularly at the intersection of these fields, there are areas not yet comprehensively researched and understood. One emerging field is the representation of the potentially distant user in new product development and means to improve it.
Malte Marwede
Chapter 5. Selection of research context for quantitative study
Abstract
This chapter outlines and discusses why an experimental setting has been chosen.
Malte Marwede
Chapter 6. Pre-study – Analysis of silver agers’ personal dispositions and air travel customer experiences
Abstract
The aim of the pre-study is threefold. Silver agers as a target group comprise a diverse range of customers with different values, attitudes, needs and wants, since individual differences tend to increase over the course of life (Kohlbacher & Herstatt, 2011). Thus, the first aim of the pre-study is to characterise travelling silver agers depending on their personal dispositions and characteristics, their demographic backgrounds and their air travel patterns and habits.
Malte Marwede
Chapter 7. Distance effects in product development for silver agers
Abstract
This chapter lays out the methodology (chapter 7.1) and analysis of the experimental study (chapter 7.2).
Malte Marwede
Chapter 8. Discussion and implications
Abstract
In order to systematically uncover the relevant streams of research on cognitive distance, as mentioned in research question 1, I applied co-citation analysis, a semantic similarity measure that helps to generate networks of scientific documents based on the frequency with which two documents are cited together (Schweisfurth, 2012; Small, 1973). Four scientific journal databases were systematically searched yielding a final data set of 261 publications in 13 clusters, of which eight are relevant for the purposes of this study.
Malte Marwede
Backmatter
Metadata
Title
Product Development for Distant Target Groups
Author
Malte Marwede
Copyright Year
2017
Electronic ISBN
978-3-658-18325-7
Print ISBN
978-3-658-18324-0
DOI
https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-658-18325-7