Original scientific paper
The Importance of Customer Research and of Distributed R&D in the Early Stages of New Food Product Development
Đurđica Knapić Salamon
; Faculty of Food Technology and Biotechnology, University of Zagreb, Zagreb, Croatia
Biljana Matković
; Podravka d.d., Ante Starčevića 32, Koprivnica, Croatia
Abstract
Food industry development in Croatia is related to the development of large and well organised business enterprises, but with the capability of small and middle-sized businesses to organise (network) such a way along the value chain, to conquer areas of higher value added, as well. The development of new food products and drinks i.e. new food brands development is closely related to the comprehensive consumer-related relationships as well as effi cient and successfully organised engineering and consultancy units, together with the other business partners, bringing new and complementary knowledge, competencies and skills, that are necessary in order to provide survival in a competitive environment.
This is a tendency of developing ‘the extended’ enterprise, the one that aims on activating often much more fl exible external resources (especially the knowledge and competencies, i.e. the available infrastructure). On one pole such an enterprise aims to expand by involving customers and by intensifying their infl uence on critical performance and development related processes. On the other pole, a special form of external growth is amplifi ed, being related to those resources that are externally available, and which it would not be rational, or it could be hard or almost impossible to develop as internal.
This paper indicates the need to transform well settled food companies into ‘extended’ companies (the corporate model) i.e. to network the small and medium-sized companies in the areas of research, production and sales of food products, by creating various forms of network structures, like clusters of companies. A framework for potential normative model of customer research and new food product related internal/external innovation resources integrated management is offered, based on formalised patterns integrating the customer research, strategic alliances/
networks, models of R&D, models of technology transfer and models of new food product development.
Keywords
early stage of new food product development; customer research; ‘extended’ enterprise; strategic alliances/networks; models of R&D; models of technology transfer; models of new food product development; normative model of integrated customer research and internal and external innovation resources management
Hrčak ID:
49961
URI
Publication date:
30.12.2009.
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