Improve Management: New Service Development in Strategic Alliances (Research Proposal Sample)

New Service Development in Strategic Alliances
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Table of Contents
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Research Proposal on the New Service Development (NSD) in Strategic Alliances  PAGEREF _Toc428194289 \h
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1.0 Research Area  PAGEREF _Toc428194290 \h
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2.0 New Service Development in Strategic Alliances  PAGEREF _Toc428194291 \h
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3.0 Problem Statement  PAGEREF _Toc428194292 \h
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4.0 Research Question  PAGEREF _Toc428194293 \h
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5.0 Research Objectives  PAGEREF _Toc428194295 \h
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6.0 Expected Outcomes/Contribution  PAGEREF _Toc428194297 \h
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7.0 Theoretical Background  PAGEREF _Toc428194298 \h
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7.1 Characteristics of Services  PAGEREF _Toc428194299 \h
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7.2 Service Innovations  PAGEREF _Toc428194300 \h
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7.3 The New Service Development (NSD) Process  PAGEREF _Toc428194301 \h
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8.0 Research Design and Methodology  PAGEREF _Toc428194302 \h
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8.1 Population  PAGEREF _Toc428194303 \h
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8.2 Sample  PAGEREF _Toc428194304 \h
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9.0 Data Analysis  PAGEREF _Toc428194305 \h
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10.0 Timescale for the Research  PAGEREF _Toc428194306 \h
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11.0 Limitations/Challenges  PAGEREF _Toc428194307 \h
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12.0 References  PAGEREF _Toc428194308 \h
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Research Proposal on the New Service Development (NSD) in Strategic Alliances
1.0 Research Area
New Service Development
Strategic Alliances
2.0 New Service Development in Strategic Alliances
In the recent past, service marketing has attracted a great of attention among practitioners and academicians due to its increased significance in all world economies (Cunningham, Young, Ulaga & Lee, 2004). Development of new products and services has become a critical strategy for growth in the prevailing turbulent nature of the business environment. Business sectors in many developed countries have transformed into a dynamic industry whereby the product and service has gained a lot of importance (Ordanini & Parasuraman, 2011). However, there is minimal or lack of adequate research regarding new service development (Bustinza, Parry & Vendrell-Herrero, 2013). The decreased focus on NSD compared new product development (NPD) as well as the current economic changes creates the need for increased understanding of new service development.
3.0 Problem Statement
Despite the fact that it has been identified by academicians and practitioners as having significant strategic importance (Storey & Hull, 2010), NSD concept is largely underdeveloped (Zeithaml, Bitner and Gremler, 2006) and is deficient of adequate empirical research (Bustinza, Parry & Vendrell-Herrero, 2013). The role of customers on the formation of strategic alliances has also received inadequate attention (Akamavi, 2005). There is a need to address this literature gap because the feedback attained from customers is essential the development of essential new services in strategic alliances. Although services differ from physical products (Jaw, Lo & Lin, 2010), the study by Ordanini & Parasuraman (2011) shows that various concepts of new product development literature are applicable to the companies dealing with services too.
Several business ventures collaborate and form alliances with others in the development of new products and services. However, Rindfleisch and Moorman (2003) study indicate that fairly little is known on the manner in which new service development and new product development in the collaborating business firms. In relation to the identified importance of this topic in improving the competitiveness of firms through new product and service development in strategic alliances, the current research proposes to focus on how companies entering into strategic alliances feel the need to develop new products and services in a bid to enhance competitiveness and retain their market share. In this regard, the problems that will be addressed in the study include:
Why should the collaborating companies engage in new service development?
Up to what level are they supposed to apply this strategy?
What are some of the challenges that they are likely to face?
And in which types of new products and services are they supposed to develop?
4.0 Research Question
What are the major strategies that benefits customers in the early phases of product and service development?
What are the major determinants of the engagement in new service development in strategic alliances?
What are the major outcomes of the application of new service development strategy in strategic alliances?
5.0 Research Objectives
To determine how New Service Development (NSD) programs in companies conducting strategic alliances can be managed
To explore the characteristic stages of the NSD process
Exploring the way in which customer input can be obtained through the various stages of new service development process.
6.0 Expected Outcomes/Contribution
This study will contribute to literature on new product and service development in strategic alliances through various distinct ways. First, to our knowledge, the study will examine the processes that promote customer orientation in the beginning phases of the new product and service development in strategic alliances. The proposed research project will examine new service development from a process-oriented point of view and categorize the service involved. The research is also expected to contribute to key determinants and outcomes. Finally, recommendations for the service industry in terms of investment and the potential for growth will be provided. The proposed project will describe the theoretical background, offer methodology, discuss results of the study, offer recommendations, and conclusions.
7.0 Theoretical Background
7.1 Characteristics of Services
Services differ from physical products in various ways. According to Kowalkoski & Kindström (2013), services are processes by nature and the customer is involved in their production. Unlike physical products, services are intangible and cannot be stored. Another unique feature of service is their heterogeneity that results from the uniqueness of the situation characterizing them and the social relationship that is involved (Kowalkoski & Kindström, 2013). The real value of services, according to JaklicÌŒ & Ćirjaković (2011), comes out in the interaction between the buyer and the seller. In such a case, customers are the recipient of the services and thus judge the quality of these services. The new service development is involved in building of prerequisites involved in adding value for customers. Such prerequisites include service concept, service process and service system (Storey & Hull, 2010).
7.2 Service Innovations
New service development is normally a product of service innovations that focuses on the development of new services suitable for addressing both the existing and the emergent needs of consumers. Service innovations are characterized by various dimensions of services such as service delivery, the technology involved, and the service concept (Witell, Lfgren & Gustafsson, 2011). Innovations are characterised by new ideas that are carried out on products and/or service in a bid to create profit. Some of the new service development strategies that characterize service innovations include new-to-market services, new-to-the-company services, new delivery processes, service modifications and service repositionings (Ordanini & Parasuraman, 2011 & Witell, Lfgren & Gustafsson, 2011). The service that will be developed in this study will be new-to-the-company one. In light of the foregoing, it is apparent that the level of innovativeness will be critical in determining the quality of the new services developed.
7.3 The New Service Development (NSD) Process
Most of the models that describe the new service development are outsourced from the new product development concept that is more advanced that the theory that relates to services (Jaw, Lo & Lin, 2010). The new service development process has been described in the literature through sequential process models, while on the other, by the models that focus on the organizational perspective (Ordanini & Parasuraman, 2011). Although the framework being applied in this study is primarily sequential, the study also recognizes organizational factors such as supporting interaction in a strategic alliance. The early phase of new service development process is characterized by formulation of the service objectives and strategy, generation of ideas, screening ideas, testing of the service concept and the development of the service concept (Storey & Hull, 2010).
The ideas regarding the new concept may then develop during the formulation of service objectives and strategies. Bustinza, Parry & Vendrell-Herrero (2013) indicates that the development of a new service is normally more complicated than the development of new physical product. This is because, in addition to the development of the concept, there is a need to develop the interaction process with the customers. Jaw, Lo & Lin (2010) also indicate that intangibility makes it difficult for testing the concepts related to service. Some of t...