New product development in an international setting: the use
of information and communication technology and the
impact of cultural differences
Abstract: This thesis aims to study the use of information and communication
technology (ICT) in the new product development (NPD) process and how
differences in national culture influence the use of ICT in the NPD
process. This study explains and describes how Ericsson AB (Tems) handles
ICT in NPD and their NPD process in different cultural settings as well as
the comparison of the case to existing theory.
One case study was conducted and three different types of national cultures
were analysed, Sweden, USA and Malaysia. The findings are that the
differences in national culture do not influence the choice of ICT tools
used during NPD at Ericsson AB (TEMS). They develop their products with two
very efficient and effective web-based systems, Eridoc and CSS System that
both include all ICT features needed during the process. However, the NPD
process itself is generally influenced by the differences in national
culture when it comes to problem solving procedure, timing, reaction time
on occurring failures, and personal communication between the different
offices located around the world.
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