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.