Small businesses and the integration of market intelligence within new product development: a conceptual overview: Irish Academy of Management Conference

This paper explores the relationship between small business new product
development (NPD) and the use of formalised market intelligence information (MI) to
determine the impact on small business NPD. This paper presents preliminary findings
from a longitudinal case study approach with eleven small businesses ranging from 5
to 70 years in operation. All businesses included within the sample were food and drink
producers operating within the Northern Ireland region of the UK. This qualitative
paper presents the results of stage one interview discussions with ownermanagers/senior staff about their NPD processes and their use of MI information
before taking part in the remainder of the study, which included a 10-month
observation period with continued MI exposure, followed by a final interview. Initial
findings reveal the ad-hoc and unstructured nature of small business NPD; where MI
is often undervalued despite the insights it can yield for small business owner managers. In addition, this paper identified the lack of understanding that small
business owner managers have surrounding the NPD process and a structured
approach. This study contributes to knowledge by addressing MI integration at specific
stages and identifies the need for the development of a SME specific NPD model at
the policy level