The accountant's contribution to product development teams―? a case study

摘要

The new product development (NPD) literature offers mechanisms and processes that will contribute to the successful launch of new products. It is recognized that ultimately new products fail due to their lack of appeal which may manifest itself in terms of functionality, quality, cost, timing, or other factors. The organization model for NPD appears to attract particular attention in recent years is the project team. Within the project team the contributions of accountancy have not been evaluated in a very detailed way. To assess the utilization of emerging cost accounting practices as well as their perceived desirability, an empirical study was conducted with the collaboration of New England firms affiliated with the technology sector. This case study suggests that accounting and marketing collaboration could substantially contribute toward a focused and effective product development effort. This can be achieved by setting parameters for price, quality, and functionality. It is, therefore, advocated that the inclusion of accountants, who draw from recent trends in cost accounting, can significantly enhance development projects.