Global product development: an attempt at harmonising the research effort

摘要

More companies are increasingly globalising activities throughout the product development process, from R&D to manufacturing. This presents companies with both technical and organisational challenges. These are addressed in different theoretical areas, in particular within Engineering Design & Development, Organizational Studies, and Operations Management. These research areas all contribute different insights into how the global product development process can be viewed, understood and analysed. This paper overviews current research in these research areas and illustrates that by creating a synthesis which utilizes the empirical insights and theories from these areas, a more holistic picture can be painted of global product development.