The development of a proactive product management process – case UPM-Kymmene Oyj
Holmqvist, Matias (2010)
Holmqvist, Matias
2010
Kuvaus
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Tiivistelmä
The subject of this qualitative case study research is the development of a proactive product management process in the case company UPM-Kymmene Oyj. The purpose of this research is to develop the product management process of UPM Paper Business Group. The research problem is in the form of a question: what is a proactive product management process and how to develop one? Pragmatically, how does product management operate proactively in a given strategic framework and what actions are required to make the product management process more forward-looking? The research objectives are to analyse proactive product management in industrial settings, create a proactive product management process model and provide managerial proposals.
Proactive product management could be understood as strategic, market-oriented and entrepreneurial. The word proactive may describe "a person, action or policy creating or controlling a situation by taking the initiative and anticipating events or problems". The noun proactivity refers to "acting in anticipation of future problems, needs or changes". Product management can be defined as the holistic activities of planning, forecasting and marketing products or services. A process is a sequence of horizontal and interrelated activities that transforms an input into an output to meet the needs of customers or stakeholders. The research builds on the use of qualitative data collection methods and the primary research material are interviews, official documents and observation notes. Research data is analysed through qualitative content analysis.
A proactive product management process was defined as a sequence of interrelated strategic and anticipatory activities that are cross-functionally integrated, aligned to the market and directed at creating, identifying, understanding and satisfying the existing and future needs of customers through innovative and collaborative management approaches developing inputs into valuable outputs. A proactive product management process could be developed through fostering an entrepreneurial market orientation, practising market-based learning and by cultivating market sensing, customer linking, boundary spanning and product championing capabilities.
Proactive product management could be understood as strategic, market-oriented and entrepreneurial. The word proactive may describe "a person, action or policy creating or controlling a situation by taking the initiative and anticipating events or problems". The noun proactivity refers to "acting in anticipation of future problems, needs or changes". Product management can be defined as the holistic activities of planning, forecasting and marketing products or services. A process is a sequence of horizontal and interrelated activities that transforms an input into an output to meet the needs of customers or stakeholders. The research builds on the use of qualitative data collection methods and the primary research material are interviews, official documents and observation notes. Research data is analysed through qualitative content analysis.
A proactive product management process was defined as a sequence of interrelated strategic and anticipatory activities that are cross-functionally integrated, aligned to the market and directed at creating, identifying, understanding and satisfying the existing and future needs of customers through innovative and collaborative management approaches developing inputs into valuable outputs. A proactive product management process could be developed through fostering an entrepreneurial market orientation, practising market-based learning and by cultivating market sensing, customer linking, boundary spanning and product championing capabilities.