Abstract:

The opening discussion attempted to identify specific factors which can discriminate between success and failure of new products in the market place. Rather than spend time trying to find suitable definitions of the terms, success and failure, it was agreed that establishing the factors affecting success and failure was likely to be a more profitable method of debate. A total of 30 - 40 factors emerged from our discussions . Having listed the factors, the next logical step was to attempt a cluster analysis including all factors. As in multi-variate analysis, where one item qualified for more than one cluster, a subjective factor loading or weighting was used to determine which cluster was more appropriate for that factor.