Document Type
Article
Publication Date
12-16-2012
Publisher
John Wiley & Sons, Inc.
Abstract
Distributed product development is becoming increasingly prevalent in a number of industries. We study how the global distribution of product development impacts the profit-maximizing product line that a firm offers. Specifically, we formulate a model to understand the linkage between cost arbitrage as a driver of distributed development and consequent market implications such as customer perceived quality loss to remotely developed products. Analysis of the model reveals that a firm should expand the product line for a development-intensive good only at intermediate values of cost advantage and quality loss. We modify the base model to include development capacity constraints as a driver of distributed development and find that the results are robust to this change. Our analysis affirms the need for product managers to incorporate the implications of distributed development in making their product line design decision.
Recommended Citation
Bala, Ram, V. Krishnan, and Wenge Zhu. "Distributed Development and Product Line Decisions." Production and Operations Management 23.6 (2013): 1057-066.
Comments
This is the peer reviewed version of the following article: Bala, Ram, V. Krishnan, and Wenge Zhu. "Distributed Development and Product Line Decisions." Production and Operations Management 23.6 (2013): 1057-066., which has been published in final form at doi:10.1111/poms.12185. This article may be used for non-commercial purposes in accordance With Wiley Terms and Conditions for self-archiving