If 2008 will see you or your company launching - or preparing to launch - a new product in China, read on. CEIBS Prof. of Marketing & Innovation Management Kwaku Atuahene-Gima looks at the role top management plays in successful product development and marketing in his article entitled: “Exploratory and Exploitative Learning in New Product Development: A Social Capital Perspective on New Technology Ventures in China.”

The article, co-authored by Janet Y. Murray, E. Desmond Lee Professor for Developing Women Leaders and Entrepreneurs in International Business at the University of Missouri - St. Louis, was recently published in the Journal of International Marketing.
Through analyzing 179 new technology firms in Guangdong Province industrial parks, Atuahene-Gima and Murray confirm that new products have a greater chance of success if top management invest both internal and external “social capital.” This finding is especially true in emerging markets such as China. Their report also emphasizes the importance for managers of networking (both inside and outside their industries), of keeping up with advances in the sector; and of fostering trust and camaraderie among members of their team. The latter goal requires providing ample opportunities for employees to interact socially and share the firm’s goals.

Prof. Atuahene-Gima is director of the CEIBS’ Center for Marketing & Innovation.