Product development in the Japanese and US printer industries

I have investigated the question of whether or not long-term or continuous research and development (R&D) is necessary to succeed in Japanese product development. For this purpose, a comparative survey of Japanese and US product development in the inkjet printer industry has been carried by means of patent analysis. The results thus obtained showed that Japanese firms tend to carry out long-term R&D, while US firms tend to adopt a more short-term approach. Most unsuccessful Japanese firms were found to have persisted in their R&D without introducing their commodities into the market, leading to non-productive long-term investment. The results of the comparison study suggest that Japanese firms maintain their R&D theme by adding minor modifications, whereas the US firms are more likely to withdraw. Differences are based on the variation in decision-making process in firms of the two countries. (C) 2001 Elsevier Science Ltd. All rights reserved.