1.1 Background of Study
As human beings have always sought for growth and development all through their lives span also an organizational product. A good, service, idea that is perceived by same potential customers as new a new product renovation. In this piece of work, the researcher will concentrate on the impact of new product development on the growth of a firm. The researcher will also look at how new product development determines both the levels of economic growth and standard of living of citizens. New product development is one of the avenues of enlarging thesize of the product port folio of any organization, increasing its sales volume and enlarging its financial strength. Manyorganizations seems not to have recorded much success as aresult of depressed economic situation. It is imperative torecognize the fact that necessity give birth to invention or innovation, and for an organization to avoid being forced out of the market, it has to innovate.New product development is important in a competitive marketlike that of Nigeria. It determines both the levels of economicgrowth and standard of living of the citizens. Most products in themarkets today have undergone changes over times.According to Mr. Roland’s Lecture note, new product has beenseen as the life blood of any organization. This is because seizingnew opportunities as they emerge is a way to increasing profits.This means that a firm with a successful new products gives it thechance of creaming off large profit before effective competitiondevelops. Every company must develop new product becausenew products shapes the company’s future. Replacement productmust be created to maintain or build sales. Customers want newproducts and firms will do their best to supply them. Companiesthat fail to develop new products are putting themselves at greatrisk.Developing and managing products is critical to organization’ssurvival and growth. Although several organizational approachesto product management are possibly the share common activityfunctions, and decisions necessary to guide a product through its life cycle. Product managers coordinate efforts and become thestrategic centre for the product in all markets.Marketing managers focuses on products for specific market. Adventure team is sometimes used to develop new products.Members of the venture team come from different functional areawithin an organization and have authority to execute plans.Product planning requires the coordination of such functionalareas such research and development, production andengineering, research and finance, accounting and marketing.Each of these areas of departments has functional authority over some aspects of the product.To maximize the effectiveness of a product mix, an organizationusually has to alter its mix through such methods as new productor the development of existing product deletion of a product, or the development of a new product. Product modification refers tochanging one or more of a products characteristics. Thisapproach to altering a product mix can be effective when theproduct is modifiable, when customers can perceive the change,and when the modification is desired by consumer. Products canbe changed through the quality, functional or style modifications. New product development involves generating idea, screening todetermine which idea to develop, expounding an idea throughbusiness analysis, test marketing and commercialization. Thedecision to enter the commercialization phase means that theproduct has gotten to its full scale of production and that acomplete marketing strategy has been developed. The adoptionprocess by which the buyers go through in accepting a productinclude; awareness, interest, evaluation, trial and adoption.The process of a company in new product requires theestablishment of effective organization for managing the newproduct development process. The development of new producthelps in improving the satisfaction of the consumers.Therefore, this research is investigated on the impact of newproduct development on the growth of firm using NigeriaBreweries Plc Aba, Abia State as a case study. This industryproduces both alcoholic and non-alcoholic drinks; the alcoholicdrinks are: Star Larger Beer produced in1949, Gulder Larger produced in 1970, Heineken re-launched in 1998, Legend ExtraStout produced in 1992, Gulder Max Larger Beer produced in2006. Their non-alcoholic drinks are: Maltina Bottle drink produced in 1976, Amstel malta produced in 1994, Maltina sip itproduced in 2005, Fayrouz produce in 2006.There has been also a acute problems militating against thestandard of new produce development in the Nigeria BreweriesPlc Aba and other related firms.Consequently, the standard of new product development is limitedto the following problems; lack of research or the one made isinadequate, lack of capital, government policies, lack of trainingamong personnel’s.Therefore, proper production management should be maintainedto improve or encourage new product development on the growthof Nigeria Breweries Plc.
1.2 Statement of the Problem
New product development has contributed much to the growth and survival of Nigeria Breweries Plc and has also suffered many problems. Therefore, this research work is designed to critically evaluate the problems of a new product development which are as follows;
1.3 Objective of the Study
The purpose of the research is to study the impact of new productdevelopment on the growth of Nigeria Breweries Plc Aba. Theresearch study was designed to enable the researcher and thefirm;
1.4 Research Questions
Based on the statement of the problem, the objective and statement of the project, the following research questions were advanced;
1.5 Significant of the Study
This research is counted on the impact of new product development on the growth of a firm Nigeria Breweries Plc Aba.This research work will go a long way in helping the following;
1.7 Limitations of the Study
In trying to make this research work a successful one bye inquiring relative information, the researcher encountered the following constraints;
1.8 Definition of Terms
To avoid misinterpretation of any aspect of this work, it becomes necessary to the researcher to define some of the essential terms used in this work. These terms therefore should be understood as follows:
Product: This is one of the elements of marketing mix that represents the basic offering being made to consumers. It is also everything (both favourable and unfavourable) that one receives as an exchange; it is a complexity of tangible and intangible attributed, including functional, social, and psychological utilities or benefits. A product may be a good, services, or an idea.
Marketing Mix: This consists of four (4) major variables in marketing, which serves as pillars that makes marketing to stand well; they are product, place, price, and promotion. It is also called the 4P’s and marketing elements
Marketing Strategy: This is the process of determining a target market and choosing the marketing mix variables needed to maximize satisfaction of those consumers. It is also the set of objectives which an organization allocates to its functions in order to support the overall corporate strategy, together with the broad methods chosen to achieve these objectives.
Innovation: This is the process of producing something new inform of product or service that someone or any company has never produced it before. It is also refers to any good, service or idea that is preserved by someone as new.
Research: This is an organized way of finding valid or useful information about a particular domain or phenomenon in an environment with a set of objectives. It can also be described as a thorough investigation or in-depth search for the causes of any problem within intention of preferring solutions.
Commercialization: This is one of the product development stages in which the product is first submitted to the market and thus commences its life styles.