Date of Award
5-19-2024
Document Type
Dissertation
Degree Name
Doctor of Business Administration (DBA)
Department
College of Business
First Advisor
Larry Hughes, Ph.D.
Second Advisor
Julie Bilodeau, DBA, SPHR, SHRM-SCP
Third Advisor
Michelle Rego, Ph.D.
Abstract
Why do so many new products fail? Launching successful new product innovations within the food industry have proved to be a challenge for US manufacturers, with 80% of all introductions failing (Melgarejo & Malek, 2018). When this 80% failure rate is scrutinized, small food companies experience failure rates three times greater than large companies (Linton, 2008). While there are research studies that discuss food product launches in foreign markets, there is a dearth of research on small food company launches in the United States, as well as a lack of clarity of how small food company launch failures are defined.
This mixed methods descriptive statistics study analyzed why small food company product launches fail disproportionately more than large company food product launches. To accomplish the goals of this study, the following quantitative and qualitative questions were answered:
• RQ 1: How do you specifically define a food product launch failure?
• RQ 2: Which key factors below cause small company food launches to fail at a higher rate than their large company counterparts?
• RQ 3: What is the most critical area of investment for any new food product launch?
Phase I of this study included a quantitative Qualtrics survey of small company food employees in the United States (n = 70). Phase II of the study included qualitative one-on-one phenomenological interviews with small food company CEOs (n = 6) who possess extensive experience within the food industry.
The findings of this study revealed a divergence of opinion on key factors that cause small company food product launches to fail, the definition of failure, and the percentage of failed food product launches relative to historical research on the topic. While poor consumer research was the top frequency response contributing to failed food product launches, there were no correlations between the percentage of new food product launch failures experienced and the most important factor contributing to a failed small food company product launch. The lack of consensus on why small food company products fail using logical research revealed a paradox between logic, emotion, and cognitive bias, which contributes to small food company launch failures.
Recommended Citation
Binczyk, Jeff, "The Paradox of Logic and Emotion in Small Food Company Launches" (2024). JWU Dissertations & Theses. 13.
https://scholarsarchive.jwu.edu/jwu_etd/13
