The Effects of Product Line Length on Firm Performance

Johanna Kirjavainen; Saku Mäkinen; Matti Sommarberg

doi:10.23919/PICMET.2018.8481780

The Effects of Product Line Length on Firm Performance

Research output: Chapter in Book/Report/Conference proceeding › Conference contribution › Scientific › peer-review

Abstract

What products to offer represents one of the most important strategic choices a firm has to make in order to survive in competitive environments. Decisions about the length and breadth of a firm's product line are difficult but vital to its success. Despite this, the performance effects of product line length are a topic of continuing discussion in the academia. There are also multiple ways to define both product line length and breadth, further hindering the analysis and comparison of the results. This study defines both product line length and breadth, and distinguishes them as separate dimensions of a firm's product portfolio. Additionally, the relationship between product line length and firm performance is analyzed through customer evaluations. The study is set in the digital camera industry, focusing on the new product introductions into the compact product category during 2000–2014. Our results offer indication that there exists an inverted U-shaped relationship between product line length and firm performance.

Original language	English
Title of host publication	2018 Portland International Conference on Management of Engineering and Technology (PICMET)
Publisher	IEEE
Number of pages	5
ISBN (Electronic)	978-1-890843-37-3
DOIs	https://doi.org/10.23919/PICMET.2018.8481780
Publication status	Published - 8 Oct 2018
Publication type	A4 Article in conference proceedings
Event	Portland International Conference on Management of Engineering and Technology - Duration: 1 Jan 1900 → …

Conference

Conference	Portland International Conference on Management of Engineering and Technology
Period	1/01/00 → …

Keywords

Digital cameras , Industries , Length measurement , Lenses , Time measurement , Mirrors

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Publication forum level 0

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10.23919/PICMET.2018.8481780

Cite this

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title = "The Effects of Product Line Length on Firm Performance",

abstract = "What products to offer represents one of the most important strategic choices a firm has to make in order to survive in competitive environments. Decisions about the length and breadth of a firm's product line are difficult but vital to its success. Despite this, the performance effects of product line length are a topic of continuing discussion in the academia. There are also multiple ways to define both product line length and breadth, further hindering the analysis and comparison of the results. This study defines both product line length and breadth, and distinguishes them as separate dimensions of a firm's product portfolio. Additionally, the relationship between product line length and firm performance is analyzed through customer evaluations. The study is set in the digital camera industry, focusing on the new product introductions into the compact product category during 2000–2014. Our results offer indication that there exists an inverted U-shaped relationship between product line length and firm performance.",

keywords = "Digital cameras , Industries , Length measurement , Lenses , Time measurement , Mirrors",

author = "Johanna Kirjavainen and Saku M{\"a}kinen and Matti Sommarberg",

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year = "2018",

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T1 - The Effects of Product Line Length on Firm Performance

AU - Kirjavainen, Johanna

AU - Mäkinen, Saku

AU - Sommarberg, Matti

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N2 - What products to offer represents one of the most important strategic choices a firm has to make in order to survive in competitive environments. Decisions about the length and breadth of a firm's product line are difficult but vital to its success. Despite this, the performance effects of product line length are a topic of continuing discussion in the academia. There are also multiple ways to define both product line length and breadth, further hindering the analysis and comparison of the results. This study defines both product line length and breadth, and distinguishes them as separate dimensions of a firm's product portfolio. Additionally, the relationship between product line length and firm performance is analyzed through customer evaluations. The study is set in the digital camera industry, focusing on the new product introductions into the compact product category during 2000–2014. Our results offer indication that there exists an inverted U-shaped relationship between product line length and firm performance.

AB - What products to offer represents one of the most important strategic choices a firm has to make in order to survive in competitive environments. Decisions about the length and breadth of a firm's product line are difficult but vital to its success. Despite this, the performance effects of product line length are a topic of continuing discussion in the academia. There are also multiple ways to define both product line length and breadth, further hindering the analysis and comparison of the results. This study defines both product line length and breadth, and distinguishes them as separate dimensions of a firm's product portfolio. Additionally, the relationship between product line length and firm performance is analyzed through customer evaluations. The study is set in the digital camera industry, focusing on the new product introductions into the compact product category during 2000–2014. Our results offer indication that there exists an inverted U-shaped relationship between product line length and firm performance.

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U2 - 10.23919/PICMET.2018.8481780

DO - 10.23919/PICMET.2018.8481780

M3 - Conference contribution

BT - 2018 Portland International Conference on Management of Engineering and Technology (PICMET)

PB - IEEE

T2 - Portland International Conference on Management of Engineering and Technology

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ER -

The Effects of Product Line Length on Firm Performance

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