Environmental Analyses in Auxiliary Product Design and Development: A Stakeholder-Based Framework

This study attempts to develop a stakeholder-based framework incorporating environmental analyses in auxiliary product design and development through a case study. The case firm is a manufacturer and trader of mining machinery specified on a variety of electronic measuring devices for mine pressure and safety. Based on its existing research and development capacity, the firm has designed and manufactured a series of auxiliary products relating to measuring solution concentration including milk thickness, alcohol degree, antifreeze liquid thickness, and so on. These new products are expected to apply widely in schools, restaurants, families, winery industry, and automobile industry. Although the auxiliary products share some technique characteristics with the mainstream products, the firm faces problems in continuously developing and renewing these auxiliary products in an environmental friendly way, for they involve a different application context from the mining context that the firm is grounded on and is familiar with. To address this problem, this study advises with a framework based on stakeholder environmental concerns. It argues the stakeholders for auxiliary products are different from those for the mainstream products, so are environmental concerns of stakeholders. Identifying and addressing the new environmental concerns  would spot the key points for further sustainable product innovation and enhance the competitive advantages in marketing. This frameowork may provide new insights for eco-design and development with a focused context of auxiliary products.