Product possibilities in broadband packet network

Person responsible: Professor Minna Mattila, University of Jyväskylä, School of Business and Economics

Background
Development and use of  broadband packet network offer new possibilities to develop products and services based on network. Today productization is predominantly done from technology-push point of view, although it has been learned from the minor market penetration of WAP products that  taking demand-pull view into consideration lowers risks of productization and can even save the resources invested in developing failing products.

Mobile applications used by banks and retailers will probably be one of the most used products in broadband packet network. The first two parts of this project examines market penetration  possibilities of those mobile applications by analyzing current state of consumer behavior and  factors preventing use of mobile applications as well as by mapping out  features consumers are expecting from prospect broadband mobile products.

One part of the developed products can be sold at the export markets. Selling abroad mobile bank and retail applications of earlier generations has not managed. As the project progresses one aim is to increase knowledge in buyers of broadband mobile products by charting alternative parties and their attitudes towards international market situation. 

Aim  
The aim of this project is to answer the following questions in the case of two different branch of business: 

•	What kind of broadband packet network products should banks develop or should be developed for banks?
•	What kind of broadband packet network products should retailers develop or should be developed for retail business?
•	How a major retailer or retailing chain can adapt the above mentioned products and what are their expectations for the products?
•	To whom and what kind of products can be exported?

The project results can be exploited 

•	in developing business activities
•	in supporting product development
•	and as academic publications 

Activities
The research consists of  parallel tasks in two different branch of business between similar products used. 

I     Consumer research that defines daily consumer goods trade on the Internet and consists of two 
       parts:
		I1  Research examining the use of present products
		I2  Research examining desired features of broadband products

The set objectives will be reached through the following sub objectives:
a)	reviewing literature of earlier studies on the field and defining background variables on the basis of statistics 
b)	formulating a questionnaire in co-operation with experts and testing
c)	data collection
d)	data analysis on which interviews will be based  
e)	conducting interviews, analyzing and interpreting them with questionnaire data 
f)	preparing the research report and recommendations 
g)	preparing international academic publications and popularization of them.

II    Consumer research that defines features of broadband mobile products used by banks and 
       consists of two parts:
		I1  Research examining the use of present products
		I2  Research examining desired features of broadband products

The set objectives will be reached through the following sub objectives:
a)	reviewing literature of earlier studies on the field and defining background variables on the basis of statistics 
b)	formulating a questionnaire in co-operation with experts and testing
c)	data collection
d)	data analysis on which interviews will be based  
e)	conducting interviews, analyzing and interpreting them with questionnaire data 
f)	preparing the research report and recommendations 
g)	preparing international academic publications and popularization of them.

Timetable
The project is intended to cover period 1.1.2002-30.4.2004. 

TABLE

Project Resources
Professor Minna Mattila will be in charge of the research project. The following resources are
reserved for the project:

Resource
 	Length  
	
2 researchers / postgraduate students, A22 (M.Sc.in Econ.
Niina Aaltonen & M.Sc.in Econ. Antti Kärki)	20 months + 20 months 	
1 assistant researcher / Master Thesis student, A17 
(Marketing student   Mari Suoranta) 	6 months