Company related variables and their impact on the NPD outcome in the context of international markets in Finnish high-technology companies

While much research has been directed at the variables critical to successful R&D of new products on the one hand and high-technology products on the other, much less work has been directed at those factors crucial to the success of these products when the firm enters the international marketplace. This study surveys Finnish high-technology firms and variables related to the properties of the company and their association with successful versus unsuccessful attempts to enter the international marketplace. Relationship between firm characteristics – type of industry, size of the company, background of key personnel, export intensity and experience in product launches – and success/failure in the product launches is investigated. The generalizability of the findings is also discussed.