A research on selecting criteria for new green product development project: taking Taiwan consumer electronics products as an example

With changes in the environment and a rise of consciousness concerning environmental protection, industry has begun to devote research and develop into products which reflect the needs for environmental preservation as well as allow them to maintain their market share and competitive advantage. This study summarizes the impact of 24 elements of the R&D of new products in Taiwan’s consumer electronics industry through factor analysis of a practical survey given to those in this industry. Factor analysis extracted four separate factors that speak to the potential for new product development. These factors are as follows: the potential for new product development, identifying the favorable internal and external factors to bolster competitiveness, the capability for R&D mastery and consumer acceptance preferences. This study calculates the corresponding weights of each factor and then proceeds with fuzzy multiple attribute decision making (FMADM) directed at green product development projects possessing the four factors stated in relation to their corresponding weights and finally compares these results with the product development project prescribed by application of the checklist evaluation model. The results prove that FMADM not only reaches the same conclusions as the policy-making checklist but also takes fuzzy uncertainty into account, giving a reflection of the real-world situation.