Case study: Small Business technology infusion

Abstract

The successful development and market insertion of a financially successful new product requires technology, marketing, manufacturing, and luck. This suggests various steps in the process that are critical to success.More specifically, the paper deals witb the special problems eDcouDtered by small busiDess. Tbe aDalysis is preseDted in ligbt of tbe Small BusiDess InnovativeResearch program (SBIR) whicb is an etTort by tbe US government to eDable tbe developmeDt of new higb tecbnology products and the successful establisbmeDt of business enterprises tbat will ultimately contribute to tbe GNP and tax base. It is Dot aD entitlement program.CompetitioD for contracts is fierce. Tbis ideDtifies a cbain of events that must be successfully Davigated in order to iDsure small eDterprise survival aDd profitable product insertion into tbe US business base. A model program is used to define aDd describe how eacb step in tbe process was accomplished toward the ultimate success of tbe product. This model is an actual SBIR derivative eveDt tbat bas resulted in a successful product tbat not only completely satisfied the customer demands, but also resulted iD tbe spin-otT of a family of other products tbat have since beeD sold into other commercial applications.