Assessing product life cycle strategies in the Japanese market

Abstract

It is becoming increasingly clear that in order to reduce lifecycle impacts, manufacturers need to go beyond product design considerations alone. Important factors to be considered also include nontechnical factors such as business models, market attributes and consumer behaviour. This paper provides a comparative case study of five categories of products in the Japanese market—photocopiers, household appliances, disposable cameras, personal computers and automobiles —and shows how these factors affect lifecycle outcomes. Based on the case studies, we draw general conclusions about the design of appropriate lifecycle strategies.