This case discusses the innovation principles and processes adopted

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Operations Management info_at_casestudyhelp.in91
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• Operations Management
•  
• Case study (20 Marks)
• This case discusses the innovation
  principles and processes adopted by Dyson
  Appliances Limited (DAL), a market leader in the
  vacuum cleaner market. Experts felt that product
  design was a core competency at DAL and the
  innovative designs of its product had enabled it
  to command a premium price in a market that was
  previously known for price discounting. According
  to analysts, DAL's constant focus on innovation
  had led to its cornering a market share of 32
  percent and 46 percent in the US and UK vacuum
  cleaner markets in 2008. Analysts attributed the
  success of the company to the innovation
  principles and processes institutionalized by
  DAL's founder James Dyson (Dyson). They felt that
  Dyson was the source of innovation at DAL. He is
  himself widely known as the inventor of the first
  bag less vacuum cleaner (DC01, DAL's first
  product) that took the vacuum cleaner market by
  storm in the early 1990s.

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• Since then, he and his team had churned out
  innovative models of vacuum cleaners that had
  helped DAL gain a market leadership position. In
  addition to vacuum cleaners, its other products
  such as The Contra rotator (a washing machine)
  and Dyson Air blade (a hand dryer), were hailed
  by experts as being equally innovative. Analysts
  felt that DAL's deep set culture of innovation
  gave it an edge over its competitors. DAL
  approach to innovation drew inspiration from
  Thomas Alva Edison's (Edison) step by step
  approach where he made a single change to the
  prototype at a time in order to perfect his
  invention. Inspired by the thoughts of Edison,
  the engineering and design staff at DAL made a
  single change to the prototype that led to the
  launch of an innovative product. The integrated
  approach to design and development of new
  products adopted by engineers and design staff at
  the company had fostered a culture of innovation
  at DAL.

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• Answer the following question.
•  
• Q1. Examine the innovation principles and
  processes followed by DAL.
•  
• Q2. Debate how innovation helped DAL emerge as
  the leader in the vacuum cleaner industry.
•  
• Q3. Explain how innovation can lead to a
  competitive advantage and how DAL had developed a
  core competency in product design.

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