This thesis investigates the relationship between Knowledge Management\ud
Activities (KMAs), New Product Development drivers (NPDd), and New Product\ud
Development (NPD) process success in organisations that rely on new products for\ud
competitive survival. The literature review highlights that while KMA is in 2008, a\ud
common part of the practice of NPD, it is not included in any of the lists of wellknown\ud
success factors. Given that research in the KM field claims KMAs are a\ud
significant driver of success, this omission in the NPD literature seems worthy of\ud
further investigation.\ud
This thesis details the method and results of an empirical investigation examining\ud
the claim that KMAs are an independent influence on NPD process success. Data was\ud
collected in 2006 using survey methods and a classic positivistic research philosophy.\ud
The sample was taken from 124 UK-based projects, chosen from private\ud
organisations in the Department of trade and Industry's Research Development Index.\ud
The data was analysed using multivariate techniques, notably comparing NPD\ud
drivers, KMAs and their individual contribution to success based on stepwise\ud
regression analysis. Statistics indicate that while well-known NPDd account for much\ud
of the variance in NPD process success, KMAs are also significant.\ud
The unique contribution of this thesis is two fold: first empirical evidence that\ud
some KMAs can act as independent drivers of success in the NPD environment; and\ud
second a model detailing the relationship between the test elements, updating the\ud
existing high-level research in the field with a more detailed analysis of the\ud
relationships implied. The conclusions highlight for private sector managers that\ud
some KMAs make a distinct and measurable addition to NPD process success. Public\ud
sector managers may also find the results of interest as they add a finer level of detail\ud
to understanding the "systems" view of NPD, information worth sharing within the\ud
burgeoning UK knowledge economy