Frugal Innovation Questions
Frugal innovation is a new phenomenon which is posed to rethink the innovation process!
Several questions remain unanswered for both academics and practitioners:
- What is frugal about frugal innovation?
- Is frugal innovation, innovation?
- How is it different or similar to standard innovation?
- What are the sources of frugal innovation? Who benefits?
- How does it relate to services and products?
- What is the design process for frugal innovation?
- Does cheap mean that it is low quality?
- Who is best at carrying out frugal innovation, local firms or MNCs?
The questions I am currently delving into as part of my PhD doctoral work are:
- What constitutes (frugal) innovation in or for emerging markets?
- What capabilities and core competencies are required to meet the needs of emerging market customers (i.e. frugally innovate)?
As my work progresses beyond the PhD, I aim to tackle supplementary questions such as:
- Are frugal innovation capabilities and core competencies unique to certain contexts and firms?
- How do emerging market firms differ from foreign firms in the capabilities to overcome contextual constraints in emerging markets?
- Do these capabilities and core competencies serve as a competitive advantage for firms?
