Getting out of the Cul-de-Sac: Product searching in the days before cartography

Abstract

This paper examines the new product searching methodology of one market-leading firm looking to diversify in the face of market saturation and limited growth potential. We use a framework of the market- and the resource-based view of the firm to inform our analysis of the approach taken and outputs and present some lessons learned in what is a search with a map short of contours and landmarks.