Index for Frugal Innovation Assessment

Details

Supervisors

Ana Carvalho

Faculty

Louvain School of Management

Degree label

Master [120] en ingénieur de gestion

Abstract

An extensive literature review unravels the multidimensionality inherent to frugal innovation, the same that makes it challenging to define and hard to differentiate from other types of innovations. In addition, the rising number of studies of frugal innovation in developed economies challenges earlier definitions that linked frugal innovation particularly with emerging markets. All this fuzziness in determining what is frugal innovation, and what is not, introduces a need to determine a clear definition of the concept, the underlying criteria, and the creation of a reliable and valid measurement instrument. For such purpose, a value based multi-criteria decision analysis (MCDA) approach is used, adapting the Choquet integral to study the effects of interactions between criteria, which is particularly useful in multidimensional fields of study like this. The state-of-art methodology includes the following two main steps: to construct a ratio scale for assigning numerical values to the capacities of the Choquet integral and to build interval scales with the objective of assigning utility values on a common scale to the criteria performances. Recent studies have tried to conceptualize the criteria theoretically, and others to create a value measurement scale, however, there is still no study using a MCDA approach that the nature of this problem calls for. Therefore, the global objective of the present dissertation is to design and implement an evaluation model, and test it using a case-study approach of already existing products, with certainty that it would help in evaluating, certifying and promoting frugal innovation in the modern business world.

Citations

• APA

Cachola, M. (2019). Index for Frugal Innovation Assessment. https://dial-mem.test.bib.ucl.ac.be/handle/2078.2/15685