Fig. 1. Actors in forest operations in the softwood lumber supply chain in the studied area (Sweden) and illustration of the study object.
| Table 1. Overview of previous empirical studies that identified drivers of product development. | ||||||||
| Author/s | Industry studied | Entrepreneurial innovativeness | Human capital | Organizational characteristics | Progress in technology | Competitive position and Occupy leading position | Market orientation and Consumer demands | Distribution channel and business image |
| Acur et al. (2012) | NPD in different industries | X | X | X | ||||
| Boso et al. (2012) | Diverse | X | X | |||||
| Manley and Mcfallen (2006) | Construction | X | ||||||
| Pantano et al. (2014) | Advanced-technology-based innovations | X | X | X | X | X | ||
| Parrilli and Elola (2012) | Traditional manufacturing | X | ||||||
| Rhee et al. (2010) | Technology-innovative | X | X | |||||
| Total | 3 | 1 | 3 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 1 | |
| Table 2. Criteria of research quality fulfilled in the study. | ||
| Criterion | Research phase | Establishment |
| Construct validity | Data collection | Use multiple sources of evidence in data collection |
| Have informants review the draft case-study report during data collection | ||
| External validity | Research design | Use replication logic in the research design |
| Internal validity | Data analysis | Complete pattern-matching |
| Discuss alternative explanations for relationships | ||
| Reliability | Data collection | Use case-study protocols for data collection |
| Table 3. Connection between themes of the case-study protocols and interview questions in the study. | |
| Theme of case-study protocol | Question in the interview guide (see Appendices 1–4) |
| Previous developments and identification of their drivers | Please describe the development of harvesters in the past 10 years, including developments that you have prioritized in that time. |
| Who or what drove those developments? | |
| Predicted future developments and identification of their drivers | What do you think the development of harvesters will focus on in the next 10 years? |
| Who or what will drive those developments? | |
| Table 4. Drivers of product development of harvesters identified by interviewees in the study, arranged by case. | |||||
| Driver | Case 1: Study object | Case 2: Study object | Case 3: Study object | Case 4: Study object | Total |
| Expert and research organizations | X | X | 2 | ||
| Competitors | X | 1 | |||
| Forest companies | X | 1 | |||
| Forest owners | X | 1 | |||
| Harvester manufacturers | X | 1 | |||
| Logging contractors | X | X | X | X | 4 |
| Legislators | X | X | X | X | 4 |
| Table 5. Drivers of product development of harvesters identified by interviewees from the perspective of each actor. | |||
| Driver | Harvester Manufacturer | Harvester Dealer | Logging Contractor |
| Expert and research organization | X | X | |
| Competitors | X | ||
| Forest companies | X | ||
| Forest owners | X | ||
| Harvester manufacturers | X | X | |
| Logging contractors | X | X | X |
| Legislators | X | ||
| Total | 7 | 3 | 1 |