What exactly is Product Modularity? The answer depends on who you ask
'Product modularity' has recently experienced a significant increase in interest in the academic literature. While the concept of product modularity is used across a wide range of academic research areas, substantial variations exist in the ways in which the concept is described and interp...
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| Format: | Working Paper |
| Language: | en_US |
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2007
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| Online Access: | http://hdl.handle.net/1721.1/37285 |
| _version_ | 1811070027053400064 |
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| author | Fixson, Sebastian K. |
| author_facet | Fixson, Sebastian K. |
| author_sort | Fixson, Sebastian K. |
| collection | MIT |
| description | 'Product modularity' has recently experienced a significant increase in interest in the academic literature. While the concept of product modularity is used across a wide range of academic research areas, substantial variations exist in the ways in which the concept is described and interpreted. In this paper, I develop a framework to represent the similarities and differences that appear across these variations of the concept of product modularity. Next, through an extensive literature search I construct a set of 85 references representing the use of product modularity in the engineering and management literature over the past 30 years (1975–2006). With help of the framework I then analyze the use and interpretation of product modularity in every reference in the set. The analysis demonstrates that the product modularity concepts taken together really encompass a bundle of product characteristics rather than a single condition, and individual research areas exhibit certain preferences in which they define and operationalize product modularity. I conclude with some recommendations for future research. Overall, this paper strives to provide a vocabulary to improve cross-disciplinary understanding of product modularity. |
| first_indexed | 2024-09-23T08:21:16Z |
| format | Working Paper |
| id | mit-1721.1/37285 |
| institution | Massachusetts Institute of Technology |
| language | en_US |
| last_indexed | 2024-09-23T08:21:16Z |
| publishDate | 2007 |
| record_format | dspace |
| spelling | mit-1721.1/372852019-04-09T18:04:25Z What exactly is Product Modularity? The answer depends on who you ask Fixson, Sebastian K. Product Modularity Concept Ambiguity Product Architecture Interfaces Multidisciplinary research Review 'Product modularity' has recently experienced a significant increase in interest in the academic literature. While the concept of product modularity is used across a wide range of academic research areas, substantial variations exist in the ways in which the concept is described and interpreted. In this paper, I develop a framework to represent the similarities and differences that appear across these variations of the concept of product modularity. Next, through an extensive literature search I construct a set of 85 references representing the use of product modularity in the engineering and management literature over the past 30 years (1975–2006). With help of the framework I then analyze the use and interpretation of product modularity in every reference in the set. The analysis demonstrates that the product modularity concepts taken together really encompass a bundle of product characteristics rather than a single condition, and individual research areas exhibit certain preferences in which they define and operationalize product modularity. I conclude with some recommendations for future research. Overall, this paper strives to provide a vocabulary to improve cross-disciplinary understanding of product modularity. 2007-04-20T19:16:13Z 2007-04-20T19:16:13Z 2007-04-20T19:16:13Z Working Paper http://hdl.handle.net/1721.1/37285 en_US MIT Sloan School of Management Working Paper 4631-06 application/pdf |
| spellingShingle | Product Modularity Concept Ambiguity Product Architecture Interfaces Multidisciplinary research Review Fixson, Sebastian K. What exactly is Product Modularity? The answer depends on who you ask |
| title | What exactly is Product Modularity? The answer depends on who you ask |
| title_full | What exactly is Product Modularity? The answer depends on who you ask |
| title_fullStr | What exactly is Product Modularity? The answer depends on who you ask |
| title_full_unstemmed | What exactly is Product Modularity? The answer depends on who you ask |
| title_short | What exactly is Product Modularity? The answer depends on who you ask |
| title_sort | what exactly is product modularity the answer depends on who you ask |
| topic | Product Modularity Concept Ambiguity Product Architecture Interfaces Multidisciplinary research Review |
| url | http://hdl.handle.net/1721.1/37285 |
| work_keys_str_mv | AT fixsonsebastiank whatexactlyisproductmodularitytheanswerdependsonwhoyouask |