Developing Approaches for Analysis of Failed Innovations: A Comparative Study

This research explores how certain characteristics of society or social factors affect the change of a technology to become popular, especifically the relationship between the sensitivity of technology success or failure to these particular types of social factors. In doing so, this work aims at providing a better understanding of the role of social factors with promising innovations. Five case studies were undertaken, all of them being identified as promising product innovations that enjoyed support of society at different stages of its development and with very different outcomes. In the analysis of the case studies, this research is meant to increase the existing knowledge on innovation success and failure, supporting better decision making processes within innovation related spheres performed by stake holders, executives, researches and scholars.