Book review

Citation

Ordoñez de Pablos, P. (2022), "Book review", Journal of Science and Technology Policy Management, Vol. 13 No. 2, pp. 505-506. https://doi.org/10.1108/JSTPM-06-2022-185

Introduction

This year Journal of Science and Technology Policy Management continues publishing the Book Review Section, selecting and reviewing books in the field of science and technology policy. We search for innovative and cutting-edge work in fields such as innovation process, management and policy, regional innovation and technology and ICT, among others.

In 2021 Journal of Science and Technology Policy Management published a special issue titled “Management of Policy and Technological Innovation in Indonesia” (vol 12, issue 2), edited by Mohammad Nabil Almunawar, Onno W. Purbo and me. It discussed interesting topics from blockchain technology adoption, business incubators, customer education, e-government, entrepreneurship, FinTech, knowledge management and sustainability in Indonesia (Almunawar et al., 2021).

So far, this special issue has more than 2,838 downloads. Observing the interest of our readers in gaining a better understanding of innovation in Indonesia, we chose a book on innovation in Indonesia for the book review section of issue 2 (2022). This book is titled Frugal innovation and the new product development process. Insights from Indonesia.

Indonesia is the largest economy in the Southeast Asia Economic Community. According to the International Monetary Fund, Indonesia is expected to grow to 5.6% in 2022 and 6% in 2023. However, there are concerns about new waves of COVID-19 due to new variants and how they can impact the Indonesian economy.

Book review

The book titled “Frugal innovation and the new product development process. Insights from Indonesia “is co-authored by Stephanie B.M. Cadeddu (Swinburne University of Technology, Melbourne, Australia), Jerome D. Donovan (Swinburne University of Technology, Melbourne, Australia), Cheree Topple (Swinburne University of Technology, Melbourne, Australia), Gerrit A. de Waal (RMIT University in Melbourne, Australia) and Eryadi K. Masli (Swinburne University of Technology, Melbourne, Australia). They discuss the topics of frugal innovation and the new product development process (NPDP) in the context of a study conducted with two Indonesian start-ups in 2015.

The book is organized in a collection of six outstanding chapters that reflect on key issues to understand frugal innovation and the new product development process in Indonesia. It introduces Indonesia as a potential innovation hub, discusses the state of the art of frugal innovation and NPD adapted to base-of-the-pyramid (BOP) markets, reviews the literature on innovation, develops a NPD process (NPDP) framework for frugal innovation, examines the phases of NPDP and provides an in-depth discussion of 15 key frugal innovation practices in the cases of Prime Cookstoves – a company established in 2013 that creates innovative renewable energy products – and Tirta Indonesia Mandiri Foundation – a nonprofit organization focused on issues like social and humanitarian aid (for example, in the area of water and personal hygiene), disaster relief and water and food security, among others. The book explores key decisions taken by these Indonesian companies during each phase of the NPDP. Interesting lessons emerge from these decisions.

The studies conducted with two frugal innovators in Indonesia have made several important research contributions in a nascent scientific field of research, for example, to the literature on NPDP and frugal innovation and to the concept of frugal innovation from an NPDP perspective. Furthermore, the findings of the study have strategic implications for several relevant stakeholders (companies, investors and government agencies). The developed NPDP framework was empirically tested in Indonesia, which could provide interesting insights and lessons for companies working on frugal innovation for BOP consumers in developing countries, Southeast Asia or other regions. Literature on frugal innovation-focused mainly on China and India, so the focus on Indonesia in this study contributes to the innovative features of the book.

Overall, the work provides detailed reading for those interested in the development of frugal innovation using a NPDP approach. This book clearly contributes to the nascent field of frugal innovation and fills a gap in the field of research, providing outstanding insights on areas, decisions and tools for NPDP. It will be very useful for academics and researchers in the field of innovation and frugal innovation as well as practitioners, policymakers and other relevant stakeholders. In particular, the book will be especially relevant for those interested in emerging markets like Indonesia.