Preview

Kodak Strategy Failure

Powerful Essays
Open Document
Open Document
4999 Words
Grammar
Grammar
Plagiarism
Plagiarism
Writing
Writing
Score
Score
Kodak Strategy Failure
IIM Calcutta

Strategic Management
Professor Sougata Ray
Group Project: Eastman Kodak
Group 4- Section C

By,
Gundu Ankitha Ramchandra (0132/49)
Gundu Shiva Kumar (0133/49)
Kammati Chandra Thej (0157/49)
Kandula Dheeraj (0158/49)
Koneti Jagdish (0164/49)
Vaishnavi T (FP/20/12)
Kodak’s Ascent:
On January 1, 1881, Eastman and Henry A. Strong formed a partnership called the Eastman Dry Plate Company. While actively managing all phases of the firm 's activities, Eastman continued research in an effort to simplify photography. In 1883, Eastman startled the trade with the announcement of film in rolls, with the roll holder adaptable to nearly every plate camera on the market. With the KODAK camera in 1888, he put down the foundation for making photography available to everyone.
"You press the button, we do the rest”: With this slogan George Eastman put the first simple camera into the hands of a world of consumers in 1888. In so doing, he made a cumbersome and complicated process easy to use and accessible to nearly everyone. (Exhibit 1)
Since that time, the Eastman Kodak Company has led the way with an abundance of new products and processes to make photography simpler, more useful and more enjoyable. In fact, today 's Kodak is known not only for photography, but also for images used in a variety of leisure, commercial, entertainment and scientific applications. Its reach increasingly involves the use of technology to combine images and information--creating the potential to profoundly change how people and businesses communicate.
The company has been called Eastman Kodak Company since 1892, when Eastman Kodak Company of New York was organized. In 1901, the present firm -- Eastman Kodak Company of New Jersey -- was formed under the laws of that state.

Eastman built his business on four basic principles: * mass production at low cost * international distribution * extensive advertising * a focus on the customer
He saw all four as

You May Also Find These Documents Helpful

  • Powerful Essays

    Eastman Kodak Company known as Kodak was founded in 1880 it is an American multinational imaging and photographic equipment, materials and services company. It was founded by George Eastman. Its headquarters is located in Rochester New York. The company bears the name of its founder, George Eastman, who became interested in photography during the late 1870s while planning a vacation from his job as a bank clerk in Rochester, New York. (Muinr, K. (2012).…

    • 2126 Words
    • 9 Pages
    Powerful Essays
  • Satisfactory Essays

    Access articles about the history, business approaches, management, and marketing of Eastman Kodak and Fujifilm. Eastman Kodak has been a developer and pioneer of photographic films for over 130 years. Although it invented the digital camera, the company was unprepared for the rapid changes in new technologies and filed for bankruptcy protection in January 2012. Fujifilm, a Japanese competitor, on the other hand, has been successful in the U.S. and global markets.…

    • 397 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Satisfactory Essays
  • Powerful Essays

    Kodak Memo

    • 1201 Words
    • 5 Pages

    Eastman Kodak is an industry leader in developing, manufacturing, and marketing different imaging products for leisure, commercial, and medical use.…

    • 1201 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Powerful Essays
  • Good Essays

    * George Eastman created the first Kodak Camera, being easing to hold and operate. Using flexibly coasted roll film instead of heavy glass plates.…

    • 1004 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Powerful Essays

    Kodak vs. Fujifilm

    • 1841 Words
    • 8 Pages

    George Eastman founded Eastman Kodak Co. in 1888. Mr. Eastman developed the first simple camera that could be used by consumers. Mr. Eastman was a high school dropout and came from a poor childhood background. His gift with business however lied within organization and management, and his inventive mind helped him become a successful entrepreneur while in his twenties. Mr. Eastman had changed the development of film from glass plates to a flexible film. He believed that most photography business’s would jump at the opportunity to use the lighter easier to use cameras and film but he soon found out that was not the case. In order to have his business grow he realized that he needed to reach the general public not just the large photography firms. George Eastman’s first slogan “You press the button, we do the rest.” Helped him become recognized with in a year (Eastman Kodak Company 2012).…

    • 1841 Words
    • 8 Pages
    Powerful Essays
  • Good Essays

    Kodak vs. Fujifilm

    • 1115 Words
    • 5 Pages

    In 1930, Eastman Kodak Company launched on Dow Jones Industrial Average Index where it would remain for 74 years. Throughout the years, Eastman Kodak film were used to capture some very historic moments; in 1969 film used on the Apollo 11 missions were manufactured by Kodak. By 1975, Kodak was the first company to build an actual working digital camera which launched off throughout the years causing Kodak in 2004, to stop selling film cameras in face of increasing popular digital…

    • 1115 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Better Essays

    The idea for the company came from Eastman’s desire to make the camera and the materials associated with it easier to transport. He began by manufacturing dry glass plates that he would sell to photographers. For a while the business was shaky. The plates were not always made the same and therefore had to be replaced, a service that Eastman provided for free. Eventually the business began to grow and Eastman continued to work on the company’s product. It was his desire to find a lighter and more flexible substitute for the glass plate. “In 1884 he introduced a new film system using gelatin-coated paper packed in a roll holder that could be used in almost every plate camera available at that time.” (Eastman Kodak Company, 2001) Following that, the company introduced its first portable camera in 1888. The new portable camera has a price point of $25. You could shoot the entire roll of film and afterwards the owner would send both the film and the camera to Rochester for processing. The cost of processing was $10 and it included the developing of the film as well as having the company send back the camera loaded with a new roll of film. “This breakthrough is considered to be the birth of snapshot photography.” (Eastman Kodak Company, 2001) During this time Eastman developed and trademarked the name of the camera, Kodak. He came up with the name by first using his favorite letter “K” and playing with words that both…

    • 1236 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Better Essays
  • Good Essays

    Kodak Case Study

    • 2422 Words
    • 10 Pages

    From the start, the Eastman Kodak company had many distinct advantages. After the invention of the silver halide photographic film, Kodak had a step ahead of any other company during its time. In 1888 Kodak developed a camera which was portable and George Eastman was able to revolutionize the photography industry. He patented his invention and began a journey on developing more advanced photographic technology toward the future of the company. Kodak had a distinctive competency over its competition because of the operations of its business. This helped lead the Kodak Company toward the continuous growth of their business. During the 1970’s-1980’s Kodak encountered problems with revenue and became aware of competition which was rapidly threatening the survival of their business. Kodak began to realize that drastic changes in the structure of the company and the technology of their products would be vital toward success of the Kodak brand. Kodak began restructuring their company with the help of key people and began another journey toward being the top maker of photographic equipment and accessories. The introduction of digital technology would prove to either break or help the Kodak Company.…

    • 2422 Words
    • 10 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Better Essays

    Eastman Kodak

    • 992 Words
    • 4 Pages

    With the slogan “you press the button, we will do the rest”, George Eastman (a high school dropout) put the very first simple camera into the hands of a world of consumers in 1888 ("History of Kodak," n.d., para. 1). For many years, Eastman Kodak was virtually the only film manufacturer around so they had a monopoly in film production. Kodak was able to control the timing for introducing new products into the market and was able to make changes due to customer demand.…

    • 992 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Better Essays
  • Good Essays

    Kodak Case Study

    • 946 Words
    • 4 Pages

    Kodak still has biggest market share in the film market and the comparatively strong position in digital camera market, but it had some difficult time in the Photofinishing Market and has been loosing money in digital camera sales.…

    • 946 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Better Essays

    Kodak vs Fugi

    • 1591 Words
    • 7 Pages

    Kodak, also known as Eastman Kodak was founded in the 1880 's by George Eastman and is currently based out of Rochester, NY. When George Eastman started this company reputation was very important to him. Eastman 's goal was to make photography an everyday affair or as he put it: "to make the camera as convenient as the pencil.” Not only was reputation important to him but so was advertising. Many ads he wrote himself, bringing about their slogan, “you press the button, and we do the rest." Kodak became the world 's first simple camera making photography enjoyable and easy to use for those who weren’t so savvy with cameras. This is a brand known around every country in the world and best known as a multinational corporation.…

    • 1591 Words
    • 7 Pages
    Better Essays
  • Good Essays

    Kodak Leadership Issues

    • 597 Words
    • 3 Pages

    George Eastman he would have never thought Kodak will become a “Kodak Moment”, when it filed bankruptcy on 19Jan2012 after 131 Years. An American icon company, failed to spin the wheel that was once invented in photographic business by Eastman. Famous tagline Kodak Moment created wonderful memories to people. At its peak it created more than 150,000 jobs worldwide. In 1975, Kodak invented digital camera when very rest of the world was with film photography. Company became a household name when Kodak East Share Cameras were introduced in 2003. Kodak as a company excelled beyond any ones expectations under the Photographic Films and Digital Camera business, later to lose its identity in digital world.…

    • 597 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    realized the difficulty in the use of cameras, he invested all his time into making cameras easier…

    • 529 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    George Eastman

    • 676 Words
    • 3 Pages

    Born to Maria Kilbourn and George Washington Eastman on July 12, 1854, young George experienced a number of hardships early on in his life which shaped and sharpened his ability to adapt and innovate – traits that would later on define his success in the field of photography. The death of his father when he was just seven, which left the family financially challenged, and his decision to “drop out of school at age 14 to support his widowed mother and two sisters, one of whom was severely handicapped” (Eastman Kodak Company), are only some of the circumstances in his life which could have made George Eastman socially, mentally, and emotionally diverse or different from other children his age. In addition to these circumstances, George Eastman’s inborn personality, such as “his ability to overcome financial adversity, his gift for organization and management, and his lively and inventive mind,” served only to strengthen his difference from others and set him apart (Eastman Kodak Company).…

    • 676 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Powerful Essays

    Investement

    • 9031 Words
    • 37 Pages

    This case was prepared by Boris Morozov and Rebecca J. Morris both from the University of Nebraska at Omaha. The views presented here are those ofthe case authors and do not necessarily reflect the views ofthe Society for Case Research. The authors' views are based on their own professional judgments. Copyright © 2009 by the Society for Case Research and the authors. No part of this work may be reproduced or used in any form or by any means without the written permission ofthe Society for Case Research…

    • 9031 Words
    • 37 Pages
    Powerful Essays