Eastman Kodak's Quest for a Digital Future

Influencing
organizational strategy
7/31/2019
Case 12 Eastman Kodak's Quest for a Digital Future

Management 1
Contents
Introduction......................................................................................................................................2
Overview of company..................................................................................................................2
Kodak’s digital imaging strategy during 1992-2012.......................................................................3
Porter’s five forces.......................................................................................................................3
Kodak’s digital imaging strategy fails.............................................................................................5
SWOT analysis............................................................................................................................6
Better alternative to the strategy......................................................................................................9
Other companies facing disruptive change in their core business learn from experience of Kodak
.......................................................................................................................................................10
Conclusion.....................................................................................................................................12
References......................................................................................................................................13
Appendix........................................................................................................................................15
Appendix 1.................................................................................................................................15
Appendix 2.................................................................................................................................15
Appendix 3.................................................................................................................................16
Appendix 4.................................................................................................................................17

Management 2
Introduction
The aim of the report is to analyse the case study of the Eastman Kodak Quest for a Digital
Future. This report reflects the knowledge of strategy and management of strategic that can be
implemented by company with the influence on organisational strategy development. Along with
this, it includes the strategies of organisation that take cognisance of the internal and external
influences and knowledge the ambiguities and complexities surrounded with major decisions.
The associated questions from the case study that are evidence include Kodak’s digital imaging
strategy during 1992-2012 and the reasons behind the failure of strategy. In addition, the better
alternative to the strategy of Kodak are explained. It has been witnessed that other companies are
facing disruptive change in their core business that are majorly leant from the experience of
Eastman Kodak.
Overview of company
Eastman Kodak Company came into existence in the year 1901 that offers a full range of
products and services for the amateur photographer. After the Second World War, Kodak entered
into the phase of growth with an expansion of core business and diversification majorly into
chemicals as well as in Health care.

Management 3
Kodak’s digital imaging strategy during 1992-2012
The company Kodak commitment to the digital imaging strategy was majorly scaled with the
recruitment of the George Fisher as CEO of company. The major focus Kodak’s effort on the
digital challenge, the fisher’s prior move was to make the divest in Eastman Chemical Company
and most of Kodaks healthcare businesses with the motive to form the single digital imaging
division that is controlled by the newly appointed Carl Gustin (Grant, 2016). Kodak formed the
digital strategy with the motive to convert the traditional photographic company to the digital
imaging. During the year 1993-2011, the strategy of Kodak is embodied with major four themes:
-
 An approach of incremental to manage the transition to digital imaging
 Diverse strategies for consumer market also for professional and commercial markets
 Sourcing of knowledge from external market through hiring, acquisitions and alliances
 Focus on printed images
 Harvesting the outdated photography business
Porter’s five forces
The digital strategy of the company can be understood best with the help of the Porter’s five
forces model, which talks about the evolving industry, as well as adoption of the technology by
most of the players in the market (Baker, 2014). This model is selected for the evaluating the
strategy because this helps in analysing the competitive nature of industry.
Industry rivalry: - It has been found that Kodak has brought the revolutionary change in order
to form the strong position in digital technology. The business of Kodak shifted entire from