Kodak Case Analysis and Corporate Social Responsibility Report

This case study examines the Eastman Kodak Company, founded in 1888, and its journey through the photography industry. It analyzes the company's downfall, primarily attributed to its failure to adapt to digital photography and changing market demands. The analysis delves into the importance of Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) and suggests strategies Kodak could have adopted to maintain its market position, including donations, employee incentives, and environmental campaigns. The study also highlights the marketing challenges Kodak faced, such as competition from Japanese companies and the need to cater to evolving customer needs. The provided answers discuss CSR strategies, potential marketing changes, and the challenges faced by photography businesses, offering insights into Kodak's missed opportunities and the importance of adapting to technological advancements and market dynamics.

Running head: KODAK CASE ANALYSIS AND CORPORATE SOCIAL RESPONSIBILITY
KODAK CASE ANALYSIS AND CORPORATE SOCIAL RESPONSIBILITY
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Author Note

1KODAK CASE ANALYSIS AND CORPORATE SOCIAL RESPONSIBILITY
Table of Contents
Case Analysis...................................................................................................................................2
Answer 1..........................................................................................................................................2
Answer 2..........................................................................................................................................3
Answer 3..........................................................................................................................................4
References........................................................................................................................................5

2KODAK CASE ANALYSIS AND CORPORATE SOCIAL RESPONSIBILITY
Case Analysis
Eastman Kodak Company is an organization dealing in film and photography founded by
George Eastman along with Henry A. Strong in the year 1888. George Eastman was the heart
and brain behind the Kodak Company. This company became a giant in the photography
industry. After George Eastman passed away, this company became the leading organization in
the market. The organization enjoyed a supreme position in the industry. However, the company
started to lose its standard in the market during the shift from film photography to the digital
photography. The main reason for this was the denial of the company to shift its focus from the
film photography to the idea of digital cameras. The management of the Organization was unable
to realize the importance of the first digital camera invented by Steve Sasson. Even after the
efforts of George Fisher and Daniel Carp, the Company was not able to claim the ruling position
in the industry. With the advancement in time, there was also advancement in technology and
Kodak resisted evolving itself along with the advancement. The intention of the Company to
remain in the film of photography business and negligence in proper research of the needs of the
customer and market competition were the primary causes of the downfall of the company. The
accident that happened in the Kodak plant in the year 1988, further added more injuries to the
Company. There was an explosion of a pipe, which cause for the spill of poisonous chemicals
affecting some workers and the nearby residential area (Gershon 2013).
Answer 1
The Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) is a wide notion having a huge importance in
relation to the community and the company. When a company adopts CSR policies, the company
is able to develop the operations of itself and it is able to contribute to the society. The CSR has

3KODAK CASE ANALYSIS AND CORPORATE SOCIAL RESPONSIBILITY
coerced the various organizations to be generous to the employees and the society as a whole and
earn revenue in such process. CSR plays a vital part in the marketing operations of corporations.
In the highly competitive market, the companies embrace CSR strategies to develop external and
internal marketing programs and schemes. CSR also helps the companies to influence the various
types of customers in the market (Servaes and Tamayo 2013). The Kodak Company should
adopt such CSR strategies in order to create a strong position in the market.
Answer 2
As a newly hired managing director, one would like to create certain changes in the
marketing policies of the Kodak Company. The Company should adopt developmental policies,
both for itself and for the community. It should provide donations and help to various charitable
organizations (Ozanne, Moscato and Kunkel 2013). The Company should have excellent
schemes and opportunities for its employees to motivate them to contribute to the production of
the Company. There should be favorable policies for the employees in relation to non-
discrimination, healthy working environment and promotion opportunities. The Organization
should conduct and participate in various environmental campaigns. Presently, when the earth is
confronting challenges like global warming and pollution, promotion of such environment
friendly campaigns will build a prominent reputation for the Company. The Kodak Company
should also provide favorable policies to the customers in the form of offers and promotions. A
dedication to serve the society always has a pleasing impact upon the sales and revenue of a
particular company. It is evident that customers prefer companies that involves itself in various
society improving activities (Saeidi et al. 2015).

4KODAK CASE ANALYSIS AND CORPORATE SOCIAL RESPONSIBILITY
Answer 3
The market of any photography business depends upon the customers present in the
market. Generally, the photography and camera companies have customers who are either
professional photographers or the normal and amateur photographers. If the companies cannot
cater to the needs of their customers, then the companies will not be able to perform well in the
market. If these companies fail to study the market and the consumer needs, then such companies
will face challenges in providing good service to their customers (Oghazi and Mostaghel 2018).
Facing strong competition from rival companies is another marketing challenge that the
companies in the photography industry face. For instance, Kodak was a leading organization in
this business, but later on other organizations, namely Nikon, Canon and Sony started
dominating the photography industry. These Japanese companies are now the ruling photography
corporations in the industry. The primary reason for this is the technological advancements. The
above-mentioned Japanese organizations have built and promoted technologies in the industry
that is accepted globally. However, Kodak Company refused to accept such change in
technology and it suffered consequences for it by almost being on the verge of bankruptcy
(Vecchiato 2017).

5KODAK CASE ANALYSIS AND CORPORATE SOCIAL RESPONSIBILITY
References
Gershon, R.A., 2013. Innovation Failure: A Case Study Analysis of Eastman Kodak and
Blockbuster Inc. In Media Management and Economics Research in a Transmedia
Environment (pp. 62-84). Routledge.
Oghazi, P. and Mostaghel, R., 2018. Circular business model challenges and lessons learned—
An industrial perspective. Sustainability, 10(3), p.739.
Ozanne, J.L., Moscato, E.M. and Kunkel, D.R., 2013. Transformative photography: evaluation
and best practices for eliciting social and policy changes. Journal of Public Policy &
Marketing, 32(1), pp.45-65.
Saeidi, S.P., Sofian, S., Saeidi, P., Saeidi, S.P. and Saaeidi, S.A., 2015. How does corporate
social responsibility contribute to firm financial performance? The mediating role of competitive
advantage, reputation, and customer satisfaction. Journal of business research, 68(2), pp.341-
350.
Servaes, H. and Tamayo, A., 2013. The impact of corporate social responsibility on firm value:
The role of customer awareness. Management science, 59(5), pp.1045-1061.
Vecchiato, R., 2017. Disruptive innovation, managerial cognition, and technology competition
outcomes. Technological Forecasting and Social Change, 116, pp.116-128.