Analyzing Kodak's Digital Strategy: A Case Study of the 1990s-2000s

This case study examines Eastman Kodak's digital imaging strategy during the 1990s and early 2000s, focusing on its incremental and hybrid approaches. The analysis evaluates the effectiveness of these strategies, highlighting the company's focus on adapting to the digital transition while maintaining a connection with its mass market. The case study explores Kodak's strategic decisions, including its collaboration with other companies and its understanding of market needs. Furthermore, the assignment considers alternative strategic options that Kodak could have pursued, such as cost leadership or differentiation strategies, to achieve quicker success in the digital imaging market. The analysis reveals the challenges and choices Kodak faced in navigating the shift from traditional to digital imaging, offering valuable insights into business strategy and market adaptation.

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Table of Contents
Discuss the company’s digital imaging strategy pursued during the1990s and early 2000............2
How would you evaluate (assess) those strategies? Discuss...........................................................3
Did the company have other strategic options to pursue? Illustrate................................................4
Bibliography....................................................................................................................................6

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Discuss the company’s digital imaging strategy pursued during the1990s and
early 2000.
Usage of Incremental approach by Kodak is seen in this case. As per the case study it can
be stated that the evolution from traditional photographs to digital photographs were performed
step wise. Kodak was constantly working on bettering the digital technology. The major
hindrance that was faced by Kodak was inability to incorporate digital platform operation
efficiency among the mass (Lam and Fung 2018). Hence Kodak took small steps and selective
incursions were made in the traditional imaging process. Kodak was well accustomed to the fact
that in case they had shifted the focus from traditional imaging to digital strategy, they might
have faced a loss as the potential clients might have to transform entirely and buy digital set up
to use the newly developed digital imaging by Kodak. This aspect was considered to be very
much unlikely. Hence they decided to move towards their goal stepwise. The strategy that was
implemented by Kodak was named as Hybrid strategy. Despite these implementation of
strategies Kodak had recognized that image capturing in traditional method will be in market for
a long team. Though they knew that Digital imaging will be imposing higher transition process
will be performed. By the year 2004, it was seen that Kodak was the leader was the leader in the
digital imaging market. Kodak then wanted to grow as a digital photography organization and
they wanted to propose collaboration with other industries for increasing their revenue. In the
year 2004, Kodak had a total of 55000 Kodak picture makers installed globally. Kodak also
provided imaging infrastructure to the Photofinishers. Hence wise Kodak was growing as a unit.
Despite the fact that the image quality of the digital cameras were inferior to that of the
traditional cameras, Fisher recognized the potential that the digital cameras hence he pushed
Kodak to keep on manufacturing and developing the technology of digital camera . Kodak

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believed in reaching out to the mass and manufacture products that are relatable to the mass.
Kodak has been manufacturing the digital infrastructure that are required for digitizing the
traditional images. Kodak had been collaborating with different organizations to increase the
revenue and getting in trend in the market. In the early 2000s Kodak had already collaborated
with Apple as well as EasyShare. These were the strategies that were implemented by Kodak for
completion of the business process. Kodak had collaborated with Phone cam, consumer media,
digital still camera, mobile services, PC based online services, home printing, retail kiosk
printing and professional printing.
How would you evaluate (assess) those strategies? Discuss.
The strategies that are implemented by Kodak are Incremental approach and Hybrid
approach. The strategies that were implemented were highly efficient. In the strategy planning
process the main benefit that was included is that it had connection with the mass and wanted to
stay comply with the mass . This is one of the main reason that the strategies that were
implemented by Kodak was highly accepted by the mass. They had initially understood that the
alteration in the imaging process need not be drastic. In case the change was drastic, the
acceptance of the technology would have been on the lower side. This is the main reason that
Kodak had a successful assessment of human operational strategy. It can be stated that Kodak
had understood that the mass needs to be provided with a specific time band to adapt with the
new changes that are brought in. In the initial stages Kodak was also focusing on providing the
digital imaging infrastructure so that they can capture the market of digital image in the long run.
When it comes to the theoretical aspect of the approach that they had selected was highly
matching with the requirement. Usage of incremental approach has been benefitting the
functional process. Incremental approach consists of proper understanding of the elements that

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will be functional in the growth of the product management. In this approach the product or the
service that is to be introduced is diversified in a few sections. All the sections need to function
partially in each stages and all the sections need to be completed by the end of the task. With
completion of each new sections, new features are added. During completion of this section,
each and every stage is well tested. As Kodak was having a clear concept of the digital imaging
they were capable to implement this approach. The major benefits that was received due to the
usage of this approach was that the approach is flexible and gets adapted with the demands of the
client base. The initial costing is also much lower than the other approaches. This was one of the
reason that incremental approach was beneficial for Kodak. The strategy that was used by Kodak
was Hybrid strategy. Usage of this strategy has also been helpful in the introduction of Kodak’s
digital imaging. This hybrid strategy is basically applicable in the sections where both the quality
and quantity of the product provided will be superior. Integration of cost along with
differentiation advantages had benefitting Kodak. Presence of Sequential strategies had also
benefitted Kodak. Implementation of hybrid strategy along with incremental approach has
benefitted Kodak. Since usage of this strategies digital imaging processing has been getting
accepted in 1900 and early 2000s.
Did the company have other strategic options to pursue? Illustrate.
Yes, the company had other strategy options that can be implemented. The different set
of other strategies that could have been implemented were cost leadership strategy and
Differentiation strategy.
In case Kodak had used the cost leadership strategy the main concern that was to be
considered includes broadening of the market and creating a huge demand of the digital image in
market and reducing the cost the product in the initial stages. There are 2 major options that are

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available in the section. The sections include keeping the cost of the product much lower.
Another major option that was possible includes keeping the price of the product by performing
data analysis so that the mass can have an access to the product. This strategy would have
eliminated the concern of sectioning of the entire process and hence wise the entire project
would have got completed at the time. As it was seen that the digital image was introduced step
by step but if the infrastructure as well as the digital camera was provided in a much lesser cost
so that a revolution could have been brought in instead of evolution, the process would have
been a success as well.
Again usage of differentiation as a process can be acting beneficial. This ensures that the
unique features of the new digital image camera is to be provided. This providing of the digital
image camera will ensure that the audience will be getting to know the unique ness of the
product. Hence wise marketing of the product will be acting beneficial. This ensures that the
audience will be well accustomed with the benefits that might be received from the product. This
ensures that success of the product depends on the specification of the product. In this process no
step by step approach will be taken. The digital camera and infrastructure as a product would be
getting launch at once and hence wise step by step approach will be replaces.
These are the other 2 strategies that could have been used by Kodak for getting success in
a quicker span. However the strategy used by Kodak have been the best of the 3 and usage of the
strategy can be considered as a wise decision.

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Bibliography
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