Eastman Kodak Case Analysis

An example of a decision that did not bring expected benefits to the described organization is Kodak’s decision not to introduce the world’s first digital camera in 1975.

In 1888, the Eastman Kodak Company (founded by George Eastman) entered the photography industry by introducing the first box camera that used and came preloaded with a 100 exposure roll of the first commercially offered transparent, photographic roll film. That began the long line of technological and historical advancement offerings from Kodak. Some of their most notable achievements include:

 Founded Tennessee Eastman to manufacture the chemicals for their film products in 1920

 Produced 147,000 miles of motion picture film in 1922

 Kodak film used to record the Apollo 11 Moon landing in 1969

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This opportunity provided Fujifilm with the platform needed to gain US market share. Because of past successes, their progressive business model, and their customer focus, Kodak had no trepidations about Fujifilm become viable competitors. However, Fujifilm continued gaining market share in the former US monopolistic film territory. It wasn’t until the 1990s (15 years after its invention) that Kodak decided to start the transition to the digital photography it had patented so many years prior. In 1994, the company manufactured its first digital camera that was released under the Apple brand and two years later, they released two of its own. By that time, Fujifilm had been selling digital cameras commercially for nearly ten years.

Eastman Kodak, a company credited and recognized for the advancement of film photography, patented the discovery of digital photography; a technological advancement that if properly executed, could have most certainly secured their successful monopolistic future. Instead, they made the decision to