Reference no: EM133298428
1. Industry Life Cycle
Question 1: Identify the five stages of the industry life cycle, and give a specific, current or historical
industry example of each stage.
Question 2: Describe how i) consumer demand, ii) the number of competing firms, and iii) innovation
change across the evolution of an industry. (You are encouraged to draw figures to illustrate
your answer here.)
Reconfiguration in the Personal Computer (PC) Industry
Question 3: Identify and briefly explain eight distinct methods that firms can use to acquire the resources
and capabilities they need to develop new products and businesses.
Question 4: Drawing on our discussion of the strategic sourcing framework, briefly describe and/or
illustrate the relative advantages and disadvantages of these methods. (0.5 points)
Question 5: Both PC software and hardware manufacturers have been forced to adapt to the rapidlyevolving industry in order to survive. Using the PC industry, provide a specific example of six ofthe eight methods.
Question 6: Briefly explain why Xerox may be greatest success and the worst failure in the history of the
PC industry.
3. Hybrid Engine Technology
Question 6: American auto companies, including General Motors, had a chance to be first to market with
hybrid cars. List four reasons why they might have chosen not to commercialize hybrid cars
before Toyota and Honda did.
Question 7:Some observers believed that hydrogen fuel cell cars would replace gas-electric hybrid cars as
the environmentally friendly car-of-choice. Why might commercializing hydrogen fuel cell cars
be more difficult than commercializing gas-electric hybrid cars?