If It’s not Broke, Fix It

Many businesses have a tendency to hunt for corporate obstructions. Industries can do jobs more quickly and effectively thanks to this study. A fundamental strategy for raising profitability and keeping costs under control is to identify and eliminate problems. Finding an issue is the first step in offering a remedy to a roadblock. The majority of the time, this is accomplished by looking at developments that are thought to be inefficient or underperforming. Once these problems are acknowledged, managers can utilize any management strategy to discover a solution. This development could help businesses grow; nevertheless, this appears as a piece of a larger puzzle. It is believed that executives who wait for difficulties to emerge before looking for another possibility cannot actualize the industry’s real potential. There is a higher chance that the process performed now will be outdated in the near future. Since the technological environment changes daily, the company which does not revolve around it is destined to fall. This paper will explore the benefits of enlightening well-functioning processes for the betterment of the companies. Therefore, managers should not only research for productive solutions, but for lasting solutions too. Thus, industries that are the first to modernize improved solutions for better preforming processes could be the market favorites.

Key Words: Preforming, technology, evolve

If It’s not Broke, Fix It

Introduction

Presently, organizations have existed in a period of globalization, technology, greater transparency, and risk uncertainties which have all come together to influence the environment of business. Managers are, therefore, required to respond to the changes posed in the business environment. Hence, the business should evolve and adapt to the developments and factors that influence its operations (Bozeman, Rimes, & Youtie, 2015). Most studies have revealed that companies which have failed to comply with the new demands of the business environment, have been faced out due to competition. For instance, companies such as Kodak have found it hard to survive in the current business models, since they have failed to adopt and adapt to all the transformations within the market.

In the view of Löfsten (2014), market leadership has become more precarious. The implication is that most businesses that have not evolved, have failed to outperform those ones that evolve. Currently, organizations are facing sudden changes in management. Moreover, globalization has improved the opportunities and markets to enhance more growth and revenue. Nevertheless, increasingly different markets have an extensive variety of expectations and needs which should be understood to develop into big customers and collaborators. Hence, the capability for the change management and ensuring to meet the stakeholders’ needs is a vital skill, which is necessary for today’s managers and leaders. Companies, such as Apple, LG, and Samsung have embraced and developed change management strategy. These companies adopt the innovation. Although within different companies, the procedures for the development and innovation techniques may be deemed differently, their concepts are the same. Therefore, the evolution of the products of these companies remains to be paramount for their success.

Statement Problem

Development and Research within companies are frequently concentrated on advancing weak performing exercises. Though, companies should not always focus on developing processes that perform better. This central problem in today’s corporate environment shall change tomorrow. Currently, people live in an era where the first to the marketplace is a core competitive benefit in many companies. If the company is not focused on finding ways to evolve and improve well-performing developments, then they are intended to fail in their practices (Löfsten, 2014). Therefore, there is a desire to conduct an investigation, so that industries may reveal the benefits of solving difficulties before they emerge to become problems. This paper will critically examine the existing and past corporations to determine, whether the focus on the growth of well-preforming exercises played a role in their success or failure. The paper also will present different studies to establish the proper stage of evolution for future success and progress.

Purpose of the Study

The study will critically investigate how development and research remain to be significant in better preforming practices as they are for underachieving processes. Industries that put concentration on advancing better-preforming practices shall be the first in position and innovation for longevity (Löfsten, 2014). Thus, the study is essential since societies, we have been habituated to focus efforts on fixing the problems in life, rather than preventing them. Hence, this may result to overlooking the things the societies are now doing well. This investigation will be performed in relation to current companies and reviewing of their past. Thus, this would permit to depict the businesses that are proactively aiming to develop better-preforming processes and highlight their impacts. Besides, literature search would attempt to discover four corporations that were market controllers at one time and the position they are at the moment. The paper will look at the history of these firms and examine where they went wrong and where they succeeded. Through this investigation, there is some suggestion as per to whether the growth of better preforming processes played a part in their present standing.

Research Question

Is there a direct connection between corporations’ proactively evolving success and their better processes?

Is there a direct link between companies’ eventual failure and their complacency with proper methods?

Literature Review

Blockbuster Video

An illustration of this thought can be clearly seen in the previous Blockbuster Company. Blockbuster placed all its efforts into meeting the requirements of technology rather than innovating new technology (Henkel, Schöberl & Alexy, 2014). At the time when DVD substituted VHS Blockbuster and their movies, they suffered hindrance in cost. Just after DVD’s got into the market, a new trend of technology endangered Blockbuster’s business tactics (Henkel, Schöberl & Alexy, 2014). Netflix presented customers DVD distribution services and online watching ability; this efficiency of carrying out business made Netflix Company flourish. As a result, Blockbuster’s failure to progress in the innovation of their product drove them out of the market.

Apple

The tactic of the Apple Company to the market is to enable a revolution through evolution. At this point, Apple was on the edge of bankruptcy. This was proceeding to the application of the iPod; an electronic device that was distinct from any other devices on the market. From that period, Apple has modernized new goods; still, a key emphasis is on making their existing products improved. Moreover, once an updated version of a device gets into the market, Apple Company is thoughtful of new means to advance it (Löfsten, 2014). This continuous quest for progress and evolution has enabled them to develop the supremacy, that they are currently enjoying. Overall, Apple Company is considered to be a good example of a corporation fixing difficulties before they occur.

Motorola

Motorola Company was once deemed as the top selling telephone manufacturer in the globe. The development of the Razr made them the leaders in the device market. However, their leadership at the top was not lasting, since they did not manage to embrace the evolution and development within the industry. Therefore, the subsequent evolution of the telephone and cell phone that was being produced by the Motorola Company was transformed into the mode of smartphones. Companies like Samsung, LG, and Apple adapted their products and headed the smartphone revolution (Jacobs, Swink & Linderman, 2015). However, Motorola did not embrace the transformation hence the choice of Motorola to maintain their mobiles without smartphone software finally cost them their corporate.

Eastman Kodak

Once a giant of the movie industry, the stock of Kodak Film Company has presently fallen by 95.7 percent since 1997 (Jacobs, Swink & Linderman, 2015). Each camera had its film in it. Consequently, the digital cameras came with the arrival of the new century. Kodak was left behind since it has not advanced its produce to have a digital constituent. This is another scenario of how failing to evolve to the limit of the technological age is responsible for the distraction of an effective business plan.

Why Companies should evolve

Most companies across entire industries and sectors utilize research and development teams to experience growth on underperforming practices and progress on product lines. Currently, many developing companies focus resources on well preformed processes for their improvement (Lacity & Willcocks, 2014). For instance, a company involving researchers or modern scientists, tasked with practical research in industrial, technical, or scientific fields, which is intended to facilitate the growth of future products, or the perfection of current products to meet the market needs. Research and development differ from several practices performed by industry in the progression of operation. The development and research are not classically implemented with the goal or expectation of immediate profit. However, it is concentrated on lasting profitability for a corporation (Löfsten, 2014). Löfsten (2014) also claimed that companies, which were dedicated to research and development, commit significant capital to the effort. This can be an evident from case studies of failed and successful companies, such as Eastman Kodak Film, Motorola, Blockbuster Video and Apple (Kato, Okamuro & Honjo, 2015). For instance, Kodak Film was left behind since it has not developed its outputs to have a digital constituent. The same applies Motorola, which has chosen to preserve its mobiles without smartphone software which finally cost them (Pisano, 2015). On the other hand, companies like Apple and LG which have shown continuous quest for progress and evolution have enabled them to develop to the supremacy, they are enjoying currently.

Broadly given the competitive business world, inevitably raises the idea of the globalization, transnational corporations, and information society. In today’s information-based society, complacency results to insolvency, thus making companies operate in an interacted environment. Further, Management and Control change from a bureaucratic structure and vertical to one that is horizontal and small. In the connected market, companies meet rising competition where technology and products evolve rapidly. Since competitors are always keenly observing things that are not done well and improve on them, the company should embrace relevant transformation within the industry (Henkel, Schöberl & Alexy, 2014). For this reason, companies are compelled to shape their operations according to a team management tactic and processes. Moreover, constant improvement and appraisal sustain competitiveness. Thus, labor retraining and new procurement tactics emerge. Companies entail being attentive on advancing what they perform better or risk losing their attributes in the market that make them successful and more competitive. They need to embrace a philosophy of consistent, sustainable and constant improvement throughout the corporation.

Since continuous improvement may vary from the simple transformation in the everyday workings of industries to major shifts in procedures and focus on the world structure, in all cases, it shall necessitate the right gears to keep it going and achieve success. Continuous value improvement might make a company better armed to adapt to variations in industry, avoid threats as well as take advantage of chances (Back, Parboteeah & Nam, 2014). They added that practices in an industry pursuing constant quality improvement recurrently experience incremental changes. Companies that implement changes are well equipped to cope up with their corporate to changing markets demands than those that uses flexible processes. Focusing on improvement on what a company does well is not just for administrators. Entire workers of a company are as well affected by this perception (Macchion et al. 2017). Consequently, many employments have vanished because businesses have to turn out to be complacent with what they do better. As a result, this will display examples of processes that are considered superior all over different companies. Secondly, it will also view these companies and concentrate on industries which did not improve well-preforming practices and industries which did (Womack& Jones, 2015).And finally, it will explore in what way a failure to concentrate on better-preforming processes will lead to the demise of an industry.

Entertainment industry. Various processes have increased to the top all over different companies. The newest invention in the entertainment sector has eased accessibility. The entertainment field is extensive and continuously evolving as technological improvement, and market demands shift. The area includes both distributors and producers of entertainment formats and has been growing into new zones outside of the old-style segments of print, radio, media, music, film and television (Chemmanur, Loutskina & Tian, 2014). The competitive market demand is shifting from traditional segments into innovative frontiers of online entertainment capabilities and media networks such as films to online gaming stands and online streaming of television.

Innovation and Technology are core players in the entertainment industry and are the pushing force of competition. Thus, companies that can’t evolve collapse while those which can adapt effectively to the market. The arrival of DVD made Blockbuster Video fall because they could not perform according to the market demand. Industrial mobile controllers like Apple, Samsung, and LG, are diversifying into the evolving technological improvement areas such as online media platforms, free entree to programming and 3D films (Villar, Alegre & Pla-Barber, 2014). Recently consumers tend to prefer phones of better features, for instance, multipurpose telephone with TV and video programming capabilities, 3D filmmaking, and programming which is commonly available in Apple products hence its supremacy, unlike Motorola which did not try to install digital software in their products.

Failure due to lack of invention in the entertainment industry. As a result of improved innovation in the entertainment sector, the moments of going to the film store have passed. These leaders in the industry are regarded as media conglomerates, working in a various market spanning music, movies, television, and the internet. This may diffuse dependence and restrict the short term economic burden in any specific field (Villar, Alegre & Pla-Barber, 2014). Nevertheless, evolving technologies are varying in the competitive market and making the competition to intensify all over the entertainment industry. Apple Inc. is currently facing many competitors in the online gaming markets and cell phone entertainment sector. Due to the exceptional situation of the entertainment industry, including what are considered “luxury” items in the market, the necessity for planned elasticity in entertainment industries in all the services and products they provide is paramount. Therefore, companies that cannot invent will fail just like Motorola and Blockbuster video did.

Telecommunication. Currently, communications are improving daily in the entire world. At one time, the style and casing were a selling fact for a telephone. The cell phone industry is a highly innovative part in the information technology segment, and the smartphone is tending to be the standard conformation among the various kinds of mobile devices. Technical evolution and “fresh” product proliferation have turned this industry tremendously dynamic (Davenport, 2013). The development of smartphones in the cell phone communication industry has been categorized by the outline of a series of variations in the expertise that has been both physical hardware and intangible the software characteristics. In both instances, horizontal innovations and emergence of vertical have been witnessed. Furthermore, convergence has a tendency to happen in vertical innovations like USB, touch screen, Wi-Fi connectivity (Boly, Morel & Camargo, 2014). The innovation of cell phone Internet services shows an essential progress in the smartphones industry, as it instituted the primary cause for the introduction of gadgets that enables an entire convergence between communications and computing. System developers and handset producers in different companies apply different tactics to attain this goal.

Telephone features. Nowadays, mobile consumers are looking at capabilities and features within their hand-held gadgets. In 2007, Apple arrived into the market by emerging the first model of iPhone and after a short duration (June 2008), Samsung unconfined on the market the Samsung Instinct, which had closely related features as iPhone competitor ( Macchion et al. 2017). Meanwhile, competition in the mobile industry has been very stiff between new entrants and incumbents. The presently authorized battle over designs and patents and between Samsung and Apple is a pure signal that smartphone sellers are aggressively competing for leadership in the market. Despite the achievement of the iPhone design in the marketplace, innovation practices between firms continued, and numerous diverse versions of smartphones now exist in the industry. These new versions and features of various mobile phones are the once that attract the customers.

Smartphones industry has made most styles outdated. As a result, companies who didn’t advance were left behind. For example, Christentsen (2013) noted that Motorola which was once a top selling telephone manufacturer in the whole globe fall behind since they did not focus on innovation. He also added that they came with the Razr that made them be the leaders in the devices market which was short lived. On the other hand, the subsequent evolution of the telephone came in the mode of smartphones. Companies like Samsung, LG, and Apple adapted their products and headed the smartphone revolution. Motorola’s choice to maintain their mobiles without smartphone software finally resulted in their downfall. After that rival companies like Apple emerge in the market (Boly, Morel &Camargo, 2014). They introduced the iPod; which had distinct features from any other devices on the market. This continuous quest for progress and evolution has enabled Apple to develop the supremacy they are enjoying currently. Hence, it is good for a corporation to fix its difficulties before they occur.

Photography. In the current society, photography is today focused on ease of capturing and storability. According to Schrage (2013) while the motive of photography is always to send a message, to provoke emotion and to display added angle of things, the manners of addressing these information changes radically. Photography is used to capture particular instants visually. Through innovation, people can send images captured with no or with distortion. Similarly, evolution in photography has developed to the extent that some people no longer require a real photograph, since anything can be designed digitally using the various innovative software.

The film is currently used rarely that industries who failed to innovate could not continue. Companies that successfully and heavily invested in outdated technologies frequently find it hard to make the shift to new innovative technologies, despite technological capability and clear chances to do so (Laforet, 2013). The essential proficiencies that allowed Kodak Company to prosper under the old models became major difficulties when it was faced with the requirement to address and invest in new technology (Macchion et al., 2017). Products like DSCs, digital cameras, signify the convergence of numerous rapidly altering technologies in optics, electronics, computers, and software and networks. The development of digital has been promised and predicted for several decades.

Different processes have risen to the top throughout various industries

The ever-changing business environment demand for innovation in the entertainment industry is ease of accessibility. However, companies like Eastman Kodak have failed to keep abreast with the changing innovation to gain market leadership. In particular, there is a lot of innovation and changes in the entertainment industry that calls for adoption by these industries. In the view of Boly, Morel, and Camargo (2014) this can be seen as providers bringing movies and TV shows right to your home. They as well added the days of going to the video store have passed with the evolution of home entertainment. Notably, for firms to improve, they frequently have to experience necessary changes at several points in their advancement. Hence, that is the reason why the subject of organizational development and change has remains to be well-known in communications concerning leadership, business, organizations, and management. According to Chemmanur, Loutskina & Tian(2014), managers and leaders should frequently make efforts to achieve successfully as well as significant change, which is considered to be inbuilt in their job. Thus, some leaders and managers are deemed to be good for certain jobs, whereas others recurrently struggle, and fail. Hence, this is the diversity which exists among individuals who succeed in their roles as well as those which are shuttled from job to job, eventually settling in a part wherever they are ineffective and frustrated (Pisano, 2015). The management should, therefore, seek to change and develop the performance of the company or rather a part of the business. Most of the times, individuals minimize the significance of the critical innovation phase and begin change management through articulating an ambitious as well as a comprehensive vision for the transform. In the view of PisanoCusumano, Kahl, & Suarez (2015), it is considered to be unprincipled for the leaders and managers to begin a development for firm change without wholly examining the present situation of the goals and objective of the company. Thus, focusing most of the transform will ensure the attainment of robust vision in the organization.

Telecommunications are changing every day

Previously, the casing and style were selling point for a cell phone. However, today, buyers can be noted looking at features and capabilities within their handheld devices. Smartphones have made all other styles obsolete. According to Boly, Morel & Camargo (2014), companies which did not evolve were left behind. This means consumers will tend to buy the smartphones, instead of buying the old products which do not fit into the demand of the consumers. Cusumano, Kahl, and Suarez (2015) claim that companies that have failed to adapt to the innovation in telecommunication have found it difficult to gain the market leadership. Similarly, firms such as Samsung, LG, and Apple have found it easy to gain market leadership innovation strategies.

What is more, today, information technology has a significant role in the field of business empowering individuals and organizations. The introduction and application of computers have transformed the world of business. Therefore, with the usage of computers and software, industries applied the information technology in making sure that their sectors operate smoothly. Further, with the use of information technology, industries have the capability to observe changes in the international markets way faster. Jacobs, Swink, and Linderman (2015) assert that information technology has permitted businesses to maintain the supply and demand as clients become more rational to have their substances instantly. They also mentioned that regardless of the business size, information technology has a lot of benefits to both: the customers and business owners. Information technology is classified as a modern phenomenon which has dramatically transformed the daily lives of people and businesses globally. In view of Bozeman, Rimes, and Youtie (2015) Big Data has grown to infiltrate the business world, influencing how companies make and sell their products and services, as well as the mode of communication of people to accomplish their occupations in modern organizations. Moreover, technology ,such as Big Data has promoted communication with Customers, particularly the managers and other officials have found it easy to reach their customers. Villar, Alegre, and Pla-Barber (2014) noted that information technology helps in enhancing communication between the business owners and clients. This idea is also supported by Kato, Okamuro and Honjo (2015), who stated that technology influences a firm’s capacity to communicate with its customers. In the currently working business world, it is important for employees to relate and interact with clients quickly and precisely. Also, websites enable customers to search for responses to their questions. Fast shipment alternative enables businesses to move goods over a vast geographic region.

Technology also helps in enhancing globalization for companies. A business which usually thrives in a competitive atmosphere always has the operational and financial flexibility to grow both locally and internationally (Hakansson, 2014). For instance, technology remains at the center of operating models necessary for globalization, like telecommuting, and outsourcing. Through technology, globalization will be realized in the company. Once there is the realization of globalization, the company will start making the huge profit, since it can compete both locally and internationally. The 21st century is acknowledged for being a time of sophisticated Information Technology, that enables the processing and storage of Exabyte of data.

Evolution of Photography

The digital period has brought forth a modern way of capturing special moments. Increasingly, the film is now used so rarely that companies who failed to evolve could not continue. As a matter of fact, Social media now makes profits from studying out search habits and buying patterns. Hence, companies without targeting software are no longer attractive to advertising (Vindu, 2017). The company applies different management strategies as well as business strategies that have enabled it to become the market leaders in discounts warehouse and superstores. These firms embrace its mission and vision statements. These vision and mission statements form the background against which the company operates and become successful. Every other organizational activity stems from its stable vision and mission statements. Moreover, mission, as well as vision statements, can be said to be the significant factors on which the company begins its walk on finding the innovation and progress.

Therefore, firms such as Motorola and Eastman Kodak should define and redefine their organizational mission stamen which will describe how they need to embrace creativity and innovativeness. These companies should have a mission to transform its dreams into possible reality (Vindu, 2017). The company’s goal is well integrated into its vision as well as its mission. One of the objectives of the company is to establish a place and personalize it into persistent growth and development as well as yielding the best results regarding services offered and products sold.

Through technology, managers are expected to make use of the networking so that they can make their company operates smoothly. These companies should embrace dynamic capabilities through the promotion of networking services that boost their sales. Moreover, through identification of dynamic capability, the company can be able to assess its productivity and adjust accordingly (Vindu, 2017). The company only focuses on its strength and customer value as well as producing quality products and services. What is more, these companies should go beyond this and embrace innovation and creativity. Innovation can propel the company to the top and beat its competitors. These companies are embracing innovation and creativity. They find out consumer’s insight and use for innovation and creativity. One of the creative aspects of the company is the online platform that has significantly raised the sale volume and high profits. These firms have exploited their strength in crucial areas that ensured it outclass. Moreover, through technology, these companies make use of communication abilities that defines the speed in which the organization adjusts accordingly to its available resources, so that it can be able to make the response to the growing opportunities and market. These rising opportunities include the intellectual property, technical experiences, pace, customer’s value as well as the company’s values.

How Apple Corporation integrate technology

The Apple Company depicts a good that have effectively applied different social media platforms and technologies in order to remain abreast with the ever changing business society. Throughout history, there are many instances of successful companies, for example, the Apple Company, which have evolved their well-performing practices. Hence, Apple products are considered obsolete by engineers the second they hit the market. Moreover, Apple captured innovation with their creation of the iPod. This destroyed the sale of CD’s and left companies such as RCA in the dust. Apple continued innovating by always making their products better (Vindu, 2017). This can be seen on Apple TV, iPhone and so on. As such, these products are not only innovative; they are constantly being made better to stay ahead of the competition.

Apple Company integrating the Facebook Platform

Correspondingly, Facebook quest to be not only a social media platform, but to set apart from the others. Facebook realized that there were several social media platforms, so they needed to stand out and be different. Through the creation of targeting software, their platform was more attractive for companies to advertise on. More importantly, the Apple Company has integrated itself with the platform provided through Facebook to advertise its products and to bridge the distance between the company and the consumers.

On the other hand, Amazon entered a saturated market when they decided to sell merchandise online (Vindu, 2017). The Amazon is considered to be successful since they put their consumers in the front line in the company. Hence, their attention to the needs of their customers has enabled them to be a giant in the industry. Thus, Amazon has the primary focus on manufacturing the products that are easier for their clients in relation to the accessibility and the cost. A good example of this is Amazon Prime, which is a service that allows free fast shipping to loyal customers. Therefore, with the Amazon Prime, Amazon remains to be dominant within the industry and lead as others companies follow. Moreover, with the technology of drones that is intended to be used for delivering products to the customers, Amazon stand a better chance in the changing business world compared to other companies within the industry.

Progression of Innovation and Improvement as a Factor to success

Admittedly, today technology has become part and parcel of most organizations that seek to rise to the top and achieve its growth. Such technology includes online platform, using of big data among many other forms of technology. As enshrined in their vision, this company uses big data to store its information as well as guarding. Moreover, these firms have online websites that are used to make huge sales volume. The technology demands that companies be innovative, identify, and use the available skills for their benefit.

Increasingly, most organizations work towards meeting global competitiveness. It has become an essential component for organizations to achieve the competitive advantage as well as taking market leadership (Vindu, 2017). Firms, such as Apple Company has become and put itself strategically as the world force in the marketplace technology with huge revenue turnovers as well as profits. Apple Company began off and was known as Apple Computer Corporation whic...