Prepare 1-2 page summarized answers to the case study questions
Case 10: Amazon, Apple FB and Google
This case examines the battle for dominance in online (including mobile) advertising and commerce between
the four tech giants -- Amazon, Apple, Facebook, and Google. Though each firm has a different set of core
competencies and products, increasingly the domains in which the companies operate are overlapping,
creating new zones for competition in the online marketplace. A social network is now competing with what
was originally an online book seller, a company best known for its search engine now competes with a
company distinguished by its 'must have' hardware. As firms that all have a component that collects and
brokers user data on a large scale, understanding their respective strengths and vulnerabilities is key to
analyzing the the Internet landscape as we look 5 to 10 years down the road.
Discussion questions:
1.Define the context bouddaries among Amazon, Apple, FB and Google
- For each contested boudary that you have indentified, how is the contest likely to play out among the giants?
How many contest give rise to winner-take-all markets? How many to always-a-share markets? How will the
complex ecosystems, in which online buesinesses are built on top of other online business, and third party
sellers that rely on platforms, eveolve? - Consider FB and Allple as pltforms. Are they the same kind of platform?
- Identify a firm that you know something about for ex., a media company, a retailer, or manufacturing firm,
with some involvement in the online economy. How many, if any, of the big four firms does it currently rely on?
Might the reliance change? - What skills will be under-supplied in the future of the digital distribution infrastructure that you envisage?
Sample Solution