HBC Amazon, Apple FB and Google

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

  1. 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?
  2. Consider FB and Allple as pltforms. Are they the same kind of platform?
  3. 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?
  4. What skills will be under-supplied in the future of the digital distribution infrastructure that you envisage?

Sample Solution