With due respect to Dr Shih's perspective having joined in '97, it was the years leading up to that, when Kodak squandered what could have been a dominant position in digital imaging and possibly online social media, due to lack of vision of what was clear to the engineers. The truth is you usually have to fail to succeed. ... Why Did It Fail? This article talks at length about renowned foreign businesses that failed in India and could not leave the impact that they expected. In 2001, Fuji purchased the majority of shares in a joint venture they had created with Xerox long ago in the 1960’s to build copy machines in Japan. See graph below. When it comes to history and competition, management strategies play a key role in the way two competitive companies embrace innovation. What Fujifilm succeeded in doing, that Kodak did not, was its execution. The story of Kodak is as ironic as it gets. Kodak is a market leader that fails to keep up with technological changes. I was at Kodak from '83 - '97, most of that time in electronic/digital imaging R&D and product development. This article presents one of Nokia’s reasons for failure and what you can learn to improve your leadership. In the 2000s it invested efforts in digital cameras, but without success. In any case, without being able to transit to a new business, Kodak has been in management crisis for the last few years. Given that Kodak’s core business was selling film, it is not hard to see why the last few decades proved challenging. Even those born lucky eventually get a turn on the wheel of misfortune. In actuality, Kodak did once proceed with the diversification of its businesses in the 1980s and 1990s, but ultimately it focused on its film business. Kodak change into verb just like google today. Cameras went digital and then …
Kodak and Fujifilm played an enormous role in many households around the world. In 1912 kodak released Vest Pocket Camera , which weight 10.5 ounce, one inch in width when compressed and sold by millions by time when production stopped in 1926.

Sharing the full story, not just the headlines. As the digital age emerged and each business recognized the eventual death of film, Kodak invested heavily into digital photography while Fujifilm placed its bet on document solutions. The first ever digital camera was designed in 1975 by Steve Sasson. Download the new Independent Premium app. Kodak’s share price went down to zero in 2012 and the number of employees declined fast in a number of years. Kodak vs. Fujifilm Growing up in a big family where parents loved taking pictures and capturing that special moment. Kodak did not quite own the 20th century, but it did become the curator of our memories. No one emerges at the top. Kodak did not succeed in the new area of digital photography. Sometimes you have to fail to succeed (Parker, 2011). Kodak moments, Kodak days, ’to Kodak’, the company defined consumer photography and the brand became very strong. Fujifilm’s efforts to sustain its film business at the beginning, the investments later on in digital technologies and technical upskilling and business diversifications, would not have been well executed if not for a strong management with a clear vision/purpose.