Can film photography, particularly the monochrome (B&W) photography be revived, and if so how, and if not, why not?
Module: Management Consulting
Assignment
The individual assignment will contribute 100% of the assessment. It will be in the form of a summative (final) assessment and should comprise no more than 3,000 words.
Assignment aim
The assignment allows you to apply your knowledge and understanding of the subject areas explored within the module to a real organisation.
Assignment task
Can film photography be revived?
“The best selling camera today is the smartphone” – said an ex Kodak employee shaking his head in disbelief.
Mr. K was part of middle management at Kodak when the company filed for bankruptcy protection in 2012. Mr. K, who is an expert in chemical formations specifically related to applications of the photographic film, then joined Fujifilm. Fujifilm not only survived the digital disruption but about a year ago featured in the Top-20 list of most transformative companies in the world. Mr. K pioneered the application of photographic equipments in the medical industry for FujiFilm, a business that now accounts for a major chunk of FujiFilm’s revenues.
Ironically, Mr. K had invested in a startup in 2012, that was devising nano technology for digital photography. This patented technology is what a majority of smartphones rely upon. The start up was recently acquired by one of the leading smartphone manufacturers in the world for an astronomical amount. Mr. K personally made a fortune and quit his high profile job at Fuji. He has a strong industry reputation and very reliable contacts and sources within the Private Equity network.
Mr. K has approached you as a consultant – with advise on one straight forward questions – Can film photography, particularly the monochrome (B&W) photography be revived, and if so how, and if not, why not?
Pointing out to the academic analysis of comparisons between FujiFilm and Kodak (Ho & Chen, 2018), Mr. K points out that FujiFilm thrived because it embraced the new. He says that Kodak too knew that it would have to embrace the new to survive, but Kodak preferred to die rather than adopt a new identity.
Mr. K is passionate about B&W photography and wants to ensure that the future has the craft available because it is the only form of photography with archival value, i.e. ensures that prints can last generations. Besides, Mr. K says that it truly is an art form.
He also informs you that companies of the likes of Adobe and even FujiFilm would be willing and keen to lead the project if a viable plan be produced.
Mr. K suggests you read the following article in-depth.
Ho, J. C., & Chen, H. (2018). Managing the disruptive and sustaining the disrupted: The case of kodak and fujifilm in the face of digital disruption: Managing disruptive sustaining disrupted. The Review of Policy Research, 35(3), 352-371.
Prepare a report (no more than 3000 words) to answer Mr. K’s question with complete research, assessment, and an explanation of risks, within your recommendations.
Use data and support plan where possible
Note: your chosen recommendation should be made at start of the report then build case to justify itAny assumptions you make made should be declared and state these are made based on the absent data
Some suggestions on areas you can consider:
Mckinsey 7s model
Ansoff model
Clayton Christensen disruptive model
Balance score card version/strategy maps
Porters generic corporate strategies
Infographics and tables and decision trees can be used
