Essay Sample on BlackBerry: Peer Responses Research in Motion

Introduction

Blackberry was the antecedent in mobile-based technologies with its hugely successful smartphones. Leading up to the invention of the first iPhone in 2007, the company was known as Research in Motion, (RIM) and had a firm grip in the smartphone market. However, a string of strategic errors saw profits fall steeply, and the company lost a lot of ground in the market. The essay will discuss various peer responses to the company's strategic failure on where and why they did not work effectively.

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DQ1

In the first discussion, the company's failure to adapt to the technological changes brought about by their competitors in the market was one of the reasons that led to their downfall. They did not pay close attention to their competitors' innovative products as they believed they were way ahead of them and that it was almost impossible for them to catch up to the advancements they had made primarily regarding security enhancements in smartphones (Trivedi, 2017).

Moreover, their inability to move with speed had dire consequences as rival companies enhanced the user experience by improving smartphone interface. As a result, more smartphone users moved to iPhone and Android-operated phones as it was easier to operate (McNish & Silcoff, 2015).

DQ2

For the second discussion, the formal concord was that their shortcomings resulted from the company's inability to pay close attention to their competitors and they took long to readjust its policies and strategies to the market's needs. Their dominance in the market made them believe that their competitors did not pose a severe threat to the products and services they offered (Trivedi, 2017).

Nonetheless, their rival companies transformed the phones by improving key features that would make them easier to use such as incorporating bigger touch screens for better viewing of videos and navigation and enhanced the user interface. Failure to adapt to the dynamic and fast-paced nature of the technology market and disregard of competitors ultimately resulted in their downfall (Savov, 2016).

DQ3

Discussion three depicted a company that generally had a lackluster approach. The company's management was satisfied with the gains the company had made in being the trailblazers in mobile business communication; hence, they rested on their laurels. They made strides financially, but their competitors provided their main threat due to their ingenuity and innovativeness (McPhee, Carbone, & Silcoff, 2016).

Furthermore, their failure to evaluate the company's strategies led them to fall further behind in the technological rat race and ended up playing catch up, but their products failed terribly. Effectively, being complacent, failure to recognize their rivals and lack of diversification coupled up with outside interests by their CEO led to their undoing (Silcoff, McNish, & Ladurantaye, 2018).

DQ4

Conceitedness caught up with the company after years of great success evidenced by their laid back approach to their competitors namely: Apple and Google. Established companies like Nokia and Motorola had been touted as companies to knock them off their perch but failed which further strengthened their complacency (McNish & Silcoff, 2015).

They also took time to diversify their products and subsequently, it was too late when they decided to do that as the products in the market were more advanced and efficient. The company should not have rested when they got to the top, but they should have worked even harder to strengthen their grip in the market (David & David, 2016).

DQ5

The company's marketing strategy was flawed, and that resulted in the loss of market shares. Its phone functionality was limited to business use but should have evolved to accommodate other applications which would further strengthen their grip on the market (Savov, 2016).

Additionally, the smartphone that they introduced to compete with the others had many bugs and was considered to be overpriced. The rival companies also designed phones that could cater to many people, unlike Blackberry which was tailor-made for a particular group (Worth, 2016).

Conclusion

Conclusively, it is apparent that BlackBerry should have plumped for a focused differentiation strategy for the phone business and adoption of clearly set organizational structures and company strategies and policies to suit the current market.

References

David, F. R. & David, F. R. (2016). Strategic management: A competitive advantage approach, concepts & cases (16th ed.). [VitalSource Bookshelf version]. Retrieved from vbk://9780134153872

McNish, J., & Silcoff, S. (2015). Losing the Signal: The Spectacular Rise and Fall of the Blackberry. Toronto, CA: HarperCollins.

McPhee, C., Carbone, P., & Silcoff, S. (2016). TIM Lecture Series-Insights from Success and Failure in Technology Businesses. Technology Innovation Management Review, 6(2).

Savov, V. (2016). BlackBerry's success led to its failure. Retrieved from https://www.theverge.com/2016/9/30/13119924/blackberry-failure-success

Silcoff, S., McNish, J., & Ladurantaye, S. (2018). How BlackBerry blew it: The inside story. Retrieved from https://www.theglobeandmail.com/report-on-business/the-inside-story-of-why-blackberry-is-failing/article14563602/

Trivedi, P. D. (2017). Consumer dictates the market: Lesson from blackberry. Journal of Management Research and Analysis, 4(4), 183-185.

Worth.D, 2016 ,BlackBerry crumbled in the smartphone market retrieved from: https://www.theinquirer.net/inquirer/feature/2473044/6-reasons-blackberry-crumbled-in-the-smartphone-market