Commoditization: a threat or an opportunity?: A case study on IBM

• Author(s): Silva, Ana Teresa Maia
• Date: 2014
• Persistent ID: http://hdl.handle.net/10362/11810
• Origin: Repositório Institucional da UNL
• Subject(s): IBM; Strategy; Commoditization; Information Technology Industry
• Document Type: Master Thesis
• Language: English
• Advisor(s): Silva, Álvaro Ferreira da

Description

A Work Project, presented as part of the requirements for the Award of a Masters Degree in Management from the NOVA – School of Business and Economics The purpose of this work project is to analyze the concept of commoditization in the information technology industry (IT). It is based on a case study that describes how IBM, a successful company for more than seventy years, was affected by the commoditization of the personal computer segment in the early 1990s and the strategic transformation undertook by the company to overcome this problem. Furthermore, it is also emphasized IBM’s decisions to exit commoditized segments and to shift its portfolio towards services and software, due to their major contribution in bringing the company back to its leading position in the marketplace.