Case Name :      HR 500 Plus Scanner — Rapid Commercialization or Bust at Kodak

Authors :           Donald Pillittere

Source :             Ivey Publishing

Case ID :            W11629

Discipline :        General Management

Case Length :    06 pages

Solution Sample availability : YES

Plagiarism : NO (100% Original work)

The HR 500 Plus Scanner case examines how, in 2000, the Eastman Kodak Company confronted a drastic change in technology (from traditional to digital photography) that is eroding revenue and margins by double digits in its core film, paper and chemical business. Matt Giorgio, the worldwide product manager for film scanners, is being pushed by upper management to extend the life of film to provide cash for the painful and less profitable transition to digital photography. With limited overall research and development (R&D) and a dictate from the CEO for flawless execution of projects, Giorgio and his team take an aggressive approach to develop, in less than a year, a scanner that can both stave off film erosion and minimize the program’s impact on corporate R&D. Missing the team’s goal of nine months could cost him his job and leave the company vulnerable to even greater erosion of film, paper and chemical sales.