Case Name :      Sun Microsystems

Authors :           Scott Jacobs, Prescott C. Ensign

Source :             Ivey Publishing

Case ID :            906M23

Discipline :        Strategy

Case Length :    13 pages

Solution Sample availability : YES

Plagiarism : NO (100% Original work)

The chairman and chief executive officer of Sun Microsystems Inc., is struggling to take the company he co-founded in a profitable direction. There is strong evidence that a new strategy is necessary. Segments of Sun’s business are growing but “open source” solutions and commoditization of products are driving revenues toward zero. Decisions involve market focus, pricing, and investment in new technologies. Illustrates the role of management preferences and the limits to an executive’s span of attention/control. Both the chairman’s and Sun’s success is contingent upon an accurate assessment of the industry and the relative position of partners as well as the ability to generate creative solutions.