Research Paper on:
IBM Case Study

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of which provide a high level of competition and have advantages over IBM in certain sectors. To determine which of the three proposed alternatives the company should take we can  perform a SWOT analysis. Strengths Strengths of the company need to start with the reputation and brand names as a market leader. The company has a reputation for quality and  a high degree of intellectual capital that supports a range of services. Some of the core competences are based in the e-commence segment. This is a very integrated company  divided by the functions. The services division is also divided into different sections, each of which is also divided in terms of area and specific interest, but within this there  are more general lines of communications across the divisions and the marketing is undertaken for the company as a whole. This is a cost effective structure but is also lacking  the attraction of specialisation which may deter some customers. Another strength of the company is the high level of customer retention meaning  that were sales of hardware or software are made, as well as previous users of services the customers are likely to return due to the standard of the service.  Weaknesses Attracting specialist staff in an industry that may have some staff shortages in specialist areas is was not a problem for  IBM, but this advantage was eroding during the 1980s when the compnay hit financial difficulties. The former reputation as being one of the USs best employers took a hit with  mass redundancies. This has meant a former competitive advantage to attacked the best staff has been lost. The current size, although an advantage