ABSTRACT
Introduction Consider the following. eBay was the first online auction firm and went on to dominate its industry. However, Google was not the first search engine company but went on also to dominate its own industry. Coca Cola invented the classic coke and went on to dominate the market for colas, with some help and challenges from Pepsi. However, neither Coke nor Pepsi invented diet cola, even though they dominate that market. Apple did not invent the MP3 player and yet its iPod went on to dominate the market for MP3 players. The question is, why is it that sometimes first movers go on to dominate their markets but at other times, followers (second movers) are the ones that go on to dominate their markets? As we indicated in Chapter 1, whether a first mover or follower wins is also a function of whether it has the right strategy. In Chapters 4 and 5, we started to explore what the right strategy is and is not, and will continue to do so throughout this book. In this chapter, we look deeper into the advantages and disadvantages of moving first. We start the chapter by exploring what firstmover advantages are all about. Next, we explore first-mover disadvantagealso known as followers’ or second-mover advantages. In doing so, we are reminded that first-mover advantages and disadvantages are not automatically bestowed on any first mover. Rather, first-mover advantages have to be earned and disadvantages can be minimized. We conclude the chapter by exploring why it is that sometimes first movers win and sometimes, followers win.
