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Disruptive innovators can hurt successful and immensely profitable incumbents that tend to ignore the markets most susceptible to disruptive innovations.   Disruptive innovators offer technologically straightforward solutions consisting of off-the-shelf components put together in a product architecture that is often simpler, initially lower performing, and cheaper than established approaches. Considering disruptive technologies unprofitable, the executives at incumbents often ignored them at their own and companies’ peril.   In 1981, the old 8 inch drives used in mini computers were "vastly superior" and much more profitable to the new 5.25 inch drives used in desktop computers.  However, 8 inch drives were not affordable for the new desktop machines.  Slowly, the makers of 5.25 inch drives improved the performance of the drives and moved the 8 inch drive companies that did not invest in the 5.25 inch technology out of the market as the latter could not compete on price.  Similarly, digital cameras, when introduced in 1997 performed extremely poorly as compared to traditional film cameras.   Consequently, many traditional film companies such as Kodak ignored this market only to be bankrupted by the rise of digital cameras a decade later.
 
Leaders and strategists should be cautious while rejecting a technology that does not seem to be as high performing and hence not as profitable as their dominant technologies.  A technology that initially provides low performance can drastically improve over time and often exceed the performance of the dominant technology at a much lower price-point, a scenario that could potentially bankrupt the incumbents who ignored the technology at their peril. 
The author of the passage would make which of the following recommendations to the managers of the incumbents. 
  • a)
    Before rejecting a technology that performs poorly when compared to an existing technology, the managers should carefully evaluate whether the technology can improve to a point to be disruptive. 
  • b)
    They should only invest in new technologies that have the potential to disrupt their business model and throw them out of business.
  • c)
    They should take into account the long term shareholder returns before rejecting any new technology.
  • d)
    They should always be wary of start-ups in their industry as they have a potential to disrupt the incumbent’s operating business model.
  • e)
    Before investing huge sums of money in in-house Research and Development, they should evaluate technologies that have the potential to disrupt the enhancements produced by the R&D teams.
Correct answer is option 'A'. Can you explain this answer?
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Disruptive innovators can hurt successful and immensely profitable incumbents that tend to ignore the markets most susceptible to disruptive innovations. Disruptive innovators offer technologically straightforward solutions consisting of off-the-shelf components put together in a product architecture that is often simpler, initially lower performing, and cheaper than established approaches. Considering disruptive technologies unprofitable, the executives at incumbents often ignored them at their own and companies peril. In 1981, the old 8 inch drives used in mini computers were vastly superior and much more profitable to the new 5.25 inch drives used in desktop computers. However, 8 inch drives were not affordable for the new desktop machines. Slowly, the makers of 5.25 inch drives improved the performance of the drives and moved the 8 inch drive companies that did not invest in the 5.25 inch technology out of the market as the latter could not compete on price. Similarly, digital cameras, when introduced in 1997 performed extremely poorly as compared to traditional film cameras. Consequently, many traditional film companies such as Kodak ignored this market only to be bankrupted by the rise of digital cameras a decade later.Leaders and strategists should be cautious while rejecting a technology that does not seem to be as high performing and hence not as profitable as their dominant technologies. A technology that initially provides low performance can drastically improve over time and often exceed the performance of the dominant technology at a much lower price-point, a scenario that could potentially bankrupt the incumbents who ignored the technology at their peril.The passage provides information in support of which of the following assertions?

Disruptive innovators can hurt successful and immensely profitable incumbents that tend to ignore the markets most susceptible to disruptive innovations. Disruptive innovators offer technologically straightforward solutions consisting of off-the-shelf components put together in a product architecture that is often simpler, initially lower performing, and cheaper than established approaches. Considering disruptive technologies unprofitable, the executives at incumbents often ignored them at their own and companies peril. In 1981, the old 8 inch drives used in mini computers were vastly superior and much more profitable to the new 5.25 inch drives used in desktop computers. However, 8 inch drives were not affordable for the new desktop machines. Slowly, the makers of 5.25 inch drives improved the performance of the drives and moved the 8 inch drive companies that did not invest in the 5.25 inch technology out of the market as the latter could not compete on price. Similarly, digital cameras, when introduced in 1997 performed extremely poorly as compared to traditional film cameras. Consequently, many traditional film companies such as Kodak ignored this market only to be bankrupted by the rise of digital cameras a decade later.Leaders and strategists should be cautious while rejecting a technology that does not seem to be as high performing and hence not as profitable as their dominant technologies. A technology that initially provides low performance can drastically improve over time and often exceed the performance of the dominant technology at a much lower price-point, a scenario that could potentially bankrupt the incumbents who ignored the technology at their peril.Which of the following exemplifies a technological disruption as described in the passage through the 8 inch and 5.25 inch disc drive example?

As companies tend to innovate faster than their customers needs evolve, most organizations eventually end up producing products or services that are actually overly sophisticated, extremely expensive, and rather complicated for many customers in their market. These innovations fall under the category of sustaining innovations, innovations that simply improve existing products. Companies pursue sustaining innovations at the higher tiers of their markets because this is what has historically helped them succeed: by charging the highest prices to their most demanding and sophisticated customers at the top of the market, companies achieve the greatest profitability. However, by doing so, companies unwittingly open the door toanother category of innovations - disruptive innovations. In contrast to sustaining innovations, disruptive innovations lie at the bottom of the market. They are made not only by harnessing new technologies but also by developing new business models and exploiting old technologies in new ways.An innovation that is disruptive allows a whole new population of consumers at the bottom of a market access to a product or service that was historically only accessible to consumers with a lot of money or a lot of skill. Personal computers, for instance, were disruptive innovations because they created a new mass market for computers - previously, expensive mainframe computers were sold only to big companies and research universities. Characteristics of disruptive businesses, at least in their initial stages, can include: lower gross margins, smaller target markets, and simpler products and services that may not appear as attractive as existing solutions whencompared against traditional performance metrics. Because these lower tiers of the market offer lower gross margins, they are unattractive to other firms moving upward in the market, creating space at the bottom of the market for new disruptive competitors to emerge.Which of the following statements is supported by the information given in the passage?

In the past decade, rapid technological progress and a greater demand for high-quality digital imaging have led to dramatic advances in video display technology. The dominant technology currently used in most consumer product displays is the active matrix liquid crystal diode display (LCD).LCDs apply thin-film transistors (TFTs) of amorphous or polycrystalline silicon sandwiched between two glass plates. The TFTs supply voltage to liquid-crystal-filled cells, or pixels, between the sheets of glass. When hit with an electric charge, the liquid crystals untwist to an exact degree to filter white light generated by a lamp. This filtered light shines directly on the viewing screen or, in the case of projection televisions, is projected through a small chip that acts as a lens. LCDs that are capable of producing color images, such as in televisions and computers, reproduce colors through a process of subtraction, blocking out particular color wavelengths from the spectrum of white light until only the desired color remains. It is the variation of the intensity of light permitted to pass through the matrix of liquid crystals that enables LCD displays to present images full of gradations of different colors.The nature and functioning of LCD displays present many advantages relative to other display technologies. The amount of power required to untwist the crystals to display images, even dark ones, is much lower than that required for analogous processes using other technologies, such as plasma. The dense array of crystals displays images from computer or other video graphics sources extremely well, with full color detail, no flicker, and no screen burnin. Moreover, the number of pixels per square inch on an LCD display is typically higher than that for other display technologies, so LCD monitors are particularly good at displaying large amounts of data with exceptional clarity and precision. As a result, LCD TVs are considered the best display platform for video games, high definition television, movie special effects, and other graphicsintensive uses.Q.The passage indicates that each of the following may be considered an advantage of LCD displays relative to other display technologies EXCEPT

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Disruptive innovators can hurt successful and immensely profitable incumbents that tend to ignore the markets most susceptible to disruptive innovations. Disruptive innovators offer technologically straightforward solutions consisting of off-the-shelf components put together in a product architecture that is often simpler, initially lower performing, and cheaper than established approaches. Considering disruptive technologies unprofitable, the executives at incumbents often ignored them at their own and companies peril. In 1981, the old 8 inch drives used in mini computers were vastly superior and much more profitable to the new 5.25 inch drives used in desktop computers. However, 8 inch drives were not affordable for the new desktop machines. Slowly, the makers of 5.25 inch drives improved the performance of the drives and moved the 8 inch drive companies that did not invest in the 5.25 inch technology out of the market as the latter could not compete on price. Similarly, digital cameras, when introduced in 1997 performed extremely poorly as compared to traditional film cameras. Consequently, many traditional film companies such as Kodak ignored this market only to be bankrupted by the rise of digital cameras a decade later.Leaders and strategists should be cautious while rejecting a technology that does not seem to be as high performing and hence not as profitable as their dominant technologies. A technology that initially provides low performance can drastically improve over time and often exceed the performance of the dominant technology at a much lower price-point, a scenario that could potentially bankrupt the incumbents who ignored the technology at their peril.The author of the passage would make which of the following recommendations to the managers of the incumbents.a)Before rejecting a technology that performs poorly when compared to an existing technology, the managers should carefully evaluate whether the technology can improve to a point to be disruptive.b)They should only invest in new technologies that have the potential to disrupt their business model and throw them out of business.c)They should take into account the long term shareholder returns before rejecting any new technology.d)They should always be wary of start-ups in their industry as they have a potential to disrupt the incumbents operating business model.e)Before investing huge sums of money in in-house Research and Development, they should evaluate technologies that have the potential to disrupt the enhancements produced by the RD teams.Correct answer is option 'A'. Can you explain this answer?
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Disruptive innovators can hurt successful and immensely profitable incumbents that tend to ignore the markets most susceptible to disruptive innovations. Disruptive innovators offer technologically straightforward solutions consisting of off-the-shelf components put together in a product architecture that is often simpler, initially lower performing, and cheaper than established approaches. Considering disruptive technologies unprofitable, the executives at incumbents often ignored them at their own and companies peril. In 1981, the old 8 inch drives used in mini computers were vastly superior and much more profitable to the new 5.25 inch drives used in desktop computers. However, 8 inch drives were not affordable for the new desktop machines. Slowly, the makers of 5.25 inch drives improved the performance of the drives and moved the 8 inch drive companies that did not invest in the 5.25 inch technology out of the market as the latter could not compete on price. Similarly, digital cameras, when introduced in 1997 performed extremely poorly as compared to traditional film cameras. Consequently, many traditional film companies such as Kodak ignored this market only to be bankrupted by the rise of digital cameras a decade later.Leaders and strategists should be cautious while rejecting a technology that does not seem to be as high performing and hence not as profitable as their dominant technologies. A technology that initially provides low performance can drastically improve over time and often exceed the performance of the dominant technology at a much lower price-point, a scenario that could potentially bankrupt the incumbents who ignored the technology at their peril.The author of the passage would make which of the following recommendations to the managers of the incumbents.a)Before rejecting a technology that performs poorly when compared to an existing technology, the managers should carefully evaluate whether the technology can improve to a point to be disruptive.b)They should only invest in new technologies that have the potential to disrupt their business model and throw them out of business.c)They should take into account the long term shareholder returns before rejecting any new technology.d)They should always be wary of start-ups in their industry as they have a potential to disrupt the incumbents operating business model.e)Before investing huge sums of money in in-house Research and Development, they should evaluate technologies that have the potential to disrupt the enhancements produced by the RD teams.Correct answer is option 'A'. Can you explain this answer? for GMAT 2024 is part of GMAT preparation. The Question and answers have been prepared according to the GMAT exam syllabus. Information about Disruptive innovators can hurt successful and immensely profitable incumbents that tend to ignore the markets most susceptible to disruptive innovations. Disruptive innovators offer technologically straightforward solutions consisting of off-the-shelf components put together in a product architecture that is often simpler, initially lower performing, and cheaper than established approaches. Considering disruptive technologies unprofitable, the executives at incumbents often ignored them at their own and companies peril. In 1981, the old 8 inch drives used in mini computers were vastly superior and much more profitable to the new 5.25 inch drives used in desktop computers. However, 8 inch drives were not affordable for the new desktop machines. Slowly, the makers of 5.25 inch drives improved the performance of the drives and moved the 8 inch drive companies that did not invest in the 5.25 inch technology out of the market as the latter could not compete on price. Similarly, digital cameras, when introduced in 1997 performed extremely poorly as compared to traditional film cameras. Consequently, many traditional film companies such as Kodak ignored this market only to be bankrupted by the rise of digital cameras a decade later.Leaders and strategists should be cautious while rejecting a technology that does not seem to be as high performing and hence not as profitable as their dominant technologies. A technology that initially provides low performance can drastically improve over time and often exceed the performance of the dominant technology at a much lower price-point, a scenario that could potentially bankrupt the incumbents who ignored the technology at their peril.The author of the passage would make which of the following recommendations to the managers of the incumbents.a)Before rejecting a technology that performs poorly when compared to an existing technology, the managers should carefully evaluate whether the technology can improve to a point to be disruptive.b)They should only invest in new technologies that have the potential to disrupt their business model and throw them out of business.c)They should take into account the long term shareholder returns before rejecting any new technology.d)They should always be wary of start-ups in their industry as they have a potential to disrupt the incumbents operating business model.e)Before investing huge sums of money in in-house Research and Development, they should evaluate technologies that have the potential to disrupt the enhancements produced by the RD teams.Correct answer is option 'A'. Can you explain this answer? covers all topics & solutions for GMAT 2024 Exam. Find important definitions, questions, meanings, examples, exercises and tests below for Disruptive innovators can hurt successful and immensely profitable incumbents that tend to ignore the markets most susceptible to disruptive innovations. Disruptive innovators offer technologically straightforward solutions consisting of off-the-shelf components put together in a product architecture that is often simpler, initially lower performing, and cheaper than established approaches. Considering disruptive technologies unprofitable, the executives at incumbents often ignored them at their own and companies peril. In 1981, the old 8 inch drives used in mini computers were vastly superior and much more profitable to the new 5.25 inch drives used in desktop computers. However, 8 inch drives were not affordable for the new desktop machines. Slowly, the makers of 5.25 inch drives improved the performance of the drives and moved the 8 inch drive companies that did not invest in the 5.25 inch technology out of the market as the latter could not compete on price. Similarly, digital cameras, when introduced in 1997 performed extremely poorly as compared to traditional film cameras. Consequently, many traditional film companies such as Kodak ignored this market only to be bankrupted by the rise of digital cameras a decade later.Leaders and strategists should be cautious while rejecting a technology that does not seem to be as high performing and hence not as profitable as their dominant technologies. A technology that initially provides low performance can drastically improve over time and often exceed the performance of the dominant technology at a much lower price-point, a scenario that could potentially bankrupt the incumbents who ignored the technology at their peril.The author of the passage would make which of the following recommendations to the managers of the incumbents.a)Before rejecting a technology that performs poorly when compared to an existing technology, the managers should carefully evaluate whether the technology can improve to a point to be disruptive.b)They should only invest in new technologies that have the potential to disrupt their business model and throw them out of business.c)They should take into account the long term shareholder returns before rejecting any new technology.d)They should always be wary of start-ups in their industry as they have a potential to disrupt the incumbents operating business model.e)Before investing huge sums of money in in-house Research and Development, they should evaluate technologies that have the potential to disrupt the enhancements produced by the RD teams.Correct answer is option 'A'. Can you explain this answer?.
Solutions for Disruptive innovators can hurt successful and immensely profitable incumbents that tend to ignore the markets most susceptible to disruptive innovations. Disruptive innovators offer technologically straightforward solutions consisting of off-the-shelf components put together in a product architecture that is often simpler, initially lower performing, and cheaper than established approaches. Considering disruptive technologies unprofitable, the executives at incumbents often ignored them at their own and companies peril. In 1981, the old 8 inch drives used in mini computers were vastly superior and much more profitable to the new 5.25 inch drives used in desktop computers. However, 8 inch drives were not affordable for the new desktop machines. Slowly, the makers of 5.25 inch drives improved the performance of the drives and moved the 8 inch drive companies that did not invest in the 5.25 inch technology out of the market as the latter could not compete on price. Similarly, digital cameras, when introduced in 1997 performed extremely poorly as compared to traditional film cameras. Consequently, many traditional film companies such as Kodak ignored this market only to be bankrupted by the rise of digital cameras a decade later.Leaders and strategists should be cautious while rejecting a technology that does not seem to be as high performing and hence not as profitable as their dominant technologies. A technology that initially provides low performance can drastically improve over time and often exceed the performance of the dominant technology at a much lower price-point, a scenario that could potentially bankrupt the incumbents who ignored the technology at their peril.The author of the passage would make which of the following recommendations to the managers of the incumbents.a)Before rejecting a technology that performs poorly when compared to an existing technology, the managers should carefully evaluate whether the technology can improve to a point to be disruptive.b)They should only invest in new technologies that have the potential to disrupt their business model and throw them out of business.c)They should take into account the long term shareholder returns before rejecting any new technology.d)They should always be wary of start-ups in their industry as they have a potential to disrupt the incumbents operating business model.e)Before investing huge sums of money in in-house Research and Development, they should evaluate technologies that have the potential to disrupt the enhancements produced by the RD teams.Correct answer is option 'A'. Can you explain this answer? in English & in Hindi are available as part of our courses for GMAT. Download more important topics, notes, lectures and mock test series for GMAT Exam by signing up for free.
Here you can find the meaning of Disruptive innovators can hurt successful and immensely profitable incumbents that tend to ignore the markets most susceptible to disruptive innovations. Disruptive innovators offer technologically straightforward solutions consisting of off-the-shelf components put together in a product architecture that is often simpler, initially lower performing, and cheaper than established approaches. Considering disruptive technologies unprofitable, the executives at incumbents often ignored them at their own and companies peril. In 1981, the old 8 inch drives used in mini computers were vastly superior and much more profitable to the new 5.25 inch drives used in desktop computers. However, 8 inch drives were not affordable for the new desktop machines. Slowly, the makers of 5.25 inch drives improved the performance of the drives and moved the 8 inch drive companies that did not invest in the 5.25 inch technology out of the market as the latter could not compete on price. Similarly, digital cameras, when introduced in 1997 performed extremely poorly as compared to traditional film cameras. Consequently, many traditional film companies such as Kodak ignored this market only to be bankrupted by the rise of digital cameras a decade later.Leaders and strategists should be cautious while rejecting a technology that does not seem to be as high performing and hence not as profitable as their dominant technologies. A technology that initially provides low performance can drastically improve over time and often exceed the performance of the dominant technology at a much lower price-point, a scenario that could potentially bankrupt the incumbents who ignored the technology at their peril.The author of the passage would make which of the following recommendations to the managers of the incumbents.a)Before rejecting a technology that performs poorly when compared to an existing technology, the managers should carefully evaluate whether the technology can improve to a point to be disruptive.b)They should only invest in new technologies that have the potential to disrupt their business model and throw them out of business.c)They should take into account the long term shareholder returns before rejecting any new technology.d)They should always be wary of start-ups in their industry as they have a potential to disrupt the incumbents operating business model.e)Before investing huge sums of money in in-house Research and Development, they should evaluate technologies that have the potential to disrupt the enhancements produced by the RD teams.Correct answer is option 'A'. Can you explain this answer? defined & explained in the simplest way possible. Besides giving the explanation of Disruptive innovators can hurt successful and immensely profitable incumbents that tend to ignore the markets most susceptible to disruptive innovations. Disruptive innovators offer technologically straightforward solutions consisting of off-the-shelf components put together in a product architecture that is often simpler, initially lower performing, and cheaper than established approaches. Considering disruptive technologies unprofitable, the executives at incumbents often ignored them at their own and companies peril. In 1981, the old 8 inch drives used in mini computers were vastly superior and much more profitable to the new 5.25 inch drives used in desktop computers. However, 8 inch drives were not affordable for the new desktop machines. Slowly, the makers of 5.25 inch drives improved the performance of the drives and moved the 8 inch drive companies that did not invest in the 5.25 inch technology out of the market as the latter could not compete on price. Similarly, digital cameras, when introduced in 1997 performed extremely poorly as compared to traditional film cameras. Consequently, many traditional film companies such as Kodak ignored this market only to be bankrupted by the rise of digital cameras a decade later.Leaders and strategists should be cautious while rejecting a technology that does not seem to be as high performing and hence not as profitable as their dominant technologies. A technology that initially provides low performance can drastically improve over time and often exceed the performance of the dominant technology at a much lower price-point, a scenario that could potentially bankrupt the incumbents who ignored the technology at their peril.The author of the passage would make which of the following recommendations to the managers of the incumbents.a)Before rejecting a technology that performs poorly when compared to an existing technology, the managers should carefully evaluate whether the technology can improve to a point to be disruptive.b)They should only invest in new technologies that have the potential to disrupt their business model and throw them out of business.c)They should take into account the long term shareholder returns before rejecting any new technology.d)They should always be wary of start-ups in their industry as they have a potential to disrupt the incumbents operating business model.e)Before investing huge sums of money in in-house Research and Development, they should evaluate technologies that have the potential to disrupt the enhancements produced by the RD teams.Correct answer is option 'A'. Can you explain this answer?, a detailed solution for Disruptive innovators can hurt successful and immensely profitable incumbents that tend to ignore the markets most susceptible to disruptive innovations. Disruptive innovators offer technologically straightforward solutions consisting of off-the-shelf components put together in a product architecture that is often simpler, initially lower performing, and cheaper than established approaches. Considering disruptive technologies unprofitable, the executives at incumbents often ignored them at their own and companies peril. In 1981, the old 8 inch drives used in mini computers were vastly superior and much more profitable to the new 5.25 inch drives used in desktop computers. However, 8 inch drives were not affordable for the new desktop machines. Slowly, the makers of 5.25 inch drives improved the performance of the drives and moved the 8 inch drive companies that did not invest in the 5.25 inch technology out of the market as the latter could not compete on price. Similarly, digital cameras, when introduced in 1997 performed extremely poorly as compared to traditional film cameras. Consequently, many traditional film companies such as Kodak ignored this market only to be bankrupted by the rise of digital cameras a decade later.Leaders and strategists should be cautious while rejecting a technology that does not seem to be as high performing and hence not as profitable as their dominant technologies. A technology that initially provides low performance can drastically improve over time and often exceed the performance of the dominant technology at a much lower price-point, a scenario that could potentially bankrupt the incumbents who ignored the technology at their peril.The author of the passage would make which of the following recommendations to the managers of the incumbents.a)Before rejecting a technology that performs poorly when compared to an existing technology, the managers should carefully evaluate whether the technology can improve to a point to be disruptive.b)They should only invest in new technologies that have the potential to disrupt their business model and throw them out of business.c)They should take into account the long term shareholder returns before rejecting any new technology.d)They should always be wary of start-ups in their industry as they have a potential to disrupt the incumbents operating business model.e)Before investing huge sums of money in in-house Research and Development, they should evaluate technologies that have the potential to disrupt the enhancements produced by the RD teams.Correct answer is option 'A'. Can you explain this answer? has been provided alongside types of Disruptive innovators can hurt successful and immensely profitable incumbents that tend to ignore the markets most susceptible to disruptive innovations. Disruptive innovators offer technologically straightforward solutions consisting of off-the-shelf components put together in a product architecture that is often simpler, initially lower performing, and cheaper than established approaches. Considering disruptive technologies unprofitable, the executives at incumbents often ignored them at their own and companies peril. In 1981, the old 8 inch drives used in mini computers were vastly superior and much more profitable to the new 5.25 inch drives used in desktop computers. However, 8 inch drives were not affordable for the new desktop machines. Slowly, the makers of 5.25 inch drives improved the performance of the drives and moved the 8 inch drive companies that did not invest in the 5.25 inch technology out of the market as the latter could not compete on price. Similarly, digital cameras, when introduced in 1997 performed extremely poorly as compared to traditional film cameras. Consequently, many traditional film companies such as Kodak ignored this market only to be bankrupted by the rise of digital cameras a decade later.Leaders and strategists should be cautious while rejecting a technology that does not seem to be as high performing and hence not as profitable as their dominant technologies. A technology that initially provides low performance can drastically improve over time and often exceed the performance of the dominant technology at a much lower price-point, a scenario that could potentially bankrupt the incumbents who ignored the technology at their peril.The author of the passage would make which of the following recommendations to the managers of the incumbents.a)Before rejecting a technology that performs poorly when compared to an existing technology, the managers should carefully evaluate whether the technology can improve to a point to be disruptive.b)They should only invest in new technologies that have the potential to disrupt their business model and throw them out of business.c)They should take into account the long term shareholder returns before rejecting any new technology.d)They should always be wary of start-ups in their industry as they have a potential to disrupt the incumbents operating business model.e)Before investing huge sums of money in in-house Research and Development, they should evaluate technologies that have the potential to disrupt the enhancements produced by the RD teams.Correct answer is option 'A'. Can you explain this answer? theory, EduRev gives you an ample number of questions to practice Disruptive innovators can hurt successful and immensely profitable incumbents that tend to ignore the markets most susceptible to disruptive innovations. Disruptive innovators offer technologically straightforward solutions consisting of off-the-shelf components put together in a product architecture that is often simpler, initially lower performing, and cheaper than established approaches. Considering disruptive technologies unprofitable, the executives at incumbents often ignored them at their own and companies peril. In 1981, the old 8 inch drives used in mini computers were vastly superior and much more profitable to the new 5.25 inch drives used in desktop computers. However, 8 inch drives were not affordable for the new desktop machines. Slowly, the makers of 5.25 inch drives improved the performance of the drives and moved the 8 inch drive companies that did not invest in the 5.25 inch technology out of the market as the latter could not compete on price. Similarly, digital cameras, when introduced in 1997 performed extremely poorly as compared to traditional film cameras. Consequently, many traditional film companies such as Kodak ignored this market only to be bankrupted by the rise of digital cameras a decade later.Leaders and strategists should be cautious while rejecting a technology that does not seem to be as high performing and hence not as profitable as their dominant technologies. A technology that initially provides low performance can drastically improve over time and often exceed the performance of the dominant technology at a much lower price-point, a scenario that could potentially bankrupt the incumbents who ignored the technology at their peril.The author of the passage would make which of the following recommendations to the managers of the incumbents.a)Before rejecting a technology that performs poorly when compared to an existing technology, the managers should carefully evaluate whether the technology can improve to a point to be disruptive.b)They should only invest in new technologies that have the potential to disrupt their business model and throw them out of business.c)They should take into account the long term shareholder returns before rejecting any new technology.d)They should always be wary of start-ups in their industry as they have a potential to disrupt the incumbents operating business model.e)Before investing huge sums of money in in-house Research and Development, they should evaluate technologies that have the potential to disrupt the enhancements produced by the RD teams.Correct answer is option 'A'. 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