Companies that failed to innovate in time

Xerox
Xerox Corporation was one of the most inventive companies globally. Mainly because of PARC,
a research center that developed technologies for the future. PARC invented many successful
inventions, some of which have revolutionized the digital world. Although Xerox was not able to
capitalize on them correctly, someone else was able to put them to good use.

In 1970, PARC was developing the first prototype of a computer and the Graphical User
Interface. The research that PARC did was massive for its future. Unfortunately for Xerox, it was
someone else who reaped the benefits. As part of a deal that allowed Xerox to buy a load of Apple
stocks, Steve Jobs was given permission to visit PARC and learn about its inventions. With
PARC’s work as inspiration, Jobs created the Macintosh which became a legendary success.
Meanwhile, the Xerox Alto (Xerox’s version) turned out to be a commercial flop.

The problem was that Xerox did not put in the effort to see the desires of the customers. They had
their inventions, but they didn’t want to turn them into attractive products. Mainly due to the fact
that Xerox’s CEO saw the future of the company in copier machines, so he didn’t want to spend
too much on developing personal computers. While Steve Jobs did see the PC’s inventions as
something that was worth the effort. Jobs transformed the inventions into products that improved
the user experience. Which turned out to be a great move.

1. Define business failure by providing an example from case study.

2. Explain brief the causes of business failure in Xerox.
3. Explain in brief how they stayed afloat in the market.
4. What could have Xerox done to prevent this from happening. Explain by providing your opinion.