Case Scenario 2: ERP Inc

question 57

Essay

Case Scenario 2: ERP Inc.
ERPI is a leading provider of enterprise integration software (EIS). EIS allows a firm to connect and integrate processes across all aspects of its business, regardless of where they are located around the world. ERPI is a product-focused company, whereas most competitors in its market space, like Oracle, operate as "solutions companies." Oracle and Microsoft have begun to devote considerable resources to the development of and acquisition of products to compete in the EIS space. Despite these recent threats, one benefit of its product-focused strategy is that ERPI's proprietary product is generally recognized as being 200% to 300% better than competitors' software. ERPI estimates it will take 2 to 3 years for competitors to develop the capabilities needed to bring a competing product to market. ERPI invests a considerable percentage of its profits in basic R&D to support its core products. As evidence of this, among its competitors the firm maintains the largest in-house programming staff dedicated solely to the development of advanced enterprise integration software. Installation and related consulting for EIS typically cost between $100 and $200 million, with the ERPI software component accounting for about 20% of the installed cost (the remaining 80% is spent on the actual installation, not counting the value of the customer's time). ERPI's target market consists of the world's largest manufacturing and industrial firms and it currently enjoys a 60 percent market share.
-(Refer to Case Scenario 2) How valuable, rare, costly to imitate, and nonsubstitutable are ERPI's capabilities?

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Definitions:

Perpetual

Perpetual pertains to something that never ends or changes, often used in finance to describe a type of bond with no maturity date.

Discount Rate

The interest rate that an investment's cash flows are discounted at to calculate its present value, often reflecting the risk and opportunity cost associated with the investment.

Equity-Financed

Funding a company's operations or projects through the sale of stock rather than borrowing.

Market Value

The current price at which an asset or service can be bought or sold, often used to refer to the total market capitalization of a publicly-traded company.