When Videocassette Recorders First Became Popular in the Mid-1980s, a New

question 80

Essay

When videocassette recorders first became popular in the mid-1980s, a new form of mom-and-pop (i.e., small) business sprang up across the country: the video rental store. At the time, new videotapes of popular movies cost anywhere from $80-$200, and as the popularity of videocassette recorders grew, these small, independent video rental stores grew rapidly to meet the demand of consumers for inexpensive rentals of movies. There was considerable competition among them to be the first to have expensive, new movies available for rental. However, some stores disappointed customers by not having enough copies of new films when they were most in demand, i.e., upon their initial release on video. Within about 5 to 8 years of competition, most of these mom-and-pop video rental stores were ultimately put out of business by the large regional and national chains such as Blockbuster. Using the concept of sustainable competitive advantage along with the four conditions required to produce it, explain how such a transition from hundreds of independent mom-and-pop video stores to a few national chains could have taken place so quickly.

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Definitions:

Cystic Duct

A small duct that connects the gallbladder to the common bile duct, conducting bile to and from the gallbladder.

Hepatic Duct

The duct that conveys bile from the liver and gallbladder to the duodenum.

Gallbladder

A small, pear-shaped organ located under the liver that stores and concentrates bile, a fluid produced by the liver to aid in the digestion of fats.

Pancreatic Islets

Clusters of cells in the pancreas that regulate blood sugar levels, notably by producing insulin and glucagon.