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:

Id

In psychoanalytic theory, the part of the psyche that is the source of instinctual impulses and demands for immediate satisfaction of primitive needs.

Ego

In psychoanalytic theory, the part of the mind that mediates between the conscious and the unconscious and is responsible for reality testing and a sense of personal identity.

Superego

Part of Freud's psychoanalytic theory, the aspect of personality responsible for moral standards, conscience, and the adherence to social rules.

Depth Psychology Approaches

These are therapeutic practices that focus on the unconscious aspects of the psyche, exploring deeper, often hidden, mental processes.