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The First Mover

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THE FIRST MOVER
Kelly Holm
American InterContinental University
Professor Bennett
MGT 680 -1303D-01

Abstract
The first mover theory implies that the first organization to enter the market has the upper hand in that market. There are advantages and also disadvantages to any theory. We will discuss in this paper some advantages as well as disadvantages of this theory.

The First Mover Theory The First Mover Theory implies that the first company to enter a new market gains them superior brand recognition as well as customer loyalty. This is a form of competitive advantage for organizations to gain. There are however, pros and cons to being the first mover and the late mover. Late Mover Advantages
Entering the market as a late mover gives the organization the opportunity to step into a market that has already been tested. It has been established and researched by the first mover. Consumers are familiar with the product and the marketing and developing has also been tested to determine the demand and response in the market. The uncertainty is removed from the market by the first mover.
There is low risk for the later mover in predicting and how to adept to the market changes. For example, they have the ability to see what methods work without putting up risky investment capital and making bad business decisions. Essentially they have a lower risk in investment.
Late movers have the opportunity to piggyback onto the first mover’s investment and improve on the product to quickly get it back into the market improved. They imitate the strategy of the first mover for a better product.
Technology is also another advantage of coming in the market late. Today’s techonology is moving and changing rapidly and so it the market. According to Dr. Stuart Roper this is yet another advantage of the late comer (Bainbridge, 2013).
Late Mover Disadvantages
Market acceptance could be seen as a disadvantage. Consumers who start using the first mover’s products may become accustomed to them and not want to try the late mover’s product. Industry standard is accomplished by the first mover and the consumer may not want to learn a new standard or product.
The first mover is able to strategically pick the location of prime office space and manufacturing facilities giving them a better location for sales and production. They also have the advantage of hiring skilled diverse individuals to enhance creativity and innovation of their product.
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Late movers do not have the advantage of establishing relationships with distributors, suppliers and establishing a solid network and access to best source of supplies and resources (Worstall, 2012). The first mover gets the head start on the market and it may be difficult for the late mover to catch up.
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Market standard are set with the first mover. When entering the market after the standards is met it might be difficult to meet and persuade the consumer to try you product.
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First Mover Advantage
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Being the first mover has more advantages then disadvantages. The benefit of secure access and commitment to rare resources is a necessity when entering a new market. This allows an organization to build important relationships with suppliers and distributors.
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The first mover also gains markets share before the late mover and with market share comes loyalty from their consumers. Entering the market first builds a trusting relationship that many get used to and it is sometimes difficult for them to try other new products (AIU Online 2008).
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Marketing strategy is an important part of any organizations strategic plan. Entering the market first gives the organization a good strategic position to launch campaigns to enhance revenue. First movers can also benefit from technology and being the leader in that. For example if an organization patents their product this eliminates other from imitating their strategy. Also, an organization can establish their product as the industry standard making it more difficult for others to gain customer acceptance (Pearson, 2013). First Mover Disadvantage
There are also risks and disadvantages associated with first movers. When moving into the market before other organizations there may be unexpected and unanticipated problems or cost that occur. Even with the most through research there are external issues which an organization has no control over that might arise.
The first mover has the task to convenience the consumer to buy or support their product. Many are skeptical of new products that are introduced to the market and the first mover runs the risk of being rejected. This could be costly and in some cases the demise of the company.
A big disadvantage when entering the market first is you are on your own. You are not able to learn from others mistakes so you do not make the same one. For new products entering into the market it is hit and miss.
First movers also have the burden of establishing the market pricing for their product. This opens up the door for late movers to improve on the product and undercut you on the price.
There have been several companies to start out as first mover and be very successful. For example, E bay was the first company to start the online auction process. This business was started in 1995. E-bay has streamlined and globalized person to person trading. Coca Cola is another company that was a first mover. Coke started selling the first cola to the public in 1886 and today is still the powerhouse of Cola. Sony the Japanese based electronics maker another successful first mover. Sony’s founder Ibuka Masaru’s philosophy was to do something that no one else would do, so he did. After the Second World War in the ruins of Tokyo he built Sony’s strategy and made it a legend (Pearson, 2013.).Xerox a very successful company introduced their copies as a first mover and had more than a 15 year head start on the market. They protected their market share by patents (Fields, 2013). There are many successful companies that were first movers, and there are also failures.
Netscape, the dominant web browser in the 1990’s was virtual nonexistent by 2002 replace by Microsoft’s internet browser and sold to AOL. Netscape was a first mover. My space also a first mover has been replaced by Facebook. Atari another first mover couldn’t keep up with technology and was passed up by better graphics and more variety. Yahoo which provided early web users with the first popular search engine has been overrun by Google and several other engines.
The advantages that the first mover theory has over the late mover theory outweigh the disadvantage of the first mover theory. The first mover theory provides key components for success. Those key components are technological leadership, preemption of assets, pricing, market share, location and loyalty. If the company is a significant company to move into the market and not just a company it should consider the risk and the rewards.
In conclusion, there is significant risk as well as rewards. With the proper research, technology and the availability of social media access to global market every organization should stay competitive, innovative and use human assets to grow. Strategic planning and monitoring of the competition is necessary for viability.

References
Bainbridge, J. (2013). Late -Mover Advantage; when brands should avoid taking the lead. Market Magazine. Retrieved from http://www.marketingmagazine.co.uk/article/1167648/last-mover-advantage-when- brands-avoid-taking-lead
Boulding, W. & Christenson, M. (2001). First-Mover Disadvantage. Harvard Business Review Retrieved from http://hbr.org/2001/10/first-mover-disadvantage/ar/1
E Bay. (n.d.). The History of. Retrieved from http://www.cs.brandeis.edu/~magnus/ief248a/eBay/history.html
Fields, D. (2013).The Myth of the First Mover Advantage. Industry Week. Retrieved from http://www.industryweek.com/innovation/myth-first-mover-advantage
Investopedia. (n.d.). First Mover. Retrieved from http://www.investopedia.com/terms/f/firstmover.asp
Pearson Education. (2013). First Mover Advantage. Retrieved from http://www.pearsoned.co.uk/Bookshop/article.asp?item=312
Worstall, T. (2012). First Mover Advantage: It Ain’t an Advantage, Or the Pioneer’s The One With Arrows In His Back. Forbes Magazine. Retrieved from http://www.forbes.com/sites/timworstall/2012/04/09/first-mover-advantage-it-aint-an- advantage-or-the-pioneers-the-one-with-arrows-in-his-back/

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