A set of technical specifications that producers adhere to when making a product or component.

Battles to control the source of differentiation, and thus the value that such differentiation can create for the customer.

Common set of features or design characteristics.

Government- or association-set standards of knowledge or technology that any company can freely incorporate into its product.

The network of complementary products as a primary determinant of the demand for an industry’s product.

Applications or uses of a new technology or product that are so compelling that customers adopt them in droves, killing competing formats.

Applications or uses of a new technology or product that are so compelling that customers adopt them in droves, killing competing formats.

A firm that pioneers a particular product category or feature by being first to offer it to market.

Competitive disadvantages associated with being first to market.

Shifts in new technologies that revolutionize the structure of the industry, dramatically alter the nature of competition, and require companies to adopt new strategies in order to survive.