Electronic computer industry

Résumé du document

According to Standard Industrial Classification, the electronic computer industry has been classified under the four-digit code 3571, an industry of the Manufacturing Division and featuring in the major group 35 which includes Industrial and Commercial machinery and computer equipment. This industry includes companies which have operations ranging from manufacturing computers to processing programs, performing arithmetical computation and executing software programs. There are two different kinds of computers, analog computers and digital/ analog, aka hybrid computer. In addition, this industry also includes mainframe computers, microcomputers, minicomputers and personal computers (PC).

We will examine the origin of this industry, following by the location, sizes of the firms in the industry as well as the organizational structures, the development of the R&D and the future trend of this industry.

Extraits

[...] Communication tools, ergonomic, and interactive tools are the most dominant new need of customers in this industry. But all actors of it are very involved and because of the fierce competition, still in growing phases in the market, rapidity of innovation could make the difference. More than this, others countries, like Japan, are now very involved in this industry and very reactive also. In this international competition, companies have to monitoring as much as they can to stay in this worldwide fierce competition. [...]

[...] All these different industry have to work in relation to produce a final good of Electronic computer industry. We can also notice that this industry, leads by private companies, couldn't exist without public support. Public funds are crucial in this industry development, especially in Research and development. It was especially the case during the cold war. From the mid-1990's, government funding of in high technologies, has declined. Indeed, computer companies decreased the percentage of their revenues that they invest in R&D. [...]

[...] There are 2 different kind of computer, analog computer and digital/ analog, aka Hybrid, computer. In addition, this industry also includes mainframe computer, microcomputers, minicomputers and personal computer (PC). The origin of this industry will be developed, following by the location, sizes of firms in the industry, then organizational structures, Research and development and the future trend of this industry will be evocated. Computers appear in the 1930's to grind out tables of complex mathematical functions. But there were very primarily and played a relatively minor role in this industry's development. [...]

[...] The oldest company is IBM. Founded in the 1910 as calculating-Tabulating-Recording company, it has developed the Mark the first computer which can retain a set of rules, used later applied to information. Another main leader nowadays is Apple. Founded in 1977 in California, the company introduced in the 1984 the immensely successful Macintosh. From the beginning, Apple's marketing efforts were aimed at school, college and home markets. After a decrease in the 1990's Steve Job, the famous cofounder, was brought back into the company and take good direction to the firm with innovation, which drive the company to be a very important actor of this industry. [...]

[...] In the 1980's, computer industry was in different niches with few main manufacturers. But the big expansion of computer was during the 1980's and 1990's. Prices, which are very high in the early 1980's decrease a lot during this decade and the market began very competitive in the 1990's. For example, in the USA, between 1992 and 1999, annual PC shipment grows up of 295%. The last step of development of this industry, during the 2000's, is due to the new leverage of this industry: Internet. [...]