The Battle against the World of Piracy: A Case Review of ABC Entertainment

Abstract

In general, gaining of competitive advantage is the main objective of a company’s survival. In the pursuit of achieving this companies explicitly or implicitly adhere to many strategies and many external factors which beyond the company’s control affect this process. Thus is it inevitably complex and only keen companies survive? Provided that, in this review note we bring a contemporary case into discussion. ABC entertainment was one of the finest companies established in Sri Lanka and their core business was selling artistic content in different forms; ringtones, compact discs, etc. Their main revenue generator relied upon the ringtones supplied to mobile operators such as Mobitel, Dialog, Etisalat, Hutch and etc. Back then, Mobitel operated as the industry leader of telecommunication and subsequently companies entered to a price war with the emergence of companies like Airtel in 2009. All the companies faced severe reductions in revenue and found tough to operate. As means of survival and retaining competitive positions companies’ implemented strategies such as adding value added services such as internet and data. The review proceeds discussing problems raised in the revenue models of the companies providing facts in relation to telecommunication industry in Sri Lanka, management structure and etc. Finally the review suggests strategies as means of survival.