This module requires you to analyze the industry environment in which your company is based and determine if it is vulnerable to a technological paradigm shift. With the information you have at your disposal, answer the following questions:

1. What is the dominant product technology used in the industry in which your company is based?

2. Are technical standards important in your industry? If so, what are they?

3. What are the attributes of the majority of customers purchasing the product of your company (for example, are they early adopters, early majority members, late majority members)? What does this tell you about the strategic issues that the company is likely to face in the future?

4. Did the dominant technology in your industry diffuse rapidly or slowly? What drove the speed of diffusion?

5. Where is the dominant technology in your industry on its S-curve? Are alternative competing technologies being developed that might give rise to a paradigm shift in your industry?

6. Are intellectual property rights important for your company? If so, what strategies is it adopting to protect those rights? Is it doing enough?