Byte Products, Inc., headquartered in the midwestern United States, is regarded as one of the largest volume supplier for the production of electronic components used in personal computers. Byte Products, Inc., was a privately owned firm that has now entered to be a publicly traded company. The majority of the stockholders are the initial owners of Byte, when it was still privately owned. The products that Byte produces are primarily found in computers used for business and engineering applications. Byte Products, Inc., has been the leader in this industry for the past six year with consistent yearly revenues of 12% and total sales of approximately $265 million. Byte also has 32% of the market share.
The Board of Directors is consisted of 11 members: James M. Elliot, the Chairman of the Board, 3 inside members and 7 outside members. The economy is stable and profitable, but that also means a lot of competition in the market. This poses a great opportunity for the company to grow and gain more of the market share. The only foreseeable real threat that the company will face is new competitors in the market.
Problem
Unfortunately for Byte the demand for these computer components have increased and Byte simply can not meet the demands. This dramatic increase in demand has allowed many new firms to enter into the industry and have cause an increased number of competing firms. Although Byte management and shareholders are pleased with the profits and growth of the market, it still faces a major issue of the increase in demand. Byte currently operates three manufacturing facilities that operate 24 hours a day, with three shifts, and 7 days a week. This constitutes the maximum production capacity that Byte can do and can not increase its output.
James M. Elliott, Chief Executive Officer, recognizes the severity of the problem and states that if Byte cannot increase its productions, then the buyers will look elsewhere for products. Moreover, if the lack of production from Byte continues, it will simply encourage other firms to enter the market.