“…then came Cisco, and the rest is history”: a ‘history friendly’ model of the Local Area Networking industry

Abstract

We study the role that switching costs, compatibility, and mergers and acquisitions play in influencing the evolution of a multi-market industry. By looking at the case of the Local Area Networking industry, we propose a ‘history friendly model’ to replicate its evolution during the 1990s. Our model explains how a firm can start from a dominant position in one of the existing markets and exploit switching costs and compatibility to enter a new market. Mergers and acquisitions also play an important role as the new market is pioneered by a start-up, which is soon acquired by the dominant incumbent. As a result of the acquisition, the acquiring firm becomes the leader also in the new market.