Homogeneous or Heterogeneous – What is better?

Which is better? It depends.

1. Southwest Airlines flies only Boeing 737’s to reduce maintenance costs.
2. EMC wants their customers to buy all of the data servers from them.
3. Microsoft wants everyone to use IE.
4. Michelin wants to be the single supplier for all tires for Toyota.
5. Pratt&Whitney wants Airbus to use nothing but their engines for their jets.

But then…

1. Boeing cannot survive just making Boeing 737’s.
2. IT departments don’t want to put all eggs in one basket.
3. World does not trust Microsoft.
4. Toyota does not want to single source to Michelin.
5. Airbus does not want its entire fleet  grounded if P&W engines have a problem.

Isn’t this world so beautiful for the heterogeneity it possesses. So why in business would we ever think we can achieve monopoly? Why do some businesses lull themselves to believe they do not have competition? The question is how much of the pie one can have, you WILL not have the whole pie. Success breeds competition. Otherwise, it may not be a large market after all.

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Image: Courtesy of DragonArtz Designs