3. Case study 1: The Canon Mini Copier—New product development and
information creation7
Canon was founded in 1933 with the aim of developing and manufacturing a
35 mm camera. After World War II the company once again began to
manufacture cameras. Throughout the 1950s the company grew rapidly,
developing a series of new single reflex cameras. By the early 1960s, however, it
became evident that Canon would have to diversify into new areas to maintain
its growth8. Thus, in the 1960s Canon began to diversify into office machinery
through the development of electronic calculators and copying machines. In
the mid-1970s, though, Canon ran into severe difficulties as demand for
existing products declined precipitously and Canon was forced to retreat from
the low-priced calculator market. In 1975 Canon had to suspend its dividend
payments—a radical step of a Japanese firm9. In the words of the Canon
Handbook (1987):