In conclusion it is obvious that the battle between Beta and VHS was won and lost in the strategic positioning of the two formats creators. Neither could establish a competitive advantage based on features or price. Sony took a very laid back approach to forming partnerships with other companies, in part because they felt their product was better and also because they overestimated their lead in the market. JVC and Matsushita on the other hand took a very aggressive posture and brought as many partners into the VHS family as possible. This was an easier task for them to accomplish because they possessed the necessary manufacturing and distribution capabilities to both license the design, and establish OEM agreements with smaller companies. Sony’s early lead made them less flexible to design flaws, like the limited playing time, which caused them to loose valuable time and opportunities to their competition. As VHS brought more and more electronics manufacturers into their "family" and flooded the market, the bandwagon effect took it’s toll. Sony was unable to rebound and by the mid-to-late 80s Beta had all but disappeared. In hindsight Sony’s failure is easy to explain. However anyone studying this subject would understand that these decisions were not made in a vacuum. The global marketplace is a dynamic entity subject to trends and attitudes of consumers. Sony based their decisions on the management strategies which had made them successful for decades.