Traditionally, the first firm to commercialize a new technology has benefited from the unique opportunity to shape product definitions, forcing followers to adapt to a standard or invest in an unproven alternative. Today, how- ( 5) ever, the largest payoffs may go to companies that lead in developing integrated approaches for successful mass production and distribution. Producers of the Beta format for videocassette recorders (VCR’s), for example, were first to develop the VCR com- (10) mercially in 1975, but producers of the rival VHS (Video Home System) format proved to be more successful at forming strategic alliances with other producers and distributors to manufacture and market their VCR format Seeking to maintain exclusive control over VCR distri- (15) bution. Beta producers were reluctant to form. such alli- ances and eventually lost ground to VHS in the compe- tition for the global VCR market. Despite Beta’s substantial technological head start and the fact that VHS was neither technically better nor cheaper (20) than Beta, developers of VHS quickly turned a slight early lead in sales into a dominant position. Strategic alignments with producers of prerecorded tapes reinforced the VHS advantage. The perception among consumers that prere- corded tapes were more available in VHS format further (25) expanded VHS’s share of the market. By the end of the 1980’s. Beta was no longer in production. The primary function of the second paragraph of the passage is to______