The Nuclear Strategy Tripod: How Toshiba Coped with 3/11

In March 2011, the global nuclear industry was struck by the Fukushima accident which immediately and greatly affected the global business environment for nuclear power. I analyze how the industry-leader Toshiba adapted to the changing circumstances from the perspectives of the strategy tripod. However, I amend the tripod-framework by defining operationalizable variables based on my literature review of nuclear research to be able to apply it in my study. At the industry level, I identify coopetitive behavior as the most important variable, while the critical resources and capabilities are vertical integration, technology and market-political ambidexterity. The public opinion, energy policy, industrial policy and security policy are essential institution-level variables. My analysis of Toshiba utilizes textual data, ethnography, semi-structured interviews and a survey. The main conclusion is that the company maintains its strategy for nuclear power because the management perceives the negative consequences of 3/11 as manageable.