SONY Corporation

SONY Corporation

Structure of the presentation:

General facts

Company structure

Figures

Management styles / recruitment methods

Advertising / marketing

Environmental affairs

General facts:

Y       founded: May 7, 1946

Y       headquarters: Tokyo

Y       representatives:   

Norio Ohga (Chairman and Representative Director, Chief Executive Officer)

Tsunao Hashimoto (Vice Chairman and Representative Director)

Nobuyuki Idei (President and Representative Director, Chief Operating Officer)

Y       number of employees: 151.000 (as of March 21, 1997)

Y       capital: 332.036.923.736 yen (as of March 31, 1997)

Y       SONY Corporation is the 3rd biggest electronics company in the world

Company structure:

Y       Electronics Business (Video Equipment, Audio Equipment, Televisions, Others)

Y       Entertainment Business (Music Group, Pictures Group)

Y       Insurance and Financing

Figures:

as of March 31 (fiscal year end)

Recruitment methods:

SONY is a trailblazer, always a seeker of the unknown.

SONY never intends to follow old trails,

but hopes to find its own paths of progress by

opening up new trails, yet to be trod.

Through this progress, SONY wants to serve mankind.

New trails are strewn with hardships.

But the people in SONY work in harmony

to surmount these hardships,

finding joy and pride in participating creatively to achieve

the goal of each pioneering effort.

Sony's policy is to respect and foster each one's abilities

--- the right person in the right position ---

always striving to bring out the best in the person,

believing in each one and

constantly allowing the individual to develop his or her abilities.

This is the vital force of SONY.

Presentation of a company - SONY Corporation

Structure of the presentation:

General facts

Company structure

Figures

Management styles / recruitment methods

Advertising / marketing

Environmental affairs

1. General facts:

Y       short story as an introduction:

an executive at Columbia Pictures (owned by SONY) used a corporate plane to send

flowers to his girlfriend

SONY is a very successful company that can afford such actions

Y       Japanese company known all over the world

Y       origin of the name SONY:

- combination of two words

- "sonus" (Latin); root of words such as sound, sonic

- "sonny"; little son

very small group of young people who have the energy and the passion towards    unlimited creation

Y       founded: May 7, 1946

Y       headquarters: Tokyo

Y       representatives:   

Norio Ohga (Chairman and Representative Director, Chief Executive Officer)

Tsunao Hashimoto (Vice Chairman and Representative Director)

Nobuyuki Idei (President and Representative Director, Chief Operating Officer)

Y       number of employees: 151.000 (as of March 21, 1997)

Y       capital: 332.036.923.736 yen (as of March 31, 1997)

Y       electronic products account for more than half of its total revenues

Y       SONY is the 3rd biggest electronics company in the world

2. Company structure:

Y       Electronics Business

Video Equipment

Audio Equipment

Televisions

Others

Y       Entertainment Business

Music Group

Pictures Group

Y       Insurance and Financing

Electronics Business:

Y       electronic products are sold under the trademark SONY

Y       SONY is a registered trademark in 190 countries and territories

Y       Sony's electronic products are sold to subsidiaries in diverse geographical areas

Y       these subsidiaries sell to local distributors and dealers

Y       no franchising

Y       in Europe: Sony's products are marketed through its sales subsidiaries, including SONY UK Ltd, SONY Deutschland GmbH and SONY France S.A.

Y       Video equipment:

- wide range

- for example: 8mm, VHS and Beta videotape recorders

laser disc players

video CD players

broadcast video equipment

videotapes

digital handy cam camcorders

Y       Audio equipment:

- for example: MiniDisc systems

CD players

hi-fi components

digital audio tape recorders/players

tape recorders

car stereos

car navigation systems

audio tapes, blank MDs

Y       Televisions:

- for example: colour TVs

satellite broadcasting reception systems

computer displays (Trinitron cathode ray tube)

Y       Other products:

- for example: data storage systems

computers

telecommunications equipment

batteries

factory automation systems

home video game system PlayStation

Entertainment Business:

Y       Music Group:

- markets and distributes CDs, MDs, LDs, records, and pre-recorded audio and video cassettes

- under the following labels: Columbia, Epic, Sony Classical

- contracts with many top artists around the world (Michael

Jackson, Oasis)

- acquired CBS records in 1988

Y       Pictures Group:

- motion picture production and distribution

- home video distribution

- television programmes are produced and licensed

- handled through Columbia TriStar (acquired from Coca-Cola in 1989)

Insurance and Financing:

Y       individual life insurance business operated in Japan

Y       consumer financing and leasing businesses

Major Subsidiaries:

Y       SONY Electronics North America

Y       SONY UK Ltd.

Y       SONY France S.A.

Y       SONY Deutschland GmbH

Y       SONY Corporation of Hong Kong Limited

Y       SONY Gulf FZE

Y       Columbia TriStar

Y       CBS Records

Y       Aiwa

3. Figures:

as of March 31 (fiscal year end)

4. Management styles / recruitment methods:

Y       an important factor in SONY company philosophy has always been research and development; SONY is a very innovative company

Y       some historical examples:

1965 introduces the world's first home-use videotape recorder

1979 markets the first Walkman

1981 introduces the first 3.5-inch micro floppy disk drive

1981 SONY, Philips and Polygram announce the CD digital audio system

(introduced two years later)

1990 introduces the first writeable CD

1991 SONY develops the MiniDisc

1996 SONY helps to develop Digital Video Disc (next generation optical disc)

Y       statement of SONY to its recruitment policy:

SONY is a trailblazer, always a seeker of the unknown.

SONY never intends to follow old trails,

but hopes to find its own paths of progress by

opening up new trails, yet to be trod.

Through this progress, SONY wants to serve mankind.

New trails are strewn with hardships.

But the people in SONY work in harmony

to surmount these hardships,

finding joy and pride in participating creatively to achieve

the goal of each pioneering effort.

Sony's policy is to respect and foster each one's abilities

--- the right person in the right position ---

always striving to bring out the best in the person,

believing in each one and

constantly allowing the individual to develop his or her abilities.

This is the vital force of SONY.

5. Advertising / marketing:

Y       show sample advertisements

Y       target markets are actually all developed countries

Y       SONY is a global player; products are marketed and promoted through local subsidiaries

Y       for example: Germany - SONY Deutschland GmbH (as I mentioned at the start)

Y       SONY concentrates on ads in magazines and TV commercials

Y       they also publish SONY magazines (in fact catalogues enriched with some stories)

Y       famous slogans:                It's not a trick, it's a SONY. (some years ago)

It's not a game. (PlayStation commercial)

Every copy an original. (MiniDisc commercial, repeated once)

Y       competitors world wide: Matsushita Electric (Japan), Siemens (Germany), Philips (Netherlands), Mitsubishi Electric (Japan)

6. Environmental affairs:

Y       Sony's commitment to the environment spans the globe

Y       they set up Environmental Conservation Committees (ECC) in different regions (Japan, North America, Europe, Asia) that are constantly striving to identify the problems and are trying to find the best solutions to them

Y       SONY has been active in the protection of the environment since the 1970´s

Y       in 1996 SONY set up an Environmental Action Plan

Y       extracts from the guidelines:

- The Group will pursue improvements in all areas of operations, including resource and energy conservation, recycling and the reduction of waste.

- The Group will make products and develop technologies that minimize environ- mental impact.

Y       Actions:

- Prevention of Global Warming by conserving energy, developing energy-efficient products.

- Zero Disposal: From 2010 onward, the company will not dispose any waste in landfills.

- "Green" Purchasing: All purchasing decisions, for materials, parts, facilities and office equipment, will place priority on ecological considerations.

Y       SONY set up an environmental award for extraordinary environmental activities

Y       some products are taken apart in the stage of development so that the engineers can plan how to recycle it

All in all one can say that SONY is a company with a huge range of products as well as targets that is well prepared for the future markets.