Importance of Product Innovation at Sony

Importance of Product Innovation at Sony Searching for Sonys Salvation: The Turnaround Strategy of an Industrial Giant There is no doubt that Sony, one of the greatest companies of the twentieth century, accredited with being the creators of products such as the portable radio, Walkman, and PlayStation, to name but a few, is no longer the force of old. No longer does it rule the roost in the consumer electronics industry to the extent that it did in decades gone by. No longer does it feature among the worlds most valuable brands as it did at the peak of its powers. Founded by Masaru Ibuka and Akito Morita in post-war Tokyo, Sony, or Tokyo Tsuchin Kogyo KK (Tokyo Telecommunications Engineering Corporation), the predecessor of Sony, started as a small company with capital of just 190,000 yen and less than a couple of dozen employees (Sony, n.d.). Yet, therein laid the foundations of what was to become one of, if not, the most iconic consumer electronics company in the world, worth an estimated $7.6 billion as at 2016 (Forbes, 2016) with more than 125,000 employees on its payroll (Sony, n.d.). However, it is fair to say that in recent years, Sonys performance has fallen short of expectations. According to the case study, the company has failed to tap into new opportunities, and been criticised for being complacent and over-reliant on past successes. The aim of this assignment, therefore, is to: firstly, discuss the importance of product innovation to the future success of Sony, in regard to the changing marketing environment; secondly, conduct a SWOT analysis of Sony; and thirdly, recommend a course of action for Sony based on an exploration of the strategic options available, in an attempt to turnaround the industrial giants ailing fortunes. In so doing, this assignment explores the key concepts at the heart of each discussion and applies them within the context of the case study, around which the questions are based. Discuss the importance of product innovation to the future success of Sony, in regard to the changing marketing environment. In order to fully appreciate the importance of product innovation to the future success of Sony, there are several issues which must be examined. For example, the concept of the marketing environment should first be defined and broken down, likewise the process of environmental scanning that will lead on from this, and only then can such a discussion begin to take place. The marketing environment can be defined as the actors and forces that affect a companys capability to operate effectively in providing products and services to its customers (Jobber and Ellis-Chadwick, 2016). In other words, the marketing environment includes all the factors that have an impact upon the decisions, policies, and strategies of an organisation. On the face of it, therefore, the marketing environment is a one-dimensional concept that is easy-to-understand. However, that is by no means correct. Indeed, there are multiple facets of the marketing environment; hence it is vital to break it down into its component parts. The marketing environment is composed of the macro environment and micro environment. Whereas the former consists of a number of broad forces that affect not only the company but also the other actors in the microenvironment, (Jobber and Ellis-Chadwick, 2016: 38) the latter consists of the actors in the firms immediate environment that affect its capabilities to operate effectively in its chosen markets. (Jobber and Ellis-Chadwick, 2016: 55) To put it more simply, the macro environment revolves around external factors, in contrast to the micro environment, the focus of which is on internal factors. For example, the macro environment includes political, economic, social, technological, legal, and ecological factors that affect an organisation, all of which will be expanded upon later in the discussion. The micro environment, meanwhile, includes competitors, customers, distributors, and suppliers. These shape the character of the opportunities and threats facing a company and yet are l argely uncontrollable. In order to combat the uncontrollability of the marketing environment, it is essential that organisations adopt a strategy for dealing with such a problem. This leads us to the concept of environmental scanning. According to Huczynski and Buchanan (2016), environment scanning refers to processes through which the impact of external trends and developments on the internal functioning of an organisation can be determined and forecasted. Diffenbach (1983) finds that organisations can reap the rewards from carrying out the process of environmental scanning. Chief amongst the multitudinous advantages it can deliver are enhanced general cognisance of, and responsiveness to, changes in the marketing environment; improved strategic planning and decision-making; better industry and market analysis; and more efficient energy planning. As far as the macro environment is concerned, one of the widely used approaches to environmental scanning is a PESTLE analysis. This is an environmental scanning tool identifying political, economic, social, technological, legal, and ecological factors that have an effect on an organisation. Political factors influencing organisations emerge from decisions made and actions taken by the government. For example, taxation rates may change which will affect the profitability of an organisation. Economic factors arise from the state of the countrys wealth. If there is a recession, for example, it slows down the economy as people are less likely to spend unnecessarily which, in turn, impacts upon sales and profits. Social factors refer to the ways in which society changes and the requirement for organisations to acclimatise in the same way. For example, changing demographic forces such as an ageing population may mean appetite for particular products either peters out or grows. Technologic al factors relate to the rapidly evolving technological advancements that marketers have to keep abreast with and invest in to remain competitive. Legal factors include the implementation of specific laws, which, for example, may necessitate the payment of a statutory minimum wage by organisations to their workforces. Ecological factors, meanwhile, revolves around environmental concerns and reducing toxic emissions, pollution, and spills. These factors cannot be controlled but can prepare the organisation for changes that may take place in the marketing environment (Morrison and Daniels, 2010). Now that we have explored the concepts at the heart of the question, namely innovation, and the marketing environment, tying in with environmental scanning and PESTLE analysis, it is possible to apply these within the context of Sony. Beginning with the micro environment, Sony has faced increasing numbers of competitors in recent years. Indeed, the case study alludes to the fact that aggressive competitors are stealing market share in key markets where once it dominated. For example, within the mobile phone sector, multination corporations such as Apple and, to a greater extent, Samsung are now seen as the dominant forces. Together, Samsung and Apple, the top two global smartphone brands, accounted for more than 42% of the worldwide market share in the first quarter of 2016. (TrendForce, 2016) By stark contrast, Sony did not even feature among the top five, lagging behind in the others category. Hopes had initially been high that Sonys range of phones, complete with top-of-the-range camera capabilities and Walkman-branded capabilities enabling them to be transformed into portable digital music gadgets, would see them retake the lead in the market. However, Sonys strategy to market Walkman-branded products against the likes of Apples highly innovative and successful iPhone range has yet to yield success and is unlikely to do so in light of how outdated the Walkman is in comparison to their opposite numbers latest device. Just as technology is evolving, so too is it the responsibility of marketers to keep up-to-date with such changes in an attempt to remain competitive in the marketplace.  Ãƒâ€šÃ‚   Thus, the importance of product innovation should be underplayed from a micro marketing environment perspective. That said, it can be argued that it is of equal importance in a macro environment sense too. Conduct a SWOT analysis on Sony. What are the strategic options available to Sony? Furthermore, recommend a course of action for Sony, giving reasons for your answer. Bibliography Diffenbach, John (1983) Corporate Environmental Analysis in Large US Corporations, Long-Range Planning Vol. 16 No. 3 pp107-16 Forbes Website (2016) The Worlds Most Valuable Brands https://www.forbes.com/powerful-brands/list/#tab:rank [accessed 3rd March 2017] Huczynski, Andrzej; and Buchanan, David (2013) Organizational Behaviour 8th Edition, Pearson Jobber, David; and Ellis-Chadwick, Fiona (2016) Principles and Practice of Marketing 8th Edition, London: McGraw-Hill Education Morrison, Mike; and Daniels, Kathy (2010) Pestle Analysis Factsheet, London: Chartered Institute for Personnel and Development Sony Website (no date) TrendForce Website

Platos Communism :: Communism Essays

Elites: Elites not masses, govern all societies, but in whose interests do they serve.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Elites are inevitable in all societies   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  According to both Madison and Plato, factions will inevitably occur within society, the way to address this is viewed in two different ways by Plato and Madison.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Plato sees within society an inherent flaw of two cities, a city of the rich and a city of the poor. He rejects oligarchy, the rule of few over many, because he believes that â€Å"absolute power corrupts absolutely† and rejects democracy for the incompetence within the system because it lacks people properly schooled in the Plutonian tradition and sees the violence inherent in the system, for: existent in all forms of government exist the extreme violence and selfishness of party struggles for factions within society.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Plato would remove the causes of factions, choosing to give up further liberties to protect the good of the people. His theory is similar to the state of nature, believing that societies are formed to meet the needs of the people. Because of the inherent yearning for power within a few elites, Plato would remove these feelings of selfishness, with his own form of Communism.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Plato’s communism would take two main forms which meet in the abolition of the family. The first of the two forms would be to set up a new form of hierarchy: Philosopher king, who would rule by merit of vision and capacity to realize that vision in reality. Guardians, who would serve as the military/ruling class of society, merchant class which serves as a middle class, a buffer between the poor and the rulers. This sunders in two the idea of a city of rich/ city of poor. However the main thing to note is that the rulers must give up certain freedoms in order to attain their position of power.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The rulers must give up the right to own property, effectively removing self-interest. Anyone can be a ruler as long as they MERIT the position. Also, the must live in common barracks style living and eat at a common table, facilitating discussion and equality amongst them. Also they all must be schooled in the Plutonian Tradition.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The second form of communism would be the abolition of a permanent monogamous sexual relationship. This removes loyalty to family/lover. Lovemaking would be more like livestock breeding and would occur at the behest of the ruler.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Plato believed that if the unity of the state is to be preserved and marriage and property stand in the way than they must be abolished.

Current Issues Between the Native Americans

The four groups that I have chosen for identifying their linguistic, political, social, economic, religious, and familial conventions and statues of Hispanics groups living in the United States are Mexican Americans, Puerto Ricans, Cubans, and South Americans. To start with they all speak Spanish yet they do have different dialects depending on where they are located. I have had experience with the Cubans personally and the Mexican American personally everything else I have learned from our research. The Mexican American population is the largest minority group in America. There are many Mexican Americans that do not speak Spanish at all and only speak English, but these are the ones that were usually born in the United States. There are also some that are bilingual and then there are some that do not know English until they start school. The Mexican Americans are also active in the civil rights movements, from workers rights to voting rights. Their social status is poor due to lack of education and they are strongly tied to their families. Families are very large and extended family is just as important as immediate family members. Most are Catholics and their religion is very important to them, but there are some that are protestant. Mexican Americans tend to take low paying jobs and this means that they work in mining, agriculture, transportation and ranching. Puerto Rico’s Linguistic background is strongly defined by Spanish and English. Most Puerto Ricans speak both languages fluently and use it in everyday life for work and play. Puerto Rico’s political division is the Popular Democratic Party (PPD), which supports the commonwealth rank for the island; has been the leading political party since 1940. Their has been a large decline in the popularity of the PPD over the years but it is still remains the island’s main political party. Their families are very close just like all of the other Hispanic groups. Family life and the amount of time they spend with their family is very important to the Puerto Rican society as well as other Hispanic groups. They usually live close to family members and attend church together, which is a very important part of their culture. They are generally Roman Catholics and their culture has a heavy influence on African and Spanish beliefs and traditions. When it comes to Cubans who are generally located in Florida or that region and they migrated here to be freed from Fidel Castro. Like the other Hispanic groups the Cubans have very large families and are very close to all members including extended family members. Cuban Americans are generally affiliated with politically with Jewish Americans and are known for their powerful conservative ethics.

The eNotes Blog Get Free Homework Help with eNotes onTwitter

Get Free Homework Help with onTwitter Dont just ask for Homework Help, tweet it! Twitter has changed the landscape of so many thingsfrom literature, to politics, to education. Thats why we at couldnt resist jumping into the Twitter pool to bring you the homework help you need in a new and exciting way. Introducing operation #swag! Selfie courtesy of our loyal intern and resident mathematics genius, Dan. Whether you write to us @ or simply vent to the Twittersphere (see above) were here to give you the help you need. Simply post your question in a tweet and well post it for you on to be answered by our expert educatorsa team of real teachers and professors. What could be better than instant help with your assignments? How about free help with your assignments? Yup, youll be able to view that answer (tailor-made just for you) completely for free. PLUS well even throw in free study guide pages ordinarily available only to premium subscribers. Its just our way of showing you how helps you to study smarter. Hey, want a free trial, too? Consider it done. This exclusive deal is only available through our Twitter page! Follow us here so you dont miss out on any cool deals, competitions, and special offers. Now start tweeting! Itll make you feel like this. And this. Just sayin. Tweet to you soon! Not on Twitter? Weve got lots going on at our Facebook page, too. Come chat with us and well hook you up! For more info, study guides, and free homework help from real teaching professionals, check us out at .

Child prodigy Essays

Child prodigy Essays Child prodigy Essay Child prodigy Essay If you have ever regretted volunteering for a task, but had to continue, despite this, you will know how I felt, as I boarded the coach that would take me to the venue of the chess tournament. It was an all-consuming, unforgettable, always nagging sort of worry: that I would bring about my own humiliation as I lost game by game at the prestigious tournament. No. Not a worry but a certainty. For I had not practised once in the past months, while in my prime, it was normal for me to spend a couple of evenings per week at a board, revising combinations. Yes, it was this lack of practice that troubled me to the very core, that I would disappoint my team and be humiliated for it. So the odour of the garbage on the coach had little effect on me, as I contemplated the nature of the disgrace that I would bring upon myself. In an attempt to banish these thoughts from my head, I brought out my reading book, which I soon immersed myself in, but the cheers and chit chat from my team mates as the coach started could not be ignored. As I snapped out of my ponderous trance, I became aware of the true stench of this appalling place where rotten eggs and ham from long forgotten packed lunches lay neatly stacked under the seats and the random splodges of yogurt were spread over the once-fine seat covers. But as the hours passed, none of these were noticed as my nose grew accustomed to the constant whiff, and my eyes remained firmly fixed on the pages of my book. It was finally four hours later that we pulled into the drive of the B B where we would stay. Just one more night till I would be a humiliated man My first match of the next day started and ended badly. I was to play against a boy of no more than 8, who sat precariously on the very edge of his seat, with legs dangling aimlessly under the table. His age and the innocent gaze gave me hope that I could at least secure 1 point for my team. But I was wrong, very wrong. As he made his first moves, I saw he was no novice and despite my best efforts, my fiendish foe struck mercilessly, felling my pieces one by one. It was an uphill struggle, a battle I could not win and yet I tried, while to my annoyance, he squealed with delight after each capture in a childlike manner, though he had the skill of double his apparent age. I can tell you this was terribly shocking. So there was no surprise when he finally delivered checkmate, though while we did this, I dreaded the teases I would be sure to receive as the result of this lost battle, especially due to my opponents age. As I stepped from the room, my fears were confirmed. My humiliation had begun. My next match went just as badly. Still in a daze from the jests endured, my head spinning, as I tried desperately to win against my unsympathetic opponent. But my efforts were to no avail, as I lost, even more swiftly than before. But my thoughts cleared as I left the tournament room: one round to make a win. One round to avoid disgrace! After my disastrous rounds, I expected nothing more than another loss from equally capable opponents, knowing my fate for humiliation had been sealed the moment I agreed to come. But my next opponent was not something I could have anticipated given even the wildest imagination. Like a giant, he towered over the board, but it was not his height which troubled me but his bulk. His fat bulged in great flabs so that I felt he might burst and his slow, lumbering walk scarcely surprised me. One could tell clothes were not made to his size; the Nike logo on his shirt was stretched into a thin line while his fat writhed under his tight top as he reached out to move his piece. I made no mistake in underestimating my opponent this time, however, it was soon clear he was less gifted than the child prodigy I had played the first round. But there was still something strange about the game play, there was something about the way we played in his shadow that unnerved me, and before long, I once more felt myself sailing against the wind in this battle of mine. But as does a wounded animal strike back, so did I, knowing the fate that would come to me if I lost this match. But then, my silent prayers were answered: in the form of the biggest blunder I had ever seen at this level of play, and I pounced upon it, like a hungry wild cat as he throws himself on a mouse. The tide had changed, and I finished him off easily. The victory was mine, no disgrace for me.

Violations at the workplace Case Study Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words - 37

Violations at the workplace - Case Study Example In this case, the informal complaint did not cause OSHA to send a letter, but the inspector showed up nonetheless. The important thing is for the inspector to show a warrant that allows him to carry out any inspection in the workplace. In fact, the Supreme Court declared that no OSHA inspections should take place without the availability of a warrant or consent to enter a workplace for inspection (Bailey et al., 2008). Further, the individual is grumpy and well known for his disgruntlement, which is something that should be taken into consideration. If more than 80% of complaints are false, the inspector cannot continue acting without consulting the management. OSHA requires a warrant at this time because the issues the disgruntled employee reported could be dealt with at the corporate level (Lasowski, 2010). Having to ask for an inspection because of a disgruntled employee will inconvenience the management, and it is important that the OSHA inspector sits with the management and dis cusses the issues taking place. This will also lead to consented inspection to prove that the company has taken into consideration everything discussed and complained about by the employee. After the inspector leaves, I will take the initiative to sit down with the employee and discuss issues at the workplace. The employee must respect the rules and regulations at the workplace, and offer undivided support towards the accomplishment of goals within the organization. If more than 80% of complaints are false.

Single Parent Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Single Parent - Assignment Example As yet there are no estimates of the numbers of deaths from CHD which are due to poor psychosocial well-being or of the numbers of deaths which could be avoided if psychosocial well-being was increased. Although, some single parent are doing their best to support the needs of their family, they still encounter some potentials problems like, visitation and custody arrangements, effects upon the children of continued conflict between parents, decrease in the amount of time parents and children can spend together, effects of a divorce on children's performance in school and peer relations, and disruptions in extended family relationships. To cope with this problem, single parent should often talk to his children regarding on their feelings with each other. They should also learn how to communicate with each other, spend time together to go shopping, playing different kinds of sports, watching some interesting movies or simply going to church together. These ways will help develop a better single parent and children relationship. Amy is a 38 yr. Old single parent who has three children aged 9, 7 and a newborn baby boy. She has a hard time taking care of her children especially her new baby due to being busy looking after the rest of the family. Her brother Rys is 30, who has a moderate learning disability, shows signs of distress due to his worries to his family. Her father Ronald, who is 76 yr. Old widower, had a fall and since then his mobility has seriously deteriorated. Due to the circumstances that Amy's family is facing, she is feeling tense and anxious about how is she going to cope with supporting her dad, while continuing to meet the needs for her children. With Amy's situation, it's really hard to give everything to her family especially that she is the only one supporting them. She may experience depression and stress due to her responsibilities to her family. To cope with this, she should know the thing that a single parent must do in order to meet the needs of her family. Amy is having a hard time coping up with her kids, her father and brother and on how to make both ends meet. Having these problems at hand just right after giving birth to a baby boy made her not only physically drained but also mentally disturbed. Due to this, she may suffer from Post Natal Depression. According to the Royal College of Psychiatrists, around 1 in every 10 women has PND after having a baby. If untreated, it can last for months, or sometimes longer. There are number of symptoms suffers