Thursday, January 30, 2020

One Sony Analysis Essay Example for Free

One Sony Analysis Essay Sony is Japanese multinational conglomerate corporation with the revenue of US$71.87 billion (FY11). Sonys principal business operations include Sony Corporation (Sony Electronics in the U.S.), Sony Pictures Entertainment, Sony Computer Entertainment, Sony Music Entertainment, Sony Mobile Communications, and Sony Financial, which are engaged in business through 4 segment: Electronics, Motion picture, Music and Financial services. This conglomerate corporation is known with slogan: â€Å"Sony. Like no other†. Growth from a company with initial capital of US$2000 in Nagoya,Japan in 1946, becomes one of Worldwide Top 20 Semiconductor Sales Leaders, third-largest television manufacturer in the world, after Samsung Electronics, LG Electronics, third-largest mobile manufacturer in the world after Samsung Mobile and Apple, but Sony now is in the hard time and in process of recovery. Before the current reorganization, Sony have implemented quite many of reorganization but they seem didn’t work, in the first months of 2012, Sony have been face with foundering TV business and the massive tax charge, that make them lost US$6.4 billion. Come up with the newly strategy â€Å"One Sony† in April 2012, new CEO Kazuo Hirai aims to revitalize and grow the electronics business to create new value, strengthen the core business which are: 1. Strengthen core business: Digital imaging, Gaming, Mobile. 2. Turning around the TV business 3. Expandiing business in emerging markets 4. Creating new business, accelerating innovation 5. Realigning the business portfolio and optimizing recources (Source: http://www.sony.net/SonyInfo/News/Press/201204/12-056E/index.html) The new CEO have plan to reorganize the corporate, sell some business, reduce by 10,000 job to have fund for the return of Sony and no information for Sony Financial change. Sony target US$67.42 billion revenue and operating income margin of 5% in its electronics business and sale of US$ 95.51 billion, operating income margin of more than5%, and ROE of 10% for the Sony group overall (FY14). I. Environment analysis: 1. Marco environment: 2.1 Economics: With the globalization, the world now is more â€Å"flat†, allow to customer from  more and more countries can access to foreign products, also it enhanced the production, created more value for human on the world, so the demand of product is expanding rapidly, Sony ‘s products are one of the highest expanding demand products. Although the world economy continues to struggling with post-crisis started from US in 2008 and the global economic growth have weakened further, the world still witness the success in business of big electronics and mobile company such as Apple, Samsung 2.2 Social and demographic: According to UNICEF, the world’s population is 7 billion as the end of 2012 and expected to increase in next 5 years. This means that the demand of all the products will increase along. There are more than 67% of American household play video games, 40% were women and they almost under 25 year old. This show that this form of entertainment is mainstream now in US. The trends are similar in Europe and Japan. The other country market show the optimistic with the rapidly increasing of gamer. The demand of the other electronic entertainment and mobile is clearly growth in the past decade. 1.3.Technological: Coming along with the rapid growth of the Internet is the new services on it such as internet storage (Mediafire, Dropbox, Box.net,†¦.), internet integrate with TV (which is now one of Sony ‘s TV line), internet calls, internet service on mobile,†¦creating wider market and more direction to expand business for Sony. But also there are difficulties for Sony, the margin for technology advancement is now diminishing, which is unfavorable for the pioneer of technology such as Sony. 1.4. Political: As one of the biggest company and contributed significantly for the growth of Japanese economy, Sony have received the back up from Japanese government. For instance, in the last months of 2011, Japanese government provided US$2.6 billion to Sony, Toshiba Ltd and Hitachi Ltd for their plan  to merge their liquid-crystal display operations, in the effort to compete with the rivals from Taiwan and South Korea. 1.5. Legal: Intellectual property as well as commercialization and protection have given the corporation a significant source of comparative advantage. So the macro environment is favorable for Sony to implement it’s new strategy â€Å"One Sony†. 2. The competitive environment: 2.1 The threat of new entrants: The threat of new entrants is low. The electronics industry requires huge capital to build the manufacture, buy the equipments, fund to RD; economics of scale; technology and innovation to produce the produce and create product differentiation. Moreover, the new entrants will meet a lot of difficulties with prevention of the big companies in the industry such as Sony, because these companies have huge capital and power to create a lot of barrier to the new comers and usually buy the new comers if they have potential to gain profit (unique technology, intellectual property,†¦), then turn them as one of the company’s SBU. One thing need to mention also is the legal requirements, to enter the electronics industry, the new entrants are required to obtain approval from the government, which require plenty of high requirements. These make the potential entrant in the low level. 2.2. The bargaining power of buyers: The power of buyers is high. With the access to the internet, the customer can get the information about the product fully, including the price, the hardware, the software, methods of delivery and compare between difference companies to choose the best set for their demand. Moreover, the switching cost from one brand product to another is almost zero, especially in Europe, USA and Japan. Hence, the companies always try to optimize and offer the customer their best set to satisfy the customers to pull them to the company 2.3. The bargaining power of supplier: The power of supplier is low. Sony do not buy the supplements from one supplier but it buy them from the best offer. Like another conglomerate corporation, Sony have their own research centre to create their own product differentiation and avoid from rely on the supplier. 2.4 The intensive of rivalry among competitors in the industry: The competition in electronics industry is high. The product between different brand is not different much, the margin of technology advance is now shorter, the product cycle therefore is shorter too while the cost for RD is more and more higher. 2.5 The threat of substitute products and services: The threat of substitute products and services for electronics industry is low due to the growth quickly of the electronics industry (although it have slower than the period of 1980-2000), there are no type of product and services can compete with electronics nowadays and if it have, the big companies on this industry will the first who have them. So the electronics industrial will not the good for the new players, it just the ground for big player such as Sony, Samsung, Apple, HTC, Nokia,†¦ to compete each other, mainly in the new technology , differentiate their products. 3. Internal environment: According to Value chain analysis mode which devised by Porter(1985), a company have primary activities( inbound logistics, operations, outbound logistics, marketingsales, service) and support activities(firm infrastructure, human resources management, technology development, procurement). The analysis below will show the pros and cons of Sony. 4.3 Inbound Logistics: Ability to conduct the various complex in-bound logistics activities well to facilitate smooth operations and productions 4.4 Operations: The religious zeal to innovate coupled with tacit knowledge to build revolutionary products that memorise customers into buying them. The long  tradition and experience will help Sony create the best optimize for its operation. 4.5 Outbound Logistics: Possess the capability to train employees and associates to manage and perform the vast and complex out-bound logistics activities that enhance operations protocol. Moreover, the logistic companies will be the considerable choice for Sony’s logistics activities when needed or to cut-off some activities and concentrate to the main ones. 4.6 Marketing Sales Possession of a world-class marketing acumen and tacit knowledge that has made Sony a global mega brand. 4.7 Services Able to integrate the various resources and functional activities to meet the needs (innovative, quality and reliable) of global customers. 4.8 Infrastructure Finance Possess the necessary physical resources to help generate value-creating competitive advantage as well as a large reserve that can be leveraged to invest in infrastructure to further lower costs. 4.9 Human Resources Able to leverage on financial resources to provide competitive numeration packages and training that help to motivate and insentitives. Staff who shows managerial potential is cultivated to take over leadership posts. With the middle-managements and low level managements, Sony provided the training in management, updating market information, delivery by in-side or out-side â€Å"teacher†. 4.10 Technology Able to leverage on technologies well and ahead of its competitors to create innovative and high quality products, be one of the pioneers on the new high technology products. 4.11 Procurement Possess procurement know-how that leads to quality input at lower costs. With above analysis, we can see Sony have capabilities and advantages to implement a strategy take Sony back to the track and make more and more profits in the years after. II. One Sony strategy: Sony offer different products for different customers, it’s product line is very large with electronics products (video equipment, audio equipment, television, mobile, components), entertainment products( famous PlayStation, games, movie and music). â€Å"One Sony† strategy with key initiative to transform the electronics business are: 1. Strengthen core business: Digital imaging, Gaming, Mobile. 2. Turning around the TV business 3. Expanding business in emerging markets 4. Creating new business, accelerating innovation 5. Realigning the business portfolio and optimizing resources. (Source: http://www.sony.net/SonyInfo/News/Press/201204/12-056E/index.html) In this period of time, the global economy is still struggling post-crisis and the growth of economics is slower further, the customers are still cut-off their spend on buy products, the competitive in electronics industry is more and more. The One Sony strategy ‘s one aim to accelerating innovation, create the differentiation but mostly they still focus on the core business: Digital imaging, Gaming and Mobile. In the core business Sony have the advantage as one of the leaders of the market with wide-known product such as Xperia mobile, PlayStation console game, Home theatre,†¦ This will retain Sony as the famous company in the electronics industry, know world-wide (keep them from the situation as Nokia), the profit of the core business will provide fun for RD, which essential for any companies in the electronics industry, creating new business, accelerating innovation. Although Sony choice the focus strategy, but as any strategy, Sony then have to create differentiation on its products (create new business, accelerating innovation) come along with reduce cost (realigning the business portfolio and optimizing resources). This movement will help Sony have the advantage on compete with the rivals, whom desperately want to gain more market share.

Wednesday, January 22, 2020

What Does American Education Need? :: Teaching Teachers Learning School Essays

What Does American Education Need? For over four decades, the public education establishment has delivered one educational disaster after another. "Solution" after "solution" they have offered have fallen far short of promises. The education establishment's perennial answer to our education problems is increased education expenditures. Educational expenditures have skyrocketed (more than doubling every 20 years since 1960) and yet Scholastic Aptitude Test (SAT) scores plummet. National Assessment of Education Progress (NAEP) test results partially demonstrate our dismal education picture. Of 17-year olds taking the test: 47 percent could not express 9/100 as a percent; only 5 percent could calculate the cost per kilowatt on an electric bill that charged $9.09 for 606 kilowatts; 26 percent did not know the U.S. Congress was part of the legislative branch of government; 43 percent of high school juniors could not place World War I within the period 1900 to 1950; 75 percent could not place Abraham Lincoln's presidency in the era 1840-1880. (1) The education establishment's latest "solution", supported by President Clinton, is massive federal expenditures to hire 100,000 additional teachers. This they claim will reduce class sizes and thus improve academic performance. United States already has smaller classes than countries where student academic performance is much greater than ours. For example, Japan averages 41 students per class compared to 26 in the United States. In mathematics, where their students run circles around ours, their average math class size is 43 compared to our 20. (2) Breaking the education monopoly will solve most of the nation's education problems. A way to achieve this is through education vouchers or tuition tax credits. The basic feature of proposals for education vouchers is for state and local governments to make direct payments to parents, in the form of vouchers, that are used to pay tuition charged by public or non-public schools. The basic feature of tuition tax credits is to give parents a credit against their income taxes for tuition expenses. For example if a parent spent $3,000 in tuition to send their kid to a non-public school, all or a percentage of the tuition would be subtracted from the parent's tax liability. Tuition tax credits are far preferable to vouchers because we would not run the risk of government intervention in the form of state Departments of Vouchers. Opponents interested in maintaining the monopoly of education have advanced arguments against greater competition in the education of America's children. These arguments seem to be plausible; however, upon just a little bit of reflection they are simply baseless.

Monday, January 13, 2020

Discuss ‘Apollo 13’ a space drama, Directed and produced by Ron Howard

Apollo 13 a space drama, Directed and produced by Ron Howard and was made in 1995. It was made to look as realistic as possible without it being a documentary; no original footage from the launch was used, apart from a few embedded images like in the news on TV. Howard used many different techniques to achieve realism: editing, camera angles, special effects and historic words phases and speeches, but before he even started filming he had a good idea of the astronauts backgrounds, the flight plan and the exact events that happened on the mission. He spent a long time with the astronaut Jim Lovel researching the events. Very near the start of the film there is a scene with Gene drinking tea and smoking, this is realistic because it shows a regular man with normal qualities, the stress of the job is getting to him and the tension comes through to the audience. You can tell Howard is trying to keep his characters very normal. Following this is the control room scene where Howard shows different members of the crew and goes through them in turn giving close ups of them. Using a close up shot of the crew members brings forward the fact that they are working hard and again the tension of the launch comes across very strong. The launch was a very realistic part of the film and Howard put a lot of work into it. With the combination of special effects and different camera angles, the shuttle and the surrounding look incredibly real. He starts off with a low angle shot of the shuttle and pans all the way to the top; the special effects come in when it ignites, and the flames from the bottom of the shuttle. As the shuttle starts to shake, the camera moves to a crane shot right on the tip of the shuttle and as the rocket breaks away from the supports the camera spirals down the shuttle just missing the broken parts, this seems very realistic and the dizziness of the spiraling could be recreating what the astronauts are feeling. Throughout the film there is a focus on heroism and patriotism, this is shown at the launch where there is a long shot of about 80 people sitting on a small stadium. There is a highflying American flag above them and the music of dead American military heroes playing. For a lot of American people watching that were around at the time of the original launch, this could be like it was all happening again. The camera then switches to a close-up of the two wives, and their different feelings, one is crying for joy and the other is looking up at the shuttle in amazement. This scene seems very realistic as you could imagine this happening at the real launch, it gives us different points of view from the two different individuals. When the oxygen tank explodes 56 hours after takeoff Howard must use special effects to recreate the explosion, as he cannot film from in space outside of a shuttle, and would have been incredibly difficult to recreate it using the KC135. In this scene and during the film Howard tries to keep it as realistic as possible by using exact phrases from within the film â€Å"Houston, we have a problem† is a very famous one, and by recreating the astronauts exact moves and plans from the original mission. Howard doesn't always use real-time like in the final scene on the countdown to when the shuttle should renter the atmosphere. There is a 4-minute countdown and the first 4 minutes are actually 2, but the last minute is in real-time. I think this is a good idea as at this moment – the climate of the film, the audience are waiting for what's going to happen, there is a lot of tension, and leaving this tension for a whole 4 minutes, it would slowly drift away and the audience would lose interest. One technique used was weightlessness, in many of the scenes Howard needed to have the feel of weightlessness and he was lucky that NASA let him use their aeroplane KC135. This is a normal plane but not like a passenger aircraft, it has no seats and the insides are built to look like that of a shuttle. This plane was taken to huge altitudes and dropped to give the feeling of weightlessness; real astronauts used this in their training. Howard had to get 3 men and a camera crew onto the plane, and film good quality realistic scenes. I feel that this is a major part in the making of he film and the film couldn't be made well without it.

Sunday, January 5, 2020

The Role Of Plastic Surgery For Young Adults - 2341 Words

Maria Ordoà ±ez Lybarger-Monson English 1A November 17, 2014 Young Adulthood When speaking of past there was a great sense of taboo when even considering plastic surgery for adults alone, let alone for young adults. Now though, when speaking of plastic surgery in the modern day and age it is part of the common culture for adults as well as young adults due to the rise in influence through celebrities, media, and pop culture. Susan Gilbert speaks of this growing change of opinion stating In the United States, 205,119 teenagers aged eighteen and younger had cosmetic interventions in 2007, up from 145,094 in 2000, according to the American Society or Aesthetic Plastic Surgery.† which drastically displays the change and growth in the use of plastic surgery for young adults (Gilbert). While it may be the popularized solution to solve one’s problem by going â€Å"under the knife† there are many important factors to consider when making this life altering decision. Especially when it comes to the topic of teenage plastic surgery. While it is a personal choice young adults should not be allowed to make and go through with the choice of plastic surgery without being fully aware of the situation, having a necessity for medical purposes, as well as obtaining full parental aid and consent. When remembering your time as a young adult you may have some unfortunate experiences. Going through your young adult life in those few years is a great struggle. With pop culture idolizing those who areShow MoreRelatedPlastic Surgery: A Symptom of Vanity1092 Words   |  4 PagesPlastic surgery is...vanity Plastic surgery is a symptom of the vanity of our society. This assertion, of course, may immediately cause some readers to take issue with such a blanket statement. What about individuals who undertake plastic surgery to reconstruct their breasts after a mastectomy, they cry? What about people who have been disfigured in car crashes? 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