Introduction
Structural and financial adjustments are vital tools for promoting performance in companies and giving them an upper hand while competing with others. This essay is an assessment of how Sony Corporation is designing its technology systems to meet the market demands and make profits as projected by the management.
Background
This company is ranked third in terms of manufacturing and producing electronic services and products. Globalization has pushed this company to invent efficient ways of entertainment and communication that will allow individuals to purchase quality and affordable products (Global Markets Direct 2009). The company manufactures electronics (television, mobile phones, video recorders and cameras among others) and offers several computer games (video games and play stations). In addition, it has dominated most internet services by offering connectivity devices and services.
Significant Processes
This company manufactures different electronic items and offers many related services like entertainment and communication. Nations are connected to one another through technology that makes transport and communication cheap, efficient and reliable. Today, internet services are available in all countries and this has motivated Sony Corporation to widen their manufacturing services (Global Markets Direct 2009). Desktop computers and landline telephones were the order of the day when technology was still a strange issue. However, the need to adopt modern lifestyles has pushed people to demand better services and now laptops and mobile phones have made communication easy (Laudon 2009). This has challenged this company to keep improving its technologies to meet the market demands.
Extent of Redesigning
Unfortunately technology keeps evolving and is never static since consumers continue demanding efficient and cost effective products. Globalization continues to penetrate to all regions of the world and this requires people to have modern equipment and technology (Kadlec 2012). Therefore, redesigning these technologies will continue until when life on earth ends. Secondly, other similar companies are targeting consumer preferences and manufacturing portable and efficient equipment that are cheap and can multitask. For example, mobile phones are not only used for communicating but also for storing, planning and searching the internet. In addition, they are used for watching, downloading and listening to music and videos.
Opportunities Offered by New Technologies and Designs
Sony Corporation manufactures gadgets like computers, laptops, mobile phones, televisions and radios. These are essential tools of communication that evolve due to globalization and modernization. Traditional communication channels are becoming unpopular and this means modern technology is penetrating all remote regions. Therefore, there is the need to embrace new technologies and designs to get feedback from consumers regarding products available for sale (Kadlec 2012). In addition, this enables the manufacturer to communicate new ideas and market new products to consumers. Redesigning technology will keep this company ahead of its competitors like Samsung and LG.
Major Partners
All parties involved in communication and broadcasting form a huge clientele for this company. Communication companies like Safaricom, Airtel and Orange (mobile phone communication companies in Kenya) are some of the world’s leading clients of Sony Corporation. In addition, broadcasting houses like BBC, Aljazeera and CNN are some of the companies that offer an endless demand for this company’s products. These companies rely on Sony Corporation for most of their hardware and software components (Global Markets Direct 2009). There is the need to establish electronic supplier/customer links to ease the provision of quality communication services. This partnership can lead to the establishment of other related services like storage, entertainment and savings. For instance, most mobile phone companies provide communication and money transfer services (Laudon 2009). Mobile phone tracking enables police officers to hunt down criminals and track criminal activities.
Structuring Strategic Organization
This company faces stiff competition from other companies and also the global financial crisis that has led to inflation. However, it should invest a lot of resources in product research and improvement to produce quality items that are cheap and portable. In addition, their strategy should also focus on regions that have not been exploited like healthcare, learning and agriculture (Kadlec 2012). Consumers’ preferences and tastes are determined by changes in their society and this means that this company must use both the product and regional based strategies to maximize on the available demand.
Competitive Strategy
This company embraces consumer based production where the market demand dictates product specifications. It has invested heavily in research in various sectors to identify consumer needs and manufacture products that reflect these preferences (Waddill 2011). For instance, the production of mini-laptops was motivated by the need to have light weight portable computers. In addition, this company is producing computer tablets that weigh less than a kilogram to meet the demand for portable laptops. Therefore, consumer based manufacturing is the key competitive strategy that ensures this company produces cheap, quality and affordable products.
Processes Accomplishments
This company uses a levelled management system that has few hierarchies to facilitate communication between departments. The company has Mr. Kazoo Hirai as its CEO and president in charge of coordinating the activities of its business groups. This ensures the subsidiary companies are run from the top, and information is disseminated from one department to others. All groups are managed by their heads and this eases decision making, communication and discussions (Kadlec 2012). This company has not used communication technologies to minimize levels since there are too many hierarchies. Production workflows and automated production have improved production processes since there is no time wasted and products are of high quality.
Efficient Managerial Hierarchy
Centralized managerial systems are the best world wide and most successful companies embrace it. Sony Corporation has adopted this hierarchy and has a CEO and other heads of business groups. This system facilitates fast communication and decision making (Waddill 2011). There is a smooth flow of instructions from senior to junior workers and this makes all activities run smoothly. Consultations waste time and energy and cause delays in giving instructions to junior workers. However, this company has eliminated possibilities of too many partners to consult before making decisions. This has promoted efficiency in communication between departments and among all workers. It has used technological levelling to ensure managers have a large control span through developing efficient communication channels. In addition, this company has matrixes that are short term and meant to address emerging issues like product recalls and price fluctuations (Global Markets Direct 2009). This enables the company to handle various urgent issues without establishing permanent offices and departments. These temporary work groups are cost effective and able to resolve issues without necessarily involving all managers and supervisors.
Conclusion
Most multinational companies are always searching for new and efficient technology that is cost effective and reliable to stay ahead of others in the global competitions. This necessitates the need to design their communication and management systems to reflect changes in trends and also place themselves at convenient positions to attract customers and expand their markets.
References
Global Markets Direct. (2009). Sony Corporation – Financial and Strategic Analysis Review. New York: Wadsworth.
Kadlec, T. (2012). Implementing Responsive Design: Building Sites for an Anywhere, Everywhere Web. Connecticut: Cengage Learning.
Laudon, K. (2009). Management Information Systems: New Approaches to Organization and Technology. New Jersey: Prentice Hall.
Waddill, D. (2011). The e-HR Advantage: The Complete Handbook for Technology-Enabled Human Resources. Boston: Nicholas Brealey Publishing.