Sony: company overview and business operations

Sony

Problem Identification

Sony Corporation is a leading manufacturer and producer of game, electronics and entertainment products. For several decades, the company has dominated the market of the electronic sector. However, in the last few years, Sony has recorded a net loss for four consecutive years. In 2010, the company recorded a net loss of 40.8 billion Japanese Yen equivalent of U.S.$347 Million. In 2011, the company also recorded a net loss of 259.5 billion Japanese Yen, which equivalent to $2.2 Billion. In 2012, the company recorded $3.8 billion net loss. In 2014, Sony secures a net loss of equivalent of $1.1 billion. (Sony Corporation, 2014). Sony has been facing both internal and external challenges. Typically, the company has faced a stiff competition from other online game companies. Moreover, the appreciation of Japanese Yen over other major currencies adversely affects the ability of consumer to purchase Sony product from outside Japan leading to overall decline of consumer demand for the Sony product. In essence, Sony has been facing challenges to retain market shares with increasing competitions on its product globally.

Moreover, Sony management is still conservative and unwilling to implement substantial changes that can improve the company market viability despite consecutive yearly losses recorded by the company. The company rarely implements a merger and acquisition and by consequence, Sony stock's price dropped drastically in 2011 by more than half making investors to lose confidence in the Sony stocks.

Objective of this paper is to carry out the strategic analysis of the Sony Corporation. The report uses the Porter Five and SWOT analysis to carry out the strategic analysis.

Sony Strategy Analysis

Internal Rivalry

Sony operates across different sectors and the company main segments include Game, Electronics, Financial Services, and Pictures. Over the years, Sony has lost market shares in the electronic segments because of the intense competition that the company is facing. The company major competitors include Apple Inc., Samsung, Microsoft, LG Electronics and Canon. Typically, Television is one of key components of the Sony products; however, the company has faced intense competition from other electronic company such as LG and Samsung, which are producing the similar products. (Porter, 1980).

Another problem of Sony is that the company targets mainly high price customer. For example, the Sony PlayStation is very attractive to many consumers however; its price is too high. Sony also lacks a consumer brand loyalty compared to other companies such Apple and LG because of the high price of its product.

Entry

The threats to entry into the industry are relative low because of the product differentiation, economies of scales, technological innovation and capital requirements involved. Sony has been able to develop economies of scale for its product, which new potential entrants might face challenging to achieve. Moreover, entrant into the industry requires a high level of technological skill, government regulation and patent protection, which are the barrier to entry for potential electronic producers.

Complements and Substitutes

Sony strategy is by differentiating its product and targeting high-end customer. Moreover, Sony uses superior technology and unique designs to differentiate its product, however, the company products still have so many complements and substitutes. Some of these substitutes are being offered at low prices, and increase in the price of Sony products is making many consumers switching to the substitutes. The increase in the price of Sony product is making the company to lose its brand loyalty compared to the Apple Inc. that is enjoying brand loyalty.

Supplier Power

Power of supply is low because Sony sources for materials from different suppliers around the world. Sony's bargaining powers with its suppliers are very high making the company to enjoy advantages over its suppliers.

Power of Buyer

In the sectors that Sony is operating, the buyers enjoy a substantial power. Several companies are offering similar products that Sony is offering making buyer to enjoy a high bargaining power over the Sony product.

SWOT Analysis

Strengths:

Good brand name because of good design and high quality.

Mature Value Chain

Intellectual Properties Holdings

Weaknesses:

Conservative Management

Lack of focus because of no intention to initiate changes.

Weak financial strengths due to low operating efficiency and consecutives yearly net loss.

Opportunities:

Market opportunities because of economic recovery

Industry Integration

Undervalued stock price might attract investors.

Threats:

Adversely affect the company from aftermath of the Japanese Earthquake.

Fluctuation of foreign exchange rates is affecting financial results.

Stiff Competition from other electronic companies.

Analysis of the Strategies to address the Issue

The strategic analysis of Sony reveals that Sony fails to maintain its brand loyalty and increase the market shares because many of its products is very expensive making customers switching to competitors. Sony needs to produce low costs product to enjoy a brand loyalty. (Armstrong, and Kotler, 2008).

Sony should switch to low costs labor for the manufacturing and assembling of its product. Apple Inc. is able to increase its market shares because the company designs its product in the United States, manufactures, and assembles its product in China using the low cost Chinese labor. The strategy has made the Apple to offer its product at competitive prices. Sony should employ the same strategy and using low costs labor to make its product be more competitive in the market place. It is essential to realize that Sony has a recognized brand globally, and if the company should implement strategic changes and offer its product at low price, the company will enjoy competitive market advantages. (Jeanet, Hennessey, 2004).

Moreover, Sony should focus on few line of segment where it has known for many years rather diverting into unrelated line of product. For example, Sony is currently diverting into unrelated services such financing and insurance. Over the years, Sony has diversified into various line of product making the company resources such as customer service, marketing and R&D scatter over these lines of product. By consequence, Sony has not yet achieved market competitive advantages over these products.

The report suggests that Sony should concentrate most of its resources on the productive segment and desist from servicing the segments that are not productive. The strategy will assist the company to enjoy competitive advantages over its competitors because restructuring will make the company to increase the market strength thereby increasing investor confidence.