Sony: death or glory? Can blue chip giant regain its luster?

Abstract

Purpose

Reviews the latest management developments across the globe and pinpoints practical implications from cutting‐edge research and case studies.

Design/methodology/approach

This briefing is prepared by an independent writer who adds their own impartial comments and places the articles in context.

Findings

The passing from office of charismatic founder Akio Moriata still casts a shadow over the Sony Empire. The once sure‐footed innovator is not in crisis, but corporate decline and fall can be a slow lingering death. Certainties have gone. An organization that once shrugged off a gallant defeat in video format wars (a superior Sony Betamax system came second to the more prevalent VHS) is beginning to face up to an uncertain future, one in which it cannot be insulated from the pace of competition. The issues currently being faced go to the very soul of the organization. So when its back is increasingly against the wall, what is its self‐image, what are its basic instincts about the fight to be fought, and is the stomach there to take the painful decisions needed to thrive in the next era?

Practical implications

Provides strategic insights and practical thinking that have influenced some of the world's leading organizations.

Originality/value

The briefing saves busy executives and researchers hours of reading time by selecting only the very best, most pertinent information and presenting it in a condensed and easy‐to‐digest format.

Citation

(2006), "Sony: death or glory? Can blue chip giant regain its luster?", Strategic Direction, Vol. 22 No. 4, pp. 14-16. https://doi.org/10.1108/02580540610657263