Sony Ericsson Idou Phone
There is no question that the Sony Corporation (ADR) is struggling. A recent $1.7 billion impairment charge for the company is the result of a projected overall decline in their mobile phone sector. The current market for mobile phones is quickly developing and Sony simply can’t keep up; their share of the global smartphone market has dropped from 4% to 3.1% in one year. Furthermore, this is the first year since its inception that Sony will not be able to pay their shareholder’s a dividend. Sony is beginning to tear at the seams, and it is time for them to rebuild.
Sony’s current business strategy is to “reduce the size of the division, and concentrate on the fanciest smartphones”. Frankly, this is not the wisest decision for Sony. I would recommend that they completely shut down other mobile phone unit, and look to invest their time and resources elsewhere. Fortunately, Sony is such a large firm with such a wide variety of products that there are many viable alternative sectors for them to invest in. If a sector of a company is damaged to the point of no-recovery, it is only reasonable to “pull the plug”, is it not?
References
“Pouring Cold Water.” The Economist. The Economist Newspaper, 20 Sept. 2014. Web. 24 Sept. 2014.
Coca-Cola’s inability to produce significant data to justify their claims, combined with their assertive marketing tactics has lead the environmental community, and myself, to condemn the company of an unethical practice known as “Green-Washing”. “Green-washing” is the act of deceptively utilizing “environmentally friendly” practices in order to increase the PR of a company, increasing sales in the process. These unethical practices tie in various aspects of Milton Friedman’s The Social Responsibility of Business to Increase Profits. By dramatizing their efforts to achieve sustainability, the company is attempting to align their ideologies with those of the socially conscious customer. The controversy lies in the deception they are using to announce such a commitment to the environment. The unique twist to this story arises in the fact that “Green Washing” is actually benefiting Coca-Cola as they were recently voted as the “Industry Champion of The Year” at the 2014 Sustainable Bio Awards. As Coca-Cola is technically not breaking any laws, they have the right to “make as much money as possible while still conforming to the basic rules of society”.