SONY CASE STUDY

Sony Case Study

Sony Case Study

1. “Change is the only constant “. Evaluate the different types of change that have occurred in Sony?

A vast majority of the changes that usually take place in an organization are what may be classified as structural changes. Such a type of change has a major influence on the manner in which a company is run and affects the entire hierarchy from top to bottom (Wheelen & Hunger, 1998). The most common type of structural change is when an organization introduces a new policy or devises a new strategy for improving existing structures and business processes. In the case of Sony, there is a major structural change being proposed as the CEO of the company has suggested that there is an urgent need to streamline existing business processes in order to make them more efficient as well as cost effective. The structural changes also propose a new strategy that aims to boost the level of integration that exists between organizations. The main focus of the business in taking such a measure is to increase the level of cooperation among various departments so as to improve efficiency accords the organization (Wheelen & Hunger, 1998). Sony is also planning to undergo major strategic changes. Strategic changes are those that are the result of radical changes in the external business environment in which a business operates. Therefore, such changes are usually very transformative and the business responds more urgently, actively and aggressively to strategic changes since they affect its position in the target markets. Sony plans to undergo strategic change for the purpose of redefining its operations in order to adapt to shifting market trends and consumer preferences (Sony's risky game Far Eastern Economic Review, 2000, p. 10-15). It has been highlighted in the case study that global there has been an unprecedented change in the tastes of consumers as they have place a greater amount of emphasis on the user-friendliness of products rather than their innovativeness. This has come as a major setback for Sony as its sales across the globe have registered a sharp decline (Wakao, 2001). Therefore, the company plans to undergo strategic change in order to align its existing portfolio of electronics products with the changing needs and preferences of the consumers of the global market. The third type of change that the company is facing is what can be identified as process change. Process change typically involves a situation where the management tries to devise strategies that are specifically aimed at improving the overall efficiency and productivity of the organization (Wakao, 2001). In the case of Sony, it has been highlighted that the changes proposed by the management include redefining the culture and strategic goals of the organization so that a greater emphasis can be placed on the things that are of more value to the consumers. Therefore, value creation is the most important type of process change that the company has introduced and this is aimed at creating greater value for the ...