This document provides a timeline of key events in Sony's history from 1946 to 1996. It was established in 1946 as Tokyo Tsushin Kogyo and launched Japan's first transistor radio in 1955. The company changed its name to Sony in 1958. It expanded globally through founding Sony Corporation of America in 1960. Sony launched many innovations including the first transistor television in 1960 and Walkman personal stereo in 1979. The document also outlines Sony's organizational structure, core businesses, financial performance, competencies and various business processes relating to areas like time pacing, modularity, co-evolution, branding, value chain and supply chain management.

1. SONY CORP.
A CASE STUDY
PREPARED BY: NIRAV DESAI (14030141023) MBA-IT 2014-16
COURSE: PRINCIPLES AND PRACTISE OF IT ENABLED MANAGEMENT
INSTRUCTOR: PROF. SUPRATIK GHATAK (SYMBIOSIS INSTITUTE OF COMPUTER STUDIES AND RESEARCH)

2. TIMELINE [1]:
YEAR MONTH EVENTS
1946 MAY ESTD. BY THE NAME OF TOKYO TSUSHIN KOGYO (TOTSUKO)BY AKIO
MORITA
1950 JULY LAUNCHES ‘G-TYPE’, JAPAN’S FIRST MAGNETIC TAPE RECORDER
1953 OCT CONCLUDES TRANSISTOR LICENSE AGREEMENT WITH WESTERN ELECTRIC
1955 AUG LAUNCHES ‘TR-55’, JAPAN’S FIRST TRANSISTOR RADIO
1958 JAN CHANGES THE COMPANY NAME TO SONY
1960 FEB FOUNDS SONY CORPORATION OF AMERICA
1960 MAY LAUNCHES WORLD’S FIRST TRANSISTOR TELEVISION
1961 JUNE ISSUES ADR (AMERICAN DEPOSITORY RECEIPTS) IN U.S.A.
1963 JULY LAUNCHES WORLD’S FIRST TRANSISTOR, COMPACT SIZE VCR
1968 MAR FOUNDS CBS/SONY RECORDS WITH CBS (SONY MUSIC ENTERTAINMENT)
1968 OCT LAUNCHES ‘TRINITRON’ COLOR TV
1971 OCT LAUNCHES ¾ INCH, U-MATIC VCR

3. TIMELINE (CONTD.) [1]:
DATE MONTH EVENT
1972 AUG COMMENCES OPERATION AT COLOR TV ASSEMBLY PLANT IN CALIFORNIA
1975 MAY LAUNCHES HOME USE 1/2 –INCH ‘BETAMAX’ VCR
1979 JULY LAUNCHES FIRST PERSONAL HEADPHONE STEREO ‘WALKMAN’
1979 AUG FOUNDS SONY PRUDENTIAL LIFE INSURANCE
1982 OCT LAUNCHES WORLD’S FIRST CD PLAYER
1982 NOV LAUNCHES ‘BETACAM’, A SINGLE UNIT, ½ INCH, BRAODCAST USE
CAMERA
1985 JAN LAUNCHES SINGLE UNIT 8MM VIDEO CAMERA
1987 MAR LAUNCHES DIGITAL AUDIO TAPE (DAT)
1989 APR LAUNCHES HIGH RESOLUTION, HIGH BAND SYSTEM 8MM VIDEO SERIES
1989 JUNE LAUNCHES ‘CCD-TR55’ LIGHTWEIGHT COMPACT SIZE SINGLE UNIT 8MM
VIDEO
1989 NOV ACQUIRES COLUMBIA PICTURES
1990 DEC LAUNCHES ‘HD TRINITRON’, 36 INCH, COLOR HDTV FOR HOME USE

4. TIMELINE (CONTD.) [1]:
YEAR MONTH EVENT
1991 OCT LAUNCHES ‘KIRARA BASSO’ SERIES WITH SUPER TRINITRON PICTURE TUBE
1992 NOV LAUNCHES MINIDISC SYSTEM
1993 OCT LAUNCHES ‘DIGITAL BETACAM’ SYSTEM, BROADCAST USE,
COMPONENT DIGITAL VCR
1993 NOV FOUNDS SONY COMPUTER ENTERTAINMENT
1994 DECEMBER LAUNCHES PLAYSTATION I
1996 MAY 50TH ANNIVERSARY OF SONY CORPORATION
REFERENCE [1]:
The Sony Corporation: A Case Study in Transnational Media Management
by Richard A. Gershon, Western Michigan University, U.S.A.
and Tsutomu Kanayama, Sophia University, Japan
JMM – The International Journal on Media Management – Vol. 4 – No. 2 : (105 – 117) 2002

5. ORGANISATIONAL STRUCTURE AND CORE BUSINESSES: [1]
 AUDIO EQUIPMENT: CD PLAYERS, MD SYSTEMS, DAT RECORDERS,
STEREO COMPONENTS, CAR AUDIO, ETC.
 VIDEO EQUIPMENT: DVD PLAYERS, DIGITAL STILL CAMERAS,
BROADCAST AND PROFESSIONAL USE VIDEO EQUIPMENT
 TELEVISIONS: TRINITRON AND WEGA COLOR TV TELEVISIONS, HDTV
RELATED EQUIPMENT, PERSONAL LCD MONITORS, PROFESSIONAL USE
MONITORS AND PROJECTORS
 INFORMATION: VAIO PERSONAL COMPUTERS, COMPUTER
PERIPHERALS
 ELECTRONIC COMPONENTS: SEMICONDUCTORS, LCDs, CRTs,
OPTICAL PICKUPS, BATTERIES

6. ORGANISATIONAL STRUCTURE AND CORE BUSINESSES: [1]
 MUSIC: SONY MUSIC ENTERTAINMENT INC. (SMEI) AND SONY MUSIC
ENTERTAINMENT (JAPAN). COLUMBIA RECORDS, EPIC RECORDS AND
SONY CLASSICAL ARE SOME OF THE LABELS OWNED
 FILM: SONY PICTURES ENTERTAINMENT. IT CONSISTS OF COLUMIBA
TRISTAR MOTION PICTURE GROUP, COLUMBIA TRISTAR TELEVISION
GROUP AND SONY PICTURES DIGITAL ENTERTAINMENT
 GAMES: SONY COMPUTER ENTERTAINMENT. PLAYSTATION IS THEIR
MAIN PRODUCT LINE HERE (PS4 LAUNCHED ON 15 NOVEMBER, 2013)
 INSURANCE: FINANCIAL SERVICES, AUTOMOBILE AND LIFE
INSURANCE.

7. FINANCIAL PERFORMANCE [2]:
300000
200000
100000
0
-100000
-200000
-300000
-400000
-500000
Income and Revenue for SONY over last 4 years
Jan-11 Jan-12 Jan-13 Jan-14
Operating Income Income after tax Net Income

8. CORE COMPETENCIES [3]:
 COLLECTIVE LEARNING IN THE ORGANISATION ESP. HOW TO CO-ORDINATE
DIVERSE PRODUCTION SKILLS AND INTEGRATE MULTIPLE
STREAMS OF TECHNOLOGIES
 SONY’S CAPACITY TO MINIATURIZE: TO BRING MINIATURIZATION TO
PRODUCTS, SONY MUST ENSURE THAT TECHNOLOGISTS, ENGINEERS AND
MARKETERS HAVE A SHARED UNDERSTANDING OF CUSTOMER NEEDS
AND TECHNOLOGICAL POSSIBILITIES.
 CONTROL OVER CORE PRODUCTS IS CRITICAL TO SHAPE THE EVOLUTION
OF APPLICATIONS AND END MARKETS.
 SONY REDUCED EMPHASIS ON VCRS WHERE SOUTH KOREANS WERE
MORE SUCCESSFUL.
 BETAMAX VIDEO RECORDING STANDARD WAS A DISASTER.
 SPENT MORE EFFORT ON THE 8MM CAMCORDER WHERE IT WAS NUMBER
2 AFTER MATSUSHITA.
REFERENCE [3]:
The Core Competence of a Corporation
Prahalad and Hamel
Harvar Business Review May-June 1990 (Also: HBR on Mc Kinsey Award Winners)

9. BUSINESS PROCESSES 1: TIME PACING [4]
 TIME PACING: A STRATEGY FOR COMPETING IN FAST CHANGING
UNPREDICTABLE MARKETS BY SCHEDULING CHANGE AT PREDICTABLE
TIME INTERVALS.
 SINCE INTRODUCTION OF THE WALKMAN IN 1979, SONY HAS RELEASED
KEY TECHNOLOGIES SUCH AS TAPE DRIVE MECHANISMS, HEADPHONES,
BATTERIES, ETC. AT 1 PER YEAR.
 LAUNCHED 20 NEW MODELS PER YEAR
 IN JAPAN WHERE COMPETITION WAS STRONG, PACING WAS VERY RIGID.
WHERE SONY HAS A POSITION OF STRENGTH, LESS VARIETY DUE TO
SLOWER PACE.
 KEEPS MODELS IN MARKET PLACE LONGER THAN COMPETITORS.
 LAUNCHED THE WALKMAN SIMULTANEOUSLY IN EUROPE, USA AND
JAPAN.
Reference [4]:
Time Pacing –Eisenhardt and Browne
Harvard Business Review March-April 1998
Also: HBR on Managing Uncertainity

10. BUSINESS PROCESSES 2: MODULARITY [4]
 MODULARITY ALLOWED SONY’S WALKMAN SERIES TO TIME PACE ON
SCHEDULE.
 BASED ON HOW DIFFERENT CUSTOMER GROUPS USE THE WALKMAN,
6 MODELS DESIGNED: PLAYBACK ONLY, PLAYBACK AND RECORD,
PLAYBACK AND TUNER, PROFESSIONAL PLAYBACK, PROFESSIONAL
PLAYBACK AND RECORD AND SPORTS.
 STANDARD DESIGN ELEMENTS SUCH AS COLOR, STYLING AND
COMPONENTS LIKE BATTERIES WERE ADDED.
 DEPENDING ON THE COMPETITIVE DYNAMICS IN THE MARKET, THE
COMPANY COULD CHOOSE BETWEEN FASTER BUT PARTIAL RE-DESIGN
OR A SLOWER BUT COMPLETE RE-DESIGN.
Reference [4]:
Time Pacing –Eisenhardt and Browne
Harvard Business Review March-April 1998
Also: HBR on Managing Uncertainity

11. BUSINESS PROCESSES 3: CO-EVOLUTION AND
PATCHING [5]
 CO-EVOLUTION IS THE METHOD OF MAKING SYNERGIES IN BUSINESSES
WORK TOGETHER.
 SONY SCORED A HIT IN 1990S WITH ‘MEN IN BLACK’. AROUND SAME
TIME, DISNEY CAME OUT WITH ‘LION KING’. THEY BOTH FOLLOWED VERY
DIFFERENT STRATEGIES TO MARKETING.
 DISNEY USED SYNERGIES IN RETAIL AND SOLD LION KING THEMED
MERCHANDISE.
 SONY’S MANAGERS WERE NOT ABLE TO PATCH THE BUSINESS ACROSS TO
THE RETAIL SIDE LIKE DISNEY.
 SONY’S WALKMAN PRODUCTS DEPEND ON MEDIA CONTENT, BUT
CUSTOMERS ARE UNWILLING TO LISTEN TO SONY-PRODUCED MUSIC JUST
BECAUSE THEY HAVE A WALKMAN.
 LONG DISTANCE RELATIONSHIPS BETWEEN MANAGERS FROM TOKYO TO
NEW YORK WERE DIFFICULT.
Reference [5]: Co-evolving: At Last A Way To Make Synergies Work
-Eisenhardt, Galvani
Jan-Feb 2000: Harvard Business Review
Also: HBR on Organisational Learning

12. BUSINESS PROCESSES 5: BRANDING [6]
 SONY BRAND HOLDS CLEAR ADVANTAGE IN PRODUCT SUPERIORITY AND
MATCHES COMPETITORS LEVEL OF SERVICE.
 SONY USES A TOP DOWN APPROACH TO BRANDING. THEY BEGIN WITH A
GLOBAL BRAND STRATEGY AND COUNTRY STRATEGIES FOLLOW FROM
THAT.
 THE COUNTRY BRAND TEAM HAS THE BURDEN TO JUSTIFY ANY
DEPARTURES FROM THE GLOBAL BRAND STRATEGY.
 BRAND CHAMPION: A SENIOR EXECUTIVE OR A CEO WHO SERVES AS THE
BRANDS PRIMARY ADVOCATE.
 A BRAND CHAMPION HAS CREDIBILITY AND RESPECT.
 LOGO OF SONY STANDS FOR HIGH LEVEL OF COMPETENCE, QUALITY
AND CARE FOR DETAIL SHARED BY ALL THE PRODUCTS THAT ARE SOLD
WITH THE SONY NAME.
Reference [6]:
The Lure of Global Branding
Aaker and Joachimsthaler Nov-Dec 1999 Harvard Business Review
Also: HBR or Marketing

13. BUSINESS PROCESSES 6: MANAGING THE VALUE
CHAIN [7]
 SONY CORPORATION HAS ESTABLISHED MEGA STORES IN CITIES SUCH
AS CHICAGO, LONDON AND TOKYO.
 SONY AUTHORISED SERVICE CENTERS AND SHOW ROOMS CAN BE
SEEN IN MOST MAJOR CITIES IN INDIA.
 1994 SONY ANNOUNCED MEASURES FOR LEAN MANUFACTURING.
 NO NEW MAJOR INNOVATIONS ANNOUNCED. THIS MARKED A
SIGNIFICANT SHIFT IN THE STRATEGY FOR SONY.
 FOR RETAILING DVDS THROUGH BLOCKBUSTER, SONY DEVELOPED A
REVENUE SHARING AGREEMENT WHERE IN THE DVDS ARE SOLD TO
STORE OWNERS FOR A MEAGRE $3 AND 50% OF THE REVENUES ARE
COLLECTED BY SONY TRISTAR PICTURES.
Reference [7]:
From Lean Production to Lean Enterprise: Womack and Jones
March-April 1994 Harvard Business Review
Also: HBR on Managing the Value Chain

14. BUSINESS PROCESSES 6: SUPPLY CHAIN
MANAGEMENT[8]
 WHEN MICROSOFT DECIDED TO ENTER THE VIDEO GAME MARKET, IT
CHOSE TO OURSOURCE HARDWARE PRODUCTION TO SINGAPORE
BASED FLEXTRONICS IN EARLY 2001.
 FLEXTRONICS OUTSOURCED MANUFACTURING TO HIGH WAGE AND
HIGH SKILLED ECONOMIES IN MEXICO AND HUNGARY.
 XBOX WAS FIRST TO LAUNCH IN 2001 AND GOT A GOOD HEADSTART.
 THEREAFTER, SONY OFFERED DEEP DISCOUNTS ON THE PS2 GAMING
CONSOLE.
 FLEXTRONICS SHIPPED ALL MANUFACTURING TO CHINA TO FURTHER
CUT COSTS AND REDUCE THE OFFERED PRICE OF XBOX.
 BY 2003, XBOX HAD ARRESTED 20% SHARE OF THE VIDEO GAME
MARKET FROM PS2.
Reference [8]: The Triple A Supply Chain: Lu October 2004
Harvard Business Review
Also: HBR on Supply Chain Management