Akio Morita- The Entrepreneur that made Sony

1. ENTREPRENEUR
NAME : LALIT BIST
R.NO : 1

2. About the company
 A Japanese multinational corporation
headquartered in , Minato, Tokyo, Japan.
 It is one of the leading manufacturers of electronic
products for the consumer and professional
markets.
 Sony is ranked 116th on the 2015 list of Fortune
Global 500.
 Traded as NYSE: SNE
 Current CEO : Kazuo Hirai

3. Product
Range
•TV & Audio Equipment
•Mobile Phones & Music
•Computer •Game Consoles
•Movie & Video Entertainment
•Financial Services
Major Products

4. Co-Founder Of
Sony
Masaru Ibuka Akio Morita

5. Co-Founder Of
Sony
Masaru Ibuka Akio Morita
“On May 7,
1946, they founded Tokyo
Telecommunications Engineering
Corporation with about 20 employees
and initial capital of ¥190,000. Morita's
family invested in this during the
early period and was the
largest shareholder”.
Cont….

6. AKIO MORITA
The Entrepreneur that made Sony

7. Background
 Born on January 26, 1921 in Nagoya, Japan
 The Morita family had been brewing sake and soy sauce for 14
generations. As the oldest son, he was expected to take over the
business, but Akio was more interested in tinkering with electronics.
 Father : Kyuzaemon Morita
 Mother : Shu Morita
 He had begun being groomed to take over the family business by the age
of ten, at which time his father even made him attend all of the company’s
board meetings.
 Akio Morita found the Sony Corporation in 1946 with his buddy, Masaru
Ibuka. Morita was 25 when he established Sony.
 He worked in a partnership with Masaru Ibuka.
 Ibuka focused on engineering and product design, while Morita handled
marketing, personnel and financing.

8. Educational Qualifications
 Graduates from the science department of the Eighth Higher
School in 1942
 Graduated from Osaka Imperial University with a degree in
physics in 1944.
 After higher education ,Akio is commissioned as a Navy
technical lieutenant, working as a technician in avionic
research at the Yokosuka Naval Base

9. Unique Qualities
 Encouragement
 Fearless
 Rational thinker
 Goal oriented person
 Creativity
 Energetic
 Social

10. Challenges faced in life
Launch a new product.
find the specific market.
Difficulties on customer necessity changes.

11. Achievements about his business
 In 1960 Akio Morita launched the company in the United States and renamed it
‘Sony’.
 The Sony Corporation of America was the first Japanese company to be listed on
the New York Stock Exchange.
 The same year they produced the very first transistor television.
 In 1979 they diversified into the financial arena by establishing the Sony Prudential
Life Insurance Co. Ltd. He also acquired CBS Records Inc. and Columbia Pictures
Entertainment Inc.
 He helped put his country back on the map, while building his company reputation
across the world.
 Indeed, in 1998, a Harris survey revealed that Sony was ranked the number one
brand name by American consumers, ahead of Coca-Cola and General Electric.

12. THAT’S HOW THE NAME CHANGED
• During his trip to the US and Europe in 1952, Morita found that the company
name Tokyo Tsushin Kabushiki Kaisha was a tongue twister and nobody could
pronounce it correctly.
• Thus, a name had to be found which was not too long, had only four to five
letters and would be pronounced easily.
• After considerable research, the duo decided to use the name 'Sony', which
was derived from the two words 'Sonus‘ (which in Latin means sound) and
'Sonny'(which was an English slang for bright, young and cute boys).
• Moreover, since they felt that they themselves were one, they decided on the
name 'Sony'...

13. Sony after Morita
• After Morita's resignation, Sony seemed to have missed many
opportunities. It was not successful in the flat display televisions and
computer market.
• It also failed in the cellular phones market. Eventually, the cell phone
business of Sony was merged with Ericsson.
• Analysts also felt that Sony should sell the lossmaking Aiwa Company and
discontinue the Trinitron TV product line, which was making losses in spite
of being a pioneer and a leading product during its initial years...

14. In 1994, Morita suffered a cerebral
hemorrhage while playing tennis,
and subsequently announced his
resignation as Sony chairman.
Morita also published an
autobiography, called “Made in
Japan.” Five years later, at the age
of 78, Morita died of pneumonia.
His legacy lives on in the company
he founded, the company that
continues to be one of the world’s
most renowned manufacturers of
consumer electronics.

15. Key lessons can learn from him
 Believe in yourself.
 Start small .
 Pick a good name.
 Trust your gut .
 Don’t be afraid to make mistake.
 Build a quality product.
 Be different.

16. THANKYOU FOR
YOUR
PARTICIPATION