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Sony vs Samsung: The Inside Story of the Electronics Giants' Battle For Global Supremacy [Paperback]

Sea-Jin Chang
4.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (6 customer reviews)

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Book Description

August 8, 2008 0470823712 978-0470823712
"Sony vs. Samsung is business history at its best! It explores the divergent fortunes of these two electronics giants in the last decade and identifies the true reasons behind Sony's decline and Samsung's rise. Contrary to popular belief, Chang shows that success (or failure) does not simply arise from different strategies. Rather, it emerges from major decisions that are deeply rooted in the companies' organizational processes and their executives' political behavior. This book is a must-read for any senior executive."
Constantinos Markides, Robert P. Bauman Professor of Strategic Leadership and Chairman, Strategy Department, London Business School

"Sea-Jin Chang has produced that rarity in a business book--one that is as valuable to practicing managers as it is insightful to academic researchers. In this fascinating comparison of two modern global giants, he applies his high resolution research microscope to their changing fortunes by dissecting their contrasting strategies, and providing interesting insights into their divergent organizational processes and management practices. This is a very valuable contribution to the international business literature. It will end up in as many corporate boardrooms as faculty seminars."
Christopher A. Bartlett, Thomas D. Casserly Professor Emeritus, Harvard Business School

"Sea-Jin Chang has written a fascinating comparison of Sony and Samsung that will be valuable to anyone interested in strategy, organizations or international business. The interwoven and very detailed case studies of two very different companies in overlapping industries illuminate problems such as adaptation to technological change (analog to digital), organizational flexibility and globalization. His attempt to analyze both strategic development and implementation is successful and very useful. Both academics and practitioners will learn a lot from this book."
Stephen J. Kobrin, William Wurster Professor of Multinational Management, The Wharton School, University of Pennsylvania

"Refreshingly original and entertaining, this book analyzes major strategic decisions of Samsung and Sony and highlights organizational processes and top management leadership that have shaped their performances. This is a must-read for all executives who want to understand the strengths and weaknesses of Asian competitors. It also provides penetrating insights to other Asian companies with global ambitions."
Myoung Woo Lee, President and CEO, iriver


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Sony vs Samsung: The Inside Story of the Electronics Giants' Battle For Global Supremacy + Samsung Electronics and the Struggle for Leadership of the Electronics Industry + Korean Business Etiquette: The Cultural Values and Attitudes that Make Up the Korean Business Personality
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Editorial Reviews

From the Inside Flap

In 2002 a milestone occurred in the electronics industry. The market capitalization of Sony fell below that of Samsung for the first time.
Why did the performance of Sony, which once dominated the global electronics industry,drop so rapidly while Samsung emerged from nowhere?

This fascinating book from leading business professor Sea-Jin Chang compares key strategic decisions by Sony and Samsung with respect to technology, marketing, organizational infrastructure, and globalization strategies from the mid-1990s to 2006.

One of the key findings drawn from this book is that the performance differences between Sony and Samsung cannot be attributed solely to their strategies. Rather, organizational processes and executive leadership also contributed significantly to their performances. The author examines these contributions in detail and in doing so reveals much about each company’s approach to global expansion and their key
factors for success and failure.

Sony vs. Samsung examines the challenges that Samsung faces, despite its remarkable performance, while evaluating Sony’s potential, despite its current struggles. The conclusions provide useful insights for all companies involved in global competitive markets.

From the Back Cover

"Sony vs. Samsung is business history at its best! It explores the divergent fortunes of these two electronics giants in the last decade and identifies the true reasons behind Sony’s decline and Samsung’s rise. Contrary to popular belief, Chang shows that success (or failure) does not simply arise from different strategies. Rather, it emerges from major decisions that are deeply rooted in the companies’ organizational processes and their executives’ political behavior. This book is a must-read for any senior executive."
—Constantinos Markides
Robert P. Bauman Professor of Strategic Leadership and Chairman,
Strategy Department, London Business School

"Sea-Jin Chang has produced that rarity in a business book—one that is as valuable to practicing managers as it is insightful to academic researchers. In this fascinating comparison of two modern global giants, he applies his high resolution research microscope to their changing fortunes by dissecting their contrasting strategies, and providing interesting insights into their divergent organizational processes and management practices. This is a very valuable contribution to the international business literature. It will end up in as many corporate boardrooms as faculty seminars."
—Christopher A. Bartlett
Thomas D. Casserly Professor Emeritus, Harvard Business School

"Sea-Jin Chang has written a fascinating comparison of Sony and Samsung that will be valuable to anyone interested in strategy, organizations or international business. The interwoven and very detailed case studies of two very different companies in overlapping industries illuminate problems such as adaptation to technological change (analog to digital), organizational flexibility and globalization. His attempt to analyze both strategic development and implementation is successful and very useful. Both academics and practitioners will learn a lot from this book."
—Stephen J. Kobrin, William Wurster Professor of Multinational Management, The Wharton School, University of Pennsylvania

"Refreshingly original and entertaining, this book analyzes major strategic decisions of Samsung and Sony and highlights organizational processes and top management leadership that have shaped their performances. This is a must-read for all executives who want to understand the strengths and weaknesses of Asian competitors. It also provides penetrating insights to other Asian companies with global ambitions."
—Myoung Woo Lee, President and CEO
iriver


Product Details

  • Paperback: 250 pages
  • Publisher: Wiley (August 8, 2008)
  • Language: English
  • ISBN-10: 0470823712
  • ISBN-13: 978-0470823712
  • Product Dimensions: 6.3 x 0.7 x 8.9 inches
  • Shipping Weight: 12 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
  • Average Customer Review: 4.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (6 customer reviews)
  • Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #207,992 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

4.8 out of 5 stars
(6)
4.8 out of 5 stars
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The book outlines the organizations' differences across several dimensions. Andrew Nam  |  2 reviewers made a similar statement
It is comprehensive and well researched. Ngan Hook Sum  |  2 reviewers made a similar statement
If you are involved in electronics manufacturing and sales this book is for you! Renato Bordin  |  2 reviewers made a similar statement
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
4 of 5 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
A great, easy read on business history, which spells out the vast differences between two seemingly similar electronics firms. It also brings a greater understanding as to how Samsung Electronics, being such a late starter and technologically handicapped competitor, came to become a world leader in Display and Mobile technologies with the help of digitalization.

The book outlines the organizations' differences across several dimensions. Sony has always had a corporate emphasis on creativity and ingenuity (a good read on Sony's history is Sony), but has had problems with format biases, segmented leadership, and being stuck in its own glory (Betamax, Trinitron, MD-ATRAC). In stark contrast, Samsung has focused on speed and scale through its militaristic leadership structure, however faces big hurdles in leadership transition and creative development.

Perhaps most interesting are the implications of each organization's strengths and weaknesses on its future outlook. The two are very different companies, but are direct competitors in many markets. Sony's performance under its new CEO, and Samsung's leadership transition to Lee Kun Hee's son, Lee Jae Yong, will be very interesting.

A must read for those interested in Asian vs. Western business cultures, and the electronics industry as a whole.
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4.0 out of 5 stars Interesting - April 4, 2013
Format:Paperback
In 2002 Sony's market capitalization fell below Samsung's, and by 12/2006 it was twice that of Sony's. Early on Sony developed the transistor radio, magnetic tape-recording machines, the Walkman, the camcorder, and the CD, while Samsung Electronics originally was merely an OEM firm with limited technology that produced cheap, low-quality products by borrowing technology from abroad. Sony had been named one of the 'World's Most Admired Companies' by Fortune in 1997, yet, it was already in trouble. Its CEO was listed by Business Week as one of the 'Top Executives of the Year' in 1997 and 1999. Sony's problems began after acquiring Columbia Pictures in 1989 - by 1994 it had to write off accumulated losses of $3.5 billion. Meanwhile, in 1998, Business Week described Samsung as a company that manufactured commodity chips and badly hurt by the Asian crisis.

Sony sales have been stagnant or falling since 2003, while profitability has declined since 1997 - mostly the result of its audio and TV businesses. It went on to succeed in the DRAM business by aggressive investment, ruthless cost-cutting, and focusing on R&D. It then applied these practices to flash memory and LCDs.
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Format:Kindle Edition|Amazon Verified Purchase
Professor Chang had written a very good book. A Management Classic showing how messy management can be. It is comprehensive and well researched. I hope Professor Chang will continue to research and write "Samsung vs Apple" when the time is ripe.
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