Sony 2002 Annual Report Download - page 11

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9
Message from Top Management
Question: You have just mentioned the importance of alliances with other companies in the broad-
band era. Would you elaborate?
Idei CEO The opposite of soft alliances is hard alliances, which include
mergers and acquisitions. Since purchasing the Music and Pictures
businesses, more than ten years have passed, and we have experi-
enced many cultural differences between hardware manufacturing
and content businesses.
This experience has taught us that in certain areas where hard
alliances would have taken ten years to succeed, soft alliances can be
created more easily. Another advantage of soft alliances is the ability
to form partnerships with many different companies. We aim to
provide an open and easy-to-access environment where anybody can
participate and we are willing to cooperate with companies that share
our vision. Soft alliances offer many possibilities.
Question: What will Sony’s public image be in the broadband era?
Idei CEO Three words define our image. The first is “global”. One of Sony’s
greatest attributes is the ability to view and conduct business on a
worldwide scale. We have employees performing various tasks in
almost every country of the world. Very few companies are like us.
The second key word is “media”. In essence, Sony is a media
company. In the past, our “It’s a Sony” slogan stressed our identity as
a manufacturer. Now, our hardware can be considered a medium of
its own, through which new content including not only music and
movies, but also games, will be disseminated.
The third word is “technology”. Management is often called a
confluence of art and science. Technology is the science side of this
equation, and Sony is a company that utilizes its technology not only
in its products but also in management.
These three key words collectively describe Sony’s distinctive
corporate culture. As these characteristics become further integrated,
new business opportunities will present themselves and Sony will
become a 21st century manufacturer – a manufacturer built on
knowledge – and new corporate value will emerge. I firmly believe
that our primary mission as the leaders of Sony is to mold the Group
into this kind of enterprise.