Vision - January/February 2009 - (Page 46) B View from the Top: uilding a global platform for a company is a competitive advantage in the consumer technology industry but not without its challenges. Vision asked two global executives leading Asian companies: Hisense Chairman Zhou Houjian and Panasonic Corp. of North America Chairman and CEO Yoshi Yamada, to share their experiences about how their companies are making an impact on the market. What are their hurdles, accomplishments and best advice? Read on. How do you integrate internal cultures and mindsets across borders? Hisense’s Zhou Houjian: While we are a Chinese company and obviously have Chinese Zhou Houjian traits, many of Chairman our values and Hisense Group Co. Ltd. philosophy are in common with other world class enterprises. We focus on stable management, integrity and excellent quality products, while continuing to innovate and advance our technology. They are the cornerstone of our long-term development. Of course, as a globalized company, we must effectively convey our ideas and philosophy on a strategic level and, most importantly, adapt them locally. We ensure all employees and leadership have a worldwide vision, supported by diversity training and hands-on education. Essential to our mission is to ensure we attend such important events as CES in Las Vegas, a truly global phenomenon. We adapt our vision to the local market. Our relationships with local governments, distributors, consumers, trade unions and local employees, are invaluable for achieving market success. We always strive to integrate into a region, thus providing a win-win scenario for our corporation and the local market. Localization of the brand is extremely important to pave the way for continuous overseas development. — Hisense Chairman Zhou Houjian For example, in Australia last July, we successfully negotiated naming rights for a well-known stadium in Melbourne. We received extensive media coverage and have worked with our local staff and representatives to ensure maximum exposure. In South Africa, we acquired and established a local manufacturing base. Our products are well received in the African market. We are entrenched in the community and have worked with local governments and staff to support orphanages and other worthy causes. In Israel, Hisense benefited from the good will established by China hosting the 2008 Olympics and launched our brand stressing our Chinese roots. In less than a year, we are a major player in the Israeli market, receiving high marks in customer satisfaction. In addition, we sponsor Israel’s national soccer team in their World Cup bid. Localization of the brand is extremely important to pave the way for continuous overseas development. Panasonic’s Yoshi Yamada: Panasonic has a very strong corporate culture that is Yoshi Yamada unified around Chairman and CEO the basic busiPanasonic Corp. of North America ness principles of our founder Konosuke Matsushita. He emphasized the company’s obligation to society and our responsibility to return benefits to the communities in which we do business. In particular, we have re-emphasized this part of our corporate culture. Because this philosophy connects so well with the values of people all around the world, it gives us a very positive platform for employees to understand and act on the company’s policies and direction. Is your company using social media to communicate its message? Yamada: Online and social media today play an increasingly important role in communicating with our customers. At a time of huge transformations in our business and in society, companies need to pay close attention to social media because they represent communities in which consumers express what they expect of us. For this reason, we in Panasonic are reviewing the way we communicate and expect to target social media in a greatly expanded way in 2009. What is the biggest threat to your business today? What is the greatest opportunity? Yamada: Without a doubt the economic downturn and the resulting decline in consumer demand are the major challenges. During times like this, healthy companies that keep their eyes on customer needs are well-positioned to survive and grow as demand starts to pick up. For this reason, we consider this a time of opportunity for us as well. 46 January/February 2009 www.ce.org http://www.ce.org
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