Ch. 1 - Overview of Marketing (Brief History and Mission Statement)

Easily one of the world's leading manufacturers of electronic products for both the consumer and professional markets, Sony is a multinational conglomerate corporation whose headquarters lies in Minato, Tokyo. Currently, Sony holds the 87th rank on the 2012 list of Fortune 500. ^[1]

Sony Corporation of America is one of its many subsidiaries. In New York, Sony's primary businesses are Sony Electronics Inc., Sony Computer Entertainment America LLC, Sony Pictures Entertainment Inc., and Sony Music Entertainment.

Sony Computer Entertainment America LLC (SCEA) was founded in 1994. Present day, Sony continues to fulfill their mission to challenge consumers' entertainment with innovative products such as the PlayStation3 gaming console. SCEA, located in Foster City, CA, is considered headquarters for all other North American operations.

History

Masaru Ibuka (left) with Akio Morita

In the midst of all the chaos World War II had to offer, Masaru Ibuka opened an electronics shop in a bomb-damaged department store building in Tokyo in 1946. At the time, the company had only $530 in capital and eight employees. The following year, Ibuka's colleague Akio Morita partnered with him to create a company called Tokyo Tsushin Kogyo (Tokyo Telecommunications Engineering Corporation).

Mission

Sony has dedicated themselves to develop a wide range of ground-breaking products and multimedia services that change how consumers embrace digital entertainment. "...Sony is constantly striving to create exciting new worlds of entertainment that can be experienced on a variety of different products."


^References

^{1. http://money.cnn.com/magazines/fortune/fortune500/2012/full_list/} 

Masaru Ibuka (left) Akio Morita (right)