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Sony Rezensionen: Sony's cofounders, Masaru Ibuka and Akio Morita, met near the end of World War II. Ibuka was an engineer with a childlike love for gadgetry and technology; Morita, a pragmatic physicist who arranged to be away from his military unit on the day Japan surrendered, fearful that all officers would be ordered to commit ritual suicide. (He guessed correctly.) Together they founded Tokyo Telecommunications Engineering Co., Ltd., the forerunner of Sony, in 1946, using loans from Morita's wealthy family for startup capital. But even that wasn't as simple as it seems. First, Morita had to be released from his obligation, as first-born son, to take over the family sake business. The very Japaneseness of that moment goes a long way toward illustrating the exotic charm of Sony: The Private Life.
John Nathan is a professor of Japanese culture at the University of California, Santa Barbara, and speaks and understands the nuanced Japanese like a native. He was given extraordinary access to Sony employees, and found some of them telling him company secrets that had never been revealed to outsiders. (In international business, the electronics giant has traditionally been regarded as a black hole; information goes in, but it never comes out.) From these intimate revelations, he tells a story of a company that to Western observers always seemed like a bottom-line-oriented conglomerate. The reality, he writes, is that Sony has always operated via intense personal relationships and loyalties--in that sense, in a very Japanese way. Even the company's disastrous decision to buy Columbia Pictures came from top Sony executives' desire to honor Morita, who'd always wanted to own a movie studio. Although that decision ultimately cost Sony billions of dollars, it pleased the man who mattered. --Lou Schuler
Sony gestern, heute und morgen Dieses Buch ist aus folgenden Gründen sehr empfehlenswert. 1. Es werden dem Leser wichtige Personen der Firmenentwicklung vorgestellt, deren Charakter den Charakter des Unternehmens geprägt haben. 2. Man erfährt einiges darüber, warum Sony derzeit einige Schwierigkeiten hat und wie diese Probleme mit der Unternehmensentwicklung zusammenhängen (Übergang ins digitale Zeitalter ist besonders interessant). 3. Man erfährt einiges über die japanische Kultur und wie sie das unternehmerische Handeln und Denken prägt.
Der Autor ist Japanologe, was Vor- und Nachteile hat. Einerseits hat er großes Verständnis für die Kultur und konnte die Akteure auf japanisch befragen. Andererseits fehlt mir doch ab und an Tiefe in der wirtschaftlichen Betrachtung.
A Behind the Scenes Look at a Company and a Country Sony has risen from the ashes of postwar Japan to become one of the truly recognizable brands around the world. Nathan does a superb job of documenting this story. There are two things that Nathan had going for him that really helped this book:
A) He knows Japan. This allowed Nathan to provide understanding of the company and the way the nation actually works. The Japanese business culture is truly a different animal than the American culture.
B) He was given incredible access. It's surprising that Sony agreed to give Nathan such an inside look.
Nathan's history is excellent, but I almost would have rather heard more about the actual products that Sony created rather than the political infighting, etc. (Even though Nathan does spend a good amount of time on the actual products). But this is a personal preference and Nathan really did a great job.
Amazing personalities behind an amazing company Kudos for Mr. Nathan for having written such a vivid documentary of the leading personalities at the world's most respected company.
Morita and Ibuka's early struggle amid the rubbles left by the devastation of WWII is simply moving. The intimate bonds Morita and Ohga forged with their American friends are both interesting and heart-warming.
My hat's off to Mr. Nathan and all the early pioneers of Sony Corp.!
An eye opener I was fascinated with Sony the day Walkman was brought into this world. Then, I was only a boy & Walkman was the in-thing in South East Asia. After that, it seemed Sony grew from strength to strength. I always wanted to know an in-depth story about Sony but never came across a material which is as good & as true as Sony: The Private Life written by John Nathan. Initially, I thought that the book was to be written in academic form but to my pleasant surprise, it was written like a good novel. We were told in detail of the founders, the proteges who were chosen to lead the company but subsequently, some fallen out with Sony & some went all the way. We were also given a feel of power struggle within the firm, culture clashes, xenophobia (particularly the acquition of Columbia Pictures), abuse of power & goodwill by film moguls towards Sony, personalities of various kinds. Several products were mentioned as they formed the basis of Sony today such as the world-famous Trinitron TV, Walkman, HandyCam. Overall, a very good book to read. I never expected it to make me laugh, tense, sad, pensive but it did exactly just that.
What a wonderful read! Mr. Nathan opens the doors into a world foreign to most people, the apex of the corporate world and all its workings. Not only are we privy to the Japanese business world and culture, but we also glimpse the doings of US companies. It is amazing to me, that Mr. Morita and Mr. Ibuta were able to penetrate the US marketplace given the obstacles they faced. Crossing cultural lines, attitudes, and language must have been difficult; but to succeed so magnificently, especially after our shared history in World War II is mind-boggling. I offer no hesitation in recommending this book.
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