Mikes Fish Market

Case Study Philips NV

1. Describe changes in Philips environment occurring during the 1960's and 1970's

(a)

Philips operates in a very competitive market domestic and internationally. There have been various changes over the last decade, with the emergence of the company from a position near economic failure to a well-known brand that is still lacking in performance. From the 1960's onward, a number of significant changes took place. Due to the efforts of the GATT General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade barriers fell worldwide. There have been many attempts at designing models which describe the competitive environment and the determinants of profitability from Western competitors.

The first element is that of the existing competition. Philips market for their products are elevating domestically and emerging internationally, however the environment in which it operated in for both of these markets is highly competitive. The way in which the products are perceived had changed over the last decade may have been seen as a luxury by the domestic markets are now seen as becoming more and more a necessity as technology moves into the home internationally. According to Cahners, the name Philips s is well known, indeed it is ranked as the global brand leader in electronics Cahners Research and in terms of Inter-brand's World's Most Valuable Brands 2000. However, there are also some problems with this and the way that it has been competing and brand awareness alone does not create sales, socially in a market where there is firm competition.

2. Describe why Philips had low profits durng the 1970's and 80's

(a)

The problem faced by the company may be seen as a result of the lack of change and the inability to identify the way the market was moving. In the 1970's and the 1980's there were different market drivers and challenges. Philips has many different products, and with such a diversified portfolio there has been a spread of risk, but this has also lead to a lack of specialization. This is partly being corrected with a concentration on video cassette recorders. However, unlike many other companies in the market, there is not a single association with the brand.

Other companies have had a higher level of differentiation due to the way in which they have been able to identify with a single product, and this has enhanced their reputation, such as Sony and Matsushita initiating VHS. This is an industry where reverse engineering is extensive and many competitors will be working on similar technologies. There have been some areas where the ability to innovate and bring this to market quickly have been seen to emerge, such as the Philips V2000 standard unit had demonstrated that this can be done and possibly accepted world wide.

3. Describe what Philips should do to survive in a changing global environment. ID expected outcomes.

(a)

In preparing for challenging times ahead, the reality hits home hard. There is no time for non-productive activities. To ensure survival, organisations must immediately shift their emphasis on getting business. Restructure the organisation and move people to beef out these areas which will require layoffs and dismantling divisions of operations. A changing environment, companies have to be capable of discerning environmental shifts and rapidly realigning their strategies and internal capabilities consistent with the environmental changes.

This requires companies to learn to continually re-interpret and respond effectively to shifts in the marketplace. Each relevant shift in the environment requires a corresponding real-time strategic response and a corresponding transformation of the company's capability. The scope of this transformation includes changes in competency, structures, processes, practices and tools in order to support the strategic change. Flexibility, velocity and adaptability are essential to survival, and the strength and profitability of a company will be proportional to its strategic effectiveness and its operational responsiveness. Organizations that do not learn to respond effectively to global environmental shifts can run the risk of losing market share and ultimately their existence.

When there is a need for urgency to bring in as much business as possible to build up cash reserves that