Financial Times (February 14)
“Official figures from the Dutch investment agency show 42 companies relocated to the Netherlands last year citing Brexit as the reason. The investment has resulted in 1,923 jobs and €290m in investment. Sony and Panasonic have also announced plans to set up their European headquarters in the country.” But the good news may not last. “The Netherlands is likely to be one of the biggest EU losers from a hard Brexit given the close trading links between the two countries especially in fresh produce and the importance of Rotterdam, Europe’s busiest port, to British trade.”
Tags: Brexit, EU, Headquarters, Investment, Losers, Netherlands, Panasonic, Port, Rotterdam, Sony, UK
Financial Times (June 7)
“Change seems inevitable. Japan’s traditional reliance on seniority-based management is crumbling fast, and there is a clear sense of alarm as Toyota, Panasonic and Sony all talk about hiring international talent with both the broader skills and mindset to survive the next wave of technological innovation.”
Tags: Alarm, Change, Inevitable, International, Japan, Management, Mindset, Panasonic, Reliance, Seniority based, Skills, Sony, Talent, Technological innovation, Toyota, Traditional
Bloomberg (October 10)
“Sony, Sharp and Panasonic now have a combined market capitalization of about $29 billion, compared with Sony’s peak valuation of about $120 billion in 1999. Apple Inc. (AAPL)’s market capitalization is $596 billion and Samsung’s is $175 billion.” Japan’s electronics makers seem to be following in the footsteps of Detroit’s automakers. They haven’t kept up with changing markets and are being left behind with higher costs and shrinking market share. “Having the most-advanced technology—once a key strength of Japanese manufacturers—matters less as consumers increasingly pay attention to content, apps and user-friendliness rather than hardware specifications.”
