Between 1996 and 1999, Softbank was in a strong position to capitalize on its Internet and technology-related acquisitions worldwide. Since the dot.com downturn,
the company has encountered difficulties regarding its consumer markets and new technologies. Like other dot.com and Internet compa.... readmore
In the coming years, Softbank may face problems because of the changing Internet and c-commerce indusliy (see Exhibit C5-7.. Some of the problems include:
1. Unlike Microsoft, Dell, AOL, Amazon.com, and other high-tech companies, Softbank is not a household name in the U.S. and the
Wes.... readmore
Company Plans and
Global Opportunities
Unlike Microsoft, Dell, AOL, Amazon.com, Intel, and other high-tech and c-commerce companies, Softbank has not been able to become a household name in the Western world. Most of its markets and customers are located in Japan and Asian countries. O.... readmore
According to Forbes (1999., Softbank has invested $2.4 billion in 100 Internet, technology, communications, and computer publislung companies. As of July 1999, the total market value of these companies surpassed $14 billion. In many companies, Sofibank became one of the major investors (see Exhibit .... readmore
Son was born, in 1957 on Kyusho Island and grew up in a small town, Tosu City, Saga Prefecture. Son belongs to an ethnic Korean family. His grandparents migrated to Japan from Korea. In 1973, at the age of 16, Son attended high school in California and later moved to Holy Names College in Oakland, C.... readmore
Softbank Corp. is a Japanese business group that controls more than 600 Internet and technology-related companies and other businesses worldwide (see Exhibits C5-1 - C5-4.. The company is headquartered in Tokyo and was started by Masayoshi Son in 1981. Even after the 1999/2000's dot.com downturn, th.... readmore
How should ABT top managers reorganize to resolve the tensions among the regional organization selling to national telephone customers, new applications for industrial and urban data, and investments in rural telephony?
In reviewing the evolution of their structure, top managers recognized that they had moved from a domestic functional structure to a geographic regional sales and marketing structure. They realized that each existing sales subsidiary was organized to develop and maintain a close relationship with th.... readmore
From 1981 until 1988, ABT's Canadian headquarters controlled all of the details of the business. Then, as one top manager explained, “We felt that we had to get closer to the customer, and we went first to Asia because that was where the action was.” So, in the late 1980s, ABT placed several sales p.... readmore
In 1996, ABT deviated from its sales and delivery of operation systems to invest in the telecommunications infrastructure of a Latin American country. This investment in rural infrastructure in Latin America was a major departure from ABT's short-term, project-oriented, turnkey operations. For sever.... readmore