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Sony: The Private Life

John Nathan

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Summary

Nathan examines Sony’s growth from postwar Tokyo into an international electronics and entertainment company. He focuses on relationships among its leaders, including cofounder Akio Morita, Norio Ohga and Nobuyuki Idei. The account connects those relationships with technical achievements and business failures, including color television, compact discs, Betamax and the purchase of Columbia Pictures.

  • SourceSony — licensed Houghton Mifflin Google Books · Publisher description and Bibliographic information; ISBN 9780618126941
  • SourceSony — licensed original Houghton Mifflin Google Books · Publisher description; original 1999 Houghton Mifflin hardcover ISBN 9780395893272; common original content only

Why read it Our view

Useful for looking at how personal relationships shape a company’s work. Compare technical achievements with the business choices around them, and ask where a team’s strengths also leave weaknesses.

Written about

  • Akio MoritaCorporate history subject
    Nathan’s corporate history includes a portrait of Sony cofounder Akio Morita and examines relationships within the company’s leadership.
    Source