Samsung Case Study
“Samsung” case study
1. Introduction:
Samsung Electronics Company, henceforth called “Samsung” in this case, was established in 1969 to manufacture black-and-white TV sets. In 1974, Samsung, which was a producer of low-end consumer electronics, purchased Korea Semiconductor Company and began its semiconductor industry. Under the leadership of the chairman of Samsung Group, Kun He Lee, Samsung has risen, with a remarkable speed, to become the world’s leading memory producer, ranking 2nd just behind Intel. Meanwhile, Samsung used the earnings from memory division to invest in various technology products like mobile phones, liquid crystal displays and so on. These businesses made Samsung generate the second-largest net profit of any electronic company outside the US.
In spite the current success, Samsung was facing the competition from Chinese producer that would sacrifice profits for market share by providing cheap DRAM products. So what should Samsung do? There are 3 potential options: 1. Directly confront the competition from Chinese companies, perhaps by driving down DRAM prices, offer favorable service or coalescing with other memory producers. 2. Cede the DRAM market and shift to other businesses. 3. Collaborate actively with Chinese companies, maybe by expanding joint investment in China. And at the same time, increase its investment in cutting-edge products, particularly for new niche markets.
The following paragraphs will first focus on analyzing memory market of the time, the advantage and weak point of the incoming Chinese produces. Then, we deep into the 3 potential options and give a detailed explanation why we choose the third option for Samsung. Finally, a conclusion for this article will be drawn.
2. Market analyzing based on Potter’s model of generic competitive strategies
Potter’s model was proposed in 1980s. It has had an extremely deep impact on enterprise strategies and has been widely used in analyzing the firms’ competitive
1. Introduction:
Samsung Electronics Company, henceforth called “Samsung” in this case, was established in 1969 to manufacture black-and-white TV sets. In 1974, Samsung, which was a producer of low-end consumer electronics, purchased Korea Semiconductor Company and began its semiconductor industry. Under the leadership of the chairman of Samsung Group, Kun He Lee, Samsung has risen, with a remarkable speed, to become the world’s leading memory producer, ranking 2nd just behind Intel. Meanwhile, Samsung used the earnings from memory division to invest in various technology products like mobile phones, liquid crystal displays and so on. These businesses made Samsung generate the second-largest net profit of any electronic company outside the US.
In spite the current success, Samsung was facing the competition from Chinese producer that would sacrifice profits for market share by providing cheap DRAM products. So what should Samsung do? There are 3 potential options: 1. Directly confront the competition from Chinese companies, perhaps by driving down DRAM prices, offer favorable service or coalescing with other memory producers. 2. Cede the DRAM market and shift to other businesses. 3. Collaborate actively with Chinese companies, maybe by expanding joint investment in China. And at the same time, increase its investment in cutting-edge products, particularly for new niche markets.
The following paragraphs will first focus on analyzing memory market of the time, the advantage and weak point of the incoming Chinese produces. Then, we deep into the 3 potential options and give a detailed explanation why we choose the third option for Samsung. Finally, a conclusion for this article will be drawn.
2. Market analyzing based on Potter’s model of generic competitive strategies
Potter’s model was proposed in 1980s. It has had an extremely deep impact on enterprise strategies and has been widely used in analyzing the firms’ competitive