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| Sony in China |
| Aiming to establish strong local roots and achieve long-term growth together |
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| Against a backdrop of increasing globalization in recent years, emerging countries such as the BRIC nations (Brazil, Russia, India and China) continue to achieve impressive growth. China, in particular, has seen sharp economic expansion since becoming a member of the World Trade Organization in 2001. Today, China is a country of tremendous importance to Sony's businesses.
Sony launched full-scale operations in China in the 1970s. In 1996, Sony established Sony (China) Limited as the general headquarters for its Chinese operations. In 2005, Sony set up the China Design Engineering Group to strengthen its local product engineering and development functions and, within this organization, the Creative Center to reinforce its design function. As of June 2007, Sony had seven manufacturing sites and employed approximately 35,000 people in China, underscoring China's increased importance as a market for Sony products and as a technology base for operations ranging from product planning, design and engineering to production.
In this environment, Sony has declared "Aiming to establish strong local roots and achieve long-term growth together" as its slogan in China. Through a variety of activities undertaken to benefit its many stakeholders, Sony is striving to fulfill its responsibilities as a socially responsible corporate citizen that is firmly rooted in Chinese society. |
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For Customers
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Sony established a local customer service program when it first began operating in China. Today, Sony is stepping up customer service activities to provide worry-free convenience to customers by delivering a higher standard of service.
In 2001, Sony established the Sony Customer Contact Center in Shanghai to assist customers throughout China. Through its free telephone hotline, e-mails, website, and mailings, this comprehensive center provides product information to customers, technical support, advice and other before- and after-sales services.
In September 2005, Sony relaunched the Service Center in Shanghai, its largest in Asia, positioning it to provide quicker repair service with a maximum repair time "promised," a quick-repair-while-you-wait, accessory-purchasing conveniences and up-to-date product and customer service information communicated by e-mail, the facility's website and letters. In the same year, Sony established the Sony China Repair Parts Center to supply parts for domestic authorized service centers faster and more economically. The latter has since taken on an important role as Sony's fifth regional parts operation in supporting the ever-growing number of products manufactured in China and exported globally. |
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| The Sony Customer Contact Center in Shanghai |
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| A Stakeholder's Voice
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Yuan Ying
Sony Customer Contact Center (Shanghai)
Sony (China)
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Listening to Our Customers
I have been engaged in customer service operations in the Sony Customer Contact Center in Shanghai since joining Sony in 2003.
The expansion of Sony's business in China has meant an increase in the number of local customers, as well as in the number and variety of customer needs. In line with Sony's belief in putting the customer first, our customer service representatives, who deal directly with customers, adhere to three guiding principles. The first principle is to tailor service to each individual customer. The second is to communicate with the customer—that is, to go beyond the spoken and written word and tune in to the customer's wishes. The third is to ensure a timely response by promptly conveying information to relevant departments, thereby ensuring the customer's wishes are reflected in the products and services he or she receives.
As an individual on the frontline of customer service, I find it really rewarding to hear a customer say "thank you." Moreover, it motivates me to strive even harder to be of assistance. I also believe that working with customers every day helps me to grow as a person.
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| A Stakeholder's Voice
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Liu Ying Huan
China Design Engineering Group
Sony (China)
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Capitalizing on experience gained in Japan to contribute to growth in China
From the autumn of 2002 through the spring of 2005, I worked as an employee of Sony EMCS Corporation in Japan in television hardware and software development in Ichinomiya, Aichi Prefecture. In 2005, I returned to China and joined the China Design Engineering Group of Sony (China) with the dream of creating a television for the Chinese market developed, engineered and manufactured in China. At present, I am the leader of the group responsible for the development of software for televisions and professional displays.
During my two-and-a-half years in Japan, I was able to gain experience in all aspects of the development and commercialization of products—from prototype design to software development and mass production. This experience has proven invaluable in my current job. Of course, I came back from Japan with more than technological know-how—by living two-and-a-half years overseas, I believe that I truly grew as a person. I learned to speak a foreign language and to communicate with people from another culture—both crucial skills in this era of increasing globalization. In this way, too, living in Japan was a highly valuable experience for me.
Going forward, I will continue to pursue my dream of developing a television that is entirely "made in China" by applying technological expertise and other skills gained in Japan to my work in China.
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For the Community:Support-for-Schools Project
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Recognizing that education is crucial to China's long-term development, Sony engages in a wide variety of education-related social contribution activities in the country.
In poor, rural areas of Central China, classrooms have a shortage of desks and chairs, and many of those in use are old and worn. In addition, reflections off antiquated blackboards have a detrimental effect on children's vision. In an effort to improve the environment in which these children study, Sony (China) has donated desks, chairs and blackboards to approximately 100 schools in 24 provinces in the region, helping 24,000 students.
In fiscal 2006, Sony (China) volunteers also visited these schools, bringing books, school supplies and sports equipment, and thus providing volunteers with an opportunity to interact with the local children. |
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| Children at a school to which desks were donated |
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| A Stakeholder's Voice
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Tian Junhui
Sony (China)
Jinan Branch
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Participating in the Support-for-Schools Project
After a tiring four-hour journey, I finally arrived at Shui Luo Ban Xiang Central Elementary School in Shandong Province, where I was greeted by the kindly faces of the teachers and warm handshakes of the children. My exhaustion flew right out the window. I had no idea that helping another person could be such a delightful experience. Seeing the simple classrooms and the old blackboards, which looked somehow out of place with the new desks and chairs, I was reminded of the elementary school I attended 20 years ago. My heart ached to know that the school conditions here have not improved at all in spite of the rapid economic growth in China over the past 20 years. Looking at the children's pure and innocent faces, I realized just how much more work remains for our Support-for-Schools Project.
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Sony Student Project Abroad (China)
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To commemorate the 30th anniversary of the establishment of Sony Electronics Inc. in the United States, Sony implemented a decade long program beginning in 1990 whereby it invited high school students from the United States to visit Japan each year. This program welcomed approximately 500 students from the United States to Japan over 10 years, contributing to improved cultural understanding between the two countries.
In 2006, in commemoration of Sony (China)'s 10th anniversary and Sony's 60th anniversary, Sony launched the Sony Student Project Abroad (China). In the first year, Sony, in cooperation with the All-China Youth Federation—China's largest youth group—invited 20 high school students from Beijing and Shanghai to visit Japan for a week to experience a Japanese company and school, as well as family life, thereby fostering a greater understanding of Japanese culture. |
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| Welcome ceremony with Howard Stringer, CEO and Ryoji Chubachi, President |
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| Activities for Environmental Issues |
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| One aim of the first Sony Student Project Abroad (China) was to raise environmental awareness—an increasing concern in China. Chinese high school students participating in the program attended lectures by environmental experts and toured recycling plants, thereby enhancing their understanding of environmental issues. In addition, they learned more about some of Sony's environmental countermeasures by visiting a workshop that dismantles Walkman® mobile stereos, the casings of which are made from vegetable-based plastics; and by visiting an exhibition on Sony's environmental activities. |
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| Walkman® disassembly workshop |
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| Promoting Cultural Exchange between Japan and China |
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Another aim of the Sony Student Project Abroad (China) program is to create opportunities for communication. At a party with Sony employees, employees of various nationalities participated with the students in quiz-format self-introductions and games designed to enhance awareness of other cultures and encourage the development of friendships.
The students also visited high schools in Tokyo and participated with Japanese high school students studying Chinese in a workshop titled "Eco-Cities of the Future: 30 Years from Now." The workshop focused on designing and building a model of an environmentally conscious city 30 years in the future. Students discussed their images of the ideal "eco-city," sharing ideas and debating various issues as they proceeded with building the model. Students participating in this workshop were divided into seven groups, each of which focused on a different aspect of the "ideal eco-city": "life," "work," "learning," "shopping," "having fun with friends" and "movement." Students presented the finished model, which was critiqued by environmental experts.
To give the visiting students an opportunity to experience real life in Japan, homestays were arranged with Sony employees and their families. This also enabled the students to learn about water conservation methods, rubbish separation, and other steps taken in Japanese homes to reduce environmental impact.
On their last day in Japan, the visiting students gave presentations on what they had learned during their week in Japan and what they hoped to take home with them to China. These presentations focused on their interaction with Sony employees; how their image of Japan and Japanese people had changed; how they had improved their understanding of the advanced technologies of Sony and other Japanese companies; their homestay experiences; and first-hand knowledge about Japanese people's awareness of and efforts to address today's pressing environmental issues.
In 2007, Sony plans to invite 30 high school students from Beijing, Hangzhou and Chengdu to participate in the second Sony Student Project Abroad (China). |
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| "Eco-Cities of the Future: 30 Years from Now" workshop by Japanese and Chinese students |
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| Homestay at Sony employee's home |
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