国际经贸高级英语.ppt

nTEXT Introduction The environment of Philips Industries may well be called competitive. The situation in which we are doing business is difficult and we use terms such as targeting and strategy to describe attack and defence. We regularly take many far reaching and important decisions, which do not only affect the cash flow and profitability, but also the well-being of our employees, the integrity of the physical environment, the prosperity of the countries in which we are operating and many factors which contribute to the quality of life. I will concentrate on the strategy we adopted to maintain our position vis-vis our competitors, and I will not dwell on the many applications of information technology we are using today and which we consider an operational necessity in all our business sectors. Unit Sixteen Multinationals in a Competitive Environment: The Case of Philips Industries J.J.Tuyt The Company In case you are not familiar with Philips Industries the following will introduce this electronics company. Philips Industries is a diversified electronics company operating in about 60 countries in the world. It had a turnover in 1987 of circa 53 billion Dutch guilders or 26 billion Dollars, which took Philips to the 22nd place on Fortunes list of the worlds largest companies. On the same list it is the 7th largest electronic company, operating 370 factories and employing 330,000 people, 24,000 of them in R what about the competitors? Let us once again start with lighting. In this field Philips has a comfortable position, it is one of the worlds leading suppliers: number one in Europe, third in the USA and a steady position in the Far East. For consumer electronics the story is different. The Far Eastern countries are competing for the world market. The following is not a systematic review, but only a selection of recent data. It does however give a good impression of the competitive environment. In video cassette recorders, South Korea is rapidly becoming a large supplier. These recorders are sold below cost price in Europe. In August 1988 the European Community installed dumping percentages for Samsung, Goldstar and Daewoo, and has permitted France to ban the import of 300,000 TV sets, manufactured by Japanese companies in other countries of the EC. Unit Sixteen Multinationals in a Competitive Environment: The Case of Philips Industries J.J.Tuyt These TV sets are assembled from components produced in the Far East so they do not satisfy European requirements that at least 45 per cent of the value added should be of European origin. Four Japanese companies manufacture compact disc players for the European market in France and one in the UK. Recently, Matsushita and Bosch started producing CD players in Germany. Four other companies are ready to assemble CD players in Europe. In these examples, the EC is cited as protecting the European electronics industry. Far Eastern manufacturers are eagerly seeking a foothold within Europe, and they will come and make life difficult for Philips in its own territory. This is quite permissible in an sic situation of free competition, but this situation presupposes reciprocity. Unit Sixteen Multinationals in a Competitive Environment: The Case of Philips Industries J.J.Tuyt The question therefore is: does Europe have access to the markets in Japan and Korea? Mr Andries van Agt has put this as follows:is there any political, legal or moral obligation for Europeans to just open all the gates to the 1992 gold mine of opportunities that they so laboriously dug without asking any fee for the entry ticket?Let there be no misunderstanding, the preference of Philips Industries is not protection, but the rules of fair play have to be respected on both sides, and that excludes dumping. Let us now turn to the field of telecommunications. The market for small computers is volatile, with new names and systems springing up almost overnight. The big companies, however, are still American, like IBM, but Japan and other Far Eastern countries are coming up rapidly. Many a personal computer comes from the Unit Sixteen Multinationals in a Competitive Environment: The Case of Philips Industries J.J.Tuyt Pacific to America and Europe. These computers are known as clones. As soon as IBM has introduced a new model, its Far Eastern competitors buy it in order to imitate and sell it for half the price. In telecommunications most European governments abide by their national champions. Developing a modern digital telephone exchange, however, will cost no less than one billion dollars. To make up for these costs the producers need a free and international market in Europe, not a restricted one. We have already seen the first steps towards a free market and European directives will further promote this development. If we take a brief glance at the domestic appliances sector, we notice that these products are marketed regionally. Europe, the US and Japan are supplied by their local manufacturers, with production on the largest possible scale for competitive prices. Unit Sixteen Multinationals in a Competitive Environment: The Case of Philips Industries J.J.Tuyt Finally we turn to the production of components. This is the basic activity of the electronics industry. The Japanese industries supply about 45 per cent of all electronic components in the world. Of these components the ICs are the most important. In this field Japan has 48 per cent, the US 39 per cent and Europe a mere 11 per cent of the total market. In memory ICs Japans share is 80 per cent to 90 per cent. American computer manufacturers and their European counterparts are painfully dependent on Japanese supplies; even the manufacturing of strategic defence equipment is no longer possible without them. Another area in the production of components consists of TV tubes. Here Philips is the market leader, but Japanese manufacturers are close second and third and have built a number of plants in Europe. Unit Sixteen Multinationals in a Competitive Environment: The Case of Philips Industries J.J.Tuyt All in all, competitors in the field are the Far Eastern countries. What happens over there? These East Asian nations, Japan and Korea; to what do they owe their spectacular success? How have the Japanese managed to get the highest per capita GDP after the Swiss? Japan emerged from the Second World War in a poverty stricken state. Hard work was the only way to survive. There was a permanent shortage of rice and in winter the Japanese kept their overcoats on in the house. They started to work and rebuild their economy. Today, the average Japanese production worker works 44 hours a week. Until recently only one out of four Saturdays was a day off. Koreans even work 60 hours per week. In Holland production workers have twice (or more) as many holidays as people in the Far East and Dutch trade unions want further reduction of working hours. In Germany they want a 35 hour working week with no loss of wages. This gives you an impression of the relative competitiveness. Unit Sixteen Multinationals in a Competitive Environment: The Case of Philips Industries J.J.Tuyt Wage costs are also illustrative. For every guilder a Dutch production worker costs, his Belgian and German counterpart cost slightly more. However, his counterpart in Japan costs 84 cents, in Korea 15 cents and in the Philipines sic only just about 5 cents. It is mainly in the expensive European countries that Philips has large production units. In reducing the cost of production, outstanding results have been achieved with automation and streamlining. For example, the assembly time for a TV receiver was once 12.5 hours, today between 30 and 50 minutes. The same techniques, however, are known on the other side of the world, so that the difference between one guilder in Europe and 15 cents in the Pacific cannot be offset. Unit Sixteen Multinationals in a Competitive Environment: The Case of Philips Industries J.J.Tuyt In terms of economic decision-making the problem seems rather simple and straightforward. One of the fundamental laws of economics states that production will take place where costs are lowest. Do we Europeans want to see the electronics industry disappear to the Far East? This time it must be a decision not just by the industry involved, but by the entire community in which governments and trade unions have their part as well. The laws of economics are sometimes merciful. For years the Japanese kept their exchange rate low, an appropriate thing to do for a developing country, but economic laws cannot be forced forever. Finally the system exploded and the Japanese yen rose by 100 per cent with respect to the dollar and 15 per cent to the mark and the guilder. It remains to be seen if the latter adjustment improves the current economic relationship. If not, further adjustments will be inevitable and this will help to restore Europes competitiveness. Unit Sixteen Multinationals in a Competitive Environment: The Case of Philips Industries J.J.Tuyt The discipline and dedication shown by factory workers in Japan and Asian countries is remarkable. The same dedication could once be found in Europe too. Back in 1891 after a long working day the labourers walked back to their homes in Woensel. When there was a large order they were prepared to work long hours and sometimes slept on the factory floor. This shows dedication. The high quality standards in the Japanese industries were purposely built up over many years. The same is happening in some fields in Europe today. Strategies The Japanese work towards well defined goals. Once a new industry is established in the home market, they start exporting, as happened with cameras, motorbikes, cars, video products, and ICs. Their target then is a large share of the world market. In order to acquire this market share, they offer their products temporarily at Unit Sixteen Multinationals in a Competitive Environment: The Case of Philips Industries J.J.Tuyt very low prices. In this way video products appeared on the targeting list in the 60s and 70s. When the American industries saw their margins fall, they turned to low wage countries for production. Japans next move was to supply ready made products, radios sic and TV sets, under the name of well-known American manufacturers. This had two major strategic consequences. First, the erosion of US production, as there was no support for product development. For new products like CD players and video recorders, there was no base in the US for American standards and American design. Secondly, the Japanese obtained free access to the US market. Normally, the creation of ones own network in a country like the US would require an enormous investment. Unit Sixteen Multinationals in a Competitive Environment: The Case of Philips Industries J.J.Tuyt Is Europe going the same way too? What will the European electronics industry look like in a hundred years? Will the major European companies be bought up, like American brands such as RCA, Magnavox, etc.? What is Philips answer to this, and how is it to face the challenge? To face the challenge of the Japanese electronics industries, considerable changes are needed, sic These changes within Philips Industries will concern in the first place its strategy in selecting products and markets. Secondly, its structure, organization and costs will be affected. Lastly, its culture, attitude and internal behaviour will have to change too! With regard to strategy a distinction has to be made between strategic alliances, or cooperation, the product strategy and the geographical market strategy. The first two belong together. For some of Philips activities it would be an advantage to enter into strategic alliances or joint ventures, as it already did in the case of public switching and transmission (together with AT the customer is always right, and is entitled to top quality. This awareness is systematically fostered in a quality campaign extending over the whole company. Philips culture includes also technical and scientific research: next year Philips Industries will celebrate the 75th anniversary of its research laboratories. Major innovations in magnetic materials, TV technology, video cassette recorders, optical disc and CD players were made there. The company now has research laboratories in six countries and it spends 8 per cent of total turnover on R&D. This R&D is vital to its survival. A company like Philips must have advanced products of high quality to stay in the market. Conclusion One of the priciples sic of economic decision-making is to concentrate production in places with the lowest costs. Throughout the century this principle has been observed by manufacturers. But Unit Sixteen Multinationals in a Competitive Environment: The Case of Philips Industries J.J.Tuyt there is more to it than just plain economics. Philips is a European based industry, and, whilst as a multinational is sic has a global strategy, it is determined to keep its European activities competitive. Changes are called for in its structure and its culture, but changes in the existing pattern of European life are as welcome. Philips new strategy is indicated above, but Europe too has to make decisions in order to maintain its competitiveness in the world markets. Philips Industries strongly supports the unification of Europe. The year 1992 will be crucial in the further development of the European economy. Europe will no doubt find its own place in the world. What will it be? That depends on the decision Europe will take about its own destiny. Will there be a comsumer sic electronics industry in Europe a hundred years from now, say in 2088? The answer to this question depends on the decisions we, Europeans, are going to take presently. Philips has the tools for the future, and is convinced it can keep up. (excerpted from Global Competitiveness: A Case) Unit Sixteen Multinationals in a Competitive Environment: The Case of Philips Industries J.J.Tuyt Unit Sixteen Multinationals in a Competitive Environment: The Case of Philips Industries J.J.Tuyt Exercises n. Translate the following into English, using the words or phrases in the text: 1.一个在世界30多个国家有分支机构的经营多样化的电子公司 2.一个在亚洲崛起、在欧洲迅速发展的公司 3.在世界范围内广泛地发展商务联系 Unit Sixteen Multinationals in a Competitive Environment: The Case of Philips Industries J.J.Tuyt 4.在生产电脑与集成电路领域的市场领头羊 5.在远东建立根据地以打开广阔的海外市场 6.价值超过10亿美元的现代化的数字电话交换系统 7.加强对海外市场的控制以稳固其在制造业的地位 Unit Sixteen Multinationals in a Competitive Environment: The Case of Philips Industries J.J.Tuyt 8.选择以产品为中心轴的全球化控制战略 9.为计算机通讯和商务往来提供广泛的产品和服务 10.为开辟世界市场而在欧洲寻找的立足点 11.为适应竞争环境而采取的措施 Unit Sixteen Multinationals in a Competitive Environment: The Case of Philips Industries J.J.Tuyt 12.因利润下降而将生产向低工资国家转移 13.面临欧洲主要公司被大量购并的挑战 14.选择地区性市场策略以保持健康的增长势头 15.对企业生存起关键作用的研究与发展活动 Unit Sixteen Multinationals in a Competitive Environment: The Case of Philips Industries J.J.Tuyt n. Translate the following sentences into English: 1. 实施开放政策以来，海外企业的不断涌现springing-up在 中国经济发展中扮演了十分重要的constructive角色，这些海外 投资计划促进了吸收海外资本、引进先进技术，并推动了出口 商品的销售。 Unit Sixteen Multinationals in a Competitive Environment: The Case of Philips Industries J.J.Tuyt 2. 为了弥补To make up for两国双边贸易中的逆差 deficit ，中国削减了1/4从日本购入的货物，但为了to strive for今后中日贸易的发展，长期persistent稳定的平衡 是十分重要的，中日双方都必须进一步努力make further efforts 。 Unit Sixteen Multinationals in a Compe