During the Japanese economic recession, Sharp led the Japanese market with its superior LCD technologies in 2000 and showed a 2-digit growth rate while other major electronics manufacturers in Japan were experiencing sluggish growth. ROA Group believes that the following cultural peculiarities have contributed to the success of Sharp.

􀂃 Launching innovative products
􀂃 Establishing large domestic factories even though overseas production is a general trend
􀂃 Technological capabilities focusing on product manufacture

The reason that Sharp is able to launch innovative products is that the company seems to analyze the market from a position close to consumers and in addition they have a smooth inter-team coordination (spiral strategy) as a flat organization to realize innovative ideas. Sharp built the Kameyama factory in Japan, because it believed that it is the best strategy to bring the large LCD panel to the market as quickly as possible. This contributes to streamlining the product line management and protecting the intellectual rights. It also created ‘Kameyama Model’, a byproduct, which is the LCD TV made with LCD panels manufactured in the Kameyama factory. These technological capabilities that emphasize manufacturing are supported by Sharp’s corporate culture and organizational system aiming at “One-of-a-Kind Company”.

It seems that the uniqueness of Sharp fits well with its corporate philosophy, dubbed as “One-of-a-Kind Company”. Sharp earned astonishing revenues and showed that it had a successful strategy to be profitable while its competitors’ performances were weak.

Nevertheless, there remains a doubt about Sharp’s mid- and long-term outlooks. Sharp may be approaching to the FPD market in a narrow-minded way, if its strategy is to only concentrate on LCD products. There is no guarantee that LCD TV remains a killer product for the next decade. Therefore, Sharp’s next generation strategy will become a significant turning point for the company’s growth.