Het belang van de NV Philips.

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“Een splitsing is niet in het belang van Philips” zei een medewerker van dat concern die ik onlangs sprak. Ik had de vraag geopperd of het niet beter was Philips op te knippen in drie zelfstandige bedrijven. Maar wat is dat eigenlijk, het belang van de NV Philips? Wat is het belang van die organisatie? Om die vraag te kunnen beantwoorden moeten we eerst ingaan op de vraag ‘wie is Philips?’ en dan bedoel ik natuurlijk niet Frits. Ik bedoel wie is het bedrijf Philips? Wie is dat?

Philips? Tja.. Dan hebben we het misschien over de werknemers of het management. De aandeelhouders wellicht of de klanten en andere stakeholders. Het gaat dus over mensen. Een bedrijf als zodanig heeft geen belangen maar de mensen die er bij betrokken zijn natuurlijk wel. Werknemers hebben belang bij baanzekerheid e...

yanhoon lau
First I apologize for writing in English ...

I am under the impression that Philips lost its way because they paid too much attention to the stock market and not enough attention to other stakeholders. That probably also make them more susceptible to management fads. You know, like a ship being lure by siren songs and going into strategic drift.

Perhaps the TV division should have been sold sooner. If the corporate parent thinks that a certain business line is dragging him down, he may not be able to make the best decision for it. Besides, the condition of TV industry is perfect for disruptive innovations to arrive, isn't it? TVs are offering features that less and less people are willing to pay for...

Anyhow, nothing wrong with selling business lines, as long as the corporate parent doesn't sell the business or product line to buyers who will destroy the value of the business or product line. The corporate parent should not forget that they are not just selling a business line, but also the people who go with it. Maybe this should be included in a company´s CSR policy.
Ewoud Jansen
Auteur
Hello Yanhoon,

Thanks for your comments. My impression (as an outsider) is that Philips is an organization that responds sluggishly to market changes and is riddled with bureaucracy. This is why the Company seems to move from one crisis to another. This impression is based on numerous visits to various Philips locations and talks with many people inside Philips and the industry. I do not think lack of attention to stakeholders other than stockholders is the problem here. Philips is very committed to lowering the environmental impact of their supply chain for instance.

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