Of course we have to make a profit, but we have to make a profit over the long haul, not just the short term, and that means we must keep investing in research and development - it has run consistently about 6 percent of sales at Sony - and in service.

Akio Morita

Categorized in : Mean Running Research And Development

I believe one of the reasons we went through such a remarkable growth period was that we had this atmosphere of free discussion.

Akio Morita

atmosphere growth believe

Curiosity is the key to creativity.

Akio Morita

creativity keys graduation

But make sure you don't make the same mistake twice.

Akio Morita

made-a-mistake same-mistakes mistake

If you go through life convinced that your way is always best, all the new ideas in the world will pass you by.

Akio Morita

leadership world ideas

A company will get nowhere if all of the thinking is left to management.

Akio Morita

company management thinking

Advertising and promotion alone will not sustain a bad product or a product that is not right for the times.

Akio Morita

promotion advertising products

I believe it is a big mistake to think that money is the only way to compensate a person for his work. People need money, but they also want to be happy in their work and proud of it.

Akio Morita

mistake believe thinking

To gain profit is important, but you must invest to build up assets that you can cash in in the future.

Akio Morita

cash gains important

In the long run, no matter how good or successful you are or how clever or crafty, your business and its future are in the hands of the people you hire.

Akio Morita

successful clever running

Carefully watch how people live, get an intuitive sense as to what they might want and then go with it. Don’t do market research.

Akio Morita

research watches people

There are three creativities: creativity in technology, in product planning, and in marketing. To have any one of these without the others is self defeating in business.

Akio Morita

creativity technology self

I knew we needed a weapon to break through to the US market, and it had to be something different, something that nobody else was making.

Akio Morita

break-through different weapons

Once you have a staff of prepared, intelligent, and energetic people, the next step is to motivate them to be creative.

Akio Morita

intelligent creative people

You can be totally rational with a machine. But if you work with people, sometimes logic often has to take a backseat to understanding.

Akio Morita

machines understanding people

We will try to create conditions where persons could come together in a spirit of teamwork, and exercise to their heart's desire their technological capacity.

Akio Morita

teamwork exercise heart

The "patron saint" of Japanese quality control, ironically, is an American named W. Edwards Deming, who was virtually unknown in his own country until his ideas of quality control began to make such a big impact on Japanese companies.

Akio Morita

impact country ideas

The public does not know what is possible. We do.

Akio Morita

business knows doe

All you need is the best product in the world, the most efficient production in the world and global marketing.

Akio Morita

marketing world needs

If we face recession, we should not lay off employees; the company should sacrifice a profit. It's management's risk and management's responsibility. Employees are not guilty; why should they suffer?

Akio Morita

sacrifice risk responsibility

I established the rule that once we hire an employee, his school records are a matter of the past and are no longer used to evaluate his work or decide on his promotion.

Akio Morita

records past school