1. Introduction

Company background and Competitive Advantages
The history of Panasonic Corporation starts when Konosuke Matsushita founded Matsushita Electric Devices Manufacturing Works in 1918 with his wife and his brother-in-law. This was held on the first floor of a two story house. Of course, the first product was insulating plates and electric lamp sockets, followed by a bicycle lamp in 1927, which was the first product to carry the National brand. They also started to make radios in 1931, still under the National brand. And the brand name Panasonic is actually came along in 1955, when the company expanded its activities continuously into international markets, like in Japan and also overseas to China and America.
The Panasonic brand was created from the elements “pan” meaning all and “sonic” meaning sound, so Panasonic simply means all sound. And the Panasonic brand has its own slogan “Panasonic ideas for life” represents the advanced technology and the wide range of products which they cover. This brand slogan is their commitment in providing products and services based on ideas that will enrich people’s lives around the world through innovative thinking. The company isn’t just focus on products, it’s also on ideas. Ideas that will enhance human’s life and broaden human’s horizons.
Today, Panasonic Corporation globally comprises of over 680 companies and almost 390,000 employees in manufacturing and marketing with over 15,000 products supplying customer needs. The aim for the company is to be a “Customer Value Creation Company” that provides safety, security, comfort and convenience in line with its visions of contributing to a ubiquitous networking society and coexisting with the global environment.
The Panasonic vision of the digital future is driven by the needs and aspirations of its customers and millions of consumers around the world who use their products every day. They share their dream to live a fuller life by providing ways of working smarter and enjoying the rewards of technological advances.
The competitive advantage of Panasonic is that Panasonic is one of the largest leading electronic product manufacturers in the world and a well-known brand name. It stands for the depth and diversity of its research capabilities, manufacturing expertise, high quality and sophisticated products since 1918. As a global company, Panasonic has been in touch with different peoples around the world for nearly a century. In fact, we will found out that Panasonic this name on their products and services that connect with every facet of daily life. This ‘whole life’ perspective is what makes Panasonic such a trusted brand in so many languages, and every day they work to earn that trust. That’s what Panasonic promise to everyone in the world.

Organizational Chart:
Hybrid Structure

SWOT
A SWOT analysis is a very important part of marketing and business plan, it acts as a powerful tool for most company which allow them to do an environmental scanning before moving on to make their decision on which strategy to be applied for their upcoming business strategy. The term ‘SWOT’ stands for Strength, Weakness, Opportunities, and Threats. The SWOT analysis able to allow a company to understanding the current environment from within the company through strength and weakness, which company can take advantage of the current strength of the company and try to achieve a greater position in the market. Meanwhile, try to overcome the weaknesses that exist from within the company itself. On the other hand, from the external factors that we could obtain from a SWOT analysis is opportunity and threats. Overall, SWOT analysis can help a company to overcome barrier of entry and other problems. It can also considering how weakness can be turned into strength, and how threats can be turned into opportunities to build strategies for future survival.
First of all, we could learn that Panasonic has a lot of strength in the company itself especially the way it manages its company. For over the year, we could see that Panasonic has a diversified business operation and this will be one of the main strength for the company. As Panasonic are having a diversified business operation, this mean they are selling variety products in variety places. For example, Panasonic has started its business in Malaysia at 3 September 1965 as a company named as Matsushita Electric Company (MELCOM) where at that time Malaysia was a piece of land which was not yet having the exposure to the technology for household appliances. In addition, Panasonic is also leading in marketing position garnered by strong brand equity. They not only have a great brand name, while also making it widely recognized across the world by their excellence consistency on each of their products, and also have a strong workforce of over 300,000 people. They constantly focusing on research and development in order to grow their product and improve the quality of people life. Panasonic also take their brand in order to create an excellent mind presence on consumer through advertising and sponsorship of events.

Secondly, another internal factor that affects a company is weakness which included in SWOT analysis. The weakness for Panasonic Company is weak financial performance, where in 2012 Panasonic has faced a lost through the sale of panel business worth 210 billion yen, although they had significantly improve their financial performance but there is still a remaining balance of lost at 86 billion yen. Panasonic has known to be one of the greatest companies to be worked for, as they provide unfunded post-retirement benefits. In this case, the company had to bear a lot more cost than projected for retired workers. Another weakness is the employee`s low productivity, where total revenue per employee is low compare to other competitors. This has leads to a high cost of manufacturing on each product; therefore earnings on products will be greatly decreased.
Thirdly, another external factor in SWOT analysis is opportunities. One of the opportunities is the electronic trend, where in the recent years people tend to portrays high tech electronic as popular and trendy. Next, is the age of technology, where the electronic never ending industry with endless room for improvement and innovation. Therefore, this growing industry will give the electronic company such as Panasonic to generate a never ending profit. Over the year, Panasonic are focusing on eco-lines product in which the value of eco-friendly has been practised and believe by most of the consumer and the belief is still growing. Based on the eco-friendly believe, Panasonic has taken action through Research & Development department to come out with products that are eco-friendly and yet giving the conformability to the customer and also improve people`s life. As this opportunity presents, their company has the room for expansion in growing their company.
Finally, threats are an external factor in SWOT analysis which is unfavourable. In this regard, Panasonic has a decrease in sales, yet government taxing are still place without any decrease no matter what is the sales being done by Panasonic. In this recent year, Panasonic are facing threats from many rising-star brands company within Panasonic business field, such as Sony, Olympus well as others.

Location of Factor | Type of Factor | | Favourable | Unfavourable | Internal | Strengths-Diversified business operations-Strong brand name-Constant focus on research and development | Weakness-Weak financial performance-Employee productivity-Unfunded employee post-retirement benefits | External | Opportunities- Growing global consumer and industrial electronics market-electronic trend -age of technology | Threats-Government regulations-Intense competition |

Grand strategy / strategies of the company
Based on our research, the Panasonic`s Management Group applies Growth Strategies and Defensive Strategies in company.
Growth Strategies mean strategy aimed at winning larger market share, even at the expense of short-term earnings. We searched that automotive business and housing business will help to attract more buyers. Automotive business is Concentrate companywide resources to expand automotive business. It includes safety/reassurance, comfort and electrification. Safety/reassurance is to offer safety vehicles with excellent sensor devices. Comfort is to offer comfortable in car space from customer’s perspective. Electrification is to contribute to electrification with ‘smaller and lighter’ products. Next, housing business is focusing on economic and comfort, in-wall electronics and remodelling business. Economic and comfort is to base on economic and comfort concept to run the business. In-wall electronics includes wall vision and all in one lighting with building materials. Remodelling business based on lighting, air quality, visual products and audio products.
Panasonic also implement defensive Strategies which mean a management approach to reduce the risk of loss and to remove the production on certain products which does not generate enough profit for sustainability. We searched that defensive strategy for Panasonic is phased out unprofitable business. It consists of five divisions such as TV, Semiconductor, Mobile phone, Circuit board and Optical product (drive, pick up). First, TV is focusing on major market and expands non-TV business. Second, semiconductor is a transfer business. It helps to promote business alliance and promote asset light strategy. Third, mobile phones help to transfer B2B and improve R&D efficiency in B2C. Next, circuit boards help to transfer to business packaging with base material and semiconductor. Lastly, optical product help to expand outsource and restructure domestic sites.

Competitive strategy
For the company Panasonic, we are able to analyze that Panasonic is using cost leadership on their entire product line, this is because Panasonic had trying to maintain its price and cost low. Where the use of this competitive strategy should be allowing Panasonic to target a wide market yet provide excellence quality consistency. Over the year, Panasonic is able to create a long-lasting product and having the same quality on each product.

3. Recommendation
To enhance the identified strengths and opportunities
Panasonic Corporation (Panasonic) is one of the largest electronic product manufacturers in the world. To enhance the strengths above, the company can increase the profitability through greater sales volume which can be obtained by exploring new products and new markets. Panasonic Company is constantly focuses on their research and development team to develop new product. So, they cannot only improve an existing product or service to attract more buyers and increase its brand equity, while also creating a new product or market for their products. Panasonic Company can expand its operations by hiring more employees, in order to carry out a more gigantic and specified operation.
In recent years, our countries had always been to promoting for environmental activities. Panasonic companies can having more focuses on their business and product line in environmental friendly products and yet expand their markets in middle income group and suburban area, which over the people had tend to forget their existence. Other than that, Panasonic Corporation can set up more customers care centre and provide an e-Job service to teach consumers how to repair , installing , and without service fees.
To overcome the identified weaknesses and threats
To overcome weaknesses stated above, Panasonic should have given an extra reward in term of cash or voucher only for those employee whom achieves highest performances in their work place in order increase their productivity. According to some special day, Panasonic should have more special offer to customer. For example, offer all the slimming product on Valentine's Day, and offer massage chair on Father’s day and Mother’s day.
In the other hand, to overcome threats stated above, Panasonic should fully utilize its competitive advantage to overcome the competition among other manufacturer. Panasonic can give more offer and service to customer to maintain their sales. Besides, Panasonic should keep the cost of production low in order to overcome the price wars among the competitors.
Conclusion
As a conclusion, we could see that Panasonic is a company that is very complex from the way it manage its company but effective against managing its resources. Until now, Panasonic is still able to survive and yet maintaining its brand name for such long time and still improving the people’s life, which has related to Panasonic motto "Recognizing our responsibilities as industrialists, we will devote ourselves to the progress and development of society and the well-being of people through our business activities, thereby enhancing the quality of life throughout the world." By the company's founder, Konosuke Matsushita.
Panasonic is a reactive company, where it able to react fast enough to recover from the lost. Where in the fiscal year of 2012, during the sales of panel business Panasonic has lost 210 billion yen but after 1 year Panasonic Company able to reduce its lost and have a balance lost at 86 billion yen.
On top of that, Panasonic is not just a consumer electronics manufacturer, it also concern about the environmental problem. For example, Panasonic has come out with ‘Eco Ideas’ strategy which highlight the company’s plans to achieve global excellent in all of the environmental management.