Unit 2 Enterprise Case Study Intrapreneurship in Sony
Ken Kutaragi was a junior employee with Sony who spent hours at work tinkering with his daughter’s Nintendo to try to make it more powerful and user-friendly. His manager was outraged at what he thought was a complete waste of Ken’s time. However, a senior manager in Sony saw the potential in Ken’s intrapreneurship and encouraged his initiative.
The end result was the invention of the Sony PlayStation – a massively successful video game console for the company – and promotion for Ken.
LO 2.2
2. Why do people become entrepreneurs? People like Ray Coyle become entrepreneurs for different reasons, including the
following: (a) Income
Becoming an entrepreneur is a means of generating income and of becoming fi nancially secure. It is a way of earning money for yourself instead of someone else. If there is a lot of unemployment and someone cannot fi nd a job, it may be the only way for them to earn a decent income. Example: Ray Coyle fi rst became an entrepreneur simply because he needed to earn a living after he was forced to sell his farm.
(b) Independence Some people prefer working for themselves. They get personal satisfaction from being their own boss. They enjoy the sense of achievement and satisfaction that can arise from making things happen and getting the result that they want. Example: As his enterprises grew and became successful, Ray Coyle became more motivated by the desire for independence. He wanted to be his own boss.
(c) Enjoyment Some people have a desire to work in the area that gives them the most enjoyment. This is like creating a business around a hobby, for example sports enthusiasts setting up their own sports shop. Example: Nick Woodman founded the very successful GoPro camera business because of his interest in surfi ng, which he tried to capture on fi lm and because he wanted to run his own business.
