Last week, I was with 2 groups of some of the most eager learners I have ever known. They are from a company that is the guardian to one of Malaysia's most loved brands : Jaya Jusco. I salutue you, the great people of AEON Malaysia.
This entry is for you guys and I hope to discuss further the story of Nanjing Automobile Company.
As I said the true blue British brand, MG and Rover is now owned by a relatively new and unknown entity called the Nanjing Automobile Company. They may be big in China but as you guys said rightly : Nanjing who?
Do you also know that Europe's steel powerhouse now belongs to a certain Mittal from India who makes England his home? Or did you know that Tata of India is considering to buy another British icon, the Jaguar. Full circle indeed.
The question is this : How old are these target companies. Very old is the answer. They have gone through 2 world wars, numerous political, social and economic revolutions. They have witnessed some of the most dramatic changes in consumerism's relentless changes in tastes and trends. AND, they have always been under the guardianship of one culture. Today, entirely different cultures are thier new owners. I mean, Rover a Chinese owned company or Jaguar an Indain owned one? Well, thats the way of the world today folks. But, what happens next. To be more precise, what will happen to the DNA of these organizations. Will people look at them as still Rover or MG or will they look at it differently? Will their loyal Anglo-proud customers feel betrayed? Will the new owners have the discipline not to re-engineer the DNA of these organizations? What happens if they do? What happens if they don't?
What will happen to the brand's intrinsic value and characteristics?
Will they survive another 100 years?
I believe that an organization too has a certain DNA that keeps it evolving. This DNA becomes entrenched over time and it becomes something buried deep in the heart of the organization which in turn affects how it does business. Look at Honda. What do you think it's DNA like? One of creativity and innovation before profit? Yes. Otherwise they would not have been spending billions of dollars developing the Honda jet. Now, what will happen to this DNA if a purely business investor from Russia buys over Honda? Would Honda stop evolving? Would its DNA face a slow and steady remodification?
So many questions. I am going to sleep on them and probably keep the answers for another entry.
By the way, after our last session, a thought flashed through my mind: Isn't it strange that Seiko and Alba have not bought over any Swiss brands? Or have they?
