"Still, the debacle is likely to
add to pressure on Sony to become more responsive to customers, says Stahlman. 'I suspect that the end result of this will be: This rootkit event will accelerate internal company changes,' says Stahlman. In September, Sony announced it will implement major cost reductions, dispose of non-core assets, and try to modernize its corporate culture.
Indeed, the boycott is bringing into focus the
various gripes consumers have voiced about Sony for years -- over a range of issues, from the quality of the company's electronics to poor customer service to its insistence on using proprietary technology. Although the company will be more open with its upcoming PlayStation 3 gaming console, the old wounds might take longer to heal now that the rootkit issue has spawned the Boycott Sony movement.
And Sony's reputation might have been tarnished. '
We're living in a world where corporate reputations are ever more delicate,' says Nick Shore, CEO of New York-based branding consultancy The Way Group, whose clients have included tech giants Motorola (MOT) and Intel (INTC). 'The public, in a post-Enron era, is more cynical and critical. It's possible that little things can trigger firestorms.'"
More.
