Sadanyah Flowing Water
516-240-9995
Poetry
Technical Writing
Abstract
This paper discusses the personal technology industry and its top manufacturer, Lenovo. First, the history of the company is shared so that the reader can grasp the magnitude of the corporations’ success. Past and present leaders will be identified, as well as Lenovo’s business culture and strategy utilized in driving profitability and business outcomes. This paper will review this organization’s competitors and market share since 2015 to elucidate whether the Information Technology industry and Lenovo will be able to sustain and build upon its current success in a fast changing and demanding industry.
Keywords: business culture, market share, diversity, inclusion, innovation.
Introduction
Lenovo Group Limited, a multinational organization worth $50 billion, prides itself on fostering a healthy business culture to optimize the employee experience and drive business outcomes. It is currently celebrating 35 years of business and is the frontrunner of the extremely competitive Personal Technology Industry (Borise, 2019). As a Fortune 500 global and free enterprise, it employs over 57,000 workers (Helft, 2013). Though founded with 200,000 yen in capital from the state-owned Chinese Academy of Sciences, Lenovo has managed to maintain its autonomy with little or no input from the state. It conducts business in over 180 markets and operates two chief offices in Beijing, China and Morrisville, North Carolina and a research and development center in Japan (Helft, 2013). So, what exactly is at the core of the tremendous success Lenovo has cultivated? Many would argue that from its conception, Lenovo has focused on establishing a business culture in which innovation, diversity and inclusivity are the cornerstones (Borise, 2019). Lenovo believes that diversity and inclusion are the key ingredients needed to maintain a competitive edge when it comes to innovation and providing cutting edge technology that enriches the lives of all peoples (Borise, 2019).
The importance that Lenovo places on its business culture can be ascertained when viewing the huge rock-climbing wall that sits in the lobby of its new Beijing headquarters launched in October 2018. Lenovo CEO Yuanqing Yang explained that Lenovo views setting goals and achieving them like Mountain climbing. Yuanqing also remarked that when you reach one summit, you immediately set a goal of reaching the next (Nylander, 2016). “Sometimes you even have to go down before you can go up again,” he stated. Like mountain climbers trying to reach that next summit, Lenovo is always seeking creative ways to augment and enhance its products and services. To better understand the significance of Lenovo’s rock wall to the Lenovo business culture it is important to discuss the Lenovo of the past, present and future.
Lenovo was founded in 1984 in a Beijing chalky two room guardhouse (Nylander, 2016). The founders included Liu Chuanzhi and a group of ten middle-aged engineers who were members of the Institute of Computing Technology of the Chinese Academy of Sciences (Nylander, 2016). This group of men set the tone for the pioneering spirit and innovative culture that is still present at Lenovo today. The organization, incorporated in Hong Kong four years later, was originally named Legend. It did not transition from a Chinese domestic mainland organization to a global corporation until after it acquired IBM’s Personal Computer Division (PCD) in 2005. The acquisition was a $1.25 billion deal (Nylander, 2016). Prior to Lenovo acquiring IBM’s PCD, the company had seen its fair share of professional summits and valleys.
Lenovo’s first important endeavor, the importing of televisions, proved to be a failure. The company, however, was poised with the talent, forward-thinking and drive to overcome this loss. It initiated performing quality evaluations on computers for new consumers to revitalize its business. This set the groundwork for Lenovo’s first major breakthrough and comeback, the production of a circuit board that enabled IBM-compatible personal computers to process Chinese characters. Though the production of the circuit board breathed new life into Lenovo, the company still produced products that failed, such as its digital watch (Helft, 2013). Liu Chuanzhi believed that some products like the digital watch failed because there was a misconception that the chief engineer and other key Lenovo decision makers held. This belief was that if a product was good it would generate sales (Helft, 2013). Liu, on the other hand, realized that there are many other components that promote the shelf-life of a product. Liu knew that in addition to producing top quality products, Lenovo had to invest in the premium advertising and marketing of those products to extend its market reach, profitability and revenue (Helft, 2013). "We were mainly scientists and didn't understand the market," Liu said. "We just learned by trial-and-error, which was very interesting—but also very dangerous," said Liu Chuanzhi.
The current Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Lenovo is Yuanqing Yang who is also known as YY. Under Yang’s leadership, Lenovo’s business culture of goal setting and innovation continues to thrive and is just as relevant to its success today as it was to the eleven engineers who founded the company in 1984 (Helft, 2013). Once a year, Yang hosts an extravagant dinner at his luxurious home for his top executives. It has become a company tradition for each executive to make a goal setting toast for his or her department to fulfill (Helft, 2013). Yang, despite being the son of two surgeons, grew up poor. His parents received salaries extremely below their skillset. After receiving a Computer Science degree from the University of Science and Technology of China, Yuanqing Yang had hoped to teach. However, he decided to respond to an ad for a salesman position at Lenovo. His history with Lenovo is inspiring because he went from earning $30 per month as a salesman to being promoted to Chief Executive Officer at the age of 29 (Helft, 2013). Under the leadership of Yang, according to unit sales as of March 2019, Lenovo has become the number one personal computer vendor globally (Helft, 2013). A publicly traded manufacturer of Computer Hardware & Electronics, the company specializes in the production of notebooks, tablet computers, netbooks, desktops, smartphones, supercomputers, storage devices, printers, televisions, peripherals, scanners and servers.
Yang once stated, “Someone in the Chinese media asked me how important it was to become number one, and I asked him, 'Can you name the highest mountain?' and he replied, 'Everest.'" Then I asked, “And what’s the world’s second highest?” That’s why being number one is important.” It is clear that Lenovo strives to be the number one Information Technology company in the world. Their competitive nature has helped them to edge out its top two contenders HP, Dell, as well as Acer Group, ASUS and APPLE (Helft, 2013). However, Lenovo’s most fierce competitor seems to be itself. Though it postures an eagle eye on the market, Lenovo assesses its performance most critically of all. If it produced the best product on the market today, then next year it will try to make that product even smarter. This is why diversity and inclusion are so extremely important to Lenovo (Borise, S., 2019). Many experts support Lenovo’s stance on these two topics mainly because they are predicting a decline in talent acquisition and retention in coming years due to the growth of the freelance industry and workers retiring (Borise, S., 2019). Executive director at Diversity Best Practices, Deborah Munster stated, “You’ve got a base of diverse people-if you begin to take them through the new technology, they could potentially neutralize shortfall (Borise, S., 2019).” Lenovo seems to understand that creating a diverse workforce will be key in satisfying the consumer demand within an expanding global PC market. Thus far, the PC market has grown 1.5% with shipments totaling 63 million units (Martin, 2018).
As Lenovo looks to a new era of Artificial Intelligence (AI) and smart systems and devices, it is working diligently to maintain a reputation and code of ethics that will promote it being a company concerned not only with boosting revenue, but one that cares about all people and the planet. The technology that is used to manufacture its products and most electronic devices relies on natural resources that are often abundant in conflict zones (Bryson, 2019). As a result, Lenovo has implemented policies and processes to neutralize risks associated with engaging in trade for conflict minerals (Martin, 2018). According to Ethical Consumer Lenovo’s efforts to trace, document and report instances in which they unknowingly purchase conflict minerals are ranked amongst the highest along with corporations such as ASUS, HP, Acer, Apple, Dell, Fujitsu, Microsoft and & Alphabet [Google](Bryson, 2019). Lenovo still has room for improvement and ranks in the middle tier of companies regarding their level of dedication to totally phasing out PVC, BFRs and phthalates which are released over the lifetime of an electronic device and are extremely toxic to the planet and human life (Bryson, 2019). Lenovo boasts a line of high-tech products which cater to the customer experience. A few of their key products are the ThinkPad and ThinkBook business lines of notebook computers, IdeaPad, Yoga and Legion consumer lines of notebook. Their consumer base is one of the largest in the world. Therefore, Lenovo’s understanding that, despite its products helping to make daily living easier and enjoyable, it must hold itself accountable and responsible is important. It is necessary for Lenovo to continue to find ways to reduce risk for its consumers and the environment.
In 2015, Lenovo had a market share of 20.7 while Dell had 14.1% and HP had 19.4%. The organization was able to drive revenue across all product lines, recording substantial growth. This growth indicates that Lenovo has extended its market reach and its products are meeting consumer demands. Along with extensive marketing in China and around the world, Lenovo's ability to meet the demands of its ever-growing client and consumer base has helped to augment the organization’s profitability. To date, Lenovo is achieving new layers of success and is on track for continued expansion. The company has affirmed fiscal year outcomes that have risen 12.5% with returns reaching $51 billion. Its net income has risen 1% since last year and is an estimated $597 million (Bhasin, 2019).
There is no doubt that Lenovo is doing well in today’s market. With several Information Technology enterprises like Dell and HP vying to be number one, Lenovo must be cognizant of weaknesses that have to be addressed to broaden the gap between it and its competitors. The company has had to recall several products, including lithium-ion batteries which are used in the production of ThinkPad computers (Bhasin, 2019). No matter how well a company is doing, recalls affect brand trust adversely. Also, Lenovo has had difficulty with growing its PC and Smartphone market share due to emergence of new companies and duplicate products. Other risks that Lenovo may potentially face include fierce competition, a declining PC Market and Average Selling Prices. However, there are several other avenues Lenovo can pursue to neutralize its weaknesses, which include engaging in the following (Bhasin, 2019):
1.The Production of Smartphones
The Production of Smartphones2.The Cloud Computing Market
The Cloud Computing Market 3.Strategic Acquisitions
Strategic AcquisitionsLenovo’s strategic acquisition of IBM proved to be lucrative and helped it to establish a strong presence in the Information Technology market. It’s prominence in the Information Technology Industry is well deserved. However, Technological advancements have made smartphones and other smart products, Cloud Computing and Artificial Intelligence (AI) products the way of the present and future (Bhasin, 2019). Despite Lenovo’s noteworthy achievements in the past, the growing use of AI and Smart Systems and Devices is shifting market demands quickly. Lenovo’s past success will not be enough to sustain it as a forerunner in the Technology Industry. It will have to also deliver products that offer the best in AI Technology and smart systems and devices to maintain its competitive edge, expand its market reach and drive business outcomes to the next summit.
References
Bhasin, H (2019). Swot Analysis. Retrieved from https://www.marketing91.com/swot-analysis
lenovo/
Borise, S. (2019). Lenovo 35 – The Role Technology Plays in Creating the Future Inclusive
Workplace. Retrieved from https://news.lenovo.com/lenovo-35/
Bryson, T. (2019). Ethical Consumer. Retrieved from
https://www.ethicalconsumer.org/technology/shopping-guide/laptops
Chanthadavong, A. (2019). The Chinese PC Manufacturer has marked its eight consecutive
revenue quarter growth. Retrieved from https://www.zdnet.com/article/pc-market-share-gain-lifts-lenovos-total-revenue-to-12-5-billion/
Costello, K. (2019). Gartner Says Worldwide PC Shipments Grew 1.5% in Second Quarter of
2019. Retrieved from https://www.gartner.com/en/newsroom/press-releases/2019-07-11-gartner-says-worldwide-pc-shipments-grew-1point5percent-in-second-quarter-of-2019
Helft, M. (2013). Can Lenovo Do It. Retrieved from https://fortune.com/2013/05/23/can
lenovo-do-it/
Nylander, J. (2016). How Lenovo Became the Largest PC Maker in The World. Retrieved fromhttps://www.forbes.com/sites/jnylander/2016/03/20/how-lenovo-became-the-largestpc-maker-in-the-world/#619c2f4b388b
https://www.forbes.com/sites/jnylander/2016/03/20/how-lenovo-became-the-largestpc-maker-in-the-world/#619c2f4b388bMartin, D.B. (2018). Lenovo’s Policy on Minerals from Conflict-Affected and High-Risk Area.
Retrieved from https://static.lenovo.com/ww/docs/sustainability/Conflict _Minerals_Policy.pdf
Creative Content
The World Alliance of Indigenous Peoples cares about the members of its pack, which is all individuals who know that preserving our environment is of the uttermost importance. This is why we designed this beautiful ceramic cup. Our ceramic mugs are sturdy, durable, eco-friendly, dishwasher safe, and great for cold or hot beverages and soups. Its non-reactive quality helps to maintain the flavors of your beverages, guaranteeing satisfaction in every drop!
WAIP, INC
The Pack That Cares!
A Queen’s Shadow
A Poem from the Book Boots: A Selection of Poems
By Sadanyah Flowing Water
Her eyes are meek,
But her irises are oceans of benevolence,
She’s a small giant
With a vacuum cleaner filled with details—
A grocery list, knitted socks and hats, report cards
Brown paper bags, Jell-O pudding snacks and Chef Boyardee.
With a caged heart
She marches across skeleton-filled valleys.
She is a queen adorned with a crown,
Bedazzled with purple hearts,
Awarded for soothing chicken pox with witch hazel,
And common colds with Campbells.
With small, long gentle fingers,
She massages away emasculation,
Unrealistic Herculean standards and broken dreams.
She warms a bed that military hands have made.
Her soft curly bob leaves a scent of rosemary
And lavender on a chest weighed down by expectations.
With a soothing voice
She softens the blows of yesterday.
Birds sing to her, tempting her with freedom.
She remains—a porcelain figurine
Living in a glass Levitt home.
Her gait is graceful. She walks on Pine-Soiled floors
Past sun filled Windexed windows.
She is tiny, but life pours out of her,
Enough to fill the Cayman Trench.
News Release
For Immediate Release
Dr. Lynda Day, Development Queen Mother of Besease, Ashanti, Ghana Will Be Opening
SOF CORE’s Int’l Culture Festival Expo With The Pouring of Libations
The World Alliance of Indigenous Peoples (WAIP, Inc.) strives to bring a positive and remaining impact to the community via Cultural and Fine Arts. This year it will be producing SOF CORE’s 6th Annual International Culture Festival Expo virtually on Saturday, September 12th, and the Three Sisters Native American Festival and Summit on Sunday, September 13th, 2020. Both events are set to take place between 12 PM and 6 PM. These events are being hosted in loving memory of Rev. Dr. Akilah Karima. Karima transitioned on March 16, 2019 due to secondary breast cancer, stage IV brain cancer. WAIP, Inc, is therefore, asking its viewing audience and supporters to wear pink on September 12th to raise secondary breast cancer awareness. Please register for these events by visiting the Events page at www.waip-inc.org.
The purpose of the SOF CORE’s Int’l Culture Festival and the Three Sisters Native American Festival and Summit is to utilize Cultural and Fine Arts to holistically and ethnologically share in our common humanity, promote community and ethnic entrepreneurship and encourage world peace, unity and universal healing. WAIP, Inc. is excited to announce that Dr. Lynda Day will be opening this year’s virtual festival with the pouring of libations. The event will feature many dynamic musicians, dancers and singers as well. The Three Sisters Native American Festival and Summit along with SOF CORE’s Int’l Culture Festival Expo will be streamed live and is free to the public. A portion of the proceeds from these two events will be used to fight illiteracy. WAIP, Inc. aims to gift school supplies and face masks to families in need. Every child deserves a chance to achieve academic success. With your help, we can provide underprivileged students with supplies to optimize their learning. So please, join the fight against illiteracy by visiting www.waip-inc.org to become a community sponsor by donating $25.
Dr. Day is a professor at Brooklyn College where she teaches courses on African History and the Black Diaspora. For five years she served as curator of the African American Museum of Nassau County in Hempstead and conducted research on Long Island’s black population. She is the author of Making a Way to Freedom: A History of African Americans on Long Island. Dr. Lynda Day now serves as the nkosuahemaa (development queenmother-Besease, Ashanti, Ghana).
To learn more about The World Alliance of Indigenous Peoples, please visit www.waip-inc.com. If you would like to register for upcoming events or to become a sponsor, visit The World Alliance of Indigenous Peoples’ Event page at www.waip-inc.org.
Montauk Tribe of Indians
The Montauk Tribe of Indians Council of Elders recognizes all Montauk, no matter where you live, as relatives and citizens of One Montauk Nation.
WE ARE STILL HERE
WE ARE ONE
WE ARE MONTAUK
The Indigenous peoples of Montauk once resided in great numbers on the eastern end of Long Island, NY. Due to the colonization of North America and a 1910 unjust ruling by Judge Blackmar, the Montauk Nation was wrongfully disenfranchised from their ancestral lands and told that they no longer existed as a tribe. Today the Montauk are calling for the State of New York and the Federal Government to right this wrong. Though there are several bands of Montauk, and many tribal members reside in different cities throughout Long Island, NY and the United States, we are still connected to each other and the rich culture and traditions of our ancestors. The Montauk stand united by our determination to receive justice for our ancestors, tribe and future generations.
Montauk Tribe of Indians at a Glance
On September 14, 2019, Montauk Tribe of Indians' Leila Loving Spirit ONeal was introduced to the citizens of Indian Country as SunkSqá Wamôsut. This ceremony took place at the Ramapough Lenape Native American Festival in Ringwood NJ. Wamôsut’s installation as Sunksqa was the result of over 300 petitions signed by Montauk citizens. The ceremony was historic and reflected the importance the Montauk Nation places on the voices of its people. Nutápatamuyumun (We give thanks) for the wisdom and advice that was shared with Sunksqá Wamôsut in the sacred circle by Sôcums and tribal chairpersons, council members and Elders from across the United States.
Angel Reese WNBA Draft Decision Is Not Financial
ESPN and CBS Sports’ forecasts indicated that LSU’s Bayou Barbie, Angel Reese, will be going seventh overall to the Minnesota Lynx in mock WNBA 2024 draft. This projection made Reese amongst the top picks this year, along with her rival, Iowa Hawkeyes’ Caitlin Clark.
Unlike Caitlin Clark, who had announced on February 29th that she will enter this year’s WNBA draft, Angel Reese had not revealed what direction her basketball career would take in 2025. During Monday’s postgame interview when a reporter asked, “Do you have any future plans in basketball,” Angel replied, “I’ll make a decision when I am ready.”
After months of anticipation from WNBA lovers everywhere, Angel Reese is finally ready. She announced today that she will be entering this year’s WNBA draft. This news came in less than 48 hours from her team’s season ending with a loss to Caitlin Clark and the Iowa Hawkeyes. LSU hoped to repeat the success they had against Iowa during a rematch on Monday in the Elite Eight NCAA Tournament. However, LSU came up short and the Hawkeyes secured a 94-87 victory over the Tigers.
Angel Reese released her decision to enter the WNBA Draft during a Vogue photo shoot. She shared with the magazine that her decision was made prior to March Madness. Reese stated to Vogue, “Of course, I like to do everything big. I didn’t want anything to be basic. I’ve done everything I wanted to in college.” This included leading LSU to its 102-85 win over the Iowa Hawkeyes for the National Championship in 2023. It was the first time in LSU history that the women’s basketball team had won the NCAA Tournament.
Since LSU’s National Championship win, Angel Reese has been building an impressive personal apparel brand. She appeared on the cover of and in the swimsuit edition of Sports Illustrated and was featured in various periodicals, including The Black Wall Street Journal. Reese and teammate Flau Jae Johnson have also been interviewed on New York’s Breakfast Club. During the interview, the two women spoke about the national attention they have been receiving from various celebrities and key constituents.
Though extremely disappointed about LSU’s loss to Iowa’s Hawkeyes, Angel Reese exudes confidence regarding her future in basketball and her brand. She stated, "For me, I've honestly learned that regardless, I'm going to be able to make money staying or going.”
Student athletes like Angel Reese have more options today because of the Supreme Court ruling that took place on July 1, 2021. This ruling allows collegiate athletes to earn money generated from personal branding and to accept gifts from boosters. For Reese, this meant that her decision to turn professional did not have to be financial and could be made on her own terms.
Angel Reese’s brand is strong mostly because of, not only her photogenic face and 6’3” model physique, but her impressive collegiate career. In 2023 she led her team to winning the 2023 NCAA Championship and was named the 2023 Tournament Most Outstanding Player. In 2024 she received the SEC Player of the Year Award. Reese is a two time All Southeastern Champion and has set NCAA single-season double doubles record. Angel also has also been an all-American athlete and has set SEC single-season rebounds and LSU’s single-game rebound records.
