Sharp shares plunge on loss report

The company declined to comment on the report but said its full-year earnings would fall below earlier forecasts due to a “deterioration” in sales at home and “severe competition” in the liquid crystal display business. It did not give new figures.

Sharp, Sony, Panasonic, et. al -- they are all going down the same drain. And the best they can offer are the lame excuses of poor sales in Japan, and "severe competition". Huh? What kind of management does not project sales in their home market and competition years out when doing their forecasts? Japan's reputation for meticulous planning is really just a myth, since they don't even factor in all the necessary elements, even the most obvious ones.

jerseyboyJAN. 20, 2015 - 08:12AM JST Sharp, Sony, Panasonic, et. al -- they are all going down the same drain.

I think this statement is painted with too broad strokes. Sharp is definitely in the weakest position of all these companies, as it much less diversified and quite a bit smaller then the other two. Sad to see them struggling, because they are actually quite an innovative company - the first microwave with a "ching" came from Sharp. But I guess their Brand position doesn't reflect this or they were not focused enough on growth sectors with better margins than LCD in the past. Good ideas doesn't equal good business.

"The companies have faced severe competition in the sector from lower-cost rivals, including those in neighboring South Korea and Taiwan."

In the US, Samsung and LG products are generally much more expensive than Japanese products. Japan needs to lower the wages even further, devaluing yen by printing more money. By making their products significantly cheaper than their competitors, their products can be competitive, overcoming quality by cheaper price, using cheaper labor.

In the US, Samsung and LG products are generally much more expensive than Japanese products

Aaaand a 5 second google search reveals that my suspicions are correct : your statement is blatantly false.

Remove protectionism & monopolies and here you see how competitive those companies are. Yes foreign smartphone are selling like cake in Japan, yes there are competitors in the world.

Nightmare for Japanese Company. I hope they will find antidote for that problem soon.