HTC tries to boost morale amid flagging sales
updated 03:43 pm EDT, Thu August 16, 2012
CEO memo urges resolve, end to bureaucracy
HTC CO Peter Chou recently sent out a memo to the company's more than 16,700 employees in an attempt to boost morale in the face of dwindling sales of the manufacturer's Android-powered smartphones. The Wall Street Journal acquired a copy of the memo, which calls on HTC's employees to remain unswayed by the company's falling revenues and declining market value. Chou's memo is aimed at refocusing workers on improving the quality of HTC's products, awareness of its brand, and the efficiency of its internal operations.
The memo decries what Chou characterizes as loose execution on HTC's part over the last two years. Chou attributes this to the company's rapid expansion, which saw it briefly attain the top spot among Android handset manufacturers, only to lose that spot as Samsung's Galaxy line of phones moved to the fore. For the second quarter of 2012, IDC estimated HTC's worldwide market share at 5.7 percent, down from 10.7 percent for the same quarter in 2011.
Chou called for employees not to be shaken by the company's recent troubles, though. Instead, he says they should focus on eliminating bureaucracy within HTC's operations. Timely execution of goals should be a priority, according to Chou, and that requires improvements in internal communications.
HTC has been shifting focus to China and India in order to make up for lost sales in the West. The company is also rumored to be preparing its One V model for release on a potential RadioShack pre-paid network, though details on such a release remain sketchy.
