LG 2008 Annual Report Download - page 9

MESSAGE
FROM THE CEO
Dear Shareholders, Consumers, Business Partners, and Employees:
“CREATING GREATER VALUE FOR EVERY
STAKEHOLDER IS OUR ONE AND ONLY GOAL”
The volatility and uncertainty in the financial markets are unprecedented. Never before in
LG Electro n ics’ history have we witnessed such rapid deterioration and retrenchm ent in
major markets. However, re ga rdless of whether or not countries em erge from recession
in 2009 or 2010 or even 2011, we will take a longer-term view of our priorities. I believe
that we need to stay even more focused on the six strategic pillars laid out before to guide
our innovation.
These pillars are as follow s: 1) Enhance Perform ance M anagem ent, with a b a lanced
em phasis on grow th and ROIC, 2) R estructure our business portfolio for profita b le
grow th, 3) Align our product market strategies against clear custom er insights, 4) Invest
in building a global brand, 5) Em phasize design, as well as product innovation, and 6)
Globalize our organization and processes.
While we are determ ined to press ahead with these initiatives, our primary focus has,
as always, been the overall health of our busin e s s e s ra th e r th a n m e re s h o rt-te rm
perform ance. That is why we pay such close attention to the health of our product pipeline,
channel collaborations, consum er re lationships, business portfolios, brands, organization,
and finances.
These careful and conscientious operational strategies consistently re su lted in a num ber
of dram atic operational adjustments and took concrete steps to resp on d to the econom ic
enviro n m e n t. LG Electro n ics sharpened its focus on maintaining and building profitability,
backed by a dedicated staff with the talent, commitment, and desire to serve custom ers in
every way. In the past two years, we’ve had reco rd -b reaking perform ances in term s of both
revenues and profitability, while our stock price also outperform s that of most of our peers.
But more important than congratulating this im pressive perform ance, we will keep our
efforts to make significant strides to improve the underlying health of our business. Those
strategic pillars are not just “slogans,” subject to the latest management tre n ds. Instead,
I believe that these serve as “anchors” for us to tailor our actions even more relevant in
these uncertain econom ic times. With the six “anchors” still guiding our direction, we
believe that we need to set our sights on a few broad them es.
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