[THE INVESTOR] Samsung Electronics is planning to ditch its existing smartphone marketing strategy and may release only one premium model annually to ensure product quality, according to Korean news outlet Newsis on Oct. 18.The tech giant has been releasing two flagship models every year -- Galaxy S in the first half and Galaxy Note in the latter half.This possible adjustment is largely due to the firm’s tight release schedule which effects product quality, the report said.Ever since Samsung was

[THE INVESTOR] The Korean Agency for Technology and Standards, a state watchdog, has launched an investigation to find the exact cause of the fire and explosion of Samsung Electronics’ Galaxy Note 7, according to industry sources. It is expected that it will take at least three months to wrap up the investigation as the fire and explosion cases could have been caused by multiple factors.A total of 10 members from business, academic and research sectors will serve as an advisory group.The advisor

[THE INVESTOR] What would be your chances of survival on Titanic, which sank into the North Atlantic Ocean during her maiden voyage on April 15, 1912?Had you been an adult male traveling in third class, your chances would have been a lot slimmer than those of men in upper class, not to mention women and children.Predicting future outcomes based on past statistical figures is called predictive modeling, or predictive analytics. Olivier Duchenne (left) and Sophie Eom are the co-founders of Korean

[THE INVESTOR] Samsung Electronics mobile chief Koh Dong-jin, who has been spearheading the unit since December 2014, may be feeling the pain of the Galaxy Note 7 debacle the most. On Oct. 13, he pledged that he “would at any cost find the exact cause (of the faulty Galaxy Note 7) to restore trust of consumers so that they can use Samsung products without any safety concerns.”Admitting that he was frustrated as were others over the past weeks due to the Note 7 crisis, he apologized and expressed

[THE INVESTOR]  Just like the number 7 is considered a lucky number in many regions, the number 8 is an auspicious number in Chinese culture. It is because of its pronunciation, “ba”, which sounds like the Chinese word for prosperity, “fa”, and its shape represents a perfect balance. But for Samsung Electronics, the “ba” could mean bad luck. The year 2017 was supposed to be the best timing for the Korean tech giant to pour marketing resources in the all-important Chinese market along with the pl

[THE INVESTOR] In a bid to make up for snowballing profit losses due to the sales suspension of its Galaxy Note 7 handset, Samsung Electronics is increasing production of the flagship Galaxy S7 and lower-end smartphone models. “Samsung is planning to put more focus on the Galaxy S7 by ramping up production of the handset,” said an industry source who wanted to be unnamed, adding that the increased production is to minimize the anticipated profit drop for the rest of the year following the sales

[THE INVESTOR] Amid the ongoing Galaxy Note 7 crisis of its local rival Samsung Electronics, LG Electronics saw its shares rise 3.14 percent to 52,500 won (US$47.1) in early morning trading on Oct. 11.Samsung announced on Oct. 11 that it would temporarily stop selling the latest flagship smartphone at home and abroad amid the ballooning controversy surrounding the fire-prone Note 7.The decision sent Samsung’s shares down by 6.43 percent to 1,572,000 won in early morning trading.(theinvestor@hera

[THE INVESTOR]  No one anticipated events would unravel this way for Samsung Electronics and its flagship Galaxy Note 7. Expectations were quite high on the top-notch product, and the South Korean tech giant believed it would be able to claim the top spot in the premium smartphone sector this year, outpacing its archrival Apple. Soon after the release of the Note 7 in August, however, Samsung Electronics had to eat humble pie as it was inundated with reports of fires and explosions of the handse

[THE INVESTOR]  Local stock brokerage NH Investment and Securities forecast that the opportunity cost of the possible sales suspension of the Samsung Electronics' Galaxy Note 7 could reach 700 billion won (US$630 million).The investment firm added Samsung would have to put focus on quality tests for the smartphone.“Although the recall issue of the Note 7 will continue in the rest of the year, the firm’s semiconductor and display businesses will be able to improve its earnings,” said Lee Se-cheol

[THE INVESTOR] LG Electronics’ shares rose to a high of 51,200 won on Oct. 10, up 5.79 percent, reflecting high expectations for its latest high-end V20 smartphone. The stock closed up 5.17 percent at 50,900 won on Monday. Having long struggled in the uphill battle against its local rival Samsung Electronics and Apple, LG released the V20, fitted with a dual-lens camera, a secondary display, and a removable battery, on Sept. 29 in Seoul Amid the ongoing battery crisis involving Samsung’s Galaxy

[THE INVESTOR] Samsung Electronics said on Oct. 10 that it is now adjusting the production volume of its Galaxy Note 7 “in order to conduct detailed inspections and improve quality control.”The announcement came on the heels of news reports that Samsung has reportedly halted the operation of its manufacturing facilities for the bigger-screen Note phone in Korea and Vietnam.Over the weekend, US telecom carriers including AT&T and T-Mobile have halted the phone sales amid the ongoing battery fiasc

[THE INVESTOR] Samsung Electronics has put a temporary halt on the production of its Galaxy Note 7 smartphone as the explosive battery issue is spiraling out of control. An official from Samsung’s partner firm was quoted by Yonhap News Agency as saying that Samsung has temporarily stopped rolling out the Note 7.The official added that the latest decision affects its facilities in Vietnam, Samsung’s manufacturing base for global markets. Samsung Electronics mobile chief Koh Dong-jin apologizes at

[THE INVESTOR] Tech giant Samsung Electronics may have to proceed with another round of recall for its combustible Galaxy Note 7 smartphone in the wake of what appears to be a replacement Note 7 caught on fire on a plane, according to news reports on Oct. 7.The combustion of the handset having taken place on a Southwest Airlines flight bound for Baltimore from Louisville raised concerns over the safety of the replacement Note 7, which Samsung guaranteed was “safe.”The US Consumer Product Safety

[THE INVESTOR] Tech giant Samsung Electronics on Oct. 7 released its third-quarter earnings guidance that beat analyst estimates following a large-scale recall of its latest Galaxy Note 7 smartphone. The company predicted its July-September period operating profit could reach 7.8 trillion won (US$7 billion), up 5.5 percent from a year ago. Local analysts had estimated it at about 7.4 trillion won on average, according to FN Guide, a local fund tracker. Revenue, however, was down 5.19 percent to

[THE INVESTOR] Tech giant Samsung Electronics Vice Chairman Lee Jae-yong seems to be the biggest beneficiary of the rumored merger between the tech giant and construction and trading firm Samsung C&T as his stocks in the latter have increased nearly 50 percent in value over four months. Lee, the largest shareholder of the C&T with 17.23 percent, or 32,674,500 shares, of the construction and trading firm, saw his stock value in the company rise 46.4 percent from 3.66 trillion won(US$3.29 billion)