Ericsson

From Hoover's Online: "Ericsson opens all lines of communication. The world's leading maker of mobile broadband infrastructure provides the equipment that telecom service providers use to build and expand networks. The company also provides wireline broadband, metro-area Ethernet, and optical transport equipment. Ericsson's joint venture with Sony, Sony Ericsson Mobile Communications, ranks among the top providers of mobile handsets. The company is controlled by two groups: Investor AB, the investment vehicle for the Wallenberg family, and AB Industrivärden, which control 19% and 13% of the voting power respectively."

Company History
Ericsson was founded by Lars Magnus Ericsson and Carl Johan Andersson in 1876 as a mechanical engineering shop which came to provides its own telegraph receivers to Swedish railway companies. Within a decade, the company had expanded to 70 employees from the original five, and it began producing telephones and related equipment. Ericsson was a multinational company by the time of World War I, with its most important overseas plants in Russia and the UK.

Historical Financial Information
Historical Stock Prices

Business Strategy
Ericsson "vision and values" "Vision and Core Values" accessed July 2008 :

"Our vision To be the Prime Driver in an all-communicating world. This means a world in which all people can use voice, data, images and video to share ideas and information whenever and wherever they want."

"Core values Respect, professionalism and perseverance are the values that are the foundation of the Ericsson culture, guiding us in our daily work - how we relate to people and how we do business."

Lobbying
By summer 2008, Ericsson, Inc., hired the lobbying firm Clark and Weinstock for $100,000. That figure was $220,000 in 2007 and $240,000 in 2006.

Labor
Ericsson is a customer of Volex Cable Assembly Co., Ltd. "Volex is a global producer of electrical and optical fiber cable assemblies and power cords (plugs, cables and connectors)" which "operates offshore manufacturing facilities in Asia, Europe, and North and South America. In Asia, the Volex Group currently has three manufacturing facilities based in mainland China (in Zhongshan, Shenzhen, and Suzhou), and factories and/or offices in India, Indonesia, Singapore, Thailand, Japan, Korea, Malaysia, Vietnam, Taiwan, and Hong Kong. In total, the group manages over 30 production centers worldwide." According to a May 2008 Report published by SACOM and Bread for All, the Volex factory in Zhongshan City, China, found that the factory employs 1500-2000 workers, and that while workers' overtime still exceeded the monthly legal limit by up to 84 hours a month, this figure was less than up to 140 hours of mandatory overtime per month employees worked in 2006. In addition to work days that last a minimum of twelve hours (with two 45 minute breaks), workers are not given any days off during peak production times. Occupational health and safety are problems at the Volex plant, where workers' hands often become swollen and blistered from handling cables and are not given any sort of protective gloves. The past policy of deducting meal charges of 102 yuan per month from workers' wages whether or not they ate in the canteen is no longer in effect. Volex management reported that the EICC has been presented to workers in 2007, but as of the beginning of 2008 workers did not claim any knowledge of either its contents or their implementation.

Social Responsibility Initiatives
When Ericsson began moving much of its manufacturing operations to Asia in 1998, it developed an extensive Supplier Responsibility Code detailing safety requirements, fair and honourable business practices, human rights, workers rights, and child labor, as well as monitoring and compliance practices. However, Ericsson is still not a member of the EICC as of May 2008. .

Business Scope
The reach of Ericsson's telecommunications networks is vast, accounting for 1000 networks in 175 countries and 40% of all mobile phone calls. Ericsson holds over 23,000 patents, and through its joint venture Sony Ericsson produces mobile handsets in addition to the networks maintained by the parent company.

Financial Information
Ticker Symbol: ERIC Main Exchanges: NASDAQ Investor Website: http://www.ericsson.com/ericsson/investors/index.shtml

Largest Shareholders

Geographic scope paragraph

Governance
Board of Directors

Contact Information
Company name: Telefonaktiebolaget LM Ericsson Company address: TORSHAMNSGATAN 23, KISTA 164 83 STOCKHOLM SWEDEN

Phone: +46 8 719 00 00 Fax: +46 8 18 40 85

Books on the Company

 * Leif Johansson - chair