Samsung

One of the largest multi-nationals in the world, Samsung has become a world leader in several industries, including mobile phones. The brand name comes from the Korean word "Samsung" which translates to "three stars." The founder, Lee Byung-Chul, established the company in 1938 as an exporter of fish, vegetables and fruit to China.

From the late 1950's onwards, Samsung began to move into other areas such as media, chemicals, financial and ship building. It wasn't until 1969 that Samsung Electronics was established producing what now makes up their core product range: TV's, mobile phones, radio and computer parts.

The CEO then borrowed money from foreign investors to establish the mass Korean communication industry by launching television and radio stations.

During the late 1980's, Samsung Electronics began investing a lot into this division building into a world leader in electronics. It established a partnership with Sony to build liquid-crystal display panels (LCD's). Production was then expanded making Samsung the world leader in Dynamic random access memory (DRAM), flash memory, optical storage drives and mobile phones.

Many firms in Asia are now dependent on Samsung for the supply of key parts for semiconductor chips or LCD TVs. Samsung has also invested heavily into improving its global image by sponsoring the last five Olympic Games and building a large video sign in Times Square.

The history of mobile phones at Samsung goes back just over 10 years. In 1993 Samsung developed the 'lightest' mobile phone of its time. The SCH-800 was made available on all Code division multiple access (CDMA) networks.

They then created the combination MP3 player phone and since then have been focused on the 3G industry. They offer technology such as internet access, cameras, TV over IP and multiplayer mobile games.

In 2007, its handset division surpassed USA rival Motorola, making Samsung the world's second largest mobile phone maker.