Samsung reportedly hires marketing exec for international sales

Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd. hired a new marketing executive to further its international sales and marketing efforts, according to Dow Jones Newswires and other media reports.
A local South Korean newspaper, Maeil Business, also reported that the company is restructuring its handset business, a move that could involve job cuts.
A Samsung corporate spokesperson was not immediately available to respond to the news.
An unnamed company spokesperson told Dow Jones that the company is looking for new revenue sources, streamlining its business and reassigning some personnel.
Samsung-which in the second quarter surpassed Motorola Inc. as the second largest handset vendor by volume and has pursued the sale of mid- and high-tier devices-has moved cautiously into low-tier handset sales in emerging markets, a business that requires disciplined cost controls to be profitable. Cutting jobs often is the quickest way for a company to cut costs.
The company’s success in volume shipments in the second quarter came with tepid profits, thus a possible motive for restructuring the handset division to capitalize on a historic opportunity to surpass its ailing American rival, Motorola.