More Accentuating the Negative

For those of you who have dealt with difficult college professors, you might not be surprised that I'm revisiting this topic.  For those of you who have dealt with needlessly difficult college professors, let me just say, I envy you.  I envy you so much.

Luckily, most liberal arts schools tend to frown on a professor deducting points from a student's assignment for expressing a point which the former may disagree with.  Plus, my commentary on the status of Sony was an informed decision on my part, and so informed by a lengthy and exhaustive period of research on the company.  So, in this instance, in this particular Level 1 course, it would have been ill-advised for him to deduct points for that.

But he finds a way.  He always finds a way.

Based on your familiarity with Sony products, what business strategy do you recommend that Stringer employ to help Sony accelerate its business progress?

This was my answer:

While Sony has had considerable success with TV's, VCR's, and other entertainment devices, they have also had difficulty staying ahead of the competition, failing to capitalize on the market for portable devices.  With their market dominated by competitors, Sony simply needs to move away from their "traditional" products and more toward innovative, cutting-edge electronics.

Not a bad answer.  Perhaps some over-generalizations, but then again I'm not "familiar" with Sony products, and anyway this was one of several essay questions, and one of five classes I had to worry about anyway.

This was my professor's response:

While Sony has had considerable success with TV's, VCR's, and other entertainment devices, they it have also had difficulty staying ahead of the competition, failing to capitalize on the market for portable devices.  With their its market dominated by competitors, Sony simply needs to move away from their its "traditional" products and more toward innovative, cutting-edge electronics.

Why?  Why on Earth was that necessary?

Exactly what is the proper pronoun for a corporate entity?  And how was I supposed to know that the good folks in charge of Sony should be addressed as "it" instead of "they"?

How is it that I can Google endlessly and yet not find one instance of a corporation being referred to by anything other than its proper title?  No "its," "theirs," "theys," "he's," "she's," nothing!  What precedent is there for something like this?

I understand that a corporation is an entity distinct and separate from its owners.  But what about hives?  What about armies?  What about families?  Aren't these entities made up of people as well?  And don't we refer to a hive of bees as "they"?  Don't we call an army ten thousand strong "they"?  Isn't a family of five "they"?

So, Professor, what exactly is the difference between the deadbeat dad, the stay-at-home mom, and their octuplets being referred to as "they", and the corporation of hundreds, possibly thousands, if not tens of thousand, being referred to as "they"?  If it is made up of a large number of people acting to accomplish a specific goal, shouldn't they be called..."they"?  What part of my logic is off, and what part of your logic makes sense at all?

Even if we go strictly by the term "group," isn't that group made up of at least several people, and don't we refer to this group of people as "they"?  They, they, they, THEY?

So, what may I ask is the difference between calling any old group "they" and calling a corporation "they"?

Note:  They, they, they, they they theydhtey they ehty tehyt theyt theyt thety tghey theyt theyt theytheythtey THEYTHEYTHETYTHEYTHETY THEYTHEYTHEYTHEY!