MEDLEE: IN PURSUIT OF A HEALTHY JOINT VENTURE - Confidential Instructions for Pat Armstrong, MedDevice, Inc.'s Director of International Strategic Market Research SWOT Analysis / TOWS Matrix / Weighted SWOT Analysis
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Case Study Description of MEDLEE: IN PURSUIT OF A HEALTHY JOINT VENTURE - Confidential Instructions for Pat Armstrong, MedDevice, Inc.'s Director of International Strategic Market Research
Confidential Instructions for Pat Armstrong, MedDevice, Inc's Director of International Strategic Market Research for product #PON323.Two-party, four-issue negotiation between representatives of two companies with different national and corporate cultures regarding a possible joint venture. MedDevice, a U.S.-based Fortune 500 company that manufactures high technology medical equipment, and Lee Medical Supply, a small Thailand-based company that distributes medical equipment in Southeast Asia, seek to conclude a joint venture. The venture, to be named MedLee, Ltd., will take the form of a Bangkok sales office that distributes MedDevice brand medical equipment. The CEOs have met and signed a Memorandum of Understanding. They have now instructed their subordinates (Pat Armstrong, the Director of International Strategic Market Research at MedDevice, and T.S. Lee, the Vice President and son of the owner of Lee Medical Supply) to conduct preliminary negotiations on four issues they consider central to the joint venture: decision making, staffing, profit distribution, and a conflict resolution mechanism. MedDevice and Lee Medical Supply differ greatly in their corporate cultures. The respective negotiators must develop a way for companies with such divergent cultures to work together. This is a role play case.
Swot Analysis of "MEDLEE: IN PURSUIT OF A HEALTHY JOINT VENTURE - Confidential Instructions for Pat Armstrong, MedDevice, Inc.'s Director of International Strategic Market Research" written by Candace Lun, Jeswald Salacuse includes – strengths weakness that are internal strategic factors of the organization, and opportunities and threats that Meddevice Lee facing as an external strategic factors. Some of the topics covered in MEDLEE: IN PURSUIT OF A HEALTHY JOINT VENTURE - Confidential Instructions for Pat Armstrong, MedDevice, Inc.'s Director of International Strategic Market Research case study are - Strategic Management Strategies, Conflict, Decision making, Negotiations and Strategy & Execution.
Some of the macro environment factors that can be used to understand the MEDLEE: IN PURSUIT OF A HEALTHY JOINT VENTURE - Confidential Instructions for Pat Armstrong, MedDevice, Inc.'s Director of International Strategic Market Research casestudy better are - – increasing commodity prices, there is backlash against globalization, wage bills are increasing, increasing household debt because of falling income levels, customer relationship management is fast transforming because of increasing concerns over data privacy, digital marketing is dominated by two big players Facebook and Google, challanges to central banks by blockchain based private currencies,
central banks are concerned over increasing inflation, cloud computing is disrupting traditional business models, etc
Introduction to SWOT Analysis of MEDLEE: IN PURSUIT OF A HEALTHY JOINT VENTURE - Confidential Instructions for Pat Armstrong, MedDevice, Inc.'s Director of International Strategic Market Research
SWOT stands for an organization’s Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities and Threats . At Oak Spring University , we believe that protagonist in MEDLEE: IN PURSUIT OF A HEALTHY JOINT VENTURE - Confidential Instructions for Pat Armstrong, MedDevice, Inc.'s Director of International Strategic Market Research case study can use SWOT analysis as a strategic management tool to assess the current internal strengths and weaknesses of the Meddevice Lee, and to figure out the opportunities and threats in the macro environment – technological, environmental, political, economic, social, demographic, etc in which Meddevice Lee operates in.
According to Harvard Business Review, 75% of the managers use SWOT analysis for various purposes such as – evaluating current scenario, strategic planning, new venture feasibility, personal growth goals, new market entry, Go To market strategies, portfolio management and strategic trade-off assessment, organizational restructuring, etc.
SWOT Objectives / Importance of SWOT Analysis and SWOT Matrix
SWOT analysis of MEDLEE: IN PURSUIT OF A HEALTHY JOINT VENTURE - Confidential Instructions for Pat Armstrong, MedDevice, Inc.'s Director of International Strategic Market Research can be done for the following purposes –
1. Strategic planning using facts provided in MEDLEE: IN PURSUIT OF A HEALTHY JOINT VENTURE - Confidential Instructions for Pat Armstrong, MedDevice, Inc.'s Director of International Strategic Market Research case study
2. Improving business portfolio management of Meddevice Lee
3. Assessing feasibility of the new initiative in Strategy & Execution field.
4. Making a Strategy & Execution topic specific business decision
5. Set goals for the organization
6. Organizational restructuring of Meddevice Lee
Strengths MEDLEE: IN PURSUIT OF A HEALTHY JOINT VENTURE - Confidential Instructions for Pat Armstrong, MedDevice, Inc.'s Director of International Strategic Market Research | Internal Strategic Factors
What are Strengths in SWOT Analysis / TOWS Matrix / Weighted SWOT Analysis
The strengths of Meddevice Lee in MEDLEE: IN PURSUIT OF A HEALTHY JOINT VENTURE - Confidential Instructions for Pat Armstrong, MedDevice, Inc.'s Director of International Strategic Market Research Harvard Business Review case study are -
Ability to recruit top talent
– Meddevice Lee is one of the leading recruiters in the industry. Managers in the MEDLEE: IN PURSUIT OF A HEALTHY JOINT VENTURE - Confidential Instructions for Pat Armstrong, MedDevice, Inc.'s Director of International Strategic Market Research are in a position to attract the best talent available. The firm has a robust talent identification program that helps in identifying the brightest.
Organizational Resilience of Meddevice Lee
– The covid-19 pandemic has put organizational resilience at the centre of everthing that Meddevice Lee does. Organizational resilience comprises - Financial Resilience, Operational Resilience, Technological Resilience, Organizational Resilience, Business Model Resilience, and Reputation Resilience.
Innovation driven organization
– Meddevice Lee is one of the most innovative firm in sector. Manager in MEDLEE: IN PURSUIT OF A HEALTHY JOINT VENTURE - Confidential Instructions for Pat Armstrong, MedDevice, Inc.'s Director of International Strategic Market Research Harvard Business Review case study can use Clayton Christensen Disruptive Innovation strategies to further increase the scale of innovtions in the organization.
Operational resilience
– The operational resilience strategy in the MEDLEE: IN PURSUIT OF A HEALTHY JOINT VENTURE - Confidential Instructions for Pat Armstrong, MedDevice, Inc.'s Director of International Strategic Market Research Harvard Business Review case study comprises – understanding the underlying the factors in the industry, building diversified operations across different geographies so that disruption in one part of the world doesn’t impact the overall performance of the firm, and integrating the various business operations and processes through its digital transformation drive.
Diverse revenue streams
– Meddevice Lee is present in almost all the verticals within the industry. This has provided firm in MEDLEE: IN PURSUIT OF A HEALTHY JOINT VENTURE - Confidential Instructions for Pat Armstrong, MedDevice, Inc.'s Director of International Strategic Market Research case study a diverse revenue stream that has helped it to survive disruptions such as global pandemic in Covid-19, financial disruption of 2008, and supply chain disruption of 2021.
Ability to lead change in Strategy & Execution field
– Meddevice Lee is one of the leading players in its industry. Over the years it has not only transformed the business landscape in its segment but also across the whole industry. The ability to lead change has enabled Meddevice Lee in – penetrating new markets, reaching out to new customers, and providing different value propositions to different customers in the international markets.
Learning organization
- Meddevice Lee is a learning organization. It has inculcated three key characters of learning organization in its processes and operations – exploration, creativity, and expansiveness. The work place at Meddevice Lee is open place that encourages instructiveness, ideation, open minded discussions, and creativity. Employees and leaders in MEDLEE: IN PURSUIT OF A HEALTHY JOINT VENTURE - Confidential Instructions for Pat Armstrong, MedDevice, Inc.'s Director of International Strategic Market Research Harvard Business Review case study emphasize – knowledge, initiative, and innovation.
Sustainable margins compare to other players in Strategy & Execution industry
– MEDLEE: IN PURSUIT OF A HEALTHY JOINT VENTURE - Confidential Instructions for Pat Armstrong, MedDevice, Inc.'s Director of International Strategic Market Research firm has clearly differentiated products in the market place. This has enabled Meddevice Lee to fetch slight price premium compare to the competitors in the Strategy & Execution industry. The sustainable margins have also helped Meddevice Lee to invest into research and development (R&D) and innovation.
Analytics focus
– Meddevice Lee is putting a lot of focus on utilizing the power of analytics in business decision making. This has put it among the leading players in the industry. The technology infrastructure suggested by Candace Lun, Jeswald Salacuse can also help it to harness the power of analytics for – marketing optimization, demand forecasting, customer relationship management, inventory management, information sharing across the value chain etc.
Effective Research and Development (R&D)
– Meddevice Lee has innovation driven culture where significant part of the revenues are spent on the research and development activities. This has resulted in, as mentioned in case study MEDLEE: IN PURSUIT OF A HEALTHY JOINT VENTURE - Confidential Instructions for Pat Armstrong, MedDevice, Inc.'s Director of International Strategic Market Research - staying ahead in the industry in terms of – new product launches, superior customer experience, highly competitive pricing strategies, and great returns to the shareholders.
High brand equity
– Meddevice Lee has strong brand awareness and brand recognition among both - the exiting customers and potential new customers. Strong brand equity has enabled Meddevice Lee to keep acquiring new customers and building profitable relationship with both the new and loyal customers.
Superior customer experience
– The customer experience strategy of Meddevice Lee in the segment is based on four key concepts – personalization, simplification of complex needs, prompt response, and continuous engagement.
Weaknesses MEDLEE: IN PURSUIT OF A HEALTHY JOINT VENTURE - Confidential Instructions for Pat Armstrong, MedDevice, Inc.'s Director of International Strategic Market Research | Internal Strategic Factors
What are Weaknesses in SWOT Analysis / TOWS Matrix / Weighted SWOT Analysis
The weaknesses of MEDLEE: IN PURSUIT OF A HEALTHY JOINT VENTURE - Confidential Instructions for Pat Armstrong, MedDevice, Inc.'s Director of International Strategic Market Research are -
Lack of clear differentiation of Meddevice Lee products
– To increase the profitability and margins on the products, Meddevice Lee needs to provide more differentiated products than what it is currently offering in the marketplace.
Skills based hiring
– The stress on hiring functional specialists at Meddevice Lee has created an environment where the organization is dominated by functional specialists rather than management generalist. This has resulted into product oriented approach rather than marketing oriented approach or consumers oriented approach.
Workers concerns about automation
– As automation is fast increasing in the segment, Meddevice Lee needs to come up with a strategy to reduce the workers concern regarding automation. Without a clear strategy, it could lead to disruption and uncertainty within the organization.
Slow decision making process
– As mentioned earlier in the report, Meddevice Lee has a very deliberative decision making approach. This approach has resulted in prudent decisions, but it has also resulted in missing opportunities in the industry over the last five years. Meddevice Lee even though has strong showing on digital transformation primary two stages, it has struggled to capitalize the power of digital transformation in marketing efforts and new venture efforts.
No frontier risks strategy
– After analyzing the HBR case study MEDLEE: IN PURSUIT OF A HEALTHY JOINT VENTURE - Confidential Instructions for Pat Armstrong, MedDevice, Inc.'s Director of International Strategic Market Research, it seems that company is thinking about the frontier risks that can impact Strategy & Execution strategy. But it has very little resources allocation to manage the risks emerging from events such as natural disasters, climate change, melting of permafrost, tacking the rise of artificial intelligence, opportunities and threats emerging from commercialization of space etc.
Slow to strategic competitive environment developments
– As MEDLEE: IN PURSUIT OF A HEALTHY JOINT VENTURE - Confidential Instructions for Pat Armstrong, MedDevice, Inc.'s Director of International Strategic Market Research HBR case study mentions - Meddevice Lee takes time to assess the upcoming competitions. This has led to missing out on atleast 2-3 big opportunities in the industry in last five years.
Slow to harness new channels of communication
– Even though competitors are using new communication channels such as Instagram, Tiktok, and Snap, Meddevice Lee is slow explore the new channels of communication. These new channels of communication mentioned in marketing section of case study MEDLEE: IN PURSUIT OF A HEALTHY JOINT VENTURE - Confidential Instructions for Pat Armstrong, MedDevice, Inc.'s Director of International Strategic Market Research can help to provide better information regarding products and services. It can also build an online community to further reach out to potential customers.
Capital Spending Reduction
– Even during the low interest decade, Meddevice Lee has not been able to do capital spending to the tune of the competition. This has resulted into fewer innovations and company facing stiff competition from both existing competitors and new entrants who are disrupting the industry using digital technology.
Low market penetration in new markets
– Outside its home market of Meddevice Lee, firm in the HBR case study MEDLEE: IN PURSUIT OF A HEALTHY JOINT VENTURE - Confidential Instructions for Pat Armstrong, MedDevice, Inc.'s Director of International Strategic Market Research needs to spend more promotional, marketing, and advertising efforts to penetrate international markets.
High cash cycle compare to competitors
Meddevice Lee has a high cash cycle compare to other players in the industry. It needs to shorten the cash cycle by 12% to be more competitive in the marketplace, reduce inventory costs, and be more profitable.
Interest costs
– Compare to the competition, Meddevice Lee has borrowed money from the capital market at higher rates. It needs to restructure the interest payment and costs so that it can compete better and improve profitability.
Opportunities MEDLEE: IN PURSUIT OF A HEALTHY JOINT VENTURE - Confidential Instructions for Pat Armstrong, MedDevice, Inc.'s Director of International Strategic Market Research | External Strategic Factors
What are Opportunities in the SWOT Analysis / TOWS Matrix / Weighted SWOT Analysis
The opportunities highlighted in the Harvard Business Review case study MEDLEE: IN PURSUIT OF A HEALTHY JOINT VENTURE - Confidential Instructions for Pat Armstrong, MedDevice, Inc.'s Director of International Strategic Market Research are -
Increase in government spending
– As the United States and other governments are increasing social spending and infrastructure spending to build economies post Covid-19, Meddevice Lee can use these opportunities to build new business models that can help the communities that Meddevice Lee operates in. Secondly it can use opportunities from government spending in Strategy & Execution sector.
Reconfiguring business model
– The expansion of digital payment system, the bringing down of international transactions costs using Bitcoin and other blockchain based currencies, etc can help Meddevice Lee to reconfigure its entire business model. For example it can used blockchain based technologies to reduce piracy of its products in the big markets such as China. Secondly it can use the popularity of e-commerce in various developing markets to build a Direct to Customer business model rather than the current Channel Heavy distribution network.
Low interest rates
– Even though inflation is raising its head in most developed economies, Meddevice Lee can still utilize the low interest rates to borrow money for capital investment. Secondly it can also use the increase of government spending in infrastructure projects to get new business.
Creating value in data economy
– The success of analytics program of Meddevice Lee has opened avenues for new revenue streams for the organization in the industry. This can help Meddevice Lee to build a more holistic ecosystem as suggested in the MEDLEE: IN PURSUIT OF A HEALTHY JOINT VENTURE - Confidential Instructions for Pat Armstrong, MedDevice, Inc.'s Director of International Strategic Market Research case study. Meddevice Lee can build new products and services such as - data insight services, data privacy related products, data based consulting services, etc.
Remote work and new talent hiring opportunities
– The widespread usage of remote working technologies during Covid-19 has opened opportunities for Meddevice Lee to expand its talent hiring zone. According to McKinsey Global Institute, 20% of the high end workforce in fields such as finance, information technology, can continously work from remote local post Covid-19. This presents a really great opportunity for Meddevice Lee to hire the very best people irrespective of their geographical location.
Developing new processes and practices
– Meddevice Lee can develop new processes and procedures in Strategy & Execution industry using technology such as automation using artificial intelligence, real time transportation and products tracking, 3D modeling for concept development and new products pilot testing etc.
Learning at scale
– Online learning technologies has now opened space for Meddevice Lee to conduct training and development for its employees across the world. This will result in not only reducing the cost of training but also help employees in different part of the world to integrate with the headquarter work culture, ethos, and standards.
Redefining models of collaboration and team work
– As explained in the weaknesses section, Meddevice Lee is facing challenges because of the dominance of functional experts in the organization. MEDLEE: IN PURSUIT OF A HEALTHY JOINT VENTURE - Confidential Instructions for Pat Armstrong, MedDevice, Inc.'s Director of International Strategic Market Research case study suggests that firm can utilize new technology to build more coordinated teams and streamline operations and communications using tools such as CAD, Zoom, etc.
Better consumer reach
– The expansion of the 5G network will help Meddevice Lee to increase its market reach. Meddevice Lee will be able to reach out to new customers. Secondly 5G will also provide technology framework to build new tools and products that can help more immersive consumer experience and faster consumer journey.
Identify volunteer opportunities
– Covid-19 has impacted working population in two ways – it has led to people soul searching about their professional choices, resulting in mass resignation. Secondly it has encouraged people to do things that they are passionate about. This has opened opportunities for businesses to build volunteer oriented socially driven projects. Meddevice Lee can explore opportunities that can attract volunteers and are consistent with its mission and vision.
Buying journey improvements
– Meddevice Lee can improve the customer journey of consumers in the industry by using analytics and artificial intelligence. MEDLEE: IN PURSUIT OF A HEALTHY JOINT VENTURE - Confidential Instructions for Pat Armstrong, MedDevice, Inc.'s Director of International Strategic Market Research suggest that firm can provide automated chats to help consumers solve their own problems, provide online suggestions to get maximum out of the products and services, and help consumers to build a community where they can interact with each other to develop new features and uses.
Building a culture of innovation
– managers at Meddevice Lee can make experimentation a productive activity and build a culture of innovation using approaches such as – mining transaction data, A/B testing of websites and selling platforms, engaging potential customers over various needs, and building on small ideas in the Strategy & Execution segment.
Reforming the budgeting process
- By establishing new metrics that will be used to evaluate both existing and potential projects Meddevice Lee can not only reduce the costs of the project but also help it in integrating the projects with other processes within the organization.
Threats MEDLEE: IN PURSUIT OF A HEALTHY JOINT VENTURE - Confidential Instructions for Pat Armstrong, MedDevice, Inc.'s Director of International Strategic Market Research External Strategic Factors
What are Threats in the SWOT Analysis / TOWS Matrix / Weighted SWOT Analysis
The threats mentioned in the HBR case study MEDLEE: IN PURSUIT OF A HEALTHY JOINT VENTURE - Confidential Instructions for Pat Armstrong, MedDevice, Inc.'s Director of International Strategic Market Research are -
Increasing wage structure of Meddevice Lee
– Post Covid-19 there is a sharp increase in the wages especially in the jobs that require interaction with people. The increasing wages can put downward pressure on the margins of Meddevice Lee.
Learning curve for new practices
– As the technology based on artificial intelligence and machine learning platform is getting complex, as highlighted in case study MEDLEE: IN PURSUIT OF A HEALTHY JOINT VENTURE - Confidential Instructions for Pat Armstrong, MedDevice, Inc.'s Director of International Strategic Market Research, Meddevice Lee may face longer learning curve for training and development of existing employees. This can open space for more nimble competitors in the field of Strategy & Execution .
Barriers of entry lowering
– As technology is more democratized, the barriers to entry in the industry are lowering. It can presents Meddevice Lee with greater competitive threats in the near to medium future. Secondly it will also put downward pressure on pricing throughout the sector.
Trade war between China and United States
– The trade war between two of the biggest economies can hugely impact the opportunities for Meddevice Lee in the Strategy & Execution industry. The Strategy & Execution industry is already at various protected from local competition in China, with the rise of trade war the protection levels may go up. This presents a clear threat of current business model in Chinese market.
Capital market disruption
– During the Covid-19, Dow Jones has touched record high. The valuations of a number of companies are way beyond their existing business model potential. This can lead to capital market correction which can put a number of suppliers, collaborators, value chain partners in great financial difficulty. It will directly impact the business of Meddevice Lee.
Increasing international competition and downward pressure on margins
– Apart from technology driven competitive advantage dilution, Meddevice Lee can face downward pressure on margins from increasing competition from international players. The international players have stable revenue in their home market and can use those resources to penetrate prominent markets illustrated in HBR case study MEDLEE: IN PURSUIT OF A HEALTHY JOINT VENTURE - Confidential Instructions for Pat Armstrong, MedDevice, Inc.'s Director of International Strategic Market Research .
High level of anxiety and lack of motivation
– the Great Resignation in United States is the sign of broader dissatisfaction among the workforce in United States. Meddevice Lee needs to understand the core reasons impacting the Strategy & Execution industry. This will help it in building a better workplace.
New competition
– After the dotcom bust of 2001, financial crisis of 2008-09, the business formation in US economy had declined. But in 2020 alone, there are more than 1.5 million new business applications in United States. This can lead to greater competition for Meddevice Lee in the Strategy & Execution sector and impact the bottomline of the organization.
Easy access to finance
– Easy access to finance in Strategy & Execution field will also reduce the barriers to entry in the industry, thus putting downward pressure on the prices because of increasing competition. Meddevice Lee can utilize it by borrowing at lower rates and invest it into research and development, capital expenditure to fortify its core competitive advantage.
Instability in the European markets
– European Union markets are facing three big challenges post Covid – expanded balance sheets, Brexit related business disruption, and aggressive Russia looking to distract the existing security mechanism. Meddevice Lee will face different problems in different parts of Europe. For example it will face inflationary pressures in UK, France, and Germany, balance sheet expansion and demand challenges in Southern European countries, and geopolitical instability in the Eastern Europe.
Stagnating economy with rate increase
– Meddevice Lee can face lack of demand in the market place because of Fed actions to reduce inflation. This can lead to sluggish growth in the economy, lower demands, lower investments, higher borrowing costs, and consolidation in the field.
Environmental challenges
– Meddevice Lee needs to have a robust strategy against the disruptions arising from climate change and energy requirements. EU has identified it as key priority area and spending 30% of its 880 billion Euros European post Covid-19 recovery funds on green technology. Meddevice Lee can take advantage of this fund but it will also bring new competitors in the Strategy & Execution industry.
Technology disruption because of hacks, piracy etc
– The colonial pipeline illustrated, how vulnerable modern organization are to international hackers, miscreants, and disruptors. The cyber security interruption, data leaks, etc can seriously jeopardize the future growth of the organization.
Weighted SWOT Analysis of MEDLEE: IN PURSUIT OF A HEALTHY JOINT VENTURE - Confidential Instructions for Pat Armstrong, MedDevice, Inc.'s Director of International Strategic Market Research Template, Example
Not all factors mentioned under the Strengths, Weakness, Opportunities, and Threats quadrants in the SWOT Analysis are equal. Managers in the HBR case study MEDLEE: IN PURSUIT OF A HEALTHY JOINT VENTURE - Confidential Instructions for Pat Armstrong, MedDevice, Inc.'s Director of International Strategic Market Research needs to zero down on the relative importance of each factor mentioned in the Strengths, Weakness, Opportunities, and Threats quadrants.
We can provide the relative importance to each factor by assigning relative weights. Weighted SWOT analysis process is a three stage process –
First stage for doing weighted SWOT analysis of the case study MEDLEE: IN PURSUIT OF A HEALTHY JOINT VENTURE - Confidential Instructions for Pat Armstrong, MedDevice, Inc.'s Director of International Strategic Market Research is to rank the strengths and weaknesses of the organization. This will help you to assess the most important strengths and weaknesses of the firm and which one of the strengths and weaknesses mentioned in the initial lists are marginal and can be left out.
Second stage for conducting weighted SWOT analysis of the Harvard case study MEDLEE: IN PURSUIT OF A HEALTHY JOINT VENTURE - Confidential Instructions for Pat Armstrong, MedDevice, Inc.'s Director of International Strategic Market Research is to give probabilities to the external strategic factors thus better understanding the opportunities and threats arising out of macro environment changes and developments.
Third stage of constructing weighted SWOT analysis of MEDLEE: IN PURSUIT OF A HEALTHY JOINT VENTURE - Confidential Instructions for Pat Armstrong, MedDevice, Inc.'s Director of International Strategic Market Research is to provide strategic recommendations includes – joining likelihood of external strategic factors such as opportunities and threats to the internal strategic factors – strengths and weaknesses. You should start with external factors as they will provide the direction of the overall industry. Secondly by joining probabilities with internal strategic factors can help the company not only strategic fit but also the most probably strategic trade-off that Meddevice Lee needs to make to build a sustainable competitive advantage.
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