Dialogue in the Dark, Hong Kong: A Role Model for Social Enterprises in the Making SWOT Analysis / TOWS Matrix / Weighted SWOT Analysis
Strategy & Execution
Strategy / MBA Resources
Case Study SWOT Analysis Solution
Case Study Description of Dialogue in the Dark, Hong Kong: A Role Model for Social Enterprises in the Making
Dialogue in the Dark Hong Kong Limited (DiD HK) is a social enterprise founded in August 2008 with a vision of providing "insight for everyone". In line with the worldwide DiD, the core values of DiD HK are diversity, quality and sustainability. As a social enterprise, DiD HK aims to achieve both social and financial objectives. Although it has to raise the awareness of the public toward blind or visually impaired (VI) people and promote employment opportunities for them, DiD HK aims to achieve financial success, financial sustainability and dividend payout to investors. In the first two years of operation, DiD HK's innovations have attracted many participants, and more jobs are created for visually impaired employees. It made inroads toward a breakeven in 2010 through its unique ownership and business models. The startup team invented many new programs unheard of in other franchises. Although DiD has franchises all over the world, none of them are sustainable and successful. Geared toward expanding to other parts of Asia, DiD HK was not without its problems. Its product range and market had room for improvement. There was a lack of repeat visitation. DiD HK also needed further financial capital, human resources and other resources. Thus, it is imperative for management to review its strategies, and find ways to sustain its expansion and financial performance. If DiD HK can overcome these challenges, it may serve as a role model social enterprise not just in Hong Kong, but also in other parts of the world.
Swot Analysis of "Dialogue in the Dark, Hong Kong: A Role Model for Social Enterprises in the Making" written by Anna Tsui, Elsa Chan, Kevin Au includes – strengths weakness that are internal strategic factors of the organization, and opportunities and threats that Hk Visually facing as an external strategic factors. Some of the topics covered in Dialogue in the Dark, Hong Kong: A Role Model for Social Enterprises in the Making case study are - Strategic Management Strategies, Human resource management, Innovation, International business, Leadership, Marketing, Organizational culture, Strategy and Strategy & Execution.
Some of the macro environment factors that can be used to understand the Dialogue in the Dark, Hong Kong: A Role Model for Social Enterprises in the Making casestudy better are - – competitive advantages are harder to sustain because of technology dispersion, technology disruption, geopolitical disruptions, central banks are concerned over increasing inflation, increasing inequality as vast percentage of new income is going to the top 1%, increasing energy prices, increasing household debt because of falling income levels,
customer relationship management is fast transforming because of increasing concerns over data privacy, talent flight as more people leaving formal jobs, etc
Introduction to SWOT Analysis of Dialogue in the Dark, Hong Kong: A Role Model for Social Enterprises in the Making
SWOT stands for an organization’s Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities and Threats . At Oak Spring University , we believe that protagonist in Dialogue in the Dark, Hong Kong: A Role Model for Social Enterprises in the Making case study can use SWOT analysis as a strategic management tool to assess the current internal strengths and weaknesses of the Hk Visually, and to figure out the opportunities and threats in the macro environment – technological, environmental, political, economic, social, demographic, etc in which Hk Visually 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 Dialogue in the Dark, Hong Kong: A Role Model for Social Enterprises in the Making can be done for the following purposes –
1. Strategic planning using facts provided in Dialogue in the Dark, Hong Kong: A Role Model for Social Enterprises in the Making case study
2. Improving business portfolio management of Hk Visually
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 Hk Visually
Strengths Dialogue in the Dark, Hong Kong: A Role Model for Social Enterprises in the Making | Internal Strategic Factors
What are Strengths in SWOT Analysis / TOWS Matrix / Weighted SWOT Analysis
The strengths of Hk Visually in Dialogue in the Dark, Hong Kong: A Role Model for Social Enterprises in the Making Harvard Business Review case study are -
Training and development
– Hk Visually has one of the best training and development program in the industry. The effectiveness of the training programs can be measured in Dialogue in the Dark, Hong Kong: A Role Model for Social Enterprises in the Making Harvard Business Review case study by analyzing – employees retention, in-house promotion, loyalty, new venture initiation, lack of conflict, and high level of both employees and customer engagement.
Operational resilience
– The operational resilience strategy in the Dialogue in the Dark, Hong Kong: A Role Model for Social Enterprises in the Making 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.
High brand equity
– Hk Visually has strong brand awareness and brand recognition among both - the exiting customers and potential new customers. Strong brand equity has enabled Hk Visually to keep acquiring new customers and building profitable relationship with both the new and loyal customers.
Superior customer experience
– The customer experience strategy of Hk Visually in the segment is based on four key concepts – personalization, simplification of complex needs, prompt response, and continuous engagement.
Organizational Resilience of Hk Visually
– The covid-19 pandemic has put organizational resilience at the centre of everthing that Hk Visually does. Organizational resilience comprises - Financial Resilience, Operational Resilience, Technological Resilience, Organizational Resilience, Business Model Resilience, and Reputation Resilience.
Digital Transformation in Strategy & Execution segment
- digital transformation varies from industry to industry. For Hk Visually digital transformation journey comprises differing goals based on market maturity, customer technology acceptance, and organizational culture. Hk Visually has successfully integrated the four key components of digital transformation – digital integration in processes, digital integration in marketing and customer relationship management, digital integration into the value chain, and using technology to explore new products and market opportunities.
Learning organization
- Hk Visually 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 Hk Visually is open place that encourages instructiveness, ideation, open minded discussions, and creativity. Employees and leaders in Dialogue in the Dark, Hong Kong: A Role Model for Social Enterprises in the Making Harvard Business Review case study emphasize – knowledge, initiative, and innovation.
High switching costs
– The high switching costs that Hk Visually has built up over years in its products and services combo offer has resulted in high retention of customers, lower marketing costs, and greater ability of the firm to focus on its customers.
Innovation driven organization
– Hk Visually is one of the most innovative firm in sector. Manager in Dialogue in the Dark, Hong Kong: A Role Model for Social Enterprises in the Making Harvard Business Review case study can use Clayton Christensen Disruptive Innovation strategies to further increase the scale of innovtions in the organization.
Ability to recruit top talent
– Hk Visually is one of the leading recruiters in the industry. Managers in the Dialogue in the Dark, Hong Kong: A Role Model for Social Enterprises in the Making are in a position to attract the best talent available. The firm has a robust talent identification program that helps in identifying the brightest.
Strong track record of project management
– Hk Visually is known for sticking to its project targets. This enables the firm to manage – time, project costs, and have sustainable margins on the projects.
Analytics focus
– Hk Visually 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 Anna Tsui, Elsa Chan, Kevin Au 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.
Weaknesses Dialogue in the Dark, Hong Kong: A Role Model for Social Enterprises in the Making | Internal Strategic Factors
What are Weaknesses in SWOT Analysis / TOWS Matrix / Weighted SWOT Analysis
The weaknesses of Dialogue in the Dark, Hong Kong: A Role Model for Social Enterprises in the Making are -
Skills based hiring
– The stress on hiring functional specialists at Hk Visually 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.
Ability to respond to the competition
– As the decision making is very deliberative, highlighted in the case study Dialogue in the Dark, Hong Kong: A Role Model for Social Enterprises in the Making, in the dynamic environment Hk Visually has struggled to respond to the nimble upstart competition. Hk Visually has reasonably good record with similar level competitors but it has struggled with new entrants taking away niches of its business.
Aligning sales with marketing
– It come across in the case study Dialogue in the Dark, Hong Kong: A Role Model for Social Enterprises in the Making that the firm needs to have more collaboration between its sales team and marketing team. Sales professionals in the industry have deep experience in developing customer relationships. Marketing department in the case Dialogue in the Dark, Hong Kong: A Role Model for Social Enterprises in the Making can leverage the sales team experience to cultivate customer relationships as Hk Visually is planning to shift buying processes online.
High cash cycle compare to competitors
Hk Visually 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.
Slow decision making process
– As mentioned earlier in the report, Hk Visually 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. Hk Visually 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.
High dependence on existing supply chain
– The disruption in the global supply chains because of the Covid-19 pandemic and blockage of the Suez Canal illustrated the fragile nature of Hk Visually supply chain. Even after few cautionary changes mentioned in the HBR case study - Dialogue in the Dark, Hong Kong: A Role Model for Social Enterprises in the Making, it is still heavily dependent upon the existing supply chain. The existing supply chain though brings in cost efficiencies but it has left Hk Visually vulnerable to further global disruptions in South East Asia.
Slow to harness new channels of communication
– Even though competitors are using new communication channels such as Instagram, Tiktok, and Snap, Hk Visually is slow explore the new channels of communication. These new channels of communication mentioned in marketing section of case study Dialogue in the Dark, Hong Kong: A Role Model for Social Enterprises in the Making 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, Hk Visually 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.
Increasing silos among functional specialists
– The organizational structure of Hk Visually is dominated by functional specialists. It is not different from other players in the Strategy & Execution segment. Hk Visually needs to de-silo the office environment to harness the true potential of its workforce. Secondly the de-silo will also help Hk Visually to focus more on services rather than just following the product oriented approach.
High dependence on star products
– The top 2 products and services of the firm as mentioned in the Dialogue in the Dark, Hong Kong: A Role Model for Social Enterprises in the Making HBR case study still accounts for major business revenue. This dependence on star products in has resulted into insufficient focus on developing new products, even though Hk Visually has relatively successful track record of launching new products.
Need for greater diversity
– Hk Visually has taken concrete steps on diversity, equity, and inclusion. But the efforts so far has resulted in limited success. It needs to expand the recruitment and selection process to hire more people from the minorities and underprivileged background.
Opportunities Dialogue in the Dark, Hong Kong: A Role Model for Social Enterprises in the Making | 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 Dialogue in the Dark, Hong Kong: A Role Model for Social Enterprises in the Making 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, Hk Visually can use these opportunities to build new business models that can help the communities that Hk Visually operates in. Secondly it can use opportunities from government spending in Strategy & Execution sector.
Remote work and new talent hiring opportunities
– The widespread usage of remote working technologies during Covid-19 has opened opportunities for Hk Visually 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 Hk Visually to hire the very best people irrespective of their geographical location.
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. Hk Visually can explore opportunities that can attract volunteers and are consistent with its mission and vision.
Leveraging digital technologies
– Hk Visually can leverage digital technologies such as artificial intelligence and machine learning to automate the production process, customer analytics to get better insights into consumer behavior, realtime digital dashboards to get better sales tracking, logistics and transportation, product tracking, etc.
Manufacturing automation
– Hk Visually can use the latest technology developments to improve its manufacturing and designing process in Strategy & Execution segment. It can use CAD and 3D printing to build a quick prototype and pilot testing products. It can leverage automation using machine learning and artificial intelligence to do faster production at lowers costs, and it can leverage the growth in satellite and tracking technologies to improve inventory management, transportation, and shipping.
Reforming the budgeting process
- By establishing new metrics that will be used to evaluate both existing and potential projects Hk Visually can not only reduce the costs of the project but also help it in integrating the projects with other processes within the organization.
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 Hk Visually 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.
Lowering marketing communication costs
– 5G expansion will open new opportunities for Hk Visually in the field of marketing communication. It will bring down the cost of doing business, provide technology platform to build new products in the Strategy & Execution segment, and it will provide faster access to the consumers.
Using analytics as competitive advantage
– Hk Visually has spent a significant amount of money and effort to integrate analytics and machine learning into its operations in the sector. This continuous investment in analytics has enabled, as illustrated in the Harvard case study Dialogue in the Dark, Hong Kong: A Role Model for Social Enterprises in the Making - to build a competitive advantage using analytics. The analytics driven competitive advantage can help Hk Visually to build faster Go To Market strategies, better consumer insights, developing relevant product features, and building a highly efficient supply chain.
Building a culture of innovation
– managers at Hk Visually 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.
Use of Bitcoin and other crypto currencies for transactions
– The popularity of Bitcoin and other crypto currencies as asset class and medium of transaction has opened new opportunities for Hk Visually in the consumer business. Now Hk Visually can target international markets with far fewer capital restrictions requirements than the existing system.
Harnessing reconfiguration of the global supply chains
– As the trade war between US and China heats up in the coming years, Hk Visually can build a diversified supply chain model across various countries in - South East Asia, India, and other parts of the world. This reconfiguration of global supply chain can help, as suggested in case study, Dialogue in the Dark, Hong Kong: A Role Model for Social Enterprises in the Making, to buy more products closer to the markets, and it can leverage its size and influence to get better deal from the local markets.
Developing new processes and practices
– Hk Visually 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.
Threats Dialogue in the Dark, Hong Kong: A Role Model for Social Enterprises in the Making External Strategic Factors
What are Threats in the SWOT Analysis / TOWS Matrix / Weighted SWOT Analysis
The threats mentioned in the HBR case study Dialogue in the Dark, Hong Kong: A Role Model for Social Enterprises in the Making are -
Trade war between China and United States
– The trade war between two of the biggest economies can hugely impact the opportunities for Hk Visually 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.
Stagnating economy with rate increase
– Hk Visually 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.
Technology acceleration in Forth Industrial Revolution
– Hk Visually has witnessed rapid integration of technology during Covid-19 in the Strategy & Execution industry. As one of the leading players in the industry, Hk Visually needs to keep up with the evolution of technology in the Strategy & Execution sector. According to Mckinsey study top managers believe that the adoption of technology in operations, communications is 20-25 times faster than what they planned in the beginning of 2019.
Increasing international competition and downward pressure on margins
– Apart from technology driven competitive advantage dilution, Hk Visually 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 Dialogue in the Dark, Hong Kong: A Role Model for Social Enterprises in the Making .
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. Hk Visually needs to understand the core reasons impacting the Strategy & Execution industry. This will help it in building a better workplace.
Increasing wage structure of Hk Visually
– 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 Hk Visually.
High dependence on third party suppliers
– Hk Visually high dependence on third party suppliers can disrupt its processes and delivery mechanism. For example -the current troubles of car makers because of chip shortage is because the chip companies started producing chips for electronic companies rather than car manufacturers.
Shortening product life cycle
– it is one of the major threat that Hk Visually is facing in Strategy & Execution sector. It can lead to higher research and development costs, higher marketing expenses, lower customer loyalty, etc.
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 Hk Visually.
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.
Environmental challenges
– Hk Visually 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. Hk Visually can take advantage of this fund but it will also bring new competitors in the Strategy & Execution industry.
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. Hk Visually can utilize it by borrowing at lower rates and invest it into research and development, capital expenditure to fortify its core competitive advantage.
Barriers of entry lowering
– As technology is more democratized, the barriers to entry in the industry are lowering. It can presents Hk Visually with greater competitive threats in the near to medium future. Secondly it will also put downward pressure on pricing throughout the sector.
Weighted SWOT Analysis of Dialogue in the Dark, Hong Kong: A Role Model for Social Enterprises in the Making 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 Dialogue in the Dark, Hong Kong: A Role Model for Social Enterprises in the Making 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 Dialogue in the Dark, Hong Kong: A Role Model for Social Enterprises in the Making 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 Dialogue in the Dark, Hong Kong: A Role Model for Social Enterprises in the Making 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 Dialogue in the Dark, Hong Kong: A Role Model for Social Enterprises in the Making 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 Hk Visually needs to make to build a sustainable competitive advantage.
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