Lee and Li, Attorneys-at-Law and the Embezzlement of NT$3 Billion by Eddie Liu (A) SWOT Analysis / TOWS Matrix / Weighted SWOT Analysis
Leadership & Managing People
Strategy / MBA Resources
Case Study SWOT Analysis Solution
Case Study Description of Lee and Li, Attorneys-at-Law and the Embezzlement of NT$3 Billion by Eddie Liu (A)
Dr. C.V. Chen received news that one of Lee and Li's senior assistants had found a loophole in a power of attorney from one of the firm's clients, SanDisk Corporation (SanDisk), that had allowed him to illegally sell the client's shares in a Taiwanese company and to sneak out of Taiwan with over NT$3 billion. Unfortunately, Lee and Li had no insurance to cover this embezzlement. Chen knew that the three senior partners needed to develop a plan of action to save the law firm, take care of the lawyers and other employees, maintain the reputation of the firm within Taiwan and abroad intact, do what was best for SanDisk and Lee and Li, and keep the more than 12,000 clients from deserting the firm.
Swot Analysis of "Lee and Li, Attorneys-at-Law and the Embezzlement of NT$3 Billion by Eddie Liu (A)" written by W. Glenn Rowe, Yeong-Yuh Chiang includes – strengths weakness that are internal strategic factors of the organization, and opportunities and threats that Sandisk Lee facing as an external strategic factors. Some of the topics covered in Lee and Li, Attorneys-at-Law and the Embezzlement of NT$3 Billion by Eddie Liu (A) case study are - Strategic Management Strategies, Crisis management, Decision making, Ethics, Leadership, Managing people and Leadership & Managing People.
Some of the macro environment factors that can be used to understand the Lee and Li, Attorneys-at-Law and the Embezzlement of NT$3 Billion by Eddie Liu (A) casestudy better are - – increasing household debt because of falling income levels, increasing energy prices, challanges to central banks by blockchain based private currencies, cloud computing is disrupting traditional business models, technology disruption, competitive advantages are harder to sustain because of technology dispersion, digital marketing is dominated by two big players Facebook and Google,
increasing inequality as vast percentage of new income is going to the top 1%, wage bills are increasing, etc
Introduction to SWOT Analysis of Lee and Li, Attorneys-at-Law and the Embezzlement of NT$3 Billion by Eddie Liu (A)
SWOT stands for an organization’s Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities and Threats . At Oak Spring University , we believe that protagonist in Lee and Li, Attorneys-at-Law and the Embezzlement of NT$3 Billion by Eddie Liu (A) case study can use SWOT analysis as a strategic management tool to assess the current internal strengths and weaknesses of the Sandisk Lee, and to figure out the opportunities and threats in the macro environment – technological, environmental, political, economic, social, demographic, etc in which Sandisk 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 Lee and Li, Attorneys-at-Law and the Embezzlement of NT$3 Billion by Eddie Liu (A) can be done for the following purposes –
1. Strategic planning using facts provided in Lee and Li, Attorneys-at-Law and the Embezzlement of NT$3 Billion by Eddie Liu (A) case study
2. Improving business portfolio management of Sandisk Lee
3. Assessing feasibility of the new initiative in Leadership & Managing People field.
4. Making a Leadership & Managing People topic specific business decision
5. Set goals for the organization
6. Organizational restructuring of Sandisk Lee
Strengths Lee and Li, Attorneys-at-Law and the Embezzlement of NT$3 Billion by Eddie Liu (A) | Internal Strategic Factors
What are Strengths in SWOT Analysis / TOWS Matrix / Weighted SWOT Analysis
The strengths of Sandisk Lee in Lee and Li, Attorneys-at-Law and the Embezzlement of NT$3 Billion by Eddie Liu (A) Harvard Business Review case study are -
Analytics focus
– Sandisk 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 W. Glenn Rowe, Yeong-Yuh Chiang 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.
Diverse revenue streams
– Sandisk Lee is present in almost all the verticals within the industry. This has provided firm in Lee and Li, Attorneys-at-Law and the Embezzlement of NT$3 Billion by Eddie Liu (A) 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.
Sustainable margins compare to other players in Leadership & Managing People industry
– Lee and Li, Attorneys-at-Law and the Embezzlement of NT$3 Billion by Eddie Liu (A) firm has clearly differentiated products in the market place. This has enabled Sandisk Lee to fetch slight price premium compare to the competitors in the Leadership & Managing People industry. The sustainable margins have also helped Sandisk Lee to invest into research and development (R&D) and innovation.
Successful track record of launching new products
– Sandisk Lee has launched numerous new products in last few years, keeping in mind evolving customer preferences and competitive pressures. Sandisk Lee has effective processes in place that helps in exploring new product needs, doing quick pilot testing, and then launching the products quickly using its extensive distribution network.
Operational resilience
– The operational resilience strategy in the Lee and Li, Attorneys-at-Law and the Embezzlement of NT$3 Billion by Eddie Liu (A) 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 switching costs
– The high switching costs that Sandisk Lee 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.
Ability to lead change in Leadership & Managing People field
– Sandisk 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 Sandisk Lee in – penetrating new markets, reaching out to new customers, and providing different value propositions to different customers in the international markets.
Digital Transformation in Leadership & Managing People segment
- digital transformation varies from industry to industry. For Sandisk Lee digital transformation journey comprises differing goals based on market maturity, customer technology acceptance, and organizational culture. Sandisk Lee 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.
Superior customer experience
– The customer experience strategy of Sandisk Lee in the segment is based on four key concepts – personalization, simplification of complex needs, prompt response, and continuous engagement.
Training and development
– Sandisk Lee has one of the best training and development program in the industry. The effectiveness of the training programs can be measured in Lee and Li, Attorneys-at-Law and the Embezzlement of NT$3 Billion by Eddie Liu (A) 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.
High brand equity
– Sandisk Lee has strong brand awareness and brand recognition among both - the exiting customers and potential new customers. Strong brand equity has enabled Sandisk Lee to keep acquiring new customers and building profitable relationship with both the new and loyal customers.
Organizational Resilience of Sandisk Lee
– The covid-19 pandemic has put organizational resilience at the centre of everthing that Sandisk Lee does. Organizational resilience comprises - Financial Resilience, Operational Resilience, Technological Resilience, Organizational Resilience, Business Model Resilience, and Reputation Resilience.
Weaknesses Lee and Li, Attorneys-at-Law and the Embezzlement of NT$3 Billion by Eddie Liu (A) | Internal Strategic Factors
What are Weaknesses in SWOT Analysis / TOWS Matrix / Weighted SWOT Analysis
The weaknesses of Lee and Li, Attorneys-at-Law and the Embezzlement of NT$3 Billion by Eddie Liu (A) are -
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 Sandisk Lee supply chain. Even after few cautionary changes mentioned in the HBR case study - Lee and Li, Attorneys-at-Law and the Embezzlement of NT$3 Billion by Eddie Liu (A), it is still heavily dependent upon the existing supply chain. The existing supply chain though brings in cost efficiencies but it has left Sandisk Lee vulnerable to further global disruptions in South East Asia.
Skills based hiring
– The stress on hiring functional specialists at Sandisk 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.
No frontier risks strategy
– After analyzing the HBR case study Lee and Li, Attorneys-at-Law and the Embezzlement of NT$3 Billion by Eddie Liu (A), it seems that company is thinking about the frontier risks that can impact Leadership & Managing People 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.
Workers concerns about automation
– As automation is fast increasing in the segment, Sandisk 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.
Need for greater diversity
– Sandisk Lee 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.
Aligning sales with marketing
– It come across in the case study Lee and Li, Attorneys-at-Law and the Embezzlement of NT$3 Billion by Eddie Liu (A) 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 Lee and Li, Attorneys-at-Law and the Embezzlement of NT$3 Billion by Eddie Liu (A) can leverage the sales team experience to cultivate customer relationships as Sandisk Lee is planning to shift buying processes online.
Increasing silos among functional specialists
– The organizational structure of Sandisk Lee is dominated by functional specialists. It is not different from other players in the Leadership & Managing People segment. Sandisk Lee needs to de-silo the office environment to harness the true potential of its workforce. Secondly the de-silo will also help Sandisk Lee to focus more on services rather than just following the product oriented approach.
Slow decision making process
– As mentioned earlier in the report, Sandisk 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. Sandisk 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.
High bargaining power of channel partners
– Because of the regulatory requirements, W. Glenn Rowe, Yeong-Yuh Chiang suggests that, Sandisk Lee is facing high bargaining power of the channel partners. So far it has not able to streamline the operations to reduce the bargaining power of the value chain partners in the industry.
Lack of clear differentiation of Sandisk Lee products
– To increase the profitability and margins on the products, Sandisk Lee needs to provide more differentiated products than what it is currently offering in the marketplace.
High cash cycle compare to competitors
Sandisk 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.
Opportunities Lee and Li, Attorneys-at-Law and the Embezzlement of NT$3 Billion by Eddie Liu (A) | 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 Lee and Li, Attorneys-at-Law and the Embezzlement of NT$3 Billion by Eddie Liu (A) are -
Building a culture of innovation
– managers at Sandisk 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 Leadership & Managing People segment.
Leveraging digital technologies
– Sandisk Lee 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
– Sandisk Lee can use the latest technology developments to improve its manufacturing and designing process in Leadership & Managing People 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.
Low interest rates
– Even though inflation is raising its head in most developed economies, Sandisk 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.
Learning at scale
– Online learning technologies has now opened space for Sandisk 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.
Better consumer reach
– The expansion of the 5G network will help Sandisk Lee to increase its market reach. Sandisk 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.
Reforming the budgeting process
- By establishing new metrics that will be used to evaluate both existing and potential projects Sandisk Lee can not only reduce the costs of the project but also help it in integrating the projects with other processes within the organization.
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 Sandisk Lee in the consumer business. Now Sandisk Lee can target international markets with far fewer capital restrictions requirements than the existing system.
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. Sandisk Lee can explore opportunities that can attract volunteers and are consistent with its mission and vision.
Using analytics as competitive advantage
– Sandisk Lee 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 Lee and Li, Attorneys-at-Law and the Embezzlement of NT$3 Billion by Eddie Liu (A) - to build a competitive advantage using analytics. The analytics driven competitive advantage can help Sandisk Lee to build faster Go To Market strategies, better consumer insights, developing relevant product features, and building a highly efficient supply chain.
Redefining models of collaboration and team work
– As explained in the weaknesses section, Sandisk Lee is facing challenges because of the dominance of functional experts in the organization. Lee and Li, Attorneys-at-Law and the Embezzlement of NT$3 Billion by Eddie Liu (A) 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.
Creating value in data economy
– The success of analytics program of Sandisk Lee has opened avenues for new revenue streams for the organization in the industry. This can help Sandisk Lee to build a more holistic ecosystem as suggested in the Lee and Li, Attorneys-at-Law and the Embezzlement of NT$3 Billion by Eddie Liu (A) case study. Sandisk Lee can build new products and services such as - data insight services, data privacy related products, data based consulting services, etc.
Changes in consumer behavior post Covid-19
– Consumer behavior has changed in the Leadership & Managing People industry because of Covid-19 restrictions. Some of this behavior will stay once things get back to normal. Sandisk Lee can take advantage of these changes in consumer behavior to build a far more efficient business model. For example consumer regular ordering of products can reduce both last mile delivery costs and market penetration costs. Sandisk Lee can further use this consumer data to build better customer loyalty, provide better products and service collection, and improve the value proposition in inflationary times.
Threats Lee and Li, Attorneys-at-Law and the Embezzlement of NT$3 Billion by Eddie Liu (A) External Strategic Factors
What are Threats in the SWOT Analysis / TOWS Matrix / Weighted SWOT Analysis
The threats mentioned in the HBR case study Lee and Li, Attorneys-at-Law and the Embezzlement of NT$3 Billion by Eddie Liu (A) are -
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.
Consumer confidence and its impact on Sandisk Lee demand
– There is a high probability of declining consumer confidence, given – high inflammation rate, rise of gig economy, lower job stability, increasing cost of living, higher interest rates, and aging demography. All the factors contribute to people saving higher rate of their income, resulting in lower consumer demand in the industry and other sectors.
Backlash against dominant players
– US Congress and other legislative arms of the government are getting tough on big business especially technology companies. The digital arm of Sandisk Lee business can come under increasing regulations regarding data privacy, data security, etc.
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. Sandisk Lee needs to understand the core reasons impacting the Leadership & Managing People industry. This will help it in building a better workplace.
Increasing international competition and downward pressure on margins
– Apart from technology driven competitive advantage dilution, Sandisk 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 Lee and Li, Attorneys-at-Law and the Embezzlement of NT$3 Billion by Eddie Liu (A) .
Increasing wage structure of Sandisk 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 Sandisk Lee.
Shortening product life cycle
– it is one of the major threat that Sandisk Lee is facing in Leadership & Managing People sector. It can lead to higher research and development costs, higher marketing expenses, lower customer loyalty, etc.
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. Sandisk 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.
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 Sandisk Lee in the Leadership & Managing People sector and impact the bottomline of the organization.
High dependence on third party suppliers
– Sandisk Lee 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.
Regulatory challenges
– Sandisk Lee needs to prepare for regulatory challenges as consumer protection groups and other pressure groups are vigorously advocating for more regulations on big business - to reduce inequality, to create a level playing field, to product data privacy and consumer privacy, to reduce the influence of big money on democratic institutions, etc. This can lead to significant changes in the Leadership & Managing People industry regulations.
Barriers of entry lowering
– As technology is more democratized, the barriers to entry in the industry are lowering. It can presents Sandisk Lee with greater competitive threats in the near to medium future. Secondly it will also put downward pressure on pricing throughout the sector.
Stagnating economy with rate increase
– Sandisk 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.
Weighted SWOT Analysis of Lee and Li, Attorneys-at-Law and the Embezzlement of NT$3 Billion by Eddie Liu (A) 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 Lee and Li, Attorneys-at-Law and the Embezzlement of NT$3 Billion by Eddie Liu (A) 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 Lee and Li, Attorneys-at-Law and the Embezzlement of NT$3 Billion by Eddie Liu (A) 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 Lee and Li, Attorneys-at-Law and the Embezzlement of NT$3 Billion by Eddie Liu (A) 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 Lee and Li, Attorneys-at-Law and the Embezzlement of NT$3 Billion by Eddie Liu (A) 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 Sandisk Lee needs to make to build a sustainable competitive advantage.
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