The Hong Kong Blind Union: A Small Self-help NGO With Board Of Directors Actively Involved In Operation SWOT Analysis / TOWS Matrix / Weighted SWOT Analysis
Leadership & Managing People
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Case Study Description of The Hong Kong Blind Union: A Small Self-help NGO With Board Of Directors Actively Involved In Operation
If one takes a look at the organization chart of the Hong Kong Blind Union ("HKBU"), one will easily notice the concept of "execution" sits prominently in the middle of the organization. Instead of calling its highest governance body the board of directors and its members directors, HKBU calls it an executive committee ("EC") and its members the executive committee members. Reporting to this EC is the executive director, who is the Union's highest-ranking employee. The titles reflect the orientation of this governance body of this small self-help nongovernmental organization ("NGO").This practice stands in stark contrast to the kind of NGO corporate governance that is prescribed by the Hong Kong government ("HKG"). Since the HKG launched its subvention approach to NGOs in Hong Kong in 2002, it has attempted to establish a code of practices for corporate governance in NGOs that are under its subvention. The code of practices advocates that NGO boards of directors should focus on areas that would ensure NGOs' legal and regulatory compliance, sound financial management, performance monitoring, and transparency. In addition, the best practice of having a diverse set of independent board members with different backgrounds and professionalism is encouraged. As one of the HKG's subvented NGOs, HKBU received 55% of its expenditure from the HKG subvention and grants in 2011-2012. As an organization that receives government funding and grants, that is, a subvented organization, HKBU is subject to the governance and audit system and framework imposed by the government. To a great extent, this governance and audit approach and framework is derived from the business sector's corporate governance practices. However, as a self-help organization for people with visual impairment, HKBU presents a compelling case for why these control and monitoring roles and practices of NGO boards should not necessarily be universally applicable to all subvented organizations in Hong Kong. Despite the HKG's guidance on the compliance and monitoring function of NGO corporate governance, HKBU sees its board, that is, the executive committee, and the Union's operation staff work closely as a unified team to achieve the NGO's missions and to facilitate fundraising. Against the backdrop of the HKG's governance advocacy, what roles and duties do HKBU's EC and its members fulfill? What are the results? And most importantly, why did HKBU adopt such practices?
Swot Analysis of "The Hong Kong Blind Union: A Small Self-help NGO With Board Of Directors Actively Involved In Operation" written by Sammy Fung includes – strengths weakness that are internal strategic factors of the organization, and opportunities and threats that Hkbu Ngo facing as an external strategic factors. Some of the topics covered in The Hong Kong Blind Union: A Small Self-help NGO With Board Of Directors Actively Involved In Operation case study are - Strategic Management Strategies, International business, Leadership, Organizational culture and Leadership & Managing People.
Some of the macro environment factors that can be used to understand the The Hong Kong Blind Union: A Small Self-help NGO With Board Of Directors Actively Involved In Operation casestudy better are - – increasing household debt because of falling income levels, supply chains are disrupted by pandemic , increasing energy prices, wage bills are increasing, cloud computing is disrupting traditional business models, talent flight as more people leaving formal jobs, increasing transportation and logistics costs,
digital marketing is dominated by two big players Facebook and Google, competitive advantages are harder to sustain because of technology dispersion, etc
Introduction to SWOT Analysis of The Hong Kong Blind Union: A Small Self-help NGO With Board Of Directors Actively Involved In Operation
SWOT stands for an organization’s Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities and Threats . At Oak Spring University , we believe that protagonist in The Hong Kong Blind Union: A Small Self-help NGO With Board Of Directors Actively Involved In Operation case study can use SWOT analysis as a strategic management tool to assess the current internal strengths and weaknesses of the Hkbu Ngo, and to figure out the opportunities and threats in the macro environment – technological, environmental, political, economic, social, demographic, etc in which Hkbu Ngo 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 The Hong Kong Blind Union: A Small Self-help NGO With Board Of Directors Actively Involved In Operation can be done for the following purposes –
1. Strategic planning using facts provided in The Hong Kong Blind Union: A Small Self-help NGO With Board Of Directors Actively Involved In Operation case study
2. Improving business portfolio management of Hkbu Ngo
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 Hkbu Ngo
Strengths The Hong Kong Blind Union: A Small Self-help NGO With Board Of Directors Actively Involved In Operation | Internal Strategic Factors
What are Strengths in SWOT Analysis / TOWS Matrix / Weighted SWOT Analysis
The strengths of Hkbu Ngo in The Hong Kong Blind Union: A Small Self-help NGO With Board Of Directors Actively Involved In Operation Harvard Business Review case study are -
Superior customer experience
– The customer experience strategy of Hkbu Ngo in the segment is based on four key concepts – personalization, simplification of complex needs, prompt response, and continuous engagement.
Organizational Resilience of Hkbu Ngo
– The covid-19 pandemic has put organizational resilience at the centre of everthing that Hkbu Ngo does. Organizational resilience comprises - Financial Resilience, Operational Resilience, Technological Resilience, Organizational Resilience, Business Model Resilience, and Reputation Resilience.
Diverse revenue streams
– Hkbu Ngo is present in almost all the verticals within the industry. This has provided firm in The Hong Kong Blind Union: A Small Self-help NGO With Board Of Directors Actively Involved In Operation 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.
Innovation driven organization
– Hkbu Ngo is one of the most innovative firm in sector. Manager in The Hong Kong Blind Union: A Small Self-help NGO With Board Of Directors Actively Involved In Operation Harvard Business Review case study can use Clayton Christensen Disruptive Innovation strategies to further increase the scale of innovtions in the organization.
Learning organization
- Hkbu Ngo 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 Hkbu Ngo is open place that encourages instructiveness, ideation, open minded discussions, and creativity. Employees and leaders in The Hong Kong Blind Union: A Small Self-help NGO With Board Of Directors Actively Involved In Operation Harvard Business Review case study emphasize – knowledge, initiative, and innovation.
Analytics focus
– Hkbu Ngo 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 Sammy Fung 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.
Successful track record of launching new products
– Hkbu Ngo has launched numerous new products in last few years, keeping in mind evolving customer preferences and competitive pressures. Hkbu Ngo 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.
Ability to recruit top talent
– Hkbu Ngo is one of the leading recruiters in the industry. Managers in the The Hong Kong Blind Union: A Small Self-help NGO With Board Of Directors Actively Involved In Operation are in a position to attract the best talent available. The firm has a robust talent identification program that helps in identifying the brightest.
Operational resilience
– The operational resilience strategy in the The Hong Kong Blind Union: A Small Self-help NGO With Board Of Directors Actively Involved In Operation 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.
Low bargaining power of suppliers
– Suppliers of Hkbu Ngo in the sector have low bargaining power. The Hong Kong Blind Union: A Small Self-help NGO With Board Of Directors Actively Involved In Operation has further diversified its suppliers portfolio by building a robust supply chain across various countries. This helps Hkbu Ngo to manage not only supply disruptions but also source products at highly competitive prices.
High switching costs
– The high switching costs that Hkbu Ngo 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.
Sustainable margins compare to other players in Leadership & Managing People industry
– The Hong Kong Blind Union: A Small Self-help NGO With Board Of Directors Actively Involved In Operation firm has clearly differentiated products in the market place. This has enabled Hkbu Ngo to fetch slight price premium compare to the competitors in the Leadership & Managing People industry. The sustainable margins have also helped Hkbu Ngo to invest into research and development (R&D) and innovation.
Weaknesses The Hong Kong Blind Union: A Small Self-help NGO With Board Of Directors Actively Involved In Operation | Internal Strategic Factors
What are Weaknesses in SWOT Analysis / TOWS Matrix / Weighted SWOT Analysis
The weaknesses of The Hong Kong Blind Union: A Small Self-help NGO With Board Of Directors Actively Involved In Operation are -
Need for greater diversity
– Hkbu Ngo 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.
Slow to strategic competitive environment developments
– As The Hong Kong Blind Union: A Small Self-help NGO With Board Of Directors Actively Involved In Operation HBR case study mentions - Hkbu Ngo 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.
Employees’ incomplete understanding of strategy
– From the instances in the HBR case study The Hong Kong Blind Union: A Small Self-help NGO With Board Of Directors Actively Involved In Operation, it seems that the employees of Hkbu Ngo don’t have comprehensive understanding of the firm’s strategy. This is reflected in number of promotional campaigns over the last few years that had mixed messaging and competing priorities. Some of the strategic activities and services promoted in the promotional campaigns were not consistent with the organization’s strategy.
Slow to harness new channels of communication
– Even though competitors are using new communication channels such as Instagram, Tiktok, and Snap, Hkbu Ngo is slow explore the new channels of communication. These new channels of communication mentioned in marketing section of case study The Hong Kong Blind Union: A Small Self-help NGO With Board Of Directors Actively Involved In Operation can help to provide better information regarding products and services. It can also build an online community to further reach out to potential customers.
Ability to respond to the competition
– As the decision making is very deliberative, highlighted in the case study The Hong Kong Blind Union: A Small Self-help NGO With Board Of Directors Actively Involved In Operation, in the dynamic environment Hkbu Ngo has struggled to respond to the nimble upstart competition. Hkbu Ngo has reasonably good record with similar level competitors but it has struggled with new entrants taking away niches of its business.
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 Hkbu Ngo supply chain. Even after few cautionary changes mentioned in the HBR case study - The Hong Kong Blind Union: A Small Self-help NGO With Board Of Directors Actively Involved In Operation, it is still heavily dependent upon the existing supply chain. The existing supply chain though brings in cost efficiencies but it has left Hkbu Ngo vulnerable to further global disruptions in South East Asia.
Workers concerns about automation
– As automation is fast increasing in the segment, Hkbu Ngo 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.
Capital Spending Reduction
– Even during the low interest decade, Hkbu Ngo 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.
High bargaining power of channel partners
– Because of the regulatory requirements, Sammy Fung suggests that, Hkbu Ngo 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.
Products dominated business model
– Even though Hkbu Ngo has some of the most successful products in the industry, this business model has made each new product launch extremely critical for continuous financial growth of the organization. firm in the HBR case study - The Hong Kong Blind Union: A Small Self-help NGO With Board Of Directors Actively Involved In Operation should strive to include more intangible value offerings along with its core products and services.
Slow decision making process
– As mentioned earlier in the report, Hkbu Ngo 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. Hkbu Ngo 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.
Opportunities The Hong Kong Blind Union: A Small Self-help NGO With Board Of Directors Actively Involved In Operation | 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 The Hong Kong Blind Union: A Small Self-help NGO With Board Of Directors Actively Involved In Operation are -
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 Hkbu Ngo in the consumer business. Now Hkbu Ngo 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. Hkbu Ngo can explore opportunities that can attract volunteers and are consistent with its mission and vision.
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. Hkbu Ngo 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. Hkbu Ngo 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.
Manufacturing automation
– Hkbu Ngo 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.
Increase in government spending
– As the United States and other governments are increasing social spending and infrastructure spending to build economies post Covid-19, Hkbu Ngo can use these opportunities to build new business models that can help the communities that Hkbu Ngo operates in. Secondly it can use opportunities from government spending in Leadership & Managing People sector.
Harnessing reconfiguration of the global supply chains
– As the trade war between US and China heats up in the coming years, Hkbu Ngo 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, The Hong Kong Blind Union: A Small Self-help NGO With Board Of Directors Actively Involved In Operation, to buy more products closer to the markets, and it can leverage its size and influence to get better deal from the local markets.
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 Hkbu Ngo 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.
Creating value in data economy
– The success of analytics program of Hkbu Ngo has opened avenues for new revenue streams for the organization in the industry. This can help Hkbu Ngo to build a more holistic ecosystem as suggested in the The Hong Kong Blind Union: A Small Self-help NGO With Board Of Directors Actively Involved In Operation case study. Hkbu Ngo can build new products and services such as - data insight services, data privacy related products, data based consulting services, etc.
Building a culture of innovation
– managers at Hkbu Ngo 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.
Lowering marketing communication costs
– 5G expansion will open new opportunities for Hkbu Ngo in the field of marketing communication. It will bring down the cost of doing business, provide technology platform to build new products in the Leadership & Managing People segment, and it will provide faster access to the consumers.
Redefining models of collaboration and team work
– As explained in the weaknesses section, Hkbu Ngo is facing challenges because of the dominance of functional experts in the organization. The Hong Kong Blind Union: A Small Self-help NGO With Board Of Directors Actively Involved In Operation 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 Hkbu Ngo to increase its market reach. Hkbu Ngo 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.
Buying journey improvements
– Hkbu Ngo can improve the customer journey of consumers in the industry by using analytics and artificial intelligence. The Hong Kong Blind Union: A Small Self-help NGO With Board Of Directors Actively Involved In Operation 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.
Threats The Hong Kong Blind Union: A Small Self-help NGO With Board Of Directors Actively Involved In Operation External Strategic Factors
What are Threats in the SWOT Analysis / TOWS Matrix / Weighted SWOT Analysis
The threats mentioned in the HBR case study The Hong Kong Blind Union: A Small Self-help NGO With Board Of Directors Actively Involved In Operation are -
Barriers of entry lowering
– As technology is more democratized, the barriers to entry in the industry are lowering. It can presents Hkbu Ngo 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
– Hkbu Ngo 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.
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 Hkbu Ngo business can come under increasing regulations regarding data privacy, data security, 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. Hkbu Ngo 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.
Increasing wage structure of Hkbu Ngo
– 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 Hkbu Ngo.
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. Hkbu Ngo needs to understand the core reasons impacting the Leadership & Managing People industry. This will help it in building a better workplace.
Aging population
– As the populations of most advanced economies are aging, it will lead to high social security costs, higher savings among population, and lower demand for goods and services in the economy. The household savings in US, France, UK, Germany, and Japan are growing faster than predicted because of uncertainty caused by pandemic.
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 Hkbu Ngo in the Leadership & Managing People sector and impact the bottomline of the organization.
Consumer confidence and its impact on Hkbu Ngo 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.
Increasing international competition and downward pressure on margins
– Apart from technology driven competitive advantage dilution, Hkbu Ngo 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 The Hong Kong Blind Union: A Small Self-help NGO With Board Of Directors Actively Involved In Operation .
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.
Learning curve for new practices
– As the technology based on artificial intelligence and machine learning platform is getting complex, as highlighted in case study The Hong Kong Blind Union: A Small Self-help NGO With Board Of Directors Actively Involved In Operation, Hkbu Ngo may face longer learning curve for training and development of existing employees. This can open space for more nimble competitors in the field of Leadership & Managing People .
Environmental challenges
– Hkbu Ngo 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. Hkbu Ngo can take advantage of this fund but it will also bring new competitors in the Leadership & Managing People industry.
Weighted SWOT Analysis of The Hong Kong Blind Union: A Small Self-help NGO With Board Of Directors Actively Involved In Operation 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 The Hong Kong Blind Union: A Small Self-help NGO With Board Of Directors Actively Involved In Operation 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 The Hong Kong Blind Union: A Small Self-help NGO With Board Of Directors Actively Involved In Operation 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 The Hong Kong Blind Union: A Small Self-help NGO With Board Of Directors Actively Involved In Operation 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 The Hong Kong Blind Union: A Small Self-help NGO With Board Of Directors Actively Involved In Operation 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 Hkbu Ngo needs to make to build a sustainable competitive advantage.
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