Megane no Tanaka 2022

Abstract

Megane no Tanaka was a 100-year-old Japanese family business that was being disrupted by new CEO Damian Hall. Damian, originally from Jamaica, was the son-in-law of the previous female CEO Toshiko Tanaka. Being a foreigner and an outsider to the company, Damian changed the company, notably increasing the role of women in the organization. After realizing that the female employees were not able to participate equally in the company, Damian focused on mentoring and empowering them to take over more managerial roles. He directly addressed issues that they faced in their career development and strengthened educational and career development programs. As a foreigner and outsider to the industry, the role of CEO had brought Damian countless advantages to see the family business and industry in a different light. After the first international expansion of Megane no Tanaka to Singapore, Damian’s study of the industry and its brick-and-mortar stores had led him to come up with a potentially disruptive service called “Ninal”. Ninal changed how eyewear was sold within Megane no Tanaka and had the potential to change the industry by introducing a monthly payment for eyewear that allowed consumers to get several pairs of eyeglasses with a biannual renewable contract. However, competition with cheaper stores was intense and sales of all brick-and-mortar stores declined during the COVID-19 pandemic. Damian struggled with the decision of whether to continue the pursuit of his disruptive sales strategy, to continue to focus on expansion abroad, or to focus on creating a stronger and more diverse company. The direction he took would affect the family business and its succession to the next generation.

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