A Silent Initiative

Case Analysis
FACTS OF
THE CASE
Lamoiyan Corporation was formed by Cecilio Kwok Pedro, who is the CEO and President of it.
Before Pedro launched Lamoiyan Corporation, he built Aluminum Container Inc. (ACI) together
with his friends in 1978, and it offered aluminum tubes to multinational companies (MNC),
Colgate-Palmolive and Unilever. After MNCs shifted from aluminum to laminated plastic tubes,
ACI lost its clients and then closed in 1986. And then in two years, Pedro started Lamoiyan
Corporation and because of the existence of machinery for producing the aluminum tubes, he
decided to price it 30% cheaper than the leading brand while marketing its brand Hapee by
sponsoring the 1988 Philippine Olympic Team, by 2006, Hapee became the top three toothpaste
brand in the country with capturing 20 percent of the industry’s market share.

In 1983, Pedro joined the Deaf Evangelical Alliance Foundation (DEAF) and became its
Chairman from 1993 onwards. With the belief that corporations should not focus on making
profits, but should also contribute to the environment, the community and

Background
especially the PWDs, he started his commitment to the hearing impaired in 1978 when he was
still in the aluminum tubing business and continued to hire them in Lamoiyan Corporation. One
of the advantages of hiring the hearing impaired was their ability to focus so they can be more
efficient. On the other hand, training the hearing impaired is harder and the constant supervisions
are required. Besides, there are many conflicts between the hearing employees and the hearing
impaired, and the conflicts happen between hearing impaired employees as well.

Now with the increased competition from other countries, Lamoiyan has less room to hire more
hearing impaired employees because there’s more and more outsourcing and contractual
employees.

Background
The group takes the point of view of
Mr. Cecilio Kwok Pedro. Mr. Pedro is
the CEO of Lamoiyan Corporation
whose personal mission to help people
with disabilities was integrated into his
business. He also has the authority to
make decisions for the success of the
business and sustainability of the CSR.

Point Of View
 Strengths
• Hapee held 5.3% brand share for oral care products in the Philippines,
while the company Lamoiyan Corp. was at 5.7% (Euromonitor
ANALYSIS
International, 2021)
• Lamoiyan Corp. offers products on a lower price point compared to its
competitors.
• Lamoiyan Corporation is known for their policy of hiring the hearing-
SWOT

impaired and has been recognized for giving equal opportunities for the
disabled.
• Diverse toothpaste product portfolio enabling them to target various
segments in the domestic market at the same time.
• Company’s Core value “Making the difference for the Glory of God.”
 Weaknesses

• Higher administrative cost for more workload of training of hearing

ANALYSIS
impaired employees.
• The challenge of dealing with employee relations because of the
personal discords among the deaf thus affects in building the
company culture.
SWOT

• Lack of technology adaptation.

 Opportunities
• According to Euromonitor International (2021), there was an
increased demand for oral care products in 2020 due to the closure of
ANALYSIS
dental clinics caused by lockdowns due to the pandemic.
• It is forecasted to have better demand for oral care products in 2021,
with a more specific segmentation in whitening, fresh breath, and
sensitive toothpaste, and for mouthwash, dental floss, and toothbrush.
SWOT

• Online and mainstream advertising are seen to be one of the most

important factors in pushing sales.
• Expansion of business across Asia.
 Threats

• Colgate-Palmolive, Unilever, and Procter & Gamble are expected to

ANALYSIS
still dominate the oral care industry due to the companies’ aggressive
promotions, brand ambassadors, and launch of new products
(Euromonitor International, 2021).
• Continuous technology advancement.
SWOT
 OBJECTIVE
OF THE CASE
How can Mr. Cecilio Kwok Pedro sustain his advocacy
of equal employment opportunity for the hearing
impaired while ensuring that Lamoiyan Corporation
thrives in the industry amidst advanced technology
and heightened competition?

Problem
This case analysis aims to identify actions that Mr.
Pedro can take to sustain and secure the employment
of the hearing-impaired individuals amidst advanced
technology and heightened competition.

Objectives
ETHICAL ISSUES
• Contractualization of some hearing-impaired employees.
• Involvement of the hearing-impaired employees to the marketing
strategies of the company.
• Assigning the hearing-impaired employees to labor intensive
positions- tends to overwork and can cause physical exhaustion.
STAKEHOLDERS
• Pedro & Management Team - As the persons running the business,
they are the persons in charge of any decision to implement in
addressing the problem
• Hearing-impaired Employees - Form part of Lamoiyan’s workforce
requiring specific working conditions
• Hearing Employees - Fully abled part of the workforce who also
assist the hearing-impaired.
ALTERNATIV
E COURSES
OF ACTION

ACA 1
Create a vital role for tenured hearing-
impaired employees wherein they’ll be
promoted as Diversity and Inclusion
Champion and also provide continuous
training for them to better expand their
knowledge, introduce them to new
technologies that can help them improve their
skills.
At least one hearing-impaired should be given the function of
Diversity and Inclusion Champion - who acts as production line
lead, bridging the gap between hearing and non-hearing by
encouraging initiatives that would boost PWD’s morale. The
personnel given the function of Diversity and Inclusion
Champion must be long tenured employees in the company so
that they have stronger expertise and knowledge to be fit in the
role. They have been there for the various changes that have
occurred and have a deep understanding of the company’s
policies and processes for doing things. Also, provide
specialized training for them to help them expand their
knowledge and upgrade their skills by introducing them to new
technologies. They can use their knowledge and new sets of
skills to train and mentor other employees and support new
hires. This initiative for tenured hearing-impaired employees
will give them the feel of stability in their career, resulting in
increased motivation, productivity and commitment to the
company.
ACA 2
Retain the ratio of employed hearing -
hearing impaired employees by providing the
latter jobs through expanding product lines
and tapping new business opportunities.
Lamoiyan Corp. can grab new business opportunities
by expanding its product lines to create jobs for their
hearing and hearing-impaired employees. The
management can expand its product line to whitening,
fresh breath, and sensitive toothpastes, and other
related oral care products such as toothbrush, dental
floss, and mouthwash as these items are forecasted to
have increased demand in 2021 due to the closure of
dental clinics caused by the pandemic. With these
expansions, the company can hire more or at least
retain the percentage of their hearing-impaired
employees, as it needs manual interventions in its
production process.
ACA 3 The company already provides for toll
manufacturing services to different third parties
across the Philippines, Asia and the USA. Because of
Increase Toll Manufacturing volume by
its established reputation in manufacturing oral care
aggressively seeking new clients across local
products at the low end bracket, the company should
and international markets. The incremental
be able to target even more clients it could receive
demand will be filled by hearing-impaired
outsourced jobs from utilizing their strong market
employees.
placements and social responsibility campaign as
their main marketing propaganda.
 EFFECTS OF
ALTERNATIVES TO
STAKEHOLDERS
MANAGEMEN
• ACA1: It enhances the organization's culture and strengthens brand
perception.
PEDRO &

• ACA2: It generates more sales and profits, reaches new

customers/markets and opportunities for greater brand recognition.
• ACA3: It leads to higher production and sales volume; generates
more profits.
T
HEARING-IMPAIRED
• ACA1: It widens work opportunities and choices of available jobs in
EMPLOYEES
which they could fit; sense of belongingness; and will feel valued.
• ACA2: It increases work opportunities and headcount; career growth.
• ACA3: More work opportunities and headcount.
EMPLOYEES
• ACA1: It enhances positive relationships and builds a sense of
HEARING

community.
• ACA2: More job opportunities and career growth.
• ACA3: It increases job opportunities and headcount.
CHOOSING THE
BEST
ALTERNATIVE
ACA 1
Create a vital role for tenured hearing-
impaired employees wherein they’ll
be promoted as Diversity and
Inclusion Champion and also provide
continuous training for them to better
expand their knowledge, introduce
them to new technologies that can
help them improve their skills.
ACA 2
Retain the ratio of employed hearing -
hearing impaired employees by
providing the latter jobs through
expanding product lines and tapping
new business opportunities.
ACA 3
Increase Toll Manufacturing volume
by aggressively seeking new clients
across local and international markets.
The incremental demand will be filled
by hearing-impaired employees.
EVALUATION
OF ACA
 Among the three alternatives available to the Company, ACA1 is the best suitable to
answer the problem to sustain the Pedro has established.
DISCUSSION OF
Lamoiyan’s focal strength is its program to provide equal employment opportunities to all
individuals, however with emerging manufacturing practices that are driven by
globalization and technology, the company started to lag behind.
By providing additional support services and training, the hearing-impaired will be able to
acquire new competencies for jobs at which they were not able to previously take on. This
will lead to a more efficient use of manpower, and the possibilities of exploring additional
RESULTS

process and/or market expansion. Social inclusion, likewise, will also strengthen as a
designated hearing-impaired employee shall serve as Champion who will address any
concerns in the production floor that may have arisen from the handicap. He/She will be
the bridge between HR and the persons with disabilities, in identifying initiatives to
improve the working environment and conditions of the people with special needs.
DISCUSSION OF
Category Activities People Involved Time Frame

Development • Skills assessment of the hearing-impaired HR Manager, Training and 1 week

employees and provide specific training Development Head and
which will be conducted by TESDA in representatives from top
cooperation with the Training and management, each
Development Team. department, employees at each
  level, hearing-impaired
• Election of Diversity and Inclusion Champion employee and TESDA
RESULTS

Approval Present the initial plan and seek approval / Top management, CEO and HR 3 days
recommendations.

Organization To plan and discuss the implementation of the Training and Development 2 days
program. Team, HR and TESDA

Implementation • Execution of the training program. Training and Development 6 months

  Team, HR, TESDA and hearing-
• Evaluate the effectiveness of the training impaired employees
program by gathering feedback from the
participants and improve on any problem
area.