Lee Kum Kee Case Study: Succession

This case study examines the succession planning within the Lee Kum Kee family business, focusing on the offer of shares to Elizabeth and her subsequent refusal. The analysis delves into the reasons behind the Lee brothers' decision to include Elizabeth, emphasizing their desire for a unified leadership team and the preservation of family values. It also explores Elizabeth's motivations for declining the offer, which include her respect for traditional succession norms, her belief in her existing contributions, and her concern about potential family conflicts. The case highlights the complexities of family business dynamics and the challenges of succession planning.

Lee Kum Kee: Female Succession in Family Business
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1. Why did the Lee brothers offer shares to Elizabeth?
Lee wanted all the five siblings to become the family leaders and work as a team in order to
build a system will help the future generation to continue further with the business. Therefore, he
thought there would be lesser number of misunderstandings and potential conflicts. According to
Lee, the five siblings would be able to become as the guardians for the values of the family and
would be highly concerned towards being committed to perpetuating the same among the future
generations. Lee thought that the five siblings could work as a team and give new heights to the
business.
2. Why did Elizabeth refuse their offer three times?
There were several reasons for Elizabeth to not to own the shares. First of all, she had high
respect for all the traditional values towards succession planning where the females were not
given the right to inherit the family business. Secondly, she thought that by working as a product
development director for Lee Kum Kee and by receiving high salary, she already was given the
contribution for her sole contribution. The third reason being that she was highly concerned
about the family quarrels and the issues revolving around the business ownership issues. As she
did not want that to happen again, she did not accept the offer. Lastly, she was convinced that all
her four brothers were doing their best and deserved the shares more than she did. Therefore, she
opted to refuse their offer owning the shares.