strategy+business: GLOBAL PERSPECTIVE

The Flat World Debate Revisited

by John Jullens — Mon, 06 May 2013 05:00:00 GMT

Thomas Friedman's The World Is Flat: A Brief History of the Twenty-First Century has sold millions of copies and picked up numerous accolades. But his thesis has not gone uncontested, especially in academic circles. IESE Business School professor Pankaj Ghemawat has been a particularly vocal critic--coining the term "globaloney" to refer to the exaggerated perception that the world is flat. Who is right?

Solving China's M&A Maze

by John Jullens — Mon, 01 Apr 2013 05:00:00 GMT

Western executives undertaking M&A in China often lack the in-depth knowledge required to navigate the countless pitfalls unique to China's business environment they are sure to encounter--from the pre-deal phase through the postmerger integration. Here are eight battle-tested best practices that can go a long way in ensuring that deals run smoothly and end in successful partnerships.

The Digital Government

by David Hovenden and Chris Bartlett — Tue, 26 Feb 2013 06:00:00 GMT

Digitization could enable governments to aggregate their capabilities across agency boundaries and orchestrate the most cost-effective solutions, whether public or private, to meet their citizens' needs. Some governments around the world are already moving in this direction: They are making smart investments by focusing on five enablers of a successful digital strategy.

The Thought Leader Interview: Cynthia Montgomery

by Ken Favaro and Art Kleiner — Tue, 26 Feb 2013 06:00:00 GMT

A Harvard Business School professor of strategy observes that leaders become better strategists by engaging in conversation about the purpose of a company. Cynthia Montgomery's perspective, based on her experience with executive education for entrepreneurs and managers, could reconcile long-standing debates about position versus resources, analysis versus execution, and entrepreneurship versus large business management.

How to Keep the Promise of the Third Billion

by DeAnne Aguirre, Leila Hoteit, and Karim Sabbagh — Tue, 26 Feb 2013 06:00:00 GMT

A new index of countries links their future prosperity to raising the status of women. With more education and training, and the reduction of legal, familial, logistical, and financial constraints, about 865 million women can enter the global economy--with economic impact as significant as that of India and China.

Strategies for Global Connectedness

by Pankaj Ghemawat and Steven A. Altman — Tue, 26 Feb 2013 06:00:00 GMT

National efforts to expand international flows -- of trade, capital, information, and people -- can be a major leverage point for raising prosperity. This article, based on the DHL Global Connectedness Index, shows how different countries, such as the Netherlands, India, and Mexico, have different paths to prosperity, with a different mix of increases in flows of trade, capital, information, and people.

What the West Can Learn from Jugaad

by Navi Radjou, Jaideep Prabhu, and Simone Ahuja — Tue, 26 Feb 2013 06:00:00 GMT

Jugaad innovation is based on principles such as "seek opportunity in adversity," "do more with less," and "think and act flexibly." These principles have long been embraced in emerging markets characterized by scarcity and unpredictability. But today, developed countries are confronting many of the same problems. To compete in this complex business environment, mature companies need a new approach to innovation and growth -- one that, like jugaad, is frugal, flexible, and participative.

The Dueling Myths of Business

by Art Kleiner — Tue, 26 Feb 2013 06:00:00 GMT

Author and scenario planning expert Betty Sue Flowers dissects the attitudes and beliefs that unconsciously influence decision makers. The reason for a corporate reputation collapse or even a financial crisis can be traced to clashes between those seeking growth (the economic myth), those seeking truth through reason (the scientific myth), and those seeking health for the whole system (an ecological story line). (THIS ARTICLE CONTAINS LICENSED IMAGES)

Is China the World's Next Rust Belt?

by John Jullens — Mon, 25 Feb 2013 06:00:00 GMT

Many Western pundits believe that rising labor costs portend the decline of manufacturing in China. But such reactions may be overblown. Although the country's manufacturing base will likely begin to fragment, five factors point to opportunities for it to remain robust.

The Global Innovation 1000: Making Ideas Work

by Barry Jaruzelski, John Loehr, and Richard Holman — Tue, 27 Nov 2012 16:00:00 GMT

Over the past few years, as part of its Global Innovation 1000 study, Booz & Company has carefully analyzed the innovation strategies, capabilities, and cultural factors that enable some companies to consistently achieve superior financial results. This year, to further clarify those performance advantages, we surveyed senior executives about their approach to the early stages of innovation -- revealing that successful innovators bring clarity to a process often described as fuzzy and vague.

Overcoming the Global Innovation Trade-Off

by Yves Doz and Keeley Wilson — Tue, 27 Nov 2012 12:00:00 GMT

International companies need to find a way to maintain creative complexity without the difficulties of co-location. They can do this in three ways: redesigning their global footprint, optimizing communication, and developing opportunities for collaboration around the world.

The Thought Leader Interview: William J. O'Rourke

by Ann Graham — Tue, 27 Nov 2012 11:00:00 GMT

The former head of Alcoa Russia teaches executives that international business practice should start with a strong sense of ethics -- or it won't survive. In this Thought Leader interview, Bill O'Rourke looks back at his efforts to run an ethical company in Russia, and ahead at the ethical challenges facing today's business students.

The University's Dilemma

by Tim Laseter — Tue, 27 Nov 2012 07:00:00 GMT

In the face of disruptive change, higher education needs a new, more innovative business model. The costs of today's universities are too high, and they don't fulfill the needs of either students or employers. Examples exist today -- online, in business, and in experiments -- of how colleges and universities will change in the near future.

Walking the Talk on Foreign Experience

by Matt Palmquist — Tue, 27 Nov 2012 06:00:00 GMT

To stem the loss of repatriated employees, multinationals must show them more respect.

The New Chinese Economy

by Sarah Butler, Edward Tse, and John Jullens — Mon, 12 Nov 2012 06:00:00 GMT

China's economy is in transition as regional shifts in wealth, more demanding and discerning customers, and highly motivated Chinese companies change the competitive landscape. The country's economy is also evolving in fundamental ways as single-digit annual growth becomes a plausible new normal. For multinationals that adapt their strategies to this reality, China remains a significant source of opportunity.

Digitization and Prosperity

by Bahjat El-Darwiche, Milind Singh, and Sandeep Ganediwalla — Tue, 28 Aug 2012 05:00:00 GMT

The economic growth of nations is linked to a single technological factor: the extent to which people adopt ICT and digital technologies. Policymakers need to focus on three priorities: elevating digitization on the national agenda, including the systematic planning and tracking of progress; developing a better governance model for the telecom and information technology sectors; adopting an ecosystem perspective; enabling competition; and stimulating demand.

School Reform for Realists

by Andrea Gabor — Tue, 28 Aug 2012 05:00:00 GMT

Partnerships between business and education have a place in solving the talent gap, but it's not what most executives think. Draw on the most collaborative, generative aspects of business thinking -- following the examples of companies that promote transparency, engagement, shared accountability, continuous improvement, and organizational learning.

Managing in a Multipolar World

by Paolo Pigorini, Ashok Divakaran, and Ariel Fleichman — Tue, 28 Aug 2012 05:00:00 GMT

In a world with multiple centers of power and influence that are changing the way business is done, multinationals need a coherent and flexible global enterprise management model that can adapt to (and get ahead of) rapid evolutions in the market. To enable success, companies should focus on three key areas: organization structure and footprint, decision rights and controls, and leadership and talent.

The Business Case for the European Union

by Robert Gogel, Per-Ola Karlsson, and Ludo Van der Heyden — Tue, 28 Aug 2012 05:00:00 GMT

To corporate leaders around the world, the economic crisis in Europe is a sign that convergence and strong regional management are the solution, not the problem. Business leaders want more Europe, not less. They feel there is far more to gain from bringing Europe closer together than from letting it further fall apart.

Staying on the Road to Growth

by Joe Saddi, Karim Sabbagh, and Richard Shediac — Mon, 20 Aug 2012 05:00:00 GMT

Even amid ongoing tensions, Middle East leaders can maintain their commitment to economic reform. If leaders are serious about continuing the region's economic momentum, they will have to resolve five key tensions: stability versus openness, social appeasement versus economic transformation, nationalization versus privatization, untargeted versus inclusive development, and sovereignty versus regionalization.

China's Mid-Market Innovators

by Edward Tse, John Jullens, and Bill Russo — Tue, 29 May 2012 15:00:00 GMT

A new category of global competitor -- low-price, high-quality Chinese business-to-business upstarts -- is shaking up the competitive landscape around the world. The conventional strategy for many multinational incumbents, of trying to divide the market with "just good enough" products for the low end, will no longer suffice. Global multinationals must change their overall ways of doing business.

A Talent Strategy for Emerging Economies

by David Tusa and Melissa Master Cavanaugh — Mon, 09 Apr 2012 05:00:00 GMT

The CEO and CHRO of the Middle East telecom operator Etisalat explain how they recruit and retain people for frontier markets -- the most challenging business environments in the world.

Linda Rottenberg's High-Impact Endeavor

by Paula Margulies — Tue, 28 Feb 2012 06:00:00 GMT

"Social entrepreneur" Linda Rottenberg pioneered an innovative model for mentoring startups in emerging markets. Now, with her nonprofit organization Endeavor, she's replicating it around the world. Thomas Friedman calls this form of training, mentoring, and support for evolving capitalism "the best antipoverty program of all." (THIS ARTICLE CONTAINS LICENSED IMAGES)

How to Make a Region Innovative

by Ernest J. Wilson III — Tue, 28 Feb 2012 06:00:00 GMT

Behind every innovation cluster, from Silicon Valley to Bangalore, is an interrelated group of four sectors -- public, private, civil, and academic. The dean of USC's Annenberg School offers a formula for fostering economic growth in any region: Bring leaders from all four sectors together to draw on the power of "the quad."

China's Auto Industry Responds to Record Growth

by Sheridan Prasso — Tue, 22 Nov 2011 06:00:00 GMT

Dazong Wang, CEO of one of China's largest automakers, discusses how auto companies will keep pace with Chinese consumers' appetite for cars.