Dr Robert Davies Strategy Update

The New Deal

Thu, 14 Jul 2010 09:10:00 GMT

If the old deals were full employment and the social welfare net - what is the new deal?

Waiting for change

Tue, 15 Jun 2010 13:55:00 GMT

Real change in customers needs and behaviours is yet to appear. Now is the time to start market research in earnest.

More on the Perfect Storm

Thu, 10 Jun 2010 23:45:00 GMT

Why the world never moves in straight lines.

More on the Perfect Storm

Thu, 10 Jun 2010 10:00:00 GMT

More details of the perfect storm in the FT Adviser

Interview: The Perfect Storm

Wed, 09 Jun 2010 08:30:00 GMT

Are businesses facing a perfect storm? If they are, what are the implications for strategy and innovation?

Challenging the Tenets of Management: #1 Shareholder value

Mon, 01 Jun 2010 22:20:00 GMT

Is the dominance of shareholder value fading?

Creative Destruction: The political dimension

Thu, 27 May 2010 09:50:00 GMT

Are we under-estimating the power of New Politics to re-shape both Europe and the future world?

Fragmentation or Sustainable Recovery?

Wed, 26 May 2010 09:45:00 GMT

Many developed economies, especially the losers of the Great Recession, depend upon demand from the emerging and developing economies. But there are many obstacles on the world stage.

Consumerism is Dead

Thu, 13 May 2010 22:00:00 GMT

Considers the argument that consumer demand could fail in both the emerging and developed economies.

Seeds of Change: Youth unemployment

Wed, 05 May 2010 13:15:00 GMT

With youth unemployment at over 25% in many developed countires - is change inevitable?

Greece, Debt, Contagion and Political Change

Thu, 29 Apr 2010 08:40:00 GMT

Why the crisis could spawn a massive political shift.

Who will be the new masters of the Universe?

Thu, 22 Apr 2010 13:40:00 GMT

Think beyond the EU and the US if you want to know who will really shape regulation.

Recession Recovery Tip: Knowing your profitable customers

Wed, 14 Apr 2010 19:45:00 GMT

Knowing who your most profitable customers are is a key step in recovery planning.

Thoughts of an L-Shaped Recovery and Future Worlds

Thu, 08 Apr 2010 13:45:00 GMT

A slow recovery could split the developed world with significant implications for all businesses.

Old Strategies for a New World?

Thu, 01 Apr 2010 14:00:00 GMT

Are business leaders using old strategies in a world that has changed?

The B3: The new face of globalization?

Wed, 31 Mar 2010 08:50:00 GMT

Has the recession divided the developed economies and produced new power blocs?

Toyota and the Organizational Life-Cycle

Wed, 03 Mar 2010 21:15:00 GMT

Can the organizational life-cycle model help us to predict problems?

Globalization: A picture of a fragmented world

Tue, 02 Mar 2010 13:25:00 GMT

What a post recession world might look like.

Why the next war will be the war of influence

Thu, 25 Feb 2010 09:37:00 GMT

Why the next confrontation won't be a military one.

The Post Great recession World: Four possible future views

Wed, 17 Feb 2010 19:50:00 GMT

This article introduces the four future worlds we could all face.

What do Greece, Google, China and the NPT have in common?

Thu, 11 Feb 2010 08:50:00 GMT

Answer: They are all shaping events. Events that could define the future of globalization.

Giving your customers a treat

Wed, 10 Feb 2010 09:40:00 GMT

Finding ways to give your customers a treat could be an important differentiator when facing the prospect of a "W" shaped recovery.

A New Iron Curtain

Tue, 09 Feb 2010 07:40:00 GMT

Is a new iron curtain descending that will divide the world for the coming decades?

Looking for weak signals

Tue, 26 Jan 2010 10:25:00 GMT

Two reports have been published that give us clues on what the faces of post-recession capitalism and strategy might look like. One deals with attitudes to business, the other with the very localised impact of recession.

So how long are we in this for? Part II

Mon, 14 Dec 2009 09:55:00 GMT

A forecast from the US suggests that some developed economies - most notably the US and UK - will face prolonged periods of unemployment that will force seismic changes in consumer behaviour. A priority for 2010 must be to explore how these changes will effect our businesses.

The first signs of isolationism?

Fri, 11 Dec 2009 09:55:00 GMT

A recent survey in the US points to a potential trend to isolationism and protectionism. There is also a feeling that US jobs must be put first. This could have major implications for businesses especially in the old economies.

How long are we in this for?

Fri, 27 Nov 2009 12:15:00 GMT

One of our primary focal points in 2010 must be identifying behavioural shifts as economies recover. This article suggests that recovering lost employment could be a protracted process with deep implications. Significant country variations are noted.

2010 and Beyond: The eight real trends and issues to watch

Tue, 24 Nov 2009 23:07:00 GMT

As we enter the post-recession world eight key issues and trends are emerging that could make or break your business.

Looking at Futures: The role of shaping events

Tue, 20 Oct 2009 08:47:00 GMT

In an uncertain world we need to test our strategies against different futures. But to do this organizations must develop approaches to monitoring events in the global business environment, not just their marketplaces. To do this you need to identify "shaping events". These are events that when they occur, will help to determine the form of the new global business world. This article introduces one current shaping event.

Business Negatives

Sat, 17 Oct 2009 09:47:00 GMT

Focusing on just the positives, whilst being popular advice, can have real downsides.

Which way do we go?

Tue, 13 Oct 2009 14:50:00 GMT

Traditional business planning tools do not work well in post recessionary times. A more pluralistic approach is needed.

Back to Globalization or Back to Protectionism?

Mon, 14 Sep 2009 09:20:00 GMT

This article discusses the real emerging risks of a protectionist trade war that could lead to a divided world. For businesses looking to the future this means that a pluralist perspective is required when looking at the shape of the world even 3 years from now.

Recession and the Role of HR: More than cost cutting?

Tue, 01 Sep 2009 13:30:00 GMT

Reports on the findings of a recent survey by the Economist Intelligence Unit examining HR's role in a recession. Executives' focus appears to be on cost reduction. The real focus of HR should however be not on reducing costs but dealing with the psychological trauma of the recession.

Back to Globalization? Don't bet all your money

Mon, 24 Aug 2009 13:41:00 GMT

Two subliminal assumptions that may underpin strategy-making need to be challeged. One is that we will return to pre-2008 growth levels. The other subliminal assumption is that globalization, or benign globalization, will continue. There are reasons why it may not.

Social Networking and the Web: An unreliable distribution channel?

Wed, 19 Aug 2009 14:50:00 GMT

Early indications are that basing distribution and relationship management strategies on the web alone may be a risky option.

Creative Destruction: A special type of change management

Wed, 05 Aug 2009 07:40:00 GMT

Introduces the concept that recession produces innovation but that to take advantage of these innovation opportunities a special type of change management is needed.

Recession: Understanding the business and psychological impact

Fri, 31 Jul 2009 14:50:00 GMT

This article reports on a survey examining the human cost of the recession in terms of anxiety and stress. High stress and anxiety levels are reported and coping mechanisms are introduced. The survey also points towards society's culture as being one of the central causes of the recession.

Behavioural Shifts: An X, Y or M issue?

Thu, 16 Jul 2009 15:00:00 GMT

Evidence is appearing pointing to permanent shifts in consumer behaviour that may be spreading beyong Generation Y. If these shifts are permanent, they pose major challenges for big business.

Your clients: Who will be the winners and losers?

Wed, 15 Jul 2009 22:30:00 GMT

If recessions bring creative destruction, now is the time to test if your clients can survive. Looking at their behaviours can give you important clues as to who the survivors will be and what they will need from you.

Is this a defining moment?

Wed, 20 May 2009 16:00:00 GMT

A review and commentary in respect of Martin Wolf's article 'This crisis is a moment, but may not be a defining one' in FT 20 May 2009.

Time to test some axioms - or how to avoid the blindfolded bus driver's syndrome

Thu, 14 May 2009 10:30:00 GMT

This briefing takes the position that the current crisis is at least partially due to the acceptance of certain untested assumptions or rules about the way that the world works. The problem is that these assumptions may have passed into common usage as they sound plausible. However, they have not been subject to rigorous testing and may be be misleading in a future, post recession, world. An approach to start this process of testing is introduced here.

Overcoming change barriers

Thu, 23 Apr 2009 07:20:00 GMT

Understanding an individual's source of power in an organization is an essential first step in identifying and managing resistance to change.

Navigating the Recession: The waves of change

Fri, 27 Mar 2009 12:40:00 GMT

As we progress through recession to recovery it is proposed that customers will undergo at least 4 waves of each of which could have a fundamental impact on business strategy.

Strategy and the Future World: Why the next three months may hold the key

Thu, 26 Feb 2009 23:50:00 GMT

This article argues that there are five events that will shape the post economic recession world for a generation. Three of these could be triggered during the next three months.

New Regulation: Implications for Capitalism II

Thu, 26 Feb 2009 11:25:00 GMT

This article looks at recent speeches from IMF Davos meeting and ECB to give pointers as to how the market economy could change as a result of the economic crisis.

Recession - looking for stress points

Wed, 25 Feb 2009 16:44:00 GMT

Provides a survey to examine the challenges of recession and a prolonged downturn.

Davos 2009 - Recession and Business Strategy - Quo Vadis

Wed, 11 Feb 2009 23:19:00 GMT

Provides a view of the future of the economic recession and tracks progress to two outcome scenarios. Provides questions to test organizations' stratgies in light of current developments.

2009: Signposts to where?

Wed, 21 Jan 2009 19:20:00 GMT

One of the business leader's primary concerns must be to identify what the post recession world will look like and what the implications for business strategy are. This briefing presents four scenarios of a post recession world, a methodology to build scenarios and to track events as they unfold. Examples of major implications for corporate strategy are provided.

Recession: Key questions for business survival and growth (revised 15 January 2009)

Thu, 15 Jan 2009 19:10:00 GMT

This updated executive briefing provides 7 key issues that all businesses must examine if they wish to survive and grow during an economic recession. Revised 29 Aug 2008 to comment upon economic uncertainty.