The original version of this article appeared in The Conversation on 6th June 2013 as The fractures behind Turkey’s uprising carry a global warning The picture of a woman in a red dress, drenched with pepper spray, forms a haunting image. For many, this photograph summarises the outpouring of emotion […]
Unity or Fragmentation? Before reading this post it might be a good idea to read my earlier post – Globalization: Time for a rethink? – where I propose that it’s time to think about the appearance of different worlds – rather than the single economically unified global marketplace that most(?) businesses seem to assume […]
PWC’s 14th global survey of CEOs – Growth Reimagined: Prospects in emerging markets drive CEO confidence[1] paints a welcome and optimistic view of the future path of globalization. Plus points in this report include: An increasing emphasis on the need to innovate (and not just innovation to get costs down) […]
If your business plans hinge on the continued rolling forward of the globalization bandwagon then you had better draw up a contingency plan (regular readers of this blog will have already prepared such plans). The news[1] that the US Fed will engage in a second round of quantitative easing (“QE2”) […]
Every morning I spend about an hour or so scanning news feeds from a range of sources with the primary of objective of updating my database of world trends – and of course getting ideas for blog posts! Living here in London we have a saying about buses. When you’re […]
Introduction A new term has entered our vocabulary, “The Great Recession”. A period of turmoil and shock that started, at least publicly, with the demise of Lehman Brothers on 15 September, 2008. Whether of not we are still in the grips of the Great Recession depends largely on where you […]
So how are: (a) The emerging sovereign debt crisis in Greece (b) Google’s disagreement with China (c) The 2010 Non-Proliferation Treaty Review Conference (due to start on 30th April) linked together? Well, they are all what I call “shaping events“. The big question in every business leader’s mind must be […]
The news of the decision by the US to impose a duty on Chinese tyre imports (following pressure from US unions)[1] and the threat of response from China, really does raise the issue of protectionism. It also questions the hopes of a new era of post crash global co-operation signalled […]
Regular readers will know that I tend to take a contrarian view. This is done at least partly in attempt to stimulate debate in the strategy field. There are a couple of subliminal assumptions (or hopes) that I believe are circulating in the strategy world at the moment that need […]