of bubbles and bursts: where is sustainability in all this?

Press coverage – October 2010
Summary of clips:
•
October – China Entrepreneur (China) – Column from
Jean-Pierre Lehmann
•
October – Finance Management (Belgium) – Article on
the state of women’s leadership by Ginka Toegel
•
October – Capital Business Magazine
(Lebanon/Middle East) – “Seismic shifts in the Pacific”
by Jean-Pierre Lehmann
•
October 1 – Forbes (Russia) – “Expand your
opportunities,” by Jim Pulcrano
•
October 2 – Het Financieele Dagblad (Netherlands) –
Article on the state of women’s leadership by Ginka
Toegel
•
October 2 – The Jakarta Post (Indonesia) – “Analyzing
companies’ best practice,” by Ralf Seifert and Joana
Comas
•
October 4 – L’Agefi (Switzerland)– IMD and Burson
Marsteller conduct a join study
•
October 5 – Le Temps (Switzerland)– Odebrecht wins
the IMD-Lombard Odier Global Family Business Award
•
October 5 – L’Agefi (Switzerland)– Odebrecht wins the
IMD-Lombard Odier Global Family Business Award
•
October 5 – The Financial Times (UK)– Maury Peiperl
is quoted in the article “The talent managers bringing
new skills to work”
•
October 6 – Le Temps (Switzerland)– Article from
Georges Haour and Laurent Miéville
•
October 6 – The Australian (Australia) – “Can we ever
learn about recessions?” by Stéphane Garelli
•
October 7 – Bilan (Switzerland) – Tania DusseyCavassini is quoted on the importance of culture and
business
•
October 7 – Milano Finanza (Italy) – “Innovation
lessons from Apple,” by Bill Fischer
•
October 7 – The Financial Times (UK)– “Case study
Irdeto,” by Cyril Bouquet and Julian Birkinshaw
IMD in the news | June-July
continued
•
October 8 – Le Temps (Switzerland) – Robin Sharma
presents at IMD
•
October 8 – Bilanz (Switzerland) – IMD mentioned in
an article about MBAs
•
October 9 – Die Welt (Germany) – IMD mentioned in an
article about MBAs
•
October 10 – Welt am Sonntag (Germany) – IMD
mentioned in an article about MBAs
•
October 12 – 24 Heures (Switzerland) – IMD offers One
Planet Leaders with the WWF
•
October 12 – America Economia (Chile) – “Can we
ever learn about recessions?” by Stéphane Garelli
•
October 12 – La Tribune de Geneve (Switzerland) –
IMD offers One Planet Leaders with the WWF
•
October 13 – Western Australian BusinessNews
(Australia) – “Who should be on your company’s
board?” by Paul Strebel
•
October 14 – BizCommunity (South Africa) – IMD
offers One Planet Leaders with the WWF
•
October 15 – Economist Intelligence Unit (UK) –
“How Chinese companies test global waters,” by Winter
Nie
•
October 15 – Rescu (Australia) - Article on the state of
women’s leadership by Ginka Toegel
•
October 16 – Ledernytt (Norway) – “China’s global
competitive advantage,” by Bill Fischer
•
October 17 – Le Matin (Switzerland) – Quote from
Arturo Bris regarding economics in China
•
October 18 – O Estado de S. Paulo (Brazil) – Article
announcing High Performance Leadership in Brazil
•
October 18 – Okonomisk Rapport (Norway) –
“Innovation lessons from Apple,” by Bill Fischer
•
October 18 – Economist Intelligence Unit (UK) –
“Creating business opportunities through supply chain
environmental management,” by Ralf Seifert and Joana
Comas
•
October 19 – The Business Times (Singapore) –
“Innovation lessons from Apple,” by Bill Fischer
•
October 19 – Portal Exame (Brazil) – Article
announcing High Performance Leadership in Brazil
•
October 19 – Valor Economico (Brazil) – News brief
on IMD’s online contest
•
October 20 – Bilan (Switzerland) – “Can we ever learn
about recessions?” by Stéphane Garelli
continued
•
October 20 – Financial Web (Brazil) – IMD launches an
interactive contest
•
October 22 – The Irish World (Ireland) – former CEO
of BP addresses IMD alumni
•
October 25 – The Jakarta Post (Indonesia) – “The
benefits of NGO corporate partnership,” by Michael
Yaziji
•
October 25 – Nikkei Business (Japan) – Feature
article from Dominique Turpin
•
October 25 – Yazhou Zhoukan (China) – Article
featuring Jean-Pierre Lehmann’s book Peace and
Prosperity Through World Trade
•
October 26 – Publico (Portugal) – Interview with
Stéphane Garelli
•
October 27 – Marketing & Kommunikation
(Switzerland) – Interview with Stefan Michel
•
October 27 – Handelszeitung (Switzerland) – Stefan
Michel quoted
•
October 27 – Il Sole 24 Ore (Italy) – Article on the state
of women’s leadership by Ginka Toegel
•
October 28 – in Finance (Australia) – “China’s global
competitive advantage,” by Bill Fischer
•
October 29 – Le Temps (Switzerland) – IMD offers One
Planet Leaders with the WWF
•
October 29 – Business Spotlight (Germany) – Usain
Bolt spoke at IMD
•
October 30 – The Jakarta Post (Indonesia) – “Lessons
from award-winning company Odebrecht” by Benoit
Leleux
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article
Russia
October 1, 2010
Блог профессоров лозаннской бизнес-школы IMD
Джим Пулкрано
Полезные связи
Рецепт успешной карьеры от IMD: продумайте стратегию налаживания
связей
Связи нужно поддерживать — Расширяйте горизонты — Придумайте
стратегию
Автор — исполнительный директор IMD, преподаватель MBA для управляющих
кадров
Спросите любого менеджера, как нужно искать работу, особенно в нынешних
обстоятельствах. Скорее всего, он скажет, как
важно налаживать деловые связи: более 50%
управленцев находят работу благодаря им. Это
не значит, что если у вас мало контактов на
LinkedIn, вы обречены остаться ни с чем: но
лучше думать стратегически и планировать, какие
связи у вас есть и как их использовать.
Первый шаг — признать, что контакты
необходимы. Исследования подтверждают, что
56-84% управляющих кадров находят себе работу неформально, через личные
связи; это также помогает повысить эффективность выполнения уже
существующих (социальных) ролей. Несмотря на это, многие просто не хотят этим
заниматься.
Частично это связано со сложившимся представлением об использовании личных
связей. Многие считают его скользким делом. Но в действительности это
нормальное человеческое поведение — обмен: вы что-то узнаете о другом, а
взамен делитесь чем-то о себе.
Связи нужно поддерживать
У всех есть связи, осознаете вы это или нет. Но чтобы получить от них максимум,
нужно их поддерживать. Представьте, будто это счет в банке: каждый месяц вы
кладете туда свою зарплату, и пока вам хватает на оплату счетов, вас совсем не
заботит, что ваши сбережения не приносят процентов. Но однажды вы решаете
купить дом. Вот тогда-то вы посмотрите на состояние своего счета и пожалеете,
что не сделали умных инвестиций 10 лет назад.
Со связями все обстоит примерно так же: в основном люди начинают думать о них,
когда их уволили и они отчаянно нуждаются в помощи, а не тогда, когда они
способны в них инвестировать. Чтобы извлечь максимум из связей, нужно их
строить и поддерживать до того, как появится необходимость их использовать.
Если вы только просите о помощи и никогда не предлагаете помочь сами, то вряд
ли вам будут часто оказывать услуги, а вы определенно не будете использовать
доступные возможности лучшим образом.
Расширяйте горизонты
Полезно укреплять и уже существующие важные знакомства, но одними из самых
ценных контактов оказываются «слабые связи» — с людьми, которых мы не очень
хорошо знаем, но которые связывают нас с новыми группами и новым стилем
мышления.
Слабые связи особенно полезны для тех, кто хочет найти работу в новом для него
секторе. Если вы хотите устроиться к конкуренту, поставщику или в любую другую
компанию, тесно связанную с той, в которой вы работаете на данный момент,
имеет смысл общаться с хорошо вам знакомыми людьми, потому что они вас знают
и доверяют. Если вы хотите радикальных перемен, эти люди вам вряд ли помогут;
все их связи приведут вас обратно в мир, который вы стремитесь покинуть. Они
даже могут отговорить вас от перемен. Если вы точно намерены двигаться дальше,
то ищите новые связи, общайтесь с новыми людьми — они дадут вам новые
возможности, о которых вы даже не подозревали.
Придумайте стратегию
Связи нужно строить стратегически. Это значит определять цели и планировать
движение к ним до того, как вы сделаете шаг. Слишком часто люди не думают об
этом, пока у них не состоится десяток-другой случайных разговоров о том, как их
сократили и как им нужна новая работа. Но таким образом можно исчерпать связи и
надоесть знакомым бесцельными размытыми просьбами. Потом бывает очень
сложно вернуться к человеку и сказать: «Ладно, теперь у меня есть план, я знаю,
как ты мог бы мне помочь».
Другими словами, чтобы успешно использовать связи, нужно знать, чего вы хотите.
Звучит просто, но в реальности может быть очень сложно, поэтому об этом
написано столько книг.
Это также значит знать, кто вы есть и как лучше себя продать. Когда вы с кемнибудь встречаетесь, вряд ли у вас будет часовая беседа — скорее, пять минут на
вечеринке или 20 минут за чашечкой кофе. За это время вам нужно суметь
объяснить, кто вы, чего хотите и что можете предложить, не важно, говорите ли вы
о продукте, своем бизнес-плане или ищете новую работу. Поэтому в
Международном институте управленческого развития (IMD) мы учим будущих
управляющих писать и представлять «речь для лифта» — 100 слов, 30 секунд,
чтобы охарактеризовать себя перед незнакомцем. Многие стараются вместить
сюда как можно больше, но цель — лишь зацепить внимание, чтобы получить
визитку и более обстоятельную встречу в будущем. Как только вы осуществите
этот первый контакт, вы получите в свои сети нового человека, а что будет дальше,
зависит только от вас.
Автор — исполнительный директор IMD, преподаватель MBA для управляющих
кадров
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Case study: Irdeto
By Cyril Bouquet and Julian Birkinshaw
The story.
Irdeto was an engineering-driven, centrally controlled
organisation valued by employees for its camaraderie and
informal culture in the head office at Hoofddorp, near
Amsterdam.
The challenge.
Mass digitisation is the driver of growth for Irdeto, and China,
with its huge population, growing economy and political
commitment to digitisation, was an attractive growth market.
By late 2006, Graham Kill, chief executive, was concerned
that Irdeto was missing out on big opportunities in China.
The biggest problem was the “mothership syndrome”,
whereby everything – including customers, product
development and employees – was seen from a European
perspective.
Competition in Asia was intensifying and deals were being
lost. Within the company, staff in China – including
Europeans on secondment – felt they were treated as
second-class.
How could the company deal with the internal turmoil and
become a more international company?
An experiment.
Mr Kill decided to create a “dual core” headquarters: Irdeto’s
Dutch HQ would remain for the western hemisphere, while a
new one would be established in Beijing for the eastern
hemisphere. This was announced to staff by Mr Kill in March
2007. The news was delivered in person in Hoofddorp and
live via satellite to regional offices.
The reaction.
Opinion among staff was divided in Hoofddorp but positive in
Beijing. Worries expressed by staff in the Netherlands included: that the company’s
Dutch identity would be diluted; that their own careers would suffer if they stayed in
Hoofddorp; that the personal upheaval in moving to Asia would be unbearable; and
that the company was wrong to share valuable R&D that had been confined to the
Netherlands base.
What happened next.
Mr Kill moved his family to Beijing, to be followed by two senior managers by the
middle of 2008.
Cultural change in Beijing.
Chinese staff had not expected the degree of change that would follow Mr Kill’s
arrival. Irdeto’s open-plan offices and hot-desking policy for all employees was
unsettling for workers in the Beijing office where, for instance, senior managers had
their own closed, individual workspaces. Mr Kill was keen to implement the new
approach both to convey Irdeto’s global philosophy and for practical reasons.
Mr Kill led by example. For about a year, he sat in the open-plan area while Chinese
middle managers stayed in their offices. Local staff were surprised to see the chief
executive in an apparently less prestigious space.
To encourage flexibility, meetings were held at varying times to suit either Chinese or
European time zones and the role of the chairman in meetings was rotated. All
meetings were held in English, and the Beijing staff had to examine issues that
affected Irdeto beyond China.
Cultural change in Hoofddorp.
Finance and HR remained the responsibility of Hoofddorp, although the company’s
hiring processes were relaxed to make it easier to recruit in Beijing.
However, less tangible changes were also under way: employees felt the absence of
the charismatic chief executive’s hands-on and informal style. Meetings became less
ad hoc and informal as they had to be held at pre-arranged times in pre-arranged
locations.
By 2009, managers in the company felt the balance of influence had shifted to Asia,
while the communications between the Asian and European parts also improved
significantly. Sales in Asia-Pacific were growing.
The lessons.
The mothership syndrome can have damaging consequences, such as: sales leads
in other parts of the world not given enough attention; promising employees in branch
offices leaving because of a perceived lack of career opportunities; and money is
invested in projects that reinforce activities and positions close to home.
A dual HQ strategy should be more than a symbolic move. In the case of Irdeto, it
brought a necessary change in the company’s centre of gravity. Over the long term,
this could establish Irdeto as a more flexible organisation aligned with the changing
nature of its markets. Asian managers also feel they have more influence and weight
in the overall organisation.
Set up organisational change as an ongoing study with a clearly defined hypothesis
about potential changes. You cannot run a laboratory experiment in a real-life setting
but with careful planning you can control many extraneous factors and you can
directly assess the consequences of your actions.
The writers are professors at IMD and London Business School, respectively
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¿Listos para la próxima gran recesión?
Stéphane Garelli es profesor del IMD y director del Centro de competencia mundial
de la misma escuela.
Autor: Stéphane Garelli
Raymond Barre, antiguo primer ministro francés y autor de
numerosos libros de texto sobre economía una vez me dijo: “Una
de las pocas cosas que sabemos sobre economía es que tiene
ciclos; el problema es que no sabemos cuándo empiezan, cuánto
duran y por qué terminan”.
El estigma de la economía moderna es que aún no sabemos cómo
evitar las recesiones y el desempleo. Ésta es mi quinta recesión.
Algunas de las repercusiones que he visto ya las esperaba mientras que otras son
totalmente nuevas.
Las esperadas
Una recesión es una experiencia costosa. El Banco Central Europeo estima que la
cantidad total de dinero empleado en la recapitalización, garantías, activos tóxicos,
etc. –en ambos lados del Atlántico– fue del 27% del PIB: ¡en total, una descomunal
cifra de US$ 7.200 millones!
Los déficits presupuestarios exceden el 11% del PIB en Estados Unidos y el 6% en
Europa. La deuda total de las naciones del G20 alcanzará el 106% de su PIB este
año.
¿Tuvimos alguna opción? ¡Probablemente no! El mercado sólo sabe del “dinero a lo
grande” e igual que un juego de póker, sólo respeta a un jugador listo a colocar una
cantidad fuerte e ilimitada de dinero en la mesa.
Las recesiones ocurren en intervalos regulares. En Estados Unidos ha habido 32
recesiones desde 1854. Mundialmente, las cuatro recesiones más recientes fueron
en julio de 1981, julio de 1990, marzo de 2001 y diciembre de 2007. Si el mismo
patrón se repite, la próxima recesión será posiblemente dentro de 9 ó 10 años.
Es dudoso que muchos gobiernos tengan tiempo para restablecer las finanzas
públicas antes de encarar a la próxima “gran recesión”. Además, la deuda “real” de
los países es más grande de lo que se reporta. La deuda pública nacional de los
Estados Unidos supera los US$ 12 billones. Sin embargo, si incluimos la deuda local
más Medicare y el seguro social, se dispara a más de US$ 105 billones. En las
economías más avanzadas, el nivel real de deuda es de 3 a 5 veces su PIB.
Unidos entramos, desunidos emergemos. El crecimiento produce una enorme
sincronización en las economías: las naciones caen en la recesión más o menos al
mismo tiempo.
En contraste, las recesiones generan desincronización: todos escapan del enorme
hoyo negro a diferentes velocidades. La recuperación de Europa es relativamente
plana, con un crecimiento aproximado del 0,5%; Estados Unidos se recupera más
rápido por arriba del 2%; se espera que Brasil y Rusia alcancen el 6% y una parte
significativa de Asia crecerá a tasas por encima del 8%. Incluso entre algunas
regiones, las diferencias pueden ser significativas: en Europa, Alemania puede
crecer al 3%, rebasando a otras grandes economías europeas.
Los países que ahora muestran superávits constantes en sus balanzas de cuenta
corriente se levantarán más rápido, beneficiándose por un influjo regular de ingresos
frescos provenientes del exterior.
Finalmente, cada recesión viene acompañada de una recuperación con desempleo.
El desempleo sigue siendo elevado en los Estados Unidos con una tasa del 9,5% y
en Europa está cerca del 9%. El desempleo en los jóvenes es particularmente
preocupante: 18% en Estados Unidos, 20% en Europa y un alarmante 42% en
España.
Una recuperación con desempleo con duración de un año es la norma. Las
compañías sólo empiezan a recontratar cuando están convencidas de que la
recuperación es real. La experiencia también muestra que incluso las empresas que
sortearon relativamente bien la recesión también tienden a cortar plazas o las
reducen a medio tiempo para aumentar la productividad.
Algunas sorpresas
También se han presentado repercusiones inesperadas.
Compartir
Primero, el efecto bumerán se rompió. Durante años, los gobiernos de los Estados
Unidos y Europa han vivido a expensas de otros. Ambas regiones tienen déficits en
su cuenta corriente y presupuesto sin sufrir realmente las consecuencias.
El dinero acumulado por las economías emergentes siempre puede regresar a
“casa”, reinvertida en bonos del gobierno o en bienes raíces. Esto por una falta de
estabilidad política y de oportunidades estables de inversiones en las economías
emergentes.
Sin notarlo, las naciones industriales han expandido su deuda pública a niveles
peligrosos. Hoy en día, una porción significativa de esta deuda proviene de las
economías emergentes. China posee US$ 877.000 millones y € 520.000 millones
en bonos gubernamentales estadounidenses y europeos, respectivamente. ¡Pero
ahora, el dinero se invierte en “otro lugar”!
El dinero tampoco está donde solía estarlo. Las economías emergentes están
acumulando fondos a una velocidad impresionante – más de US$ 9.000 millones–
con China ostentando US$ 2.500 millones en tipo de cambio extranjero. Los fondos
soberanos, que se han convertido en los nuevos banqueros de inversión global de
las economías emergentes, manejan más de US $ 3.800 millones.
Esta enorme cantidad de dinero atrae a los gobiernos endeudados como Grecia, así
como a empresas privadas. En algún momento, las economías emergentes
mostraron algún interés en invertir en naciones industrializadas o en comprar
compañías occidentales. Sin embargo, ahora, tienen nuevas alternativas
disponibles.
Finalmente, vemos el surgimiento de un "Bloque Sur-Sur". Por primera vez, un cada
vez más autosuficiente “Bloque Sur”, trazando una diagonal entre México y Moscú,
está creando su propio momento. A pesar de las disparidades, estas economías
pueden depender de una clase media emergente, extensa materia prima, tecnología
de origen interno y dinero.
Dan crecimiento a una impresionante cantidad de marcas internacionales de bancos
e industria. Haier de China, prácticamente desconocida hasta hace una década,
recientemente se ha convertido en la empresa más grande de electrodomésticos en
el mundo.
Muchas compañías también disfrutan del apoyo activo de sus gobiernos. 21 de las
22 empresas más grandes de China están subsidiadas por el gobierno. Estas
compañías también desarrollan un nuevo modelo de negocios para el “pobre
emergente”, una población que escapa de la pobreza absoluta pero que aún no
alcanza el estatus de clase media.
Microfinanzas, transacciones por medio de teléfono celular, autos baratos u
ordenadores son sólo algunos ejemplos.
Las consecuencias
Al final, la siguiente recesión será el momento de la verdad para las economías
avanzadas y los negocios y gobiernos deben de estar listos para ella.
Una población que aumenta su edad poco a poco y que está acostumbrada a un
estándar de vida cada vez más subsidiado por la ayuda estatal y los préstamos
públicos del exterior podría enfrentar una cruda realidad al reducirse sus estándares
de vida.
¿Qué pasaría en términos económicos, políticos y sociales si las economías
emergentes deciden cerrar la llave del dinero?
Las economías avanzadas nunca habían estado tan vulnerables. Se encuentran
ahora bajo una necesidad extrema de conformar un nuevo y sólido modelo
económico y es posible que tendrán que redescubrir lo que es la austeridad.
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BusinessNews
October 13, 2010
WHAT do you get when you put a group of CEOs from different industries
together in a corporate boardroom and ask them to govern a company?
Several answers could apply, but what accompanied the financial crisis was a
breakdown in risk management at the top.
It was just two years ago that the ‘perfect storm’ of a decade of excess credit,
excessive leverage, and uncontrolled expansion by financial institutions
precipitated the financial crisis. A common thread was that the boards of these
financial firms were oblivious to the risk build-up.
Boards of supervising directors have two primary functions: supporting the
creation of long-term economic value; and controlling the conduct of business
in the interest of shareholders and other stakeholders.
These two functions are inherently at odds. On IMD’s ‘high-performance
boards’ program, we examine the tension between these two roles with board
members from companies around the world. Many participants come to the
realisation that their respective boards are not balancing these two essential
functions. Indeed, prior to the crisis, many bank boards failed to perform their
primary fiduciary function of controlling the conduct of the business.
Looking at the composition of boards, it should come as no surprise that so
many fail to perform. Boards typically are made up of a collection of CEOs
and top executives from different industries. They can provide strong input
from a leadership point of view, but often do not have enough specific industry
expertise and become far too supportive of management to exercise their
controlling mandate, particularly when it comes to overall risk assessment.
This is especially so in companies with widely dispersed ownership where the
owners/shareholders are not present at the board table, except once a year at
the annual general meeting.
Who should be on the board to prevent a governance crisis?
There has been some reform, but companies across different industries need
to continue addressing their boards’ composition with the following
requirements in mind.
1) A critical mass of industry expertise, as well as the expertise for specialised
committee work.
Board directors must have relevant industry expertise to advise management
on major business issues and the appropriate degree of risk to take. For
example, no matter how successful they were in their own companies,
banking board members lacking financial expertise had no way of knowing
there might be hidden risk buried in collateralised debt obligations with a
triple-A rating. Boards also need members with functional expertise for
specialised committee work, like audit and compliance.
2) Sensitivity to interests of both shareholders and other stakeholders critical
for long-term value creation.
The boards of companies with widely dispersed ownership are continually at
risk of being dominated by the concerns of either management or board
members to the detriment of the shareholders’ interest. Rather than paid
advisers, boards have to be continually open to input from the owners. And in
today’s environment where corporate reputations can quickly be broken,
boards also have to be open to the collective opinions of other stakeholders,
like customers, who are critical for long-term value creation.
3) Board members willing and able to devote the time needed for the board’s
work.
Much has been said after previous governance crises about restricting the
number of board mandates that directors can take on. Some progress has
been made. But there is still a widespread tendency to fill the board with highprofile executives often running large corporations, or divisions of their own.
The job of a CEO is more than a full-time job. How can a CEO possibly devote
enough time and energy to understand the full complexity and underlying
issues facing the boards of other large companies, especially if they are in
completely different industries?
4) Board members with a broad enough perspective to rotate roles and take
on committee work.
With changing conditions inside and outside the company, the board has to
change the allocation of its time and energy. This means altering the attention
the full board gives to the work of its specialised committees; it may require
the creation of a temporary sub-committee to deal with a particular issue, like
corporate strategy during a turn-around. Board members have to be flexible
with a broad enough perspective to take on different roles and tasks as
required.
5) Strong sparring partners willing to raise the red flag.
The moment of truth for a board comes when management starts destroying
long-run value, because it can no longer adapt to the changing conditions, or
makes decisions that involve taking large, often hidden risk, or engages in
behaviour causing critical stakeholders to withdraw their support.
It is at these times that board members have to be willing to raise the red flag.
This requires board members with sufficient confidence in their judgment to be
strong sparring partners of the CEO and chairman.
In brief, we need boards with enough industry expertise to make meaningful
judgments about strategy and risk, with members who can take on the
specialised committee tasks, and represent the owners’ views, with enough
diversity to capture the interests of other stakeholders important for the long
term.
And we need board members with enough time and experience to advise the
CEO and management on critical leadership issues. This is asking a lot from
boards, which, for effective discussion and decision-making, typically have
eight to 12 members.
Judgment is needed to decide which of these requirements is essential at
different points in the life of the company, combined with a willingness to alter
the composition of the board.
• Paul Strebel is a professor at IMD, the global business school based in
Switzerland. He directs IMD’s High Performance Boards program.
323,000
Readers per
month
October 14, 2010
WWF and IMD introduce One Planet Leaders (OPL)
LAUSANNE, SWITZERLAND: In terms of population, the world is growing, yet in
terms of resources it simply remains planet earth. The most recent data shows that
the earth's bio-capacity is being exceeded by 50 %. Hence the WWF and IMD joint
executive education One Planet Leaders (OPL) program.
It currently takes 1.5 planets to keep up with current demands
on natural resources and projections for 2030 estimate that it
will then take two planets to cover humanity's demand.
Because there is just one planet earth to address growing
challenges, WWF and IMD announced their joint efforts, presenting a new executive
education program called One Planet Leaders (OPL).
At an informational session held at IMD, OPL program directors Michael Yaziji, IMD
professor of strategy, and Carolina Moeller, head of business education for WWF
International, outlined the program's unique attributes.
"Many business leaders recognise the need to respond to the sustainability challenge
but do not know how to turn it to their advantage and use it to drive value creation,"
Yaziji said.
Created on the principle that business leaders can make a positive contribution to the
planet's well-being, OPL takes on a mission to help businesses shift to sustainable
practices.
"WWF believes that it will take knowledge, skills and motivation to drive change.
That's why we are teaming with IMD. OPL will offer the world's best sustainability
training. It's our vision to inspire a new generation of responsible leaders," Moeller
said.
OPL will be offered twice a year, with the first modules set for spring and autumn
2011.
Learn more about One Planet Leaders.
Online
Article
UK
October 15, 2010
How Chinese companies test global waters
FROM IMD TOMORROW'S CHALLENGES
The Huawei success story
Leading multinationals around the globe are
anxious to exploit China’s potential as the
world’s largest and most exciting market.
However, a number of leading Chinese
corporations are now positioning themselves to
compete with the multinationals on their own
terrain. Competition on a global scale has
created unexpected pitfalls. Not the least of these is the fact that business can often
be trumped by political sensitivities and xenophobia that are as endemic in the west
as they are in China. China’s advantage in this high-stress, fast-paced environment
is the extraordinary flexibility and creativity of its entrepreneurs, whose instincts have
been honed by the cut-throat competition of the free market resulting from the
reforms that began with Deng Xiaoping.
No one questions that China now handles the lion’s share of the world’s low-end
manufacturing. According to various sources, at least 86% of the bicycles sold in the
US are made in China, as are more than 70% of the world’s toys and Christmas tree
ornaments. Roughly 60% of the world’s watches, clocks and shoes are made in
China, along with 55% of the world’s cement and half of the world’s cameras and
microwave ovens.
Until recently, however, the premium top end of the market has largely belonged to
the multinational giants. That situation is already changing dramatically. Competition
is driving the multinational giants, which had previously focused on high-end, top
quality goods at premium prices, to begin moving down the market in China to exploit
the segment characterized by no-frill goods that are less expensive and for which
basic, but dependable quality is considered “good enough.” Competition from the top
western firms in this previously Chinese-dominated market sector is combining with
market saturation to force China’s homegrown industries to reach out to international
markets formerly considered the preserve of the multinationals.
Huawei’s successes on the global stage
The change that is taking place in China is exemplified by the electronics giant
Huawei, which was launched with a complement of 14 employees in 1988. Huawei’s
founder is Ren Zhengfei, a former army colonel, who had previously been director of
the People’s Liberation Army’s Information Engineering Academy, and had retired
from government service four years earlier. Despite its name (Huawei translates as
“China is great”), the company began with fairly modest ambitions. It initially imported
telephone switching equipment and PBXs to China from Hong Kong. When other
distributors began to compete, Huawei was forced to begin manufacturing its own
equipment and Ren sought a competitive advantage in developing new technology.
His master-stroke was to produce a new telephone exchange system capable of
handling 10,000 switchboards—five times as many as his competitors. The new
switching system gave Ren a competitive edge, but instead of immediately
competing head-on with multinationals, Ren focused on provincial markets that were
being ignored by foreign companies. When Ericsson sent only three or four salesmen
to sell switching equipment in Heilongjinag Province, Ren sent 200.[1] By 2005, Ren
had captured 30% of China’s domestic market, and Huawei had 30,000 employees
worldwide.
In 2002, telecom companies were bottoming out after the dotcom bust of 2,000, and
Huawei marked its first downturn in the company’s history. Domestic sales were $2.2
billion, but Huawei’s market in China was shrinking by 21% a year. International
sales were only half a billion, just 18% of total sales.[2] It was obvious that China’s
internal market was becoming saturated and Huawei had to expand internationally if
it was going to survive.
By 2004, international business accounted for 40% of Huawei’s revenues – the
company was providing telecom and internet switching equipment to more than 30 of
the world’s top 50 telecommunications companies. Huawei’s sales still only added up
to 17% of Cisco, the market leader, but Cisco had clearly begun to see Huawei as a
threat. Huawei’s engineers were paid a fifth as much as the salaries of their US
counterparts, and the equipment they were turning out was of equal if not better
quality. Jean-Charles Doineau of Ovum consulting observed: “Huawei’s reputation as
a low cost vendor is only the visible part of the iceberg. Below the waterline, the
company has high technical standards.”[3]
François Paulus, who headed the network division at Neuf Telecom, a Huawei client
in France, noted: “When we first saw Huawei, we couldn’t believe that a Chinese
company could match an occidental one—we were wrong. Their technology was
better and they were 30% cheaper.”[4] And Huawei was getting stronger. The
company regularly invested 10% of its revenues in R&D, and it was submitting up to
three new patent applications a day. It had set up 12 R&D centers around the world.
Only 3% of Huawei’s sales were in the US, but Cisco recognized the company as an
emerging threat in its other world markets. In 2003, Ren, anxious to secure an
internationally recognized brand, attempted to engineer a merger with 3Com, a Cisco
competitor that had fallen on hard times. The deal almost fell through when Cisco
tried to sue Huawei for alleged intellectual property violations. The suit was settled
out of court and finally dropped, but it signaled the fact that Huawei had caught
Cisco’s attention, and that it was henceforth considered a force to be reckoned with.
The story of Huawei illustrates the necessity for multinational companies to adjust
their outlook. Multinationals often view their fellow multinationals as their top
competition. While large corporates by and large think and act alike, it is the Huaweis
of the world, with their aspiration, determination, and flexibility, operating in a new
business model and setting the new rules of the game, which pose a significant
threat to MNCs. This trend will only be exacerbated in China as some Chinese
companies continue to utilize its low cost manufacturing base, leverage its huge
domestic market while focusing on investing in technology. In this game, the size
does matter. It is the abundance of low-cost knowledge professionals or skilled
workers that will determine the future competition. The National Science Foundation
reports that the US awards diplomas to just over 30,000 undergraduates in
engineering a year,[5] while China graduates 500,000 a year.[6] The companies like
Huawei challenge the fundamental assumption on which MNCs build their business
models. The MNCs need to think differently. It is no longer business as usual.
1 Dr. Liu Shengjun, Case study on Huawei Technologies Co., Ltd. CC-305-021,
China Europe International Business School, June 2006.
2 Harper, Sarah and White, Steven in cooperation with Eugene Yang and the
Management Case Center at Peking University. Huawei and 3Com (A): Ren
Zhengfei, INSEAD case study 06/2004-5218
3 “See Huawei Run,” The Economist, March 5, 2005.
4 “The struggle of the champions,” The Economist, January 6, 2005.
5 National Science Foundation/Division of Science Resources Statistics, National
Survey of Recent College Graduates, 2006.
6 Rising Above the Gathering Strom, National Academies Press, 2007
By Professor Winter Nie
IMD is a world leader in executive education.
Source: IMD
Online
Article
Australia
October 15, 2010
Women in power: RESCU takes an inspiring look at
the growing trend for women to come out on top in
politics and the workforce
By Ginka Toegel, a professor at IMD Business School
No matter what your politics, few women would have
been unmoved by Julia Gillard’s appointment as
Australia’s first female prime minister this year. Here,
we look at the state of women’s leadership in Australia
and around the world.
Gillard followed in the path of Iceland’s Vigdis
Finnbogadottir who, 30 years ago, became one of the
world’s first females to be elected head of state. Her
election could have been a turning point for women in
all professions – a sign that their leadership abilities are
both as effective, and as well-regarded, as their male
counterparts.
However, worldwide it might seem that there is little
reason to be optimistic. While there is a slight upward trend in the number of women
leaders, the overall figures are still very low.
Currently, of the 192 UN member countries, there are 8 female presidents, 9 female prime
ministers, and 3 reigning queens, which means 10% female heads of state in total. However,
in 2009, according to the Australian Bureau of Statistics, women held 45.5% of the jobs in
Australia and 45.5% of all managerial positions.
While at the middle-management level, women have made substantial progress, at the top
management level the statistics are still quite depressing. In 2010, only 2.8 percent of
Fortune 500 chief executives were female. In the FTSE 500, the statistics are even worse –
only 1.8 percent of such companies are led by women.
The bright spots
Fortunately, there are some bright spots. In Norway, for example, about 44.2 percent of
board members are women. But this has not come about by chance; in 2008, the country
passed a law requiring publicly-listed companies to have boards comprising at least 40
percent women. Sweden doesn’t have a quota, but has introduced measures to help women
balance work and life and is hoping to reach its 40 percent target by 2015.
Under Gillard’s leadership, Australia announced measures this July to help advance women
into boards. Though a specific quota isn’t required, the legislation makes companies
responsible for explaining gender diversity. Australia is seeking a 40% target for government
boards.
The challenges we face and how to overcome them
The problem at the moment is that we have so few senior women in management positions
that they are perceived as outsiders. This creates a kind of legitimacy gap, in that they do
not fit the (male) stereotype of what it is to be a leader. This leads in turn to another
problem, which is that male leaders tend to be associated with “agentic” behavior: they
are more likely to be proactive, assertive, dominant, in control of the situation. Female
leaders, by contrast, show what we call “communal values”: friendliness, support, warmth
and a caring attitude. When we look at these two sets of values, it becomes clear that it is
the agentic approach that we associate with leadership.
Many women come to the conclusion that, as a result of these stereotypes, the only way for
them to be perceived to be legitimate leaders is to emulate male leaders. However, the
real answer is not so straightforward. If women simply emulate men, they violate the
gender stereotype, which creates a perception that they are being phony. This creates a
real problem, and can lead to them being penalised for being inauthentic leaders. Women
should instead blend both sets of characteristics. Indra Nooyi, the Chief Executive and
Chairwoman of PepsiCo, does this very successfully; she can make tough decisions and is
very assertive in negotiations, but her direct reports also describe her as extremely warm
and caring.
Ginka’s final word
What then of the future? Well, despite the disappointing statistics I quoted at the beginning
of this article, there are many good reasons to be positive. I strongly believe that the next
5 to 10 years will see a dramatic change for the better.
Ginka Toegel is Professor of Organisational Behavior and Leadership at IMD. Based in
Switzerland, IMD is one of the top-ranked among business schools worldwide.
Another RESCU article by IMD:
The great career debate: should companies give us more vacation time...
Online
article
Norway
October 16, 2010
Kinas globale konkurransefortrinn
I løpet av tre tiår har Kina vokst til en
verdensøkonomisk aktør, om ikke
makthaver. Først
sakte, nå til en fullverdig, konsistent,
monotonisk og uovertruffen
suksesshistorie. Det er
selvfølgelig en ekstraordinær bragd –
men det er også på tide med en
forandring.
Vi står ved et viktig veiskille i Kinas
veksthistorie. Det minner meg faktisk
om metaforen om “å skifte gir i et
kjøretøy i fart, med den hensikt å
tilpasse seg veiforholdene.” Dette er nå
tiden for at den tradisjonelle motoren
som driver Kinas vekst, trenger et girskifte.
La oss forsikre oss om at vi forstår hva som skjer på veien mot fortsatt kinesisk vekst
og hvorfor det har betydning. Hvis vi er ærlige, kan vi si at Kinas vilt suksessfulle [re]debut på den økonomiske arena i løpet av de siste tre tiårene kun har handlet om
billigere arbeidskraft og lavere kostnader. Det er utvilsomt også et ekstraordinært
attraktivt hjemmemarked, men Kinas virkelige fordel i den globale økonomien har
vært lave lønnskostnader i produksjonen. Det har ikke vært innovasjon! Det har ikke
vært tjenester! Det har vært ensrettet fokus på fordelene ved å gjøre eksisterende
produkter billigere – punktum!
Hvis vi følger Deng Xiaopings formaning om å “lære sannhet fra fakta”, kan vi
besvare en rekke spørsmål med samme respons. Har det vært noe kinesisk selskap
som har skapt en
bemerkelsesverdig ny produktinnovasjon, slik som Xerox’ PARC PC, Kodaks
digitalkamera,
Boeings 747, Philips’ CD eller Sonys walkman? Har Kina noen gang kommet med en
innovativ prosess så bemerkelsesverdig som Toyotas produksjonssystem eller
IKEAs handlelabyrintdesign? Eller hva med en nettjeneste så bemerkelsesverdig
som Amazon eller Facebook? En businessmodell-innovasjon ala iTunes’ endring av
kundens lytteopplevelse, Zaras gjenoppfinnelse av frekvensen i motetilbudet, eller
eBays samfunn av medlemmer? Svaret på alle disse spørsmålene er nei. Sannheten
er at Kinas vekst har vært drevet, ikke av å gjøre ting– noenting – annerledes, men
ved å gjøre eksisterende ting mindre dyrt, og det krever billig arbeidskraft.
Og hvorfor er nå et kritisk tidspunkt? Kinas befolkning i yrkesaktiv alder er på sitt
høyeste nå i 2010. I år er 71,9% av den kinesiske befolkning i alderen mellom 15 og
64, som statistikere
karakteriserer som de årene der folk gir et netto positivt bidrag til økonomisk
verdiskaping. Etter dette året vil denne andelen av befolkningen synke, og etter 2015
vil også det absolutte tallet på den kinesiske befolkningen i yrkesaktiv alder begynne
å synke. Philip Bowring, som har fulgt med på Kinas utvikling over lengre tid,
observerte nylig i The International Herald Tribune: “For Kina som helhet er det for
tiden bare 106 millioner arbeidere i gruppen 15-19 år, sammenlignet med 122
millioner i aldersgruppen 20-24. Kina har nå 378 millioner i 40- og 50-årene, men
bare 273 millioner under 20. Nedgangen, som vedvarer, i antall unge og mobile har
vært størst i rurale områder. Så Kina vil måtte finne andre metoder for bærekraftig
økonomisk vekst og økning i arbeidsproduktiviteten.
Den opplagte måten å få det til å skje på er gjennom innovasjon, men vi har ingen
bakgrunn til å kunne begrunne hvorfor fortiden (ingen innovasjon) plutselig vil
forandre seg. Den underliggende gåten bak alt dette er at du finner mye kreativitet i
Kina i dag. I kunstverdenen, mote, skulptur, musikk og film har Kina en overflod av
kreativitet. Men hvis du ser nøye etter, vil du oppdage at alt dette er individuell
innovasjon, ikke organisatorisk innovasjon. Det som kjennetegner eBayene,
Amazonene og Applene er at de er alle eksempler på “organisatorisk” innovasjon.
IPod, iPhone og iPad-opplevelsene kunne ikke ha blitt designet
av én person – de krevde et team, og et mangfoldig team for å kunne gjøre det. Det
samme er
tilfelle bak de fleste store innovasjonene i nyere tid.
Så hva er det med kinesiske organisasjoner som gjør at de ender opp med å være
så mye
mindre innovative enn summen av mennesker som bringes sammen i den
organisatoriske
strukturen? Er det det at “kommando- og kontroll”-tilnærmingen til ledelse som har
karakterisert tusener av år i kinesisk historie fortsatt er vanskelig å bryte? Eller er det
konfusiansk respekt for hierarki og relasjonelle prerogativer? Er det for lite tillit eller
for mye tillit? Er det for lite mangfold? Eller er det noe annet? Dette er så relevante
spørsmål i et så kritisk område at IMD sender meg til Hong Kong senere i år for å
drive et program for toppledere i regionen som har fått som oppgave å oppnå mer
effektiv innovasjon.
Det er nå på tide at Kina tar for seg innovasjonsproblemet slik at dets tidligere
suksesser
representerer “slutten på begynnelsen” – en tid da Kina vil gå fra å være verdens
fabrikk til en
innovatør i verdensklasse. Hvis dette ikke skjer, ser vi sannsynligvis på “begynnelsen
på slutten” av Kinas konkurransefortrinn og en endring til en tid der Kina er ennå en
lavkostnadsprodusent, større enn de fleste, men ikke lenger den største eller
billigste.
Tekst: Bill Fischer er professor i Technology Management ved IMD. Han leder IMDs
Mastering Innovation Globally-program som arrangeres i Hong Kong fra 25.-27.
oktober 2010.
Circulation
69,350
Switzerland
October 17, 2010
La Chine, reine des exportations, tente de rééquilibrer
son économie
Le plénum du Parti communiste chinois siège en cette fin de semaine à huis
clos, assis sur un coussin de plusieurs milliers de milliards de dollars de
réserves de change. Officiellement 2648,3 milliards, selon la Banque centrale
chinoise. Une somme qui s’est accrue de 16,5% en un an sous les effets
conjugués des investissements étrangers dans la deuxième puissance
économique du monde, de l’évolution de l’excédent commercial chinois (16,9
milliards en septembre, un plus haut depuis 2008) ainsi qu’en raison de
l’arrivée d’argent spéculatif en quête désespérée de rendement favorable.
Des montagnes de billets verts investis de manière de plus en plus diversifiée,
influençant donc économiquement la planète. La Chine est-elle ainsi non
seulement l’atelier mais aussi la banque du monde?
Fragile équilibre
Armée de cette masse de dollars, «la Chine est devenue incontournable, les
Américains ne peuvent plus rien faire sans en tenir compte», résume Arturo
Bris, professeur à l’Institut de management IMD à Lausanne, convaincu qu’à
terme elle «dictera le futur du monde». Car «elle est une puissance non
seulement économique, mais aussi financière». Or pour l’heure, relève-t-il
encore, tout dépend essentiellement de la politique.
Conscient de ses faiblesses
«Peut-être que la Chine sera un jour la banque du monde mais cette
accumulation de réserves de change entre dans la logique d’un pays
essentiellement tourné vers les exportations plutôt que vers sa consommation
interne. Ce qui révèle tout de même une certaine fragilité de son économie
comme l’a encore démontré la récente crise», constate Agnès Arlandis,
responsable des marchés émergents chez HSBC Private Banking à Genève.
La Chine a ravi en 2009 la place de reine mondiale des exportations à
l’Allemagne en vendant près de 1200 milliards de dollars de biens à la
planète. Des exportations qui pèsent pour plus de 40% dans son économie,
ajoute la spécialiste, alors que la consommation interne privée ne dépasse
pas 36%. Et d’ajouter que, «conscient de ces faiblesses, le gouvernement
cherche à rééquilibrer son économie» (lire ci-dessous).
En attendant, Pékin assure donc sa compétitivité sur la scène internationale.
Notamment via le contrôle de sa monnaie. Alors que les Etats-Unis voient leur
déficit commercial face à l’Empire du Milieu atteindre des records (28 milliards
de dollars en septembre).
C’est donc dans cette imbrication fragile d’intérêts divergents qu’a lieu la
bataille actuelle des petites phrases, prélude peut-être à une guerre des
monnaies. Sous-évalué, manipulé le yuan? Le rapport que le Département
américain du Trésor devait publier sur ce thème brûlant a été renvoyé en
novembre. Soit après la réunion du G20 à Séoul. Après aussi la rencontre de
demain entre les principales banques centrales invitées à discuter de la
stabilité du système financier mondial.
Si la Chine a encore tout avantage à maintenir une certaine pression sur le
billet vert – notamment, précise Arturo Bris, «car elle importe beaucoup de
pétrole, toujours libellé en dollars» –, elle n’a pas intérêt à ce qu’il s’effondre
complètement. Elle qui détient tant d’obligations américaines et autres titres
liés au billet vert. Et c’est justement pour moins dépendre de ces bons du
Trésor américain que la Banque centrale chinoise démontre «un désir effréné
de diversifier ses réserves», note Agnès Arlandis. En faisant allusion à des
«achats d’immeubles ou de sociétés de pêche au Pérou, à des terres arables
en Argentine ou à des obligations grecques». Et si la Chine s’est tant investie
en Grèce, c’est aussi pour soutenir l’euro contre le dollar, ajoute Arturo Bris.
Plusieurs facteurs pourraient pousser Pékin à relâcher sa pression sur le
dollar, estime le professeur pour qui le plus plausible reste «une inversion
dans la balance commerciale chinoise. Qui est d’ailleurs en train de se
produire». Mais qui prendra du temps. Car «la Chine veillera à éviter tous
gros à-coups dans la mesure où ce qui la préoccupe le plus, c’est sa stabilité
intérieure». C’est aussi ce qui inquiète les Américains, voire les Européens, si
soucieux pour leur emploi. Mais là… le temps presse.
Online
Article
UK
October 22, 2010
Creating business opportunities through supply chain
environmental management
FROM IMD TOMORROW'S CHALLENGES
Analyzing companies' best practice
These days it’s rare to see pop stars or Hollywood actors give an
interview without mentioning their hybrid car or their commitment to
composting. Over the past 25 years, caring about the environment
has become cool. Governments have reacted to this public pressure with increasingly stringent
legislation, while many businesses now measure their performance against a “triple bottom line” – in
other words, against environmental and social factors as well as financial success.
At the same time, an increase in international trade has also seen these organizations’ supply
chains become more complex and far more globalized. Over the past decade, it has also become
clear that companies cannot claim to be truly sustainable unless they can account for the
environmental and social impact of their entire supply chain. The result? Supply chain
environmental management (SCEM) is now emerging as the new frontier in corporate sustainability
initiatives.
Organizations are already developing guidelines such as the Greenhouse Gas Protocol, a corporate
accounting and reporting standard, but surveys suggest that there is still a clear lack of wellestablished, robust methods for measuring and reporting supply chain environmentally. All key
stakeholders – customers, governments, communities and other pressure groups – support the idea
of SCEM, but questions still need to be asked about the extent to which this approach is actually
incorporated into practice.
In our latest research, we analyzed the corporate sustainability reports published by 12 businesses
to assess their SCEM practices. Each business, from one of six different sectors, is a recognized
leader in corporate sustainability. Our review produced some interesting results.
Firms’ proactiveness
SCEM proactiveness varied significantly across sectors, but remained similar within them. Our
analysis showed that the electronic equipment and automobile sectors had by far the most proactive
approach, while the clothing sector obtained the lowest score. Even leading firms in this sector
seem to be more concerned with social than environmental issues.
Supply chain vs. firm orientation
The need to tackle environmental issues not only at the firm level but more comprehensively along
the whole supply chain is becoming increasingly clear. We therefore wanted to analyze whether
firms are supply chain-oriented or remain firm-oriented instead when managing environmental
performance.
We began this part of the assessment by identifying the supply chain or lifecycle stages in which the
environmental performance (or the environmental performance of which) was meant to be improved
by firms’ action(s): materials extraction; raw materials; packaging; tier one suppliers; tier two
suppliers (includes the operations of the companies supplying products or resources to the firm’s
primary suppliers); additional (includes building construction and demolition, business travel,
employee commuting, and equipment not core to a firm’s operations, such as office equipment);
firm; downstream echelons (refers to intermediaries between the firm and its final customers – for
example, retailers or dealers); distribution; product use; product disposal; packaging disposal; total
(category covers a whole supply chain or product lifecycle; it applies when conducting a lifecycle
assessment); and external.
When we measured the emphasis that each company gave to these different stages we again
observed significant differences across sectors. The building materials sector, which invests heavily
in its manufacturing base, is most firm-oriented, while the computer hardware and electronic sector
which has made widespread use of outsourcing in the past decades, is the most supply-chain
oriented.
Certain stages, such as tier two suppliers and downstream echelons, received relatively little
attention from firms in any sector.
Regulation and public pressure
Some supply chain or lifecycle stages are subject to major regulation, which can lead to particularly
noticeable efforts by affected sectors. For example, the fact that the computer hardware and
electronic sector devotes considerable attention to both upstream and downstream environmental
issues can be explained by the fact that it is subject to EU directives both on the hazardous
substances it uses (RoHS) and on its products’ disposal (WEEE).
Similarly, EU vehicle emissions standards explain why firms in the automobile sector are working to
develop cleaner technologies that reduce vehicles’ impact during their use phase.
In contrast, the buildings materials sector is affected by regulations concerning processes owned by
the firm itself, and we can therefore see a very clear firm orientation.
In the clothing and footwear sector, the pressure – usually applied by the public rather than
regulators – falls on the suppliers’ stage where production takes place, given that outsourcing is
common practice. This is why suppliers working for branded companies are subject to monitoring
and auditing processes.
In other words, regulation and public pressure play a critical part in determining whether or not firms
adopt a supply chain approach to environmental management, and explains why taking a supply
chain or a firm-oriented approach varies across sectors.
Going beyond
However, while these are strong drivers for SCEM, leading companies go beyond this, often for
financial reasons. For example, in 2008 HP saved $7.7 million by diverting 92 percent of its nonhazardous waste from landfill.
In other cases, companies comply with stringent standards, such as those set by the EU, even in
regions where such regulations are not in force. Going beyond compliance can help companies to
achieve a first-mover advantage, while also reducing the cost of managing the complexity that
would arise from offering a number of different products that had to comply with different standards
according to where they were produced and sold.
In some cases this approach can also lead to the development of new lines of business. For
example, HP’s effort to cut the cost and waste associated with book printing saw them identify a
market for on-demand printing technologies.
When it comes to traditional operational and financial performance, the benefits of supply chain
integration have already been proved. Now it is time for managers to take it to the next level by
comprehensively improving corporate environmental performance. Not only is it the right thing for
good corporate citizens to do; it is also a chance to improve efficiency and develop new business
opportunities.
By Professor Ralf W. Seifert and Joana M. Comas
IMD is a world leader in executive education.
Source: IMD
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Norway
October 18, 2010
Apple har med iPhone, iPad og iPod ikke bare forandret bransjer, men måten
vi lever på, konstaterer IMD-professor Bill Fisher i et blogginnlegg hos
Managament Issues. Med iPod ble det å høre musikk for alvor en digital
øvelse, hvilket har rammet en hel CD-bransje. Det tok imidlertid Apple bare
åtte måneder å utvikle iPod, og Bill Fisher mener andre innovatører har noe å
lære av Apple.
Hent motivasjon i feil som er gjort
Apple satset først på video og TV, og så ikke hvor viktig musikk var for
brukerne. En kostbar feilsatsing gjorde imidlertid at Apple innså at de måtte
tenke nytt rundt hvordan de nærmet seg markedet. De lærte ikke bare av
feilene sine, de brukte dem til å få en pangstart på videre innovasjon.
Ansett folk med rett kompetanse
Det er en utbredt oppfatning at hvis du ansetter folk med de rette holdningene,
så kan ferdigheter læres. Apple har tenkt annerledes, skriver Fisher, som
viser til at Steve Jobs hentet inn folk som var enere på maskinvare,
programvare og design når han satte sammen iPod-teamet. Målet var å bli
best, og endre verden.
Se etter gode ideer utenfor bedriften
Det som gjør at iPod er i en klasse for seg, er imidlertid ikke enheten i seg
selv, men systemet som gjør at kundene lett kan koble seg til, laste ned og
lagre musikk, hevder Fisher. Denne innovasjonen kom imidlertid ikke fra
Apple, men fra en utenforstående ved navn Tony Fadell. Apple fant ham
imidlertid, og leide ham inn.
Etabler innovative arbeidssoner
Utviklingsteamet ble plassert på samme sted, uavhengig av deltagernes
hierarkiske posisjon. Dette for å fremme effektiv kommunikasjon og idéflyt. Av
samme grunn satt teamet i et åpent landskap, uten mye plass til hver enkelt.
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October 19, 2010
Online
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Sweden
October 19, 2010
Egna idéer på handelshögskolor
Vill du vinna en utbildning? Just nu utlyser två handelshögskolor tävlingar där
förstapriset är en studieplats. En av tävlingarna är ”den enda i sitt slag”.
För att ta sig in på högskolan är de akademiska kraven hårda. Men nu finns fler möjligheter.
Affärsskolan IMD i Schweiz och Handelshögskolan i Stockholm vill locka nya studenter
genom att utlysa tävlingar.
Behöver inte toppbetyg
Mellan 11 oktober och 1
december genomför
Handelshögskolan i Stockholm
tävlingen Årets Affärskreatör
2011. Genom sitt deltagande får
de tävlande möjlighet att vinna
en studieplats vid skolans
kandidatprogram.
Hur kom Handelshögskolan
på den här idén?
– Ungefär hälften av våra studenter kommer från Stockholm med omnejd och av de övriga
kommer de flesta från Göteborg och Skåne. Vi ville skapa intresse bland fler gymnasister och
få mer spridning över hela landet, säger Carina Aspenberg, kommunikationsdirektör vid
Handelshögskolan.
– Söker man hit så är man nog mer intresserad av företagande och entreprenörskap. Vi har
en speciell antagningskvot för studenter med särskilda meriter som kanske har dansat eller
hållit på med elitidrott. Då behöver de inte ha toppbetyg i allt.
En stor skillnad
Affärsskolan IMD genomför tävlingen Go Beyond What You Think Is Possible från 4 oktober
till 4 februari 2011. Förstapriset är en iPad och en utbildning i företagsledning på programmet
Orchestrating Winning Performance vid lärosätet i Schweiz. Tävlingen lanseras som ”den
enda i sitt slag i utbildningssektorn”.
Hur kom IMD på den här idén?
– Att lotta ut utbildningar på det här sättet är ett nytt grepp. IMD vill få skandinaver att bli mer
intresserade av skolan, säger Erik Lindham på PR-byrån Agency som representerar IMD i
Sverige.
Erik betonar att tävlingen är svår. IMDs grundvärderingar är öppenhet, samarbete och
pionjärskap. Två av tävlingens tre delar är uttalat kopplade till värderingarna.
– Svenska motsvarigheten till IMD är Handelshögskolan i Stockholm, den stora skillnaden där
är att du inte betalar för utbildningen.
Länkar
Handelshögskolans tävling
IMDs tävling
Article Link:
http://allastudier.se/artiklar/124-egna-id%C3%A9er-p%C3%A5handelsh%C3%B6gskolor/
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October 19, 2010
Escola de negócios suíça oferece curso em SP
Pela primeira vez, o IMD traz para o Brasil seu curso de liderança de alto
desempenho voltado para executivos
São Paulo - Entre 24 e 29 de outubro, o International Institute Managemant
Development (IMD) traz para o Brasil seu curso de liderança de alto desempenho
(High Performance Leadership Program).
Durante os seis dias de curso, George Kohlrieser, diretor do programa e professor
de Liderança e Comportamento Organizacional no IMD, irá apresentar fundamentos
de gestão e explorar as características pessoais e profissionais de cada participante.
A proposta é ajudá-los a aprimorar modelos de liderança de maneira mais eficaz.
Para participar, é preciso se inscrever até o próximo dia 22pelo site do IMD. O custo
é de 13 500 francos suíços ou o equivalente a 23 500 reais. O valor cobre gastos
com material didático e alimentação nos dias úteis do evento. A estadia no Casa
Grande Hotel, onde o curso será realizado, não está incluída.
Este ano, o IMD foi considerado pela revista Forbes como a terceira melhor escola
de negócios do mundo. Em 2009, o instituto ficou com a segunda posição do ranking
dos melhores programas de MBA em tempo integral da revista britânica The
Economist.
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October 20, 2010
Online
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Brazil
October 20, 2010
Online
Article
Ireland
October 22, 2010
Former BP CEO meets The Irish
The Institute of Directors was the prestigious venue for a full house of over
140 City leaders who came along to hear the former Chief Executive of BP,
Lord John Browne, address the alumni of IMD Lausanne on the subject of
Leadership.
This was a rare public appearance for Lord Browne, during which he also
dealt frankly with the recent events at BP.
The evening was sponsored by William Warren (centre), who hails from Cork
and the meeting was facilitated by Sligoman Andy Rogers (left), pictured with
Lord John Browne (right)
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October 25, 2010
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Portugal
October 26, 2010
Stéphane Garelli: "Portugal tem de ter uma estratégia
económica"
O "maior erro" de Portugal foi ficar demasiado dependente da Europa e não ter tido
ambição para ser mais do que um país de mão-de-obra barata, defende Stéphane
Garelli, professor da escola de negócios suíça IMD.
Definir uma estratégia e reorientar as exportações para países de elevado
crescimento é a única forma
de "meter dinheiro em casa"
e superar o problema da
dívida pública, sustenta o
especialista, que falou ao
PÚBLICO à margem da
conferência
sobre
tecnologias de informação
IDC Directions, organizada
pela consultora IDC Portugal,
onde foi orador.
Defende que apesar da
crise não devemos estar
pessimistas, mas muitos
países ainda não conseguem ver a luz ao fundo do túnel...
É a situação mais difícil que vivemos desde a II Grande Guerra, mas reagir só
ficando pessimistas não é uma opção, os problemas estão aqui e têm de ser
resolvidos e penso que na Europa temos muitos activos para poder ser bem
sucedidos.
Mas na Europa há países a reagir a velocidades diferentes.
É verdade. Esta é a minha quinta recessão e quinta recuperação económica
enquanto economista. Quando as coisas estão bem, as economias estão de alguma
forma sincronizadas e quando passamos por uma recessão, normalmente sai-se
com alguma desordem. Mas nunca vi uma situação em que tivéssemos tanta
diversidade na recuperação económica; todos os modelos estão lá, há países que
ainda estão em recessão, como a Espanha, outros estão sobreaquecidos e a ir
demasiado depressa, como a China e Singapura, outros enfrentam riscos
inflacionistas, como o Brasil, e outros deflacionistas, como o Japão.
E Portugal?
Portugal tem estado a sofrer de duas coisas; em primeiro lugar, o facto de muita da
sua dívida ser detida por bancos estrangeiros, o que aumenta a pressão de fora
para que haja medidas de austeridade. Depois, o facto de ter um défice da balança
de conta corrente, o que significa que não há dinheiro fresco a entrar na economia.
Como podemos mudar isso?
Lembro-me que Portugal, a seguir à revolução, começou a religar-se ao resto da
Europa e a querer tornar-se num destino de investimento directo estrangeiro. Mas
quando a Europa central entrou no cenário, tornou-se mais atractiva, até porque
estava mais próxima da Alemanha. Acho que Portugal perdeu a oportunidade de
usar melhor as suas ligações a África e à América Latina para desenvolver o
mercado de exportações. Penso que isso é absolutamente crítico. É bom ter
negócios com o resto da Europa, mas hoje, o crescimento virá de outras regiões.
E ainda vamos a tempo de mudar isso?
Claro. Vocês têm bons contactos, boas empresas, bons bancos, boas companhias
de telecomunicações e por isso penso que há algumas ligações naturais que
deveriam ser mais bem exploradas. É melhor exportar para países que crescem dez
por cento ao ano do que para países que crescem dois por cento.
Quando Portugal se juntou à União Europeia, a estratégia foi "somos o país mais low
cost da Europa, nenhuma empresa fabricará mais barato do que em Portugal" e as
empresas vieram. Mas depois apareceram a República Checa e a Hungria e a
Polónia. Este foi provavelmente o maior erro: não ter usado aquela pequena janela
de oportunidade para fazer qualquer outra coisa do que ter apenas a ambição de ser
low cost. É importante ter uma estratégia. Têm de saber para onde vão e definir algo
em que possam ser bons, que tenha a ver convosco, com aquilo em que vocês são
bons.
As medidas de austeridade anunciadas são suficientes para alcançar o
equilíbrio orçamental?
Penso que se fez algum bom trabalho e que é importante que se trabalhe também
um bocadinho as mentalidades. As pessoas devem compreender que é preciso pôr
ordem na economia. Alguns países perceberam isso mais depressa que outros. Os
irlandeses perceberam antes, os portugueses estão a começar a compreender e os
franceses, por exemplo, ainda não compreenderam de todo. Mas o que me
preocupa é que até agora, sempre que precisávamos de dinheiro, encontrávamo-lo
na Europa ou nos Estados Unidos. Doravante, vamos ter de ir procurá-lo na China
ou na Índia. É revelador que os gregos agora, quando precisam de dinheiro,
convidam os chineses.
Diz-se que os chineses também poderão comprar obrigações portuguesas...
Sim e eu penso que é uma boa compra. Se tivesse muito dinheiro, também faria
esse investimento.
Não tem receio que Portugal entre em default?
Não. O pior que poderá acontecer é um reescalonamento da dívida, mas não penso
que possa haver incumprimento. Porque se houver default, o risco para toda a Zona
Euro será enorme. E mesmo quando se diz que a Alemanha está a fazer imposições
é preciso ter em conta que a Alemanha vive das exportações e para as ter precisa
de clientes, que também estão em Portugal.
O aumento de impostos era inevitável? Havia alguma outra coisa que o
Governo pudesse ter feito?
No meu país fizemos uma coisa que pode dar uma ou duas ideias. Há alguns anos
criámos uma lei que definia que nenhum gasto deve ser aprovado sem que ao
mesmo tempo seja votada a criação de receitas. Não se pode ir ao Parlamento dizer
que vamos gastar x ou y sem que ao mesmo tempo definir como vamos levantar o
dinheiro. Este foi provavelmente uma boa ferramenta para obrigar o Governo a ser
cauteloso e é uma coisa que talvez se pudesse tentar em Portugal.
O corte de salários e o aumento dos impostos terão um forte impacto no
crescimento?
É uma coisa que pode ser muito perigosa. Mas, mais uma vez, o problema é que o
país é como aquele indivíduo a quem o banco diz que não vai voltar a emprestar
dinheiro a não ser que mude a maneira de viver. Esse é um problema de países
como a Grécia e Portugal, cuja dívida está no exterior.
O IMD considera que Portugal só conseguirá reduzir a dívida pública para um
nível de 60 por cento do PIB em 2037. Não é muito animador, pois não.
Isso é no caso de tudo se manter na mesma, mas acho que vocês vão ser
proactivos e mudar isso. Da minha experiência, sei que uma recessão ocorre a cada
oito ou nove anos, é o mesmo padrão e há por isso uma grande probabilidade de
que algo aconteça antes do final década. Por isso vocês não podem ficar à espera,
têm de estar preparados. Não podem deixar que algo aconteça para dizer: "Ah,
agora não temos dinheiro nem podemos subir os impostos, porque eles já estão tão
altos que vão matar as pessoas". Vão virar-se para Pequim ou para Nova Deli e
dizer: "Vá lá, emprestem-me dinheiro", para eles responderem que não.
Pode uma economia ser competitiva com uma dívida pública tão elevada como
a portuguesa?
Sim, porque o que conta realmente é quanto dinheiro é que vocês fazem. Se não se
põe dinheiro em casa, o nível da dívida torna-se um problema. A Alemanha tem uma
grande dívida, mas ninguém está preocupado porque sabem que eles podem pagar.
O grande desafio é redireccionar as exportações para mercados de grande
crescimento, concentrarem-se nas pequenas e médias empresas. Quando se ganha
em competitividade, como a Alemanha, Holanda e Dinamarca, é quando se tem
várias camadas de pequenas e médias empresas competitivas e orientadas para as
exportações, com muita tecnologia.
Mas essas queixam-se que não têm acesso ao crédito...
Sim e é por isso que o Governo tem de ajudar, a forçar os bancos a darem crédito,
dizendo que é uma prioridade, e a orientá-las para as exportações. Por exemplo, a
Alemanha, depois da guerra, criou escolas de exportações, para ensinar as
pequenas e médias empresas a exportarem. E este pode ser o segredo. Porque se
houver duas ou três grandes no topo e uma falir, pode haver um problema, mas se
houver várias pequenas empresas, mesmo que dez vão à falência as outras
continuarão lá e a economia fica mais resiliente e diversificada.
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October 27, 2010
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October 27, 2010
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October 27, 2010
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Australia
inFINANCE
October 2010
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October – November issue
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October 30, 2010