Sustainability: a business opportunity
By the year 2040, only 15 per cent of the world's population will be living in what are now called developed countries. It's therefore essential for today's business planners to start focusing on the rest of the planet. Fortunately a strategy centred on emerging markets can be both financially profitable and socially responsible, says Barbara Kux of the Dutch multinational Royal Philips Electronics.
"Developing countries are a fantastic source of opportunities for companies," says Kux,
Shell CEO van der Veer: Carbon dioxide regulation necessary to make the markets work
If governments do not intervene, industries will meet the growing demands for energy in the cheapest way possible, and carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions will increase. That puts Jeroen van der Veer, CEO of Royal Dutch Shell plc, one of the worlds leading petroleum companies, in an odd position: a leading capitalist campaigning for more government regulation.
Cathay Pacific takes off cautiously to brighter skies
At its Annual General Meeting recently, IATA (International Air Transport Association) predicted that the industry will recover faster than expected, with Asia-Pacific carriers powering the upturn. INSEAD Knowledge takes a closer look at the performance of one of these airlines: the flag carrier of Hong Kong, Cathay Pacific.
China’s property bubble: is it starting to deflate?
Amid fears of a property bubble in China where real estate prices have risen for nine consecutive months, Bill Hunt, former president of Century 21 China Real Estate, remains sanguine that the bubble will not burst.
China faces an economic crossroads
With the collapse of external demand in the wake of the global financial crisis, China needs to reduce its dependence on exports and investments, and shift towards internal private consumption, says Stephen Roach, a leading economist and Hong Kong-based chairman of Morgan Stanley Asia.
What’s next after Copenhagen?
Was there too much riding on the United Nations Climate Change Conference which concluded in Copenhagen at the weekend?
‘Incredible consensus’ for regulatory reforms among G20, but political will weakening
In the face of the impending global financial meltdown a year ago, world leaders found clarity: financial regulatory frameworks needed to be overhauled.
A tale of two banks: hallmarks of the changing financial landscape
It would be difficult to find two financial institutions more indicative of the plus and minus sides of the financial tsunami that hit the world of banking this year: on the one hand, ING, the venerable international Dutch bank, forced to go to the government for a 10 billion euro bailout and now facing public evisceration at the hands of EU regulators. On the other hand, Standard Chartered Bank, a bastion of banking in Asia since the era of British imperial rule.
Personal view: Welcome, ‘Stateholder’
The amount of government capital injected into the so-called “private economy” since mid-2008 is unprecedented. The United States and United Kingdom led the way, but many other countries drifted into the same uncharted waters. So now what?
Copenhagen: what should investors be demanding from companies?
The outcome of the Copenhagen climate conference may have disappointed some business leaders and may not be the ‘Global Deal’ that many, including the UK’s Carbon Trust, had been hoping for, but it is being touted as another small step forward in the long process towards reducing carbon emissions.
Upstart: China’s emergence in technology and innovation
It can easily appear as if China can make anything. Yet it makes goods not only at low cost, but now also of high quality, and this constitutes a particularly Chinese brand of innovation that enables China increasingly to shake up global markets. After coming of age in China’s domestic markets, Chinese firms are now replicating their domestic success in global markets by competing on price and quality. The success of the likes of Huawei and Lenovo are indicative of an emerging trend of Chinese
Porsche also makes great cars, remember?
---- by Randel Carlock, Senior Affiliate Professor of Entrepreneurship and Family Enterprise at INSEAD ----
The global automobile industry is in a shambles, with a share in Ford Motor Company selling for less than a Starbucks latte, and GM and Chrysler fighting for their survival.
How to Make a Submarine
The science boffins are going to show us how to make a submarine in a
bottle. The submarine in this experiment is known as a Cartesian diver.
It is named after Rene Descartes, a famous French scientist,
mathematician, and philosopher.
Asian private equity: coming of age
Looking at the numbers, it’s apparent that Asia’s private equity star is shining bright. Assets under management increased ninefold during the last 15 years to about $283 billion in 2009 – 60 per cent of that growth came in the last five years alone.
But for all its healthy growth, only one third of global limited partnerships (LP) have allocations to Asia, including developed markets like Japan, South Korea and Australia and developing economies like China and India, according to
The heat is on: private equity goes to Asia
After a difficult year for private equity in 2009 following the global financial crisis, many limited partners are looking to invest in Asia in search of gross returns of two to three times invested capital, if not more.
At the recent SuperReturn Asia PE conference in Hong Kong (Sept 27-30), China had clearly become the ‘flavour of the month’ for LP investors, with India a not-so-close second, in part due to valuations there.
UO Today #458: Maxine Burkett
Maxine Burkett, 2010 Wayne Morse Chair for Law and Politics; Law, University of Hawaii; director, Island Climate Center: Center for Climate Adaptation and Policy. Burkett’s work focuses on climate justice, the disparate impact of climate change on poor and of-color communities, and our moral and legal obligation to these communities.
UO Today, the Oregon Humanities Center’s [...]
The Esperion Story: Biotech Success and Rebirth
The Lundquist Center for Entrepreneurship kicks off its new Distinguished Lecture Series with Dr. Roger Newton, President and CEO of Esperion Therapeutics and co-discoverer of Lipitor, the most prescribed cholesterol-lowering medication in the world.
Dr. Newton discusses his ongoing efforts to commercialize cardiovascular treatments and his approach to securing capital and talent under difficult environmental conditions. [...]
Leadership today: less charisma, more consensus
When you think of words to describe good leadership, ‘charisma’ usually comes somewhere near the top of the list. After all, all the good ideas in the world won’t get anywhere if you aren’t compelling enough to get people to listen to you. But not all successful CEOs are charismatic and today’s complex and profound economic crisis has created a real challenge both for executives and for the professionals who train them.
Terrorism in Asia: still a threat
When Noordin Mohammad Top, the chief suspect in July’s suicide bomb attacks on luxury hotels in Jakarta was killed during a police raid in Central Java in September, the feeling of relief in Indonesia and Southeast Asia was almost palpable.
In search of blue oceans: The Starwood experience
Are companies using Blue Ocean Strategy to search for ‘uncontested market space’ and, if so, how? One group which has been exploring blue ocean thinking for the past three years is Starwood Hotels and Resorts.
However, as INSEAD Knowledge has been finding out, the company has so far been taking a step-by-step approach to implementing the concept, rather than try to realise any sort of ‘grand vision’. As Starwood Vice President Robyn Pratt puts it, it’s more a ques
