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Global Newsletter & Insights Series
In 1933, President Roosevelt issued his famous call to war against the Great Depression. He rallied the nation with his ringing declaration, “The only thing we have to fear is fear itself.” Much has changed since then, yet FDR’s rallying cry may be more relevant than ever. At that time,…
“The rumble was distant, but spoke with one voice that said Change, and those whose business was government could not help but hear.” Barbara Tuchman — The Proud Tower, A Portrait of the World Before the War Not for the first time, the relatively small network of institutions and individuals…
A Fundamental Shift is Underway Between Corporations and Shareholders After several years of unprecedented growth, both in the number of players and in assets under management, activists appear to be heading towards yet another down cycle. A number of factors are contributing to this including some high profile failures, an…
When Matthias Müller addressed his first shareholder meeting as Chief Executive of Volkswagen, he began with an apology. Speaking to thousands of small shareholders and representatives of large institutional investors in Hanover’s vast ‘Deutsche Messe’ exhibition hall, Müller acknowledged that VW was facing the biggest crisis in its history. The…
Within the next decade, most of the names on S&P 500 will drop off and be replaced by new ones. In the 1930’s, the average lifespan of a company on the S&P 500 (or the S&P Composite Index, as it was known until 1957) was 60 years, in the 1960’s…
A Dynamic But Disruptive Breakthrough At a recent private gathering in Virginia of leading biologists and geneticists, an unusual topic of conversation was the specific date of November 3, 1988. It was on that date that MIT graduate student, Robert Morris, launched the first malware attack on a system that…
Diversity, Collective Skills Are Both Key Requirements The business landscape is constantly changing. For the Board of 2018, governance issues will no longer be optional in the overall business strategy, but paramount in achieving its long-term goals. Boards that are complacent about this trend will be more prone to attacks…
A CEO Task in Building Value A global crisis of trust is having a profound impact on the relationship between civil society and business. The crisis is most evident in politics, with populist movements on left and right winning support on a platform of hostility to ‘elites’ and globalization. These…
Tactics in Issues and Reputation-Based Scenarios In the past, many businesses could largely control perception of their brands. Advertising agencies could craft brand narratives in the form of campaigns and media releases. Those in the audience who had objections to the campaign, the brand, or the business had few opportunities…
Expect More Sabre Rattling and Brinkmanship 2017 will be dominated by preparations for Russia’s presidential elections scheduled for March 2018. President Vladimir Putin is almost certain to win another term in office, but he will not leave anything to chance. A faltering economy will be his greatest challenge, and as…
More Centralization of Power Coming China’s economy made headlines again in 2016. For the casual observer, slowing growth was the dominant storyline. Those who take a deeper look, however, will find a competing narrative: China’s economy is moving in two different directions. In industrial regions, China’s “old economy” is showing…
Look for Uncertainty to be a Major Trend Last year, we looked ahead to 2016 as a transitional year in Europe. Since then, the United Kingdom’s (UK) vote to leave the European Union (EU), the rising terrorist threat and the bloc’s ever-more complex relationship with Turkey have rocked markets. In…
