Monthly Archive for June, 2009

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The Leadership Challenge

Published on June 9, 2009 in Global Strategy and International Business. 0 Comments Tags: .

leadershipThe board of Procter & Gamble is meeting on Tuesday amid intense speculation that it will approve the naming of Robert McDonald, the company’s chief operating officer, as its new chief executive, replacing AG Lafley.

Mr Lafley took over as chief executive of P&G nine years ago this month and has indicated that he was unlikely to want to spend more than a decade at the top of the world’s largest consumer goods company.

His most significant contribution to the company has been spearheading and overseeing its $57bn merger with Gillette in 2005 and the subsequent smooth integration of the two giant companies. In addition to reorganising the company into global business units, he promoted a culture of greater openess at a company that previously relied almost exclusively on in-house innovation.

He also oversaw the creation of enhanced product design and development units, again bringing in outside talent at senior management levels. P&G’s overall business has been relatively resilient during the current global recession.

The question is whether McDonald, if he takes over as P&G’s chief for the next decade, can replicate Lafley’s success. [Source]

European Election 2009

Published on June 8, 2009 in Personal. 0 Comments Tags: , , .

european_election_2009

A backgrounder can be found here.

A brigther future for the car industry?

Published on June 5, 2009 in Emerging Markets. 0 Comments Tags: , , .

Car ShoppingEven as they struggle through the economic meltdown, car makers can look ahead to a high-growth, flexible, global future according to “strategy+business”.

Research conducted by Booz & Company shows that the global customer base for cars over the next 10 years falls into three broad categories, based primarily on which countries customers live in.

  1. The rapidly emerging economies (REEs) consist of the so-called BRIC nations (Brazil, Russia, India, and China) and a group of other relatively wealthy developing nations, such as Malaysia, Argentina, Mexico, Turkey, Thailand, Iran, and Indonesia. Millions of families in these countries are making or contemplating the purchase of their first car.
  2. The lower-growth economies (compared to the REEs) consist of about 100 nations with relatively impoverished populations and poor economic prospects. However, their political leaders are interested in building up the middle class and see personal mobility as a major stepping stone. These countries may become markets for motorised transportation after 2020.
  3. The mature economies include the established industrialized nations in North America and Europe, and Japan. Population growth and vehicle replacement, rather than economic growth, will determine the market for cars there.

Together, these three groups add up to an enormous amount of market potential. Estimates suggest that more than 370 million additional vehicles could be sold by 2013 and more than 715 million by 2018. Please click here to download the complete article.