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World Out of Balance

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World Out of Balance

Navigating Global Risk to Seize Competitive Advantage

McGraw-Hill,

15 min read
10 take-aways
Audio & text

What's inside?

Globalization, shifting demographics, consumerism, limited resources and regulation will shape the future, but how?

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Editorial Rating

7

Qualities

  • Innovative

Recommendation

Author Paul A. Laudicina invites you to, "Come and look into my crystal ball!" His book, largely based on the research and insights of A.T. Kearney’s prestigious Global Business Policy Council, casts a wide net of future possibilities. After you put it down, you may feel its conclusions could best be summarized with a shrug and a muttered, "Who knows?" To say that five factors - globalization, demographics, consumers’ needs, natural resource limitations, and governmental regulation - will be the primary influences on future world markets is well and good, but what will their impact be? Given the variety of future scenarios here, you may be tempted to resort to John Maynard Keynes’ attitude that, "In the long run, we’re all dead." Be that as it may, Laudicina proves that any astute portrayal of future possibilities must reflect multiple, complex uncertainties. In this rapidly changing world, companies have a profound need to consider what may lie ahead. This volume should provide substantial assistance. getAbstract.com strongly recommends it to corporate leaders, business prognosticators and futurists of every ilk.

Summary

The Dust Settles

The economic barrage of the dot-com bust has abated. Executives are gradually clambering out of the foxholes of their defensive mindsets and dusting off their Armani suits. As they survey the pockmarked landscape, still nervously listening for shouts of "incoming!" and rocket whistles approaching from above, they begin to look around for opportunities. The search for profit indicates that the pendulum has swung away from fear to the second greatest motivator of human behavior, profit (also known as greed). As business leaders begin to think opportunistically, they need to understand that their world has changed. Their inertia may be the most dangerous risk facing their organizations. In the post-September 11 world, failing to manage risk proactively is the riskiest business of all.

Mastering Your Destiny

A.T. Kearney’s 1998-2000 study of corporate growth found that unsuccessful companies typically attributed their shortcomings to factors beyond their control. However, successful companies, defined as "value-building firms," offered a much different picture. They pursued long-term revenue growth aggressively, even as they attained short-term...

About the Author

Paul A. Laudicina is managing director of A.T. Kearney’s highly regarded Global Business Policy Council, which is the source for many of the insights in the book.

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