Why COVID-19 has made international strategy more critical than ever before

The COVID-19 pandemic is reshaping the global business landscape and the world as we know it. For many executives, just surviving is a fight to the death and expanding internationally is the last thing on their minds. But if you’re a business leader with big dreams, you still need an international strategy. COVID-19 has slowed […]

25 Things to Do During a Global Pandemic

It’s here. The global pandemic has arrived and my inbox is filled with updates about new health measures, cancelled events, and people working from home. COVID-19 has us panicked. Many people are frightened of catching the virus or losing someone close to them as a result of it. Doctors are scared about seeing the health […]

Facing the global health crisis – which type of company are you?

I’ve spent a lot of time this week checking in on my clients and colleagues – hours spent in Zoom and on phone calls. Pretty much all anyone can talk about is COVID-19 and what it’s likely to mean for their company. Naturally, the news isn’t great, and whatever you think of the various measures […]

Discussion on Global Economic Outlook and Investment Evaluation

The International Monetary Fund’s (IMF) World Economic Outlook was published in October 2019 and, as usual, provides a valuable back drop to international business investment decisions. One of the key observations discussed in that report is not that the emerging markets are making the most significant contribution to global growth with 4.6% expected in 2020 […]

Thoughts On How China Works and Where Business Should Focus

I’m forming a view that there are three general strategy ‘domains’ that need to be thought about when dealing with China. These are interconnected and not unique to China but they demonstrate different facets to foreign interaction with the country. I call these the Economic Domain, the Nationalist Domain and Political Domain. They combine and […]

A Visit to the World Internet Conference

I’ve been in China to visit the 6th World Internet Conference and Exhibition (WIC) that was held at the purpose build exhibition centre in Wuzhen, Zhejiang Province. The focus this year is on AI, Internet of Things, and Cyber security. This latter topic is a hot one in the West and, for some, maybe a […]

Getting it Right in Asia

The Asia-Pacific region has become the economic growth engine for the world, presenting massive potential for foreign businesses. As a group, Asian economies now represent as much as 40% of global GDP. 

This presents an exciting opportunity for Australian businesses.  But before you rush to expand your company into Asian markets, it’s important to step back and the nuances and challenges of the Asian region, so that you can get your strategy right.

Street Economics: Australia and the World

Australian politicians and government statisticians paint a picture of optimism in the first case and caution in the latter.  One can see the role of politicians to be positive and for the person in the street to carry on regardless, doing the best they can.  But, if you look at the High Street of any city or town in Australia, and other developed economies, you will see that not all is well.

Indonesia: A Serious Place to Invest

Indonesia is the third largest democracy in the world after the USA and India and is also the largest Muslim country by population.  People tend to know it more for the congestion of Jakarta and the beauty of Bali, than one of South East Asia’s (SEA) more attractive investment locations.

What does the US-China trade war mean for Australia?

Unless you’ve been living under a rock, you’re probably aware of the US-China trade war. Over the past year, the world’s two largest economies have imposed tariffs on billions of dollars worth of one another’s goods. US President Donald Trump has long accused China of unfair trading practices and intellectual property theft. In China, there […]