|
CORPORATE STRATEGY |
|
BAZAAR BEHAVIOR
India’s retailers prepare to
compete for the country’s emerging consumer class.
(September
2007) |
|
SMOKE AND
MIRRORS
China’s central
government is serious about cleaning the environment. The problem
is that local officials are not. (Jul/Aug
2007) |
|
HEDGE FUND
BULLIES
Activist fund managers
can be brutal in targeting companies, but there are ways to
fight back. (Jul/Aug
2007) |
|
HOW SWEET
THE RECOVERY?
Ten years
after the Asian crisis. (Jul/Aug
2007) |
|
HOW
REAL IS IT?
Bankruptcy law in China. (Jul/Aug
2007) |
|
CHEAP
TALK OR DEAF EARS?
Whistle-blowers in the US. (Jul/Aug
2007) |
|
LESS
ALARMING
China’s labor law. (Jul/Aug
2007) |
|
TANGLED
UP IN TASKS
How to deal with
multitasking and frequent interruptions in the workplace.
(Jul/Aug 2007) |
|
THAT’S
ENTERTAINMENT
Indian companies
are vying to be at the leading edge of the media and entertainment
industry’s digital wave. (June
2007) |
|
POWER PLAY
Ethanol may be the fuel of the future.
China Agri’s finance department is helping make that happen.
(June 2007) |
|
PLANES,
TRAINS, AND TRUCKS
Infrastructure
in India. (June
2007) |
|
WAKING
TO THE RISK
The risk of avian flu. (June
2007) |
|
NATIONAL
CHAMPION
China’s ZTE
is using cheap financing to secure its place in the world’s
telecommunications markets. (May
2007) |
|
MIX MASTERS
The litter of failed business partnerships
in China notwithstanding, GE Money is betting it can make a
go of its venture in Shenzhen. (Apr
2007) |
|
DREAM FACTORY
Flush with new funding and financial
acumen, India’s ‘corporatizing’ film industry
is beginning to challenge Hollywood at its own game. (Mar
2007) |
|
RETURN OF
THE PHANTOM
Now under German
ownership, iconic British car maker Rolls-Royce hopes to reclaim
its former glory. (Mar
2007) |
|
BLINDED
BY THE LIGHT
Beware the halo
effect, or the glow that financial performance casts on a company.
It can create unreasonable expectations, or cast a pall.
(Mar 2007) |
|
CLEANING
UP IN JAPAN
Kao kick-starts
M&A in Japan – old-economy style – and gets
noticed by the world’s money managers. (Feb
2007) |
|
AGE DOESN’T
MATTER
A new take on Japan’s
ageing economy. (Feb
2007) |
|
ARE YOU
A TARGET?
M&A in Asia
is at near-record levels – is your company a target? Check
our list.
(Feb
2007) |
|
WHEN SMALL
IS NOT BEAUTIFUL
The central
government is forcing consolidation in China’s steel industry
– and almost everyone is unhappy about it. (Dec
2006/ Jan 2007) |
|
FIELD OF
DREAMS
Noble Group is successfully
navigating its way to shareholder returns – if only it
could articulate where it is going. (November
2006) |
|
INDEPENDENCE
DAY
Asia’s economies
have matured to the point where they can rely more on each other
and less on the West. (November
2006) |
|
OIL’S
WELL AGAIN
Falling oil prices
impact Asia
(November
2006) |
|
ALL
IN THE FAMILY?
Scoring management
(November
2006) |
|
RUSH TO
JUDGMENT
Experts who maligned
HP’s merger with Compaq are now eating their words.
(November
2006) |
|
VIRTUE REWARDED
Environmental idealism has gone
mainstream – and is paying dividends.
(November
2006) |
|
DUBAI EXPRESS
Dubai’s businesses are investing
in Asia, making CFOs in the booming Middle Eastern city a growing
influence in the region. (October
2006) |
|
UNTANGLING
THE NET
Faced with an uphill
battle in its market, China Netcom has chosen a rigorous program
of internal reform as its best defense. (October
2006) |
|
SUBMERGED
IN SEA AND SMOG
Hong Kong’s
pollution woes intensify (October
2006) |
|
SOME
DISTANCE TO GO YET
Asia’s proxy voting score: is fair-to-poor good enough?
(October 2006) |
|
THE PRICE
OF DOING GOOD
The trials
of two Asian companies in the unending battle against environmental
activists. (September
2006) |
|
THE WEIGHT
OF EXPECTATIONS
India’s
biggest landlord prepares for an IPO – and to change its
industry for good. (September
2006) |
|
TRY BEFORE
YOU BUY
Forming an alliance
with a potential acquisition may be the best way to determine
whether it is the right deal for your company. (July/August
2006) |
|
GUIDANCE
LITE
Quarterly forecasts
are fading (July/August
2006) |
|
PASSING
ON INDIA?
Outsourcing to India (July/August
2006) |
|
CUTTING
THE CLUTTER
India’s
BPO companies are building strategies to address competition.
(July/August
2006) |
|
INNOCENTS
ABROAD
US companies are
seeking profits overseas earlier in their business cycle than
ever. (July/August
2006) |
|
CHANGES
IN THE AIR
How India’s
emerging airlines are redefining the way aviation companies
traditionally do business. (June
2006) |
|
PERILOUS
EXPANSION
The liability
regime awaiting Chinese companies abroad can prove hazardous
unless they take preventive measures. (June
2006) |
|
DESTINATION
INDIA?
It’s one of
Asia’s hottest growth stories. So why does India lag China
in foreign direct investment? (May
2006) |
|
DON’T
MISS SAIGON
Vietnam is a
roaring economic success story, and multinationals are taking
notice. You should, too. (May 2006) |
|
POPULAR
AMBITION
Companies can make
money serving Asia’s poor billions, but the challenges
can be daunting. (Apr
2006) |
|
THE WIZARD
OF OZ?
Australia’s
acquisitive Macquarie Bank rolls out an unusual business model
with fast-paced growth. (Apr
2006) |
|
THE SPITZER
BACKLASH
US corporations
fight back as attorneys general clamp down on corporate wrongdoing.
(Apr
2006) |
|
COLUMBIA
BUSINESS SCHOOL’S R. GLENN HUBBARD
(Apr
2006) |
|
AMERICA
FOR SALE
Foreigners are
buying US assets at the fastest clip in five years, and the
politicians are getting restive. (Mar
2006) |
|
IPO
UPDATE
IPOs scorecard (Mar
2006) |
|
COUPLING
AGAIN
Strategic alliances versus M&A (Mar
2006) |
|
THE
MOTLEY COUP
Another coup in the Philippines (Mar
2006) |
|
A MATTER
OF TRUST
Why managing the
most advanced mobile phone company in the world is like walking
on eggshells. (Feb
2006) |
|
PETROCHINA’S
TOXIC LESSON
Blasting PetroChina.
(Feb 2006) |
|
ARE
DISPUTES WORTH IT?
Settling customer disputes. (Feb
2006) |
|
READY,
SET, HIRE!
Hiring and compensation
for the year ahead; CFOs on the move. (Feb
2006) |
|
MARKET MAGIC
Internal markets let employees
express preference and need through price. (Dec
2005) |
|
WAR OF THE
SNEAKERS
How leading sportswear
company Li Ning is plotting to outrun, outthink, and outlast
the invading global giants. (Nov
2005) |
|
FROM WALLS
TO BRIDGES
The Chinese are
new to the art of the international deal. Armed with cash, mainland
companies are on a shopping spree, and, increasingly, using
their competitive advantages wisely. (Nov
2005) |
|
CUSTOMER
DISSERVICE
The many varieties
of human capital management software allow companies to manage
the employee life cycle. (Oct
2005) |
|
COMING OF
AGE
India’s fourth-largest
IT outsourcing vendor prepares to vault into the nation’s
billion-dollar club. (Oct
2005) |
|
GROWING
WITH INDIA
How Larsen &
Toubro is making strides towards becoming an Indian multinational.
(Sep 2005) |
|
OLD DOGS,
NEW CLICKS
Companies are
taking a second look at e-commerce, and finding ways to overcome
old problems and tap new opportunities.
(Jul 2005) |
|
FINANCE
ON THE LINE
As the Philippines
falls into another political crisis, CFOs are managing, but
are on edge. (Jul 2005) |
|
MAKING THE
CASE FOR ASIA
Multinationals
are returning to the region in a big way, but their strategies
and the way they view risk and return have changed radically.
(Jul 2005) |
|
DESTINATION
INDONESIA
Surviving the Asian
financial crisis, dictatorship, corruption, and Islamic militants,
the world’s most populous Muslim nation is back on foreign
investors’ radar. (Jun
2005) |
|
CALL WAITING
In bringing its cutting-edge wireless
technology to mobile-phone laggard America, SK Telecom looks
set to become South Korea’s next global brand.
(May 2005) |
|
ENEMY AT
THE GATE
The fight between
Shanghai Tire & Rubber and French giant Michelin illuminates
the perils of unequal partnerships in China.
(May 2005) |
|
CHINA'S
NEW GLOBALIZERS
Huawei Technologies,
TCL, and Lenovo are at the vanguard of China’s next wave
of would-be multinationals. Do they have what it takes to make
it in the global markets? (May
2005) |
|
THE FUTURE
OF OUTSOURCING
India’s
Gecis helped GE become one of the world’s most admired
companies by taking care of its business processes. It’s
now doing the same for other firms.
(Apr 2005) |
|
HIGH TECH,
ACT TWO
The world’s
leading maker of display ICs for mobile phones is chasing more
global market share while containing expenses. (Apr
2005) |
|
REX DIVIDEND
It feels good to be a shareholder
in Asia these days, given the dividend wars that are heating
up between companies. But are the unusually high payouts as
good for the companies that are giving them? (Mar
2005) |
|
ONE WAY
STREET
Asian companies are
finding Australia an attractive place to invest. Why isn’t
Oz returning the favor? (Mar 2005) |
|
PRICING
PRESSURE
In a region-wide
survey, CFO Asia discovers that profit margins across Asia are
vanishing. What can CFOs do to restore pricing power?
(Feb 2005) |
|
FUTURE TENSE
The trends in Asia that will affect
your business and shape financial strategy between now and 2015.
(Dec 2004/ Jan 2005) |
|
PAY RISE
CFO Asia surveys finance professionals
in China about their pay packages, revealing a bubble market
for jobs and a retention problem for finance chiefs.
(Nov 2004) |
|
STRONG MEDICINE
India's generic-drug companies make
an audacious bid for global recognition. (Oct
2004) |
|
ENTERPRISE
RISK: WATCH YOUR BACK
Terrorist
attacks and new governance rules heighten interest in enterprise
risk management. (Oct 2004) |
|
SUPPLY CHAIN:
REACHING FOR NIRVANA
Treating
suppliers as partners is good for the bottom line. (Oct
2004) |
|
REINVENTING
MALAYSIA INC.
Astro All Asia
Networks, a crony company that has earned the respect of foreign
investors, could serve as a benchmark for underperforming enterprises
in the New Malaysia. (Jul/Aug
2004) |
|
FAREWELL,
FINANCE
Two companies show
how offshore outsourcing renders the finance function obsolete.
(Jun 2004) |
|
PARADISE
POSTPONED?
Sri Lanka is waging
a troubled peace. For the CFOs of its enduring companies, seeking
opportunity in a perilous market is business as usual. (May
2004) |
|
FENCING
WITH THE WEST
Trade relations
between Asia and the US have never been rockier, but Asian companies
now have a stronger hand. (Apr
2004) |
|
TIGERS AND
TITANS
India's IT companies
have eroded their US competitors' market share in low-end technology
services. Now they're moving into the high end - and the giants
are fighting back. (Apr 2004) |
|
BRAND AMBITION
Increasing competition is causing CFOs
to reassess their strategies. For many that means it is time
for brand-building. (Mar 2004) |
|
PROFIT LEGENDS
Improving margins in difficult times
is a masterstroke few finance chiefs in the region could lay
claim to. With the help of Bain & Co, CFO Asia identifies these
profit achievers, and explains how they reached a better position
to ride the coming tide of recovery. (Feb
2004) |
|
READY, SET,
GROW
As the global economy
gathers pace, CFOs in Asia are figuring out how to harness the
growth - and manage the risk. (Dec
2003) |
|
THE GREAT
LEAP FORWARD
Having tackled
the world's trickiest market with notable success, UTStarcom
CFO Michael Sophie is preparing to duplicate the feat in India.
(Dec 2003) |
|
ASIAN BRANDS:
HIGH TEA
A premium tea exporter
from Sri Lanka has created a global brand without sacrificing
control over quality. (Dec 2003) |
|
THE RIGHT
PRICE
Ford Motor Company has
an ambitious revenue-management strategy, but can it save the
ailing giant? (Nov 2003) |
|
ENTER THE
CLOCK-BUILDER
A management
change at the Singapore Exchange is leading to a new take on
pressing challenges. (Nov 2003) |
|
IS BIG BEAUTIFUL?
Asian companies have to grow beyond
their home markets to compete in an era of falling trade barriers
and deepening globalization. But are Asian businesses growing
fast enough, and should local CFOs be gunning for size to survive?
(Sep 2003) |
|
QUANTA'S
LEAP
China's commodity production
base has furnished Taiwan computer maker Quanta with a proxy
site to maintain its old business while it develops higher-end
products at home. (Sep 2003) |
|
INDEPENDENTS'
DAY?
The conflicts of interest
between sell-side analysts and the banks that pay their salaries
has been a focal point of the financial reform in the US. The
impact of these reforms is now being felt in Asia, with the
research-generating banks assessing the costs of compliance.
(Jul/Aug 2003) |
|
MINORITY
REVOLT
Long-awaited signs of
investor activism are popping up all over Asia, as agitators
like David Gerald in Singapore, Jang Ha-Sung in South Korea,
and David Webb in Hong Kong press for shareholder rights. For
CFOs this means a lot more questions from, and facetime with,
minority investors. (Jun 2003) |
|
COMING CLEAN
Some companies are taking the war against
sleaze into the ranks, aiming to bring integrity to corporate
culture. Such efforts can't ensure that a company remains free
of fraud, but they're not just window dressing. (Jun
2003) |
|
NETSCRAPE
Sina, Sohu.com and NetEase all had
near-death experiences, but, against the odds, they grew last
year and have now taken their place among a mere handful of
profitable portals worldwide. (Jun
2003) |
|
STANDING
UP TO SARS
Severe acute respiratory
syndrome (Sars) may be putting risk management plans in global
corporations to the test very soon. CFOs in Hong Kong, Singapore,
and China were on the Sars' front line in late March. Among
the hardest-hit companies is Cathay Pacific, the Hong Kong carrier
owned by Swire Pacific. Swire CFO Martin Cubbon and others relate
how they're shouldering the scourge and preparing for recovery.
(May 2003) |
|
MOST DANGEROUS
GAME?
Customer financing seemed
like a good idea during the roaring 1990s. But with economies
worldwide in the doldrums, those companies that took on huge
short-term liabilities to finance sales in the face of sagging
demand are now facing the same basic challenge: how should they
manage the risks associated with the questionable practice of
extending credit to their buyers? (Apr
2003) |
|
DEEP HOLE
SYNDROME
How one CFO is digging
his company out of "The Deep Hole Syndrome". By Ken Fowler.
(Apr 2003) |
|
SURREAL
ESTATE
Far more than their
counterparts overseas, Asian companies' financial well-being
is lashed to real estate investment. An original study by CFO
Asia and Singapore Management University shows just how much
value this unholy tie has destroyed, compared to those that
wisely opted out. (Mar 2003) |
|
END OF THE
AFFAIR
Back in the binge years,
Asian groups wooed and won an unseemly number of non-core businesses.
Now they must wave goodbye to all those unsuitable assets.
(Mar 2003) |
|
LIGHT AND
SHADOW
Running a business in
China's non-state sector is no longer a daunting uphill struggle.
But, though the government now allows privately owned enterprises
to operate out in the open, their CFOs still have a long way
to go before they can sweep the corners clean of dark secrets.
CFOs in these companies must operate in a shadow world between
one order and another. (Feb 2003) |
|
HOW COOL
IS CASH?
Very, is the resounding
cry from many Asian CFOs who are sitting on mountains of the
stuff. The problem with hoarding money for a rainy day is that
it gives investors the cold shoulder and destroys shareholder
value. Carrying cash also comes at a price. (Dec
2002) |
|
MORE BRICKS
IN THE WALL
The classic church-and-state
divide between investment banks and their research departments
was never more abused than during the bull market of the late
1990s. Now, as regulators question the objectivity of analysts,
calls for new rules to ensur a secular kind of independence
are causing concern among CFOs worried about over-regulation.
(Nov 2002) |
|
FLEX TIME
Flextronics, the pioneering electronic
manufacturing services (EMS) company, made Asia central to its
globalized business strategy. Now the very model that gave it
prominence is under attack by smaller, scrappier Taiwan manufacturers
in China, the most prized market of all. (Oct
2002) |
|
ON THE LOOKOUT
More and more, finance chiefs find
corporate strategy a part of their remit. Michael Moy, CFO of
Hong Kong property company Hysan Development, believes the benefits
are twofold: more focused goal setting, certainly, but also
better finances. (Sep 2002) |
|
TAIWAN TO
CHINA
A lower cost production
base, once the key reason to move to China, has been supplanted
by more urgent motives it is one of the world's biggest
markets for electronics. Taiwan's companies now have direct
access to that market, with the recent easing of a ban on key
technology investments in the mainland. (Jul
2002) |
|
SHOCK VALUE
Japanese companies, already suffering
from ten years of recession, have taken an extra blow with the
global economy's downturn. This, coupled with changes to Japan's
corporate law requiring more accurate accounting, has sent them
into panic mode. But in Japanese fashion, the changes are coming
at a lumbering pace, and the question remains whether they will
be enough to turn things around. (May
2002) |
|
CHINA'S
ENTRY INTO WTO
Joining the
WTO will permanently change China's economic landscape as foreigners
rush to boost investment in the mainland. (Mar
2002) |
|
THE FOREIGN
INVASION
We survey finance
executives around the world and learn that interest in China
continues to soar despite fears that China might not meet all
of its WTO commitments. (Mar 2002) |
|
PROVING
IT
The main interface between
a company and its shareholders is its annual report. And the
evidence shows that a good annual report - one in which information
is not just well-presented, but that reveals how a company does
business - attracts more shareholders and that its share price
rises as a result. Why? (Feb 2002) |
|
WHERE TO
SPEND IT
The weakness in the
global economy has led many businesses to put revenue initiatives
and strategic moves on hold. But they may be missing a great
opportunity, as asset prices have fallen dramatically. One thing
is for sure - those with decent enough cashflows are in a better
position to capture future growth, either through acquisitions
or by gobbling the market share of weaker competitor.
(Feb 2002) |
|
UNSAFE BETS
What are some of Hong Kong's family-owned
conglomerates doing with investors' money? They are making low
and no interest loans to parent companies, and taking value
away from shareholders. And it's all legal under Hong Kong regulations.
(Dec 2001) |
|
INTERVIEW:
DR YES
Roger Fisher is a
master negotiator who has helped make international political
history for more than 50 years. A Harvard Law School professor,
he believes that the mechanics of all negotiations are essentially
the same. (Dec 2001) |
|
HIGH SPIRIT
With the economic downturn, cutting
costs is the logical direction for CFOs to turn. But losing
market share to competitors is a real danger if CFOs become
too defensive. So many CFOs are becoming brand managers, sustaining
growth in their companies, while not taking any unnecessary
financial risk. (Nov 2001) |
|
THE SEE-THROUGH
CORPORATION
The Value Reporting
Revolution (Sep 2001) |
|
CHINA RULES
When it comes to China, CFOs are often
called upon to set goals that seem insane in their home market.
More than anywhere else in the world, they play catch-up to
top-line dreamers. That's because China is still viewed as a
trove in a world where the treasure has dried up. Yet two thirds
of all multinationals are losing money in the People's Republic.
Caught between delusions of grandeur and hard realities, CFOs
become a different breed in China than their counterparts in
the West, often more willing to 'push the grey line' in order
to build the bottom line. (Jul
2001) |
|
DARKNESS
BEFORE THE DAWN
Japan seems
unable to dig itself out of its self-made hole. Michael Porter
of Harvard's Business School studied Japan's failures as well
as its successes. His conclusion? Japan is not a special case
among nations, but rather a country that has prospered in spite
of its government's activist policies. (Jun
2001) |
|
FEAR
OF FLYING
As business conditions
worsen, CFOs are tightening travel and entertainment budgets.
Corporate road warriors are feeling the pinch. (May
2001) |
|
MAKING DIVERSITY
PAY
Stick to your knitting
or expand your core competencies? Randy Myers takes a look at
the options. (May 2001) |
|
BREAKING
AWAY
CFOs across the region
are learning to unlock shareholder value by spinning off parts
of their businesses. Here's how it's done. (Sep
2000) |
|
JOINT VENTURES
IN CHINA
China Unicom signed
agreements with foreign companies to help develop cellular and
wire-line networks throughout China. But now the government
is forcing them out. Here's how one company plans to fight rather
than take its money and run. (Apr
2000) |
|
P.O.V.:
BANKING ON FAITH
Banks advise
their customers not to cross-subsidize low-yielding businesses
with profitable ones. They should follow their own advice, argues
one CFO. (Apr 2000) |
|
CHINA'S
NEW COLD WAR
With China's expected
entry into the World Trade Organization, the real confrontation
between multinationals and Chinese companies is about to begin.
For the first time, the battle for market turf will be on equal
terms. That's why CFOs in the companies making white goods -
refrigerators and other appliances - are already engaged in
a pitched battle to put competitors in cold storage.
(Feb 2000) |
|
GOOD GUYS
FINISH FIRST
For Asian companies
that have adopted strong internal controls since 1997, the bottom
line is looking better and investors are paying higher premiums
for their stocks. (Feb 2000) |
|
PROTECT THOSE
ASSETS
What CFOs can do to
battle trademark and copyright infringers. (Jun
1999) |
|
THE GAME OF
THE NAME
A number of CFOs in
Asia are finally starting to work with marketing heads to boost
brand value. (Nov 1999) |
|
RISKY BUSINESS
A new international treaty against
bribery could land some finance managers in jail.
(Mar 1999) |
|
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