Internet Futures

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Predicting where technology could go is fraught with danger, but we should still explore possible futures and test our strategy against them. So World Must Prep for Bigger Net from Monitor looks a very useful resource. It is backed by Cisco research and scenario-based thinking from Global Business Network – and no, I’m not going to try second-guessing their findings!

www.strategydynamics.com

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Sovereign Wealth Funds march on

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Monitor reports further growth in activity by SWFs. Transactions throughout Q309 found transactions more than doubling in number from 11 in Q2 to 25 in Q3, plus a dramatic increase in value from $3.5 billion to $25.3 billion in Q3. Favoured sectors include engineering-related and raw materials industries. As I have noted before, these players could have a big impact on competitive conditions in affected industries, especially if they are active investors with poor strategic capability.

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Seismic shifts in demand

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Though over-hyping of strategy issues is unhelpful, some radical changes do need dealing with. In Taking Advantage of Tumultuous Times: Claiming the Future, Eamonn Kelly, a Monitor partner, highlights a few big shifts. Most of the discussion is general and it’s not clear exactly what management should do, but one issue – the vast numbers of emerging consumers – can be evaluated and built into strategic plans. There is a simple reason this trend can trigger ‘siesmic shifts’ in demand – if ...

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Sovereign Wealth Funds impact

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Have noted before the major role that Sovereign Wealth Funds may play as the global economy recovers, in particular those engaged in active management, not just passive investment, e.g. Mubadala Development Co from UAE. Reports from Monitor have much to say on this – Weathering the Storm and Testing Time. As I have urged before, strategy requires asking how the future might develop, so if you are in an industry where these ...

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More items on strategy in the crisis

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Amongst the continuing stream of articles on this, some good ones [I’ve left out some bad or downright dangerous ones] include:

Seven Ways Forward from Booz & Co’s strategy+business on, with specifics for Manufacturing, Consumer Products, Aerospace and Defense, Telecom, Finance, and general guidance on rebuilding capabilities for long-term growth.

Surviving the Downturn: Lessons from Emerging Markets from Sloan Mgmt Review [title self-explanatory]

Three Opportunities to Seize in the Downturn a blog post from Harvard Business ...

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