June 2009
We work from a broad editorial palette at Outlook. Each table of contents reflects our mission to identify and explore the most pressing issues facing today's business and government leaders across a range of topics—from strategy to talent management to information technology.
As this issue's table of contents began to take shape, I was struck by the fact that the 10 articles, selected and assigned separately, were, in fact, all key elements of two larger and interconnected themes: the transformative impact of the current economic downturn and the rapidly changing shape of globalization.
Take consumer behavior, for example. One of the articles offers an in-depth look at how the volatility in discretionary spending brought on by the downturn is forcing retailers around the world to rethink everything from marketing to pricing.
Another article looks at ways companies can use the economic slump as an opportunity to refashion their organizations with the capabilities and people that can make their organizations more competitive.
And two pieces—one on the capital markets, the other on private equity—examine the fallout from the financial crisis and how it will affect the way companies raise money in the future.
These changes and adjustments also represent integral parts of the latest phase of globalization, in which competition in a multi-polar world is being waged in a number of crucial arenas, including consumption, talent and capital. "High performers are writing a new playbook for globalization," note the authors of an article that outlines three broad strategies for withstanding the short-term disruption of the downturn while laying the groundwork for long-term growth.
Competing successfully and ultimately achieving high performance begins at the ground level with an effective global operating model, a subject addressed in a companion article. And as shown by another piece, perhaps no country illustrates these themes more starkly than China: Although its companies are being battered by the recession, the country remains a central player in the global economy.
These are not short-term responses to the downturn. From capital markets to risk management, from talent management to consumer spending, they herald permanent changes in the way the world does business.
About the Author
David Cudaback
Editor-in-Chief, Outlook