Digitization may be necessary for many businesses'' continued success, but in our increasingly complex world, what companies really need to do is build new forms of competitive advantage and transform themselves for the future. And that requires fundamental changes in their top leaders--not just in individuals'' capabilities but in the way they collectively steer the ship. Drawing on their research at 12 prominent global firms, the .....more

Corporations are facing increased scrutiny over their political spending--particularly when their stated values seem to contradict their lobbying efforts. A 2020 report by the Center for Political Accountability offers abundant examples, including corporations that have publicly demanded racial equality while contributing to groups and candidates that promote racial gerrymandering and corporations that purport to be concerned about climate change .....more

Between 2013 and 2019, Natura undertook a set of initiatives to begin its digital transformation and accelerate the global expansion that resulted in it becoming the world''s fourth-largest beauty group. Along with its traditional door-to-door operation, Natura opened new channels including e-commerce, mobile apps, and physical stores, while it accelerated its international expansion with the acquisition of the Australian brand Aesop in 2013, .....more

Sudden outbreak of the COVID-19 epidemic in 2020 caught small- and medium-sized Chinese enterprises off guard, such as Ciyang Garment Factory (CY) in Zaozhuang City, Shandong Province. Many migrant workers could not come for work on time because of the outbreak, and Li Qiang-the founder and general manager of CY-felt uneasy about defaulting on orders and worried about future lawsuits. The experienced garment maker Liu Ning, who had been working in .....more

With the arrival of a digital era, digitalization has penetrated into every aspect of production and life, and brought many new opportunities and challenges. Under such circumstances, traditional enterprises have launched digital transformation one after another. It''s worthwhile to draw on the experience of these enterprises in addressing the pain points and difficulties encountered in their chosen strategic path and the progress of digital .....more

Founded in 1998, Tencent Holdings Ltd. (Tencent) is a pioneer in value-added internet services in China and was listed on the main board of the Stock Exchange of Hong Kong in June 2004. Tencent''s messaging and social networking platforms, WeChat and QQ, are leaders in internet instant messaging. Its business also includes the cloud, industrial internet, and interactive entertainment. The number of employees increased from a few dozen to over .....more

Heilongjiang Feihe Dairy Co., Ltd. (Feihe) was located in Qiqihar City, a medium-sized city in Heilongjiang Province, northeastern China. Situated in the golden milk source zone at 47 degrees north latitude, the city had been producing powdered milk products and sold them to domestic consumers for 58 years. However, the 2008 melamine incident (MLM) almost wiped out local brands in the domestic infant formula market and left a vacancy for foreign brands .....more

Small farmers in a big country" is an accurate portrayal of the tea industry in China. China''s tea industry chain links thousands of tea farmers and more than 70,000 tea-related enterprises. However, the highly dispersed structure of the tea industry restricts its development. Sunriver Holding Group Co. Ltd. ("Sunriver Group") started to invest in and acquire the time-honoured Keemun Black Tea Factory after signing an agreement .....more

Analysts have often compared Digital Transformation to an iceberg and a company embarking on it to a ship trying to manoeuvre the iceberg. Some facets of the transformation are easily visible, while others are under the water and difficult to identify and manage. Douglas Chia, Managing Director of g&m Insurance, was well aware of this theory when he embarked on his firm''s digital transformation journey. Chia had implemented small digital .....more

Bodega Aurrera, serving the base of the pyramid and Walmart''s main Mexican format, is considering launching a full eCommerce channel as Covid-19 has erupted in the country. In 2019, Bodega Aurrera accounted for 45% of revenues and 2,748 of Walmex''s 3,416 stores. Having introduced eCommerce with the high-income segments served by its Walmart and Superama formats, Walmart Mexico (Walmex) had slated an online channel for Bodega Aurrera .....more