"Competing For The Global Middle Class" Is Most Read Among Thought Leaders

White Space Newsletter, Issue 21, February 2012

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So what do clients read? A little while back we told you about our latest thought leadership digests - quarterly summaries of the best research and ideas from consulting firms for leaders in six different functions. The latest editions have been in the hands of our target audiences for at least two weeks now and, thanks to the URL shortening service 'bitly', we've tracked what has been read. Cue drumroll... Unable to maintain the suspense, we're forgoing reverse order and starting with the winner this quarter - Booz & Company. Its report Competing for the global middle class has been opened over twice as many times as any other - an impressive result. However, in some ways not a surprising one. From our other research strands, we know that clients are seeking to better understand what the changing demographics of emerging and developing markets mean for them. And what this article does well is focus on the issues relevant to businesses - product and service lines and operating models - rather than put forward yet another generic economic discussion. Although not quite in the same league, Booz & Company's article Managing the global enterprise in today's multipolar world also received a significant number of hits, particularly from the readers of our strategy digest. The second theme that was popular with our readers this quarter was decision making. Yet again, Booz & Company came out top with The decision making flaw in powerful people tapping into broad concerns about the effectiveness of decision making and, we suspect, the desire in many of us to have some evidence to support our sneaking suspicions about those in charge. Our operations digest readers were also keen to click through to the Bain article on this theme: How organisations make great decisions. Honourable mentions must also go to Roland Berger for whom The trend compendium 2030 proved a hit with marketing folks and KPMG'sThe price isn't right which was well received by finance. HR readers liked the look of PwC's Recruiting and managing the millennial generation. As far as our IT readers are concerned, they are apparently still open to reading new material on the cloud and KPMG's Clarity in the cloud hit the spot for many. Obviously, whilst we know which articles have been most opened, we don't know from bitly which of these articles have been read through to the end. However, our White Space quality ratings, coming out next month, consider all aspects of thought leadership not just immediate appeal and will give a perspective on who is most likely to keep readers engaged.

Gordon Chang, Shaun Rein – Two Sides of the Same Coin- Someone Get Fallows In Here

Technomic Asia, January 2012

Click below to read the post at Technomic Asia blog:

Gordon Chang, Shaun Rein – Two Sides of the Same Coin- Someone Get Fallows In Here

Excerpt:

The smartest writers, pundits, business people and academics I know all see that China can be all of the above, none of the above and everything in between.

Read James Fallows of The Atlantic, Stan at China Hearsay, Andrew Hupert, Ian Bremmer, Ann Lee, Janet Carmosky, Malcom Riddell, Bill Russo, Richard McGregor, Avery Booker, Bill Dodson, Charles at China Geeks, James McGregor, Peter Hessler, Kent Kedl, Tom Lassiter, Ben Shobert or Dan Harris at China Law Blog for starters. All voices who I owe a great debt to for having taught me so much about China and who consistently provide balanced views.

Can GM Leverage China as a Global Platform for Growth?

Investor Conference Call, Thursday, February 2, 2012, 10AM EST

About The Call

• GM sold 2.55 million vehicles in China during 2011, an increase of 8.3% over the previous year in its largest global market.  Impoortantly, GM outperformed the industry growth of 2.5% by leveraging a business model that is designed to deliver products well suited to the needs of the market.  The country represents huge potential for the OEM and importantly, a solid platform into the rest of Asia. Clearly, the SAIC-GM JV is working, effectively combining local market knowledge with world-class technology and design. Looking forward, GM’s ability to offer a wide range of products for its Chinese customers, from premium, high-end Buicks to mid-market Chevrolets and entry-level cars like the Baojun 630 Sedan is likely to fuel continued success for years to come.
• With our expert, William Russo, we’ll explore how GM has successfully established itself in China and its road-map for the future to include brand, product, business and globalization strategy. We’ll evaluate demographic shifts in China and the OEM’s ability to meet consumer needs through a broad showroom lineup, addressing both price and image concerns. We’ll assess the competitive landscape in China relative to foreign and domestic players and conclude with a near to mid-term outlook for GM’s performance. 

SHABNAM BOETTLE VP & Senior Director Global Research Intelligence 646-695-3283

MICHAEL COHEN Director Global Research Intelligence 646-783-6052

CARLA SISON Director Global Research Intelligence 646-695-3281

General Motors in China 2012

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