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Monthly
Newsletter
July 2010
Editors’ choice
Five global forces that will reshape business
A major new McKinsey research effort to spot the trends that will define the coming era has identified five forces, or “crucibles,” of innovation where the stresses and tensions will be greatest and the opportunities for smart strategy most promising. “Global forces: An introduction” is a primer on this work. As the research advances, we will update our new global-forces compilation page, which includes related thinking in text and multimedia formats.
In the public debut of the research, we’re focusing on one of the five forces: the great rebalancing that is under way in the world economy now that emerging markets are asserting their clout as consumers and as business and product innovators. “Globalization’s critical imbalances” explores the way financial crises may accelerate this rebalancing. “Building a second home in China” examines how companies can benefit from a presence in the world’s most dynamic economy.
This month’s highlights
STRATEGY
When companies underestimate low-cost rivals
Attackers are threatening premium players in market after market—and not only at the low end.
ORGANIZATION
Unlocking the elusive potential of social networks
To realize the marketing promise of virtual activities, make them truly useful for consumers.
ECONOMIC STUDIES
Economic Conditions Snapshot, June 2010
It’s been a tough two months for the world economy, especially in the eurozone, but most respondents predict that their companies will continue to grow. Also, be sure to look at our continually updated interactive exhibit, “What executives think about the economy: 2004 to now.”
Africa: A continent on the move
While the global meltdown has shown that great risks lurk in even the most transparent economies, many African nations have brought inflation under control, opened the door to international trade, and improved the regulatory environment. These countries do face many challenges, particularly in health care, water quality, and climate, but the surprising thing is that they can all be ameliorated or even controlled.
The following selected articles from our two new packages on Africa—about doing business there and improving the lives of Africans, respectively—tell a story that few people elsewhere know.
The case for investing in Africa
The continent is now growing much more rapidly than the OECD nations. It may well be on the cusp of a reversal of fortunes.
Assessing Africa’s business future: An interview with the CEO of Absa
In this video interview, the chief executive of one of South Africa’s largest financial-services companies discusses the state of business in the continent.
Capturing Africa’s business opportunity
In the aftermath of the global crisis, Africa no longer seems uniquely risky. The opportunities are huge.
Sizing Africa’s business opportunities
Strong prospects await global companies that invest in the continent’s consumer, agricultural, natural-resource, and infrastructure sectors. [includes related audio]
Three practical steps to better health for Africans
A new model to make health care more accessible to Africa’s people is not only possible but affordable.
Saving mothers’ lives in Namibia
Namibia’s ongoing efforts to improve maternal health offer lessons for other countries, as well as for health programs tackling conditions such as HIV/AIDS, malaria, and tuberculosis. Don’t miss the accompanying video, “Improving maternal health in Namibia: An inside look.”
View our complete recent coverage of Africa, including articles from these two packages and from the growth package featured in last month’s newsletter.
Visit the McKinsey & Company Web site to download a PDF of the print anthology McKinsey on Africa: A continent on the move.
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Also new
A regulatory squeeze on Europe’s banks?
Older, smarter, more value conscious: The French consumer transformation
How US multinationals drive economic growth [includes related audio]
Chart Focus
Forecasting the supply of doctors
Few health care systems accurately forecast how many different kinds of doctors they will need. New techniques, for example, have cut demand for bypass surgery—and the surgeons who perform it. The United Kingdom recognized this trend late, so the average number of operations they undertake fell by 88 percent from 1998 to 2007.
Help us with our research
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A Webinar Invitation from Gary Hamel and the Management Innovation eXchange (MIX)
Join McKinsey Quarterly contributor and MIX cofounder Gary Hamel in a series of live webinars focused on reinventing management for the 21st century. Session one, “Lighting the Fires of Management Innovation,” takes place on July 20 and explores the first steps toward creating organizations fit for the future. Learn more and sign up. (Registration on the MIX site is required.)
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