Lots of people talk about “thinking global, acting local”. This guy does a good job of putting it into practice. He paints a clear picture that runs from the strategic rise of China to the practical need for better education, less regulation, more environmental responsibility, and more socially-inclusive wealth creation.
Category archives: Social
Big Picture — December 2011
When the managing director of the IMF, Christine Lagarde, issues warnings like this: “There is no economy in the world, whether low-income countries, emerging markets, middle-income countries or super-advanced economies that will be immune to the crisis that we see not only unfolding but escalating.” [Source] it is time to take stock of where we are …
Organic can feed the world
As we switch our focus for a while from problems to solutions, organic farming may seem an odd place to start. But having enough to eat is a strategic requirement for any future business. And farming is a business too. So, with falling stocks of natural fertilisers, and escalating prices for the fossil fuels used …
The next agro-industrial revolution
The Earth is full and over the past ten years increasing demand from emerging markets has erased all the resource-price declines of the last century. A new report from McKinsey says three key trends look set to make this situation more difficult and more volatile: people in developing nations are looking to increase their standards of living, …
The story of dirt
This movie tells the story of dirt. It is relevant to your business because it shows how current farming practices are destroying topsoil, increasing the likelihood that your employees, your suppliers, and your customers, will not have enough food to eat. And as one participant puts it, “here’s this 120 year window in which we …
As financial systems and economies worsen, innovation comes from an unlikely source
After some apparently good news yesterday, the news today has turned distinctly sour. As stories in the FT show: The world’s financial systems still seem to be getting worse, not better European solutions seem to be tinkering at the edges The ‘real’ economy is becoming increasingly volatile Innovation is needed
Drivers of change
Chris Luebkeman, Director of Global Innovation and Foresight at Arup, talks about some of the key drivers of change in our world: Key drivers of change that he mentions, to varying levels of detail, include: Congestion Genetic screening Sea level rise Affluence Ageing populations Single person households Connectivity Clickizens Trans-generational exchange Authenticity Accountability for externalities …
Snapshot of today
The US Federal Reserve has cut its growth forecast for 2012 from 3.5% to 2.7%, and is still predicting low inflation, but has not reduced interest rates. People who bet that market volatility would reduce after the eurozone agreement have been caught out by Greece’s announcement of a referendum. Now that the referendum has been …
Strike lifts copper price
Strikes at mines in Indonesia and Peru have led to the price of copper for three month delivery on the London Metal Exchange rising more than one percent. http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/91ced962-f8a6-11e0-ad8f-00144feab49a.html
US debate on rich/poor divide continues
Temporary measures to raise States’ top levels of income tax, introduced in response to the recession, are expiring. But support for extending them is widespread, even among some high earners. http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/e80d6b60-f6a1-11e0-9381-00144feab49a.html