Companies are dying fast these days. In the 1950s, the average age of a company on the Standard & Poor’s 500 index was 60 years, now it is less than 20. But International Business Machines (IBM), known as “Big Blue”, seems to be an exception. Over the past few decades, it has managed to keep up as others were dying and has successfully transformed itself. Now it has become a provider of cognitive solutions and cloud services. How has such a giant company managed to transform? Gill Zhou, chief marketing officer of IBM China, offers an answer in this interview with CKGSB Knowledge.
Brave Old World: Leading the Mature Company
Whether it’s the progress of technology, the rapid growth of the emerging markets, or the nature of capitalism to destroy and renew industries, the challenges of maturity have tended to be overlooked in recent years. Now, however, with many economies slowing down and the world’s population getting progressively grayer, this may need to change. In this series, we look at what it takes for businesses to navigate their middle years. In part 1, we explore what it takes to lead a mature company.
Chinese Outbound Investment in Technology: Bits, Bytes, and All Things Tech
What are the likes of Lenovo, Tencent, Huawei and Alibaba buying? A look at some of the most significant Chinese outbound investment deals in technology.
British Chip Designer ARM on How to Win in China
Allen Wu, chip designer ARMʼs Greater China President, on how the company is navigating Chinaʼs increasingly treacherous environment for foreign companies.
Brain Power: The Patent Buying Spree of Chinese Tech Companies
Chinese tech companies are stocking up on patent purchases, but is it anything more than share price padding?
China Roundup: Transformers in China; Tencent’s stake in 58.com; and Hon Hai dumps Huawei
The week that was: Transformers raked in the riches in China; Chinese brands stole market share from global brands; Tencent picked up a stake in China’s Craigslist 58.com; and the exchange rate for the RMB was further liberalized. Transformers in China: Age of Prosperity Michael Bay’s latest movie doesn’t have the apocalyptic undertones in China […]
CHINA ROUNDUP: Chinese GDP growth target at 7.5%; more austerity measures; and war on smog
The week that was: Beijing hosts the annual CPPCC and NPC meetings; Chinese GDP growth target for 2014 announced; austerity measures in full force; and solar cell company heads for China’s first corporate bond default. All eyes this week, understandably so, are on Beijing where delegates from all over China have gathered for the two […]
3D Printing: Life in 3D
Prophets of doom say 3D printing will overturn manufacturing in China. They are both right and wrong. Wisps of smoke rise from nowhere as an invisible beam silently traces a path inside one of the three-dimensional (3D) printers at Beijing Longyuan Automated Fabrication System (AFS). The printer is in the early stages of making a […]
CHINA ROUND-UP: Workforce Shrinks Again; Lenovo Buys IBM Server; And Big Four Auditors Barred
The week that was: China workforce declines two years in a row; trust product distributed by ICBC faces default; Lenovo strikes China’s biggest tech deal by buying an IBM branch; and the Big Four’s China affiliates are barred from US businesses. Lenovo buys another piece of IBM Nine years after the iconic brand of ThinkPad changed […]
Lady Lynn Forester de Rothschild on Reinventing Capitalism
Lady Lynn Forester de Rothschild, CEO of E.L. Rothschild and Co-Chair of the Henry Jackson Initiative for Inclusive Capitalism, believes that capitalism is not a lost cause. It only needs long-term thinking and a more human face Can capitalism be fixed? Ever since the financial crisis, scholars and academics have been pondering over this vexing question. […]
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