The Domino Effect

The Domino Effect

In business, there is a process called The Domino Effect. When one significant event occurs, it often sets off a series or chain of events. This appears to be what is happening in the Middle East and North Africa. One person in Tunisia started an uprising that brought down the country. The people of Egypt quickly saw that it was possible to protest (and win) and the second government fell. Now Libya is on the brink, and there are other countries, such as Saudi Arabia, Bahrain and Yemen, who are experiencing unrest as well. If the dominoes continue to fall, a dozen or so countries could ultimately see new leadership.

The strategic questions at this point are which countries are next? How far will the dominoes fall? Will a European country be one of the dominoes? What about a country in the Americas? These events warrant close watching as the global impact could be significant.

The implications of the revolutions could be significant for foreign affairs and trade for years, if not decades, in the future. New opportunities and new threats will be created. Time to revise the SWOTT analysis.

How can you strategically prepare to take advantage of any opportunities or mitigate any risks associated with the revolution?

NEW HORIZON’S 18TH ANNIVERSARY

THAILAND – March marks the beginning of New Horizon International Consulting LLC’s 18th year in business.

New Horizon wishes to thank its clients, affiliates, strategic partners and various stakeholders for the business relationships formed over the past nearly two decades.

To commemorate the occasion, New Horizon is launching a new program. S.A. Romeo, Founder and CEO of New Horizon states, “As companies begin to grow and expand coming out of the recession, the expectations for companies to perform will be greater.”

New Horizon has designed a management program that helps managers cut through the theory and utilize practical management skills in order to “get things done” and implement the strategic plan.

The management program is offered as a keynote address, half-day seminar and 2-day hands on training.

-30-

Uprisings in the Middle East and North Africa

As I write this post from Thailand, the local news is constantly breaking news about the unrest in the Middle East and North Africa.

One has to ask, why all these uprisings at this point in time? Has there been a strategic shift in power that is allowing the people of these countries to feel the need to stand up to leaders who have ruled for decades in some cases?

Strategic Alliances - It's a Relationship

Strategic alliances are distinctly different from mergers and acquisitions. I have just published a brief article describing how alliances are more relationship driven than mergers and acquisitions, which are more transaction oriented.

RECESSION EFFECTS

"The global recession has driven 100 million more people below the poverty line and has caused 61 million more people to lose their jobs world-wide in the past two years, says a new U.N. report that Secretary General Ban Ki-moon was to present to the General Assembly on Wednesday."

Source: The Wall Street Journal, Joe Lauria, Wednesday, September 23, 2009, p A-5.

UNLOCK-IT-FORUM

This past Thursday THE STRATEGY EXPERT served as a Solutions Provider at the Unlock-It-Forum. It was great to find nearly 100 business leaders getting together to positively discuss the opportunities ahead instead of negatively talking about the past economy.

I told the leaders that the opportunities that are out there today are greater than anytime, perpahs in the past 15 years. The playing field is "flatter" and small and medium-sized oragnizations now have a realistic chance of earning market share.

I think leaders are beginning to think strategically and plan for the next growth stage.

PREDICTION COMING TRUE

Earlier this year, the government announced that if it did not move forward with the stimulus package, the unemployment rate could go as high as 7.5%.

I predicted that if the federal government did move forward with the stimulus package, the unemployment rate would go as high as 10% to possibly 10.5%.

This week the official unemployment reached 9.7%. Closer to my prediction than that of the economists in Washington.