Special Reports

In 2012, 40 of the world's largest economic entities were public corporations, but it's a number that is down 20% since 2000. This special report explores why and how the distribution of corporate clout is shifting rapidly, with new players and models emerging. It's not enough though to have clout: companies need to start taking responsibility for a greater role in society, commensurate with their influence and impact, according to CEOs of leading global firms.

Of the world’s 100 largest economic entities in 2010, 42 (42%) are corporations. The largest, as in 2009 was Wal-Mart, whose 2010 revenues exceeded the GDPs of 171 countries making it the 25th largest economic entity in the world. Combined the revenues of the largest 5 energy companies were the equivalent of 2.5% of global GDP in 2010. The sheer size and influence of corporate entities means there is a need for them to take a more active role in addressing critical global challenges, individually and collectively. How are the shifts in corporate clout playing out? What does it mean for you?

Does the current obsession with short-term, quarterly results limit our ability to bring long-term thinking into today’s reality? If so, what does it take to bring Global Trends into our business planning today? Emerging patterns of competition in many industries suggest that with the pace of change in the environment and customer demands, there is no room for a company to focus only on the short-term. The challenge is how to strike the right balance in bringing long-term thinking into a short-term obsessed world. This series of articles is designed to help leaders businesses understand and address this challenge by applying some specific tools that we have found useful in practice.

If you are a banker, are you focused on the consumer of the future or the new regulations and rules on capital that will impact your operations? Following on from our Sepcial Report Who\'s Looking After Your Money?, we explore the implications of the democratization of personal finance for retail banking -- possibly one of the most significant challenges the industry has yet faced.

Free market capitalism is under fire, bank difficulties continue and the public has lost trust in financialinstitutions. Against this backdrop, the democratization of personal finance is gathering pace, creating a landscape where old banking rules no longer apply. Read this special report to find out more about the dynamics of change, the emerging personal finance landscape, and the new players competing to help you -- and your consumers -- look after their money.