We have completed a variety of intelligence reports for clients during late 2012 and early 2013. 

Read about how we provide insight, information and perspectives about markets and competitors.

The research focus means we are ideally positioned to:

• provide insight, information and perspectives about markets and competitors
• monitor trends and innovations
• collate and analyse data

Read about some recent reports

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Until now, Chinese companies have enjoyed a high growth rate mainly due to price advantages but they now face the new challenge of how to scale their businesses globally. This involves not only establishing the necessary infrastructure, including distribution networks, an integrated supply chain and an international, multi-cultural team but also global sales and R&D teams. Currently about three-quarters of companies operate only through export agents rather than through business units they might have set up.

True organic global growth can only be achieved by full integration into target markets which means more than just relying on exports as this tends to limit companies to low-margin products. However, it is also more than just setting up subsidiaries across the world. To gain access to a larger part of the value chain, Chinese companies will need to establish their integrated business divisions across the world alongside a sustainable supply chain. Good corporate governance will also be critical to allow Chinese companies to develop relationships with partners and customers. This will involve understanding the complex international business environment and its range of cultures, political views and policies and economic elements.

To succeed in the international market place, Chinese companies will have to develop and nurture relationships with a range of stakeholders, whether they are governments, communities, suppliers, partners or customers. Building this trust and buy-in into their brands will involve strong corporate communication to promote the value proposition to these external stakeholders. Taking this a step further and as part of the plan for market entry, companies will also have their public affairs teams establishing government relations to allow trading within the target country. Combined with a competitive communication strategy, these companies will be able to promote their brands and value as dependable business partners and good community players from which they can gain market share.

A more recent change is the changing view that the growth of large emerging countries puts too large a strain on resources as well as the environment which is not maintainable. China has no choice but to follow sustainable development especially as it manages its global image but also the health of its own people who are now dealing with high rates of cancer. The rate of China’s industrialisation is faster than any other country has experienced but it is also happening at a time when competition is high and resources are low. It therefore makes common business sense for companies to manage their resources, supply chains and workforce in order to limit waste and increase productivity and efficiency. This will impact the bottom line with hard results and has the added benefit of endorsing Chinese companies onto the global stage.

Another important aspect of the globalisation strategy is to set up a leadership team who understands these issues and can implement a global vision. They should be multi-cultural with international work experience, a strong understanding of building out sustainable and integrated distribution networks as well as the ability to operate at the level of multi-nationals and manage partnerships with these. They must be able to understand local hubs, how to attract talent and manage resources and innovation. By leveraging a strong team and creativity, combined with an integrated and sustainable global presence, Chinese companies will transform their businesses and offer a wider range of new opportunities for customers and other businesses across the world.

 By Anne Duvaux

March 2012

Mining companies do however need to think long and hard before entering new locations. They must have a strategy to engage with local government and community leaders to ensure they are able to positively contribute to local economies and not exacerbate local conflicts. One of the ways mining supports conflict is when international standards are ignored or when minerals are exported out of a region with little or no benefit to the mined area.

 Mining organizations, NGOs and governments need to work together to engage with local communities to ensure that standards are adhered to and unethical and illegal activity is reported and subsequently punished.  The more communities and mining companies pull together and harness their synergies the closer mining moves towards becoming a conflict free industry.

by Nichole McCulloch

February 2012

• UN Global Compact: unglobalcompact.org - the world’s largest voluntary corporate responsibility initiative
• Ethical Performance: ethicalperformance.com - monthly business newsletter about corporate social responsibility and socially responsible investment
• Carbon War Room: carbonwarroom.com - global organisation harnessing the power of entrepreneurs to implement market-driven solutions to climate change
• Guardian Sustainable Business: guardian.co.uk/sustainable-business - news and views for corporate sustainability professionals
• Stop Dodo: www.stopdodo.com - for global green and environmental jobs in the sectors climate change, ecology and sustainability

They found that over an 18 month period (November 2009 to July 2011) 503 different companies generated 676 alerts. 

The findings showed that most incidents were linked to social issues (65%) with over 40% of alerts being generated for occupational health and safety incidents. 

In China ESG issues impact stock performance and this study shows that integrating ESG factors into investment strategy is imperative for mitigating risks and adding financial value to companies. 

Read the full report here

 January 2012

This report, independently researched by Verdantix for Wilbury Stratton, explains how today’s sustainability risks and opportunities should affect corporate decisions.

Aims

The purpose of this report is to help Board Directors and senior managers involved in implementing sustainability strategy to better anticipate the organisational enhancements needed to achieve positive business results.

Introduction

Across all industries, Board Directors grapple with the need to define a strategy and implement a plan that answers questions related to sustainability.

The terminology used to describe sustainable business varies by industry, and the relative priority of economic, environmental and social factors is influenced by sector-specific issues.

However, Board Directors need to articulate a vision for how their firm will respond to global consumerism, long-term access to basic resources, social change from urbanisation, environmental and eco-system degradation and the role of big business in society. 

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Objectives

The overall objective of this role was to shape and deliver an enhanced level of policy development and global engagement on a range of issues of central importance to the business.

Research Strategy

This was a challenging position as the role could be based anywhere geographically as long as the candidate was located near a major airport. This meant that the talent pool was much larger than for a normal Retained Search as there were no global restrictions.

The client wanted to explore a cross section of industries including Mining, Oil & Gas, Pharmaceuticals and Heavy Engineering. Wilbury Stratton researched all of these industries extensively and supported this by exploring potential candidates within NGOs and government bodies.

Roadmap

Wilbury Stratton initially identified 130 individuals from all parts of the world including Sudan, USA, Canada, United Kingdom, Chile and Australia.  

The search was narrowed down by focusing on high risk and heavily regulated industries. Wilbury Stratton looked at issues that were key to the client including resources, nationalism, human rights and climate change and focused specifically on people who had a track record in these policy pieces.

15 candidates were selected for interview with a variety of backgrounds and experience, and from a range of different industries.

Outcomes

The appointed candidate came from the Foreign Commonwealth office where she was the Director of Global and Economic Issues. The candidate demonstrated strong ‘on the ground’ experience within emerging countries and had substantial exposure to governments within the key policy initiatives that were important to the client. The role is now based in London. 

November 2011

Objectives

Wilbury Stratton was asked to identify the key players for the overall project with experience of design and build leadership capability. The key elements of these requirements were a strong understanding of the design and construction of large scale aviation or infrastructure developments in the Middle East, and the coordination and leadership of multi-location design expertise.

Campaign Plan

The aim of the campaign was to find highly qualified expatriates with proven aviation project delivery experience within the Middle East, North Africa or comparable locations.

We decided to target professionals from competitor organisations with two specific skill sets in mind:

• Experienced professionals involved in the design leadership of aviation projects based at their firm’s corporate head office locations in Europe, America or Australia.
• Project Managers working with competitors at their firm’s international project locations, with specific focus on aviation projects we knew were coming to a close, or were based in an unusual location.

 Research Strategy

Wilbury Stratton’s Built Environment Practice has 40 years of experience working with international engineering firms on large scale property and infrastructure developments. This experience combined with the research into on-going Aviation projects and conversations with the client, helped us develop a comprehensive list of target organisations across the globe.

The main challenges within the research phase of the project were identifying individuals who had delivered projects to a similar scale to our client’s development as well as the coordination of intercontinental design expertise.

Roadmap

Over 100 executive engineers were identified and approached regarding the roles in Europe, Middle East, Africa, Asia and the United States. The most suitable individuals were interviewed with regard to their suitability and interest in the role, their technical and leadership ability as well as personal circumstances and ability to relocate.

• After benchmarking and evaluation, candidates were presented to the client with our recommendations.
•  Suitable Candidates were then flown to the project location for interviews with the client and the aviation authority.
• Selected candidates were identified and managed throughout the offer and acceptance process to ensure compliance to project timescales.
• The successful candidates were assisted and supported throughout relocation to fully prepare the individuals and their families for the process and end location.

Outcomes

Successful candidates came from the UK, US and UAE. The overall projects leader was the head of the global aviation engineering practice for a competitor’s operations in London. With 25 years of in-depth engineering experience he had delivered aviation projects in Europe, Africa and the Middle East.

The first leadership role was successfully filled by a candidate from New York who had designed aviation developments across the US, Canada and Asia. He was employed as a principal with one of the world’s most reputable engineering consultancies. The second leadership position was filled by a technical director who coordinated two international design offices in the UAE and Manila for a specialist British consultancy.

These individuals are currently involved in the delivery of one of the Middle East’s largest aviation developments which is scheduled to be completed by 2014 and have the capacity to handle 12 million passengers annually.

 October 2011