Coping With China’s Shifting Distributor Network
Distributing goods in China can be complicated and confusing. Although the China market is large, it is also highly fragmented. Achieving economies of scale can be elusive when distributors are […]
Stepping Up Innovation in China
The pursuit of innovation is changing business models in China. MNCs are addressing competitive challenges by localising innovation efforts. At a recent IMA CEO Forum meeting China CEOs cited numerous […]
Infrastructure Spending Propping up ASEAN Construction
The IMA Asia ASEAN Demand Watch reports look at the latest trends in specific industrial sectors across ASEAN. Our reports combine insights from three sources: Interviews with IMA Asia Forum […]
Beyond the Hype: Getting Ready for China’s Social Credit System
China’s Social Credit System (SCS) will fundamentally change the way business operations are regulated in China. It’s time to move past the dire warnings of a dystopian future and manage […]
Consumers Are Not of One Mind in Southeast Asia
This article is based on the findings of IMA’s Asia Demand Watch – ASEAN Consumers. Consumer demand remains a key driver of growth in Southeast Asia, but demand trends are diverging. The divergence […]
Cracks Appearing in China’s Consumer Confidence
This article is based on the findings of IMA’s China Demand Watch – Consumers. Cracks are starting to appear in China’s resilient consumer confidence and steady retail sales performance. Constraints […]
B2B Digital Distribution: Finding the Missing Customer
E-commerce has blazed like a wildfire through China’s consumer landscape, seeding digital-first enterprises and pushing legacy businesses to adapt or die. Chinese consumers’ fast adoption of all things digital, from […]
Compliance Redux: Vigilance is Essential in China
Seven years into China’s anti-corruption campaign, the pursuit of corporate malfeasance, conflicts of interest and fraud continues. After the 2014 GSK scandal, foreign firms were put on notice that a […]
MNCs are Restructuring Asia Pacific Operations (Again)
The push for innovation, the search for talent, and competitive pressures require that new entrants and long-established players rethink their Asia business strategies and organisation structure. Companies often restructure their […]
Powering Finance in China with Artificial Intelligence
In the next five years, experts predict CFOs in China will have a complete financial picture in real time on their phone. They will be able to scroll through the […]
Optimise or Transform with New Technologies?
It can be tempting to integrate new technologies such as AI, big data and blockchain in response to the relentless hype around them. As one IMA Asia member put it, […]
Segmenting China’s Market to Increase Profits
Foreign firms in China are reining in efforts to grab market share at all costs and are taking a hard look at their bottom line. In the past, growth businesses […]
Capturing a Slice of Southeast Asia e-Commerce Growth
E-commerce in Southeast Asia is poised for a boom in sales over the next five years but companies capitalising on the growth face significant challenges. A recent report by Google […]
B2B Distribution in China’s Digital World
The potential of digital technology to transform businesses is finally becoming a reality for B2B firms in China. Industrial players are increasingly entering the fray. They are testing new digital […]
Lifting Profits in China’s Ever More Demanding Market
When growth in China begins to sputter, executives often reflexively seek out new growth opportunities. For some premium industrial brands, this might mean making ‘good-enough’ products in order to chase […]
The Need for Innovation and Speed in China
China’s unique digital ecosystem is accelerating ‘the need for speed’, and the necessity to adapt to China’s environment of innovation. But HQ often clings to their own digital investments, even […]
Will Smart Cities drive Southeast Asia business?
Cities in Southeast Asia are getting ‘smarter’ and their higher IQ is driving new business for many companies in the region. Adoption of smart cities technology will boost economic growth […]
Unlocking Chinese Innovation and Speed-to-Market
Chinese companies have become known as masters of incremental innovations brought to market at blistering speed. Alibaba, Tencent and Huawei have aptly demonstrated what Chinese entrepreneurship can accomplish. Every day, […]
Accessing China’s Mountain of Gold Data
Personal data is equivalent to gold for brands seeking to reach China’s billion plus consumers. Two groups in China are accumulating mountains of data riches and they know the value […]
Is It a Trade War or Compliance Blitz?
Foreign firms in China are navigating a new, uncertain landscape thanks to tariffs, increased red tape, and the possibility of consumers turning against the US. For global executives, responding to […]