Analysis of a potential target country in which to operate. Market research and market entry preparations. Use of practical yet systematic analysis frameworks. Identification of valuable information and research sources. From research to networks to exploration | learning journeys. With a sober look at country-related risks.

An in-depth look at the competitive landscape of local and peer competitors. Matching value offer and competitive sensitivities in different industries from a cultural, administrative, geographic or economic perspective. Incumbents versus international competitors: (dis)advantages of global competitors.

How to compete and add value. Using a strength-based view on firm-specific resources,  capabilities and core competencies.  Applying Adaptation, Aggregation and Arbitrage strategies. Determining the organisation’s globalization readiness. Right-sizing company expectations.

Matching country and market with the firm’s/organization’s value offer to achieve scale and relevance. Performing a market attractiveness and prioritization analysis. Clustering geographies and value offer portfolios. Determining the overall risk portfolio.

Organisation Designs for Emerging Markets. Moving beyond structures. Designing and managing internal as well as external connectivities. Thinking about functional area strategies and operations. The role of the (regional) Headquarter. Effective set-up and use of Shared Service Centers.  Organising for and around volatilities.

Planning your local presence. Analysing local structures and dynamics. Developing EM Sales and Channel Management strategies. Taking a patient, long-term life cycle view.  Assessing affordable investments and macro-micro risks. Aligning RTM with the changes in market maturity.  Maintaining your brand, quality and reputational control.

Selecting and recruiting of distributors. Thoughtful designs of distributor’s functionalities and life-time co-operations. Building and maintaining operational effectiveness. Developing appropriate monitoring and control processes. Establishing mutual training and communication processes. Understanding and agreeing on pricing and margin management.

Understanding Emerging Market Supply Chain characteristics. Developing collaborative SCM orchestration. How to match innovation, business and supply chain strategies. Building long-term strategic supply chain resilience. Assuring operational effectiveness along internal and external supply chain nodes. Integrating and  training external partners.

The ability to manage across cultures. Defining social and cultural identities: ideas of man and nature. Describing cultural environments: descriptive models, cultural dimensions, global environments and clusters. The workplace as culture stomping ground: on strategy, leadership, decision finding and organizing. Practical implications for versatility and communication skills.

A look at leadership in the international context. Conventional notions of leadership and management. Leadership as a cultural and context-dependent phenomenon. Institutional and organizational environments and their potential impacts. The GLOBE Study. The art of boundary-spanning across leadership expectations.

Thinking about people development as »talent at all levels«. Combine proactive, long-term strategic processes and designs (> »Corporate Academy«)  with practical, on the spot operational implementation. Assuring top management team diversity. Building vocational and managerial | leadership skills for front-line workers and supervisors. Grow skills and talent from within, at home, abroad and with key partners. Foster appropriate diversity and inclusion.

Understanding advantages and special challenges of working across distances, cultures and countries. Building and leading global and dispersed teams. Leadership versatility in a global context. How to manage communication and maintain trust. Remote project management. Technology as enabler and its limits.

You got that far? Fantastic. What do you think of it? Interested? For business propositions  | inputs | exchange of ideas |  cooperations | pro bono please get in contact with me.

A practical look at innovation leverage points: creating or redesiging products + services for local needs; adjusting the business model to local environments; cost containment; and the thoughtful integration of new technologies. With a special focus on »frugal innovation« to serve the poor and emerging middle class people in Emerging and Developing Countries.

Studying and learning from Hans Rosling’s great book »Factfulness«, the Gapminder project [www.gapminder.org] and the concept of Life on Four Income Levels. Instincts at work and how to correct our mental landscapes on global facts: gap | negativity | straight line | fear | size | generalization | destiny | single perspective | blame | urgency. Get the book and study their website.

(x) Explore the fundamentals of business finance

(x) Cut through the myths and ‘jargon jungle’ of business finance

(x) Decipher financial reports and assess the financial health and viability of a business

(x) Uncover the three core financial statements – Income Statement, Balance Sheet and Cash Flow Statement – and learn how they help to run a business

(x) Delve into their key elements, from (sales) revenues to net income

(x) Learn about those central key finance/accounting concepts that really matter in business practice

(x) Understand your company’s business and operating model

(x) Uncover its business narrative(s): review history, understand markets and environment, competition

(x) Analyse its annual reports,financial statements and, if available, forecasts

(x) Obtain and study i external reports about industry and company

(x) Make business model and financial figures ‘match’ and ‘tell’ a coherent business story

(x) Create meaningful product portfolio groupings

(x) Identify key parameters for their future business relevance

(x) Evaluate the portfolio against these selected criteria and rank them

(x) Establish relevant financial criteria and benchmarks

(x) Assess and rank the portfolio under review

(x) Determine appropriate tactical and strategic actions for the future

(x) Study a visual representation and analysis of pricing factors, from ‘base price’ to ‘pocket price’ and ‘pocket margin’

(x) Break-down the components that affect the final price, including ‘on-invoice discounts’, ‘off-invoice adjustments’, ‘cost-to-serve’ and other costs

(x) Understand, categorise and assess price ‘leakages’ in your business; identify areas for improvement and make informed decisions to optimise profitability

(x) Use a tailor-made, concise framework creatively combining the traditional pricing waterfall concept with a modern strategic pricing design model

(x) Understand and practice the ‘mechanics of pricing’

(x) Assess the impact of price changes on profitability as a function of contribution margins/cost of goods sold

(x) Simulate concrete planned or possible pricing changes for your business

(x) All materials and training sessions are available in two languages

(x) English and German | Englisch und Deutsch

(x) Serves a dual purpose if required: business finance AND business language training

(x) Translation and other language services are available

(x) Alle Materialien und Trainingseinheiten sind in zwei Sprachen verfügbar

(x) Dient bei Bedarf einem doppelten Zweck: Finanztraining UND Sprachtraining

(x) In cooperation with Young Translations Language Solutions (see www.young-translations.com/en/)