The Big Awakening Caused By Two Words: Transformation and Resilience

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Financial Times editor and founder of FT Forums, John Thornhill, spoke with Microsoft chief executive and the FT's Person fo the Year for 2019, Satya Nadella.  Below is the edited transcript of their discussion but here is a quick snippet of one of Satya's many comments:

These two words “transformation” and “resilience” through digital tech have [been] the big awakening . . . whether it’s a retailer or even a small retailer, who is able to now do curbside pick-up as a way to continue their business operations or a manufacturer or even a midsize manufacturer being able to do lights-out [fully automated] manufacturing.

Read the full interview here.

For Global SMEs, Transformation is a Strategic Necessity

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As the recent study by Oxford Economics, sponsored by SAP, says, "SMEs [small and medium- sized businesses] are thinking and acting globally, competing with rivals of all sizes, and investing aggressively in technology to improve operations and make themselves more nimble."

For most [global] SMEs, transformation is understood as a strategic necessity, and perhaps as a key to survival.  Nearly two-thirds say they must transform to stay ahead of the competition, and over half say that technology developments are making traditional ways of doing business obsolete. 

Read the study:  How successful SMEs are reinventing global business.