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The Asia Business Council’s third annual survey, conducted in September and October 2008, revealed members’ economic outlook and investment plans, as well as perspectives on 56 issues in the areas of energy and the environment, finance and business, macroeconomic and geo-political developments, and social trends affecting the Asian business environment and the executives’ own businesses. Highlights of the survey findings are as follows:
For the full report, please click on the link below: Asia’s Chief Executive Perspectives (2008) (PDF)
Buildings account for around 30 percent of the world’s total energy consumption and a similar percentage of the world’s greenhouse gas emissions. But most buildings in Asia are surprisingly inefficient at using energy for lighting, heating and cooling. More than half of the world’s new construction is taking place in China and India alone, yet the potential for efficiency gains in the building sector is largely being squandered. Many of the costly and environmentally damaging power plants now being built to fuel Asia’s growth could be avoided with better policies and practices. The Asia Business Council in late Autumn 2007 released a book on the problems and opportunities in this area. This ground-breaking study, which includes interviews with more than 70 experts, looks at how large energy savings can be achieved in Asia through better building design and operation—and highlighting what businesses and governments are doing now as well as what should be done to realize both economic and environmental benefits. More on Building Energy Efficiency Building Energy Efficiency Fact Sheet (PDF) Why Green Buildings are Key to Asia’s Future—and Why More Aren’t Being Built (PDF) Corporate Social Responsibility Corporate social responsibility increasingly has become a central business issue. Businesses are increasingly integrating social and environmental issues into their strategies and operations, to help them navigate a world in which the Internet, text messaging and other technologies magnify any misstep. Asian businesses are increasingly putting their stamp on the global CSR debate. From climate change to product safety to global labor standards, Asian business leaders are shaping the international response to some of the pressing issues facing the world. This study, produced by the Council in collaboration with Business for Social Responsibility, a San Francisco-based business association with offices in Beijing, Guangzhou, Hong Kong, New York and Paris, looks at some of the key CSR issues for Asian companies. For the full report, please click on the link below: Corporate Social Responsibility (PDF)
Aron Cramer, Chief Executive Officer, Business for Social Responsibility Marjorie Yang, Chairman, Esquel Group Francis Yeoh Sock Ping, Managing Director, YTL Corp. Toshio Arima, Director, Fuji Xerox Co. Asia’s Chief Executive Perspectives (2007) The Council’s second annual survey, conducted in September- October 2007, found increasing (and, as it turned out, well-founded) concern among members about the global economy. Other issues of concern were of a long-term nature. These included:
For the full report, please click on the link below: Asia’s Chief Executive Perspectives (2007) (PDF) Asia’s Chief Executive Perspectives (2006) Asia’s Chief Executive Perspectives (2006) (PDF) The Council conducted its first annual survey of members in October 2006. This poll is designed to gauge Asian business leaders’ views on regional and global issues. The 2006 survey found that access to a high quality workforce is the top issue for business and that energy and environmental issues are of critical importance to the region. Intellectual Property Rights (PDF) Intellectual Property Rights is a critical business issue facing the global corporate community. The Council’s work on IPR consists of two parts – first, to lay the groundwork, we commissioned an overview of the subject from a global perspective. Overview attached. Council members felt that more work needs to be done. We are now working on a project that will seek to understand how Asian companies are dealing with creating, managing and protecting their own intellectual property rights and what regulatory contexts can assist them. In the fall of 2004, the Council held a workshop that provided a platform for our members to share their experiences and exchange insights on branding in Asia. The workshop highlighted that branding is more than a marketing function—it is a powerful tool for aligning organizations and evaluating operational capabilities. Our members also explored various ways a CEO can drive a firm’s branding efforts and tackle various business challenges through the lens of brand strategy. The report, Branding in Asia, captures our members’ perspectives and offers examples of how they have used brands to address consumer loyalty and institutional effectiveness. Succeeding in the constantly changing marketplace requires preparation for a full range of uncertainties. Will China continue its growth path? Will the United States continue to be Asia’s key economic driver? Will terrorism and health-related issues derail Asia’s economic achievements? To better understand Asia’s current and medium-term challenges, members of the Asia Business Council undertook a scenario planning exercise and thought expansively about what the future may entail for the region. The effort linked future uncertainties to decisions that should be made today to enable better decision-making. It also provided us a set of tools and framework to think about various scenarios that may affect Asia. This report explains our process and our findings. The Private Sector's Dialogue with Government The Asian Business Community and the WTO (PDF) The evolving relationship between the private sector and government is of great importance to the Asia Business Council. We believe it is critical to benchmark the current relationship between business and government in terms of policymaking with the aim of ascertaining whether the status quo warrants change. To achieve this goal, the council studied the influence of the private sector in setting trade policy vis-à-vis World Trade Organization negotiations across a number of Asian countries, Europe and the United States. This study provided Council members with an important window into the way companies currently influence trade policy in Asia. The review does not imply that the Asia Business Council will take positions on trade issues. In this instance, trade was used as a tool to understand how the private sector engages with governments. Corporate governance is an important area of focus for international business leaders. And yet, certain fundamental questions still need to be answered. Is there an “Asian” view on corporate governance that differs from the guidelines currently being promoted by international organizations and U.S.- based institutional investors? How much, or which aspects of the Western model, are appropriate for Asian corporations? Answering these questions is essential before Asian business can develop a response to the call for adherence to international standards of corporate governance. Through a task force on this topic, the Asia Business Council compiled a report which mapped the current legal, corporate and cultural context for governance across the region. The task force identified constraints on change and recommended a set of guidelines for our members that they can take to enhance their companies’ operations. As our members understand the practical implications of change on their companies’ operations as well as on shareholders’ value, our work includes a practical application that is sometimes lacking. Education and Continued Economic Growth in Asia Training and Competitiveness: An Asian Firm Perspective (PDF) Education is critical to continued economic growth and development. In a recent Time magazine article, Tharman Shanmugaratnam, Singapore’s Senior Minister of State for Education said: “The existing education system has produced reliable managers for predictable times, but it now needs to produce a new breed of leaders who have a certain ruggedness, an ability to respond quickly to situations.” Business leaders across the region know that new and improved educational systems and employee skills will be critical to sustained growth. In 2002, the Asia Business Council endeavored to understand how the private sector can effectively contribute to creating knowledge based societies, training and education both at the policy and the programmatic levels. Mission | Membership | Research | FAQ |
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