The Economist Insights

CFOs may not always be the most publicly visible executives compared with CEOs and other senior leaders, but in a rapidly changing world full of new challenges and risks, finance executives can be the stewards who guide companies toward growth.

Last week The Economist said Alphabet’s Larry Page should write a “detailed, ringing rebuttal” of the viral anti-diversity memo sent by ex Google employee James Damore regarding Google’s Ideological Echo Chamber, here's how they imagine it.

Manufacturing is no longer just about the production line, manufacturing, and jobs in manufacturing, have changed in ways that mean that the old jobs will never return to the rich world, and because of these changes, working out how many people are employed in manufacturing is difficult.

Markets were focused on the Trump trade, with the new U.S. President Elect Donald Trump possibly bringing new risks to the forefront, as new trade agreements appear unlikely.

This report takes a closer look at the experiences of companies that trade with the US, focusing on trade-related infrastructure, customs regulation and payments and building on the findings of a survey and expert interviews.

New research conducted by the Economist Intelligence Unit on behalf of American Express found that forty-three percent of companies surveyed expect trade to increase by more than 10% over the next five years.

Rather than eliminating jobs, it’s far more likely that technologies and trends like 3D printing and crowdsourcing will have a positive impact on logistics and supply chain jobs.

New technologies and processes will only be as effective as the people who use them, and failure to appreciate the cultural obstacles to technology-led change will remain a recipe for falling behind.

The wrangling between the Panama Canal Authority and a Spanish-led consortium may soon be settled.

Almost seven out of 10 business leaders believe supplier risk analysis will become more complex as they expand into new global markets. That’s according to research by the Economist Intelligence Unit’s report Strategies for managing customer and supplier risks, sponsored by Dun & Bradstreet.

Some work toward a comprehensive Enterprise Risk Management system while others respond piecemeal by putting specialists in place to manage specific threats. Where does your company fall along this spectrum?