Looking at the mere numbers, Burger King does look impressive. Burger King operates close to 11,000 franchises and owns close to 1,500 restaurants globally. It is present in 76 countries where 40 % of all of its restaurants are located. Unfortunately, 40 % of the restaurants abroad only generate about 30 % of the […]
In a recent post, Australian business blogger Andre Sammartino reports that South African grocer Pick’n’Pay has sold off its Franklins supermarkets (“Australia’s Original Discount Grocer”) to the biggest Australian grocery wholesaler Metcash. It’s not the first time that Franklins has been sold off after a somewhat unsuccessful takeover. In the late 1970s Franklins was sold to […]
It looks like Honda’s China troubles are over for now. Its Chinese joint ventures, Guangqi Honda Automobile and Dongfeng Honda Automobile, will resume operations after having made significant concessions to workers who went on strike mid-May. There were complaints of working conditions and low wages. Honda agreed to raise wages by 25 %. Yes, twentyfive […]
Consultant McKinsey & Company reports on two seemingly unrelated facts of the global business world: first, many transnational mergers go down the drains, and second, the age of Asia continues to dawn. At the intersection of these two topics, evidence is emerging that Asian companies approach post-M&A integration slowly and cautiously, sometimes to the extent […]
Having been in Iceland during the most recent eruptions of the volcano Eyjafjallajokull in Iceland has been an interesting experience, even with a view to international strategy. Academics and managers have come so accustomed to being in control that the only thing we worry anymore are issues that may be tricky, but still are manageable. […]
Tomorrow, the trial against four executives of the UK-Australian mining giant Rio Tinto will open in Shanghai. The executives have been charged with stealing commercial secrets and receiving bribes and are facing up to 20 years in prison. Both the protection of intellectual property and anti-corruption laws are important domains of the legal environment in […]