The BRIC Era (Brazil, Russia, India, China) – Storm on the Horizon
The emergence of these countries in international business has already begun to change our economy in many ways: competitive markets, the use and cost of resources, etc.
If our regional SMEs are well prepared, casualties may not be as serious. During the process, we might even uncover unexpected opportunities.
Within corporations, it is necessary to mobilize everyone: all functions must be involved. Investing in robotization will not be enough, especially if we do not have the means!
Here are a few examples of the expected involvement of certain departments:
Financial management will review all facets of the break-even point and costs and hold discussions with financial partners who might worry;
Sales and Marketing will inform the organization about new competition and the reaction of our current competitors;
Human Resources will review work allocation to reduce indirect costs and lower the break-even point;
Production management will identify improvement measures, propose a modernization program and most importantly, not invest blindly;
Purchasing will research ways to save and secure procurement sources if needed;
Lastly, in addition to coordinating all actions, general management and shareholders will review the corporation’s strategic positioning and research all forms of possible assistance such as consultants, partners, associations and government agencies (why not?).
When there’s a storm on the horizon, it’s not enough to simply call the machine room to increase engine power: the crew must be alerted and all hands work as a team to confront the storm.
