Insights

Three quarters of business leaders would pay more taxes in exchange for greater clarity from authorities on what is acceptable. And while few expect a global agreement any time soon, the majority would like to see their governments take unilateral action to help achieve this aim.

The slump in oil prices has its winners and losers. Jim Menzies, global leader for the food and beverage sector at Grant Thornton, says the outlook is good for food and beverage companies. While Linda Beal global leader for the oil and gas sector at Grant Thornton, says, oil and gas companies are facing significant challenges.

In light of growing international interest and scrutiny of corporate practices we set out to explore how three major aspects of governance – the role of culture, board composition and strategic planning – are affecting businesses around the world.

Although some see International Financial Reporting Standards (IFRS) as a regulatory burden, the evidence suggests that global standards actually oil and accelerate the wheels of global economic growth. Andrew Watchman explains.

At the G20 summit in Australia last November, global leaders reaffirmed a commitment they made in 2010 to tackle the negative impact of corruption on economic growth, trade and development. In this roundtable debate, Grant Thornton partners from Brazil, India and South Africa discuss how businesses can behave in an ethical manner and thrive, in spite of corrupt practices.

Sallie Stiens, director, global public policy, asks what the mayors of megacities can learn from the CEOs of growing businesses, and vice-versa.

Francesca Lagerberg says the global backlash against corporate tax avoidance means companies that trade across borders need to get their tax affairs in order sooner rather than later

Businesses need to open their eyes to the benefits of measuring and valuing natural capital says global leader for energy & cleantech Nathan Goode.

The second quarter of 2014 brought a raft of very cheery economic news. The pace of growth in China kicked back up to 7.5% following a mini-stimulus from the government which included speeding up infrastructure project approvals, tax relief and credit easing. The United States roared back after a particularly bitter winter to post 4.0% growth (at the annual rate). Spain was buoyed by news that growth had accelerated to 0.6% (from the previous quarter) and the unemployment rate has started to fall.

Sustainability is a buzzword of the moment. Whether as business leaders or consumers, we cannot escape from being told to consider the long-term implications of our actions or spending decisions.

The dangers of social media are clear, but the risk to a charity of not getting involved is far greater. A story that emerged during the research for our new report, ‘Growing communities: How charity leaders govern social media globally to thrive online’, illustrates this perfectly.

One of the greatest challenges with using social media strategically is measuring its success. Boards need to understand how social media is helping meet their strategic objectives and need to set goals and define success early in the planning stage. Measurement is crucial to understanding whether these goals have been achieved.

As the global economy slowly recovers its verve, so business leaders in the hospitality and tourism sector are looking at new ways to grow their operations. So says our International Business Report (IBR), which interviews around 150 senior executives in the sector globally every quarter.

Business growth indicators in the hospitality and tourism sector took a bit of a nosedive globally in Q1 according to our International Business Report (IBR). Expectations for increasing revenues, profits and investment all fell over the past three months.

The real estate and construction sector continues to make steady progress as it recovers from a financial crisis in which investors, developers and homeowners were disproportionately hit.

As the global economy slowly recovers its verve, so business leaders in the hospitality and tourism sector are looking at new ways to grow their operations. So says our International Business Report (IBR), which interviews around 150 senior executives in the sector globally every quarter.