It appears that some CEOs risk diverting their attention towards big data at a time when existing information is not entirely managed effectively. No company is short of data, but in many instances current reporting does not support strategic decision making. Many existing systems capture too much of the wrong information and not at the right interval or level of frequency; severely limiting the company’s ability to respond readily to changing circumstances.
Reaching $50 a barrel was quite a landmark, however some traders are already betting on $20/barrel futures. Industry giants, such as Shell, Premier Oil, Statoil and Canadian Natural Resources, are now abandoning billions of dollars in exploration drilling projects. This current trend has caused a great deal of scrutiny towards capital spending across the energy sector.
Many workers in the manufacturing sector don't really care about what their company's mission is, suggesting that employees aren't engaged as they ought to be.
Achieving significant improvement in financial and operational results requires the following elements that promote organizational change:
Based on our past experience with clients, most internal cost-cutting initiatives are short-term and do not have a significant impact on an organization’s P&L. Once it is evident these initiatives are not viable, executives typically reconsider, abandon or relaunch them at a later date. Delays like these result in lost opportunities and missed chances to gain a competitive edge in the marketplace.
Corporations are bound by the rules of short-term earnings. It is a vicious cycle that repeats itself every quarter and consumes a significant amount of an executive's time. During this short window of time, the goal is to produce consistent and predictable results that will, in turn, deliver a strong share price and a higher valuation. In order to keep up, priorities typically shift to the day-to-day execution of operations
This December, Alexander Proudfoot set out to make the holiday shine brighter for children in need. In a joint effort with the United Way of Greater Atlanta, we provided gifts for the children of the Lilian Webb Learning Center.
In recent discussions with several former C-suite executives, we had a chance to ask them why internal teams typically struggle to accelerate performance initiatives when the opportunity arises. David Eldon, former Chief Executive and Chairman of HSBC said, “Internal improvement teams can deliver good value, but are subject to a number of drawbacks.”
Alexander Proudfoot recently had the pleasure of participating in this year's "Being Global" conference in Santiago, Chile. It proved to be an outstanding forum for Latin America's emerging business community to learn how to establish a global presence through the effective management of profitability, growth and leadership.
Critical to the success of every bank is creating a healthy balance between outstanding customer service and employee satisfaction. Establishing a customer-first mentality starts with developing a framework of processes, systems and behaviors that support the customer experience.
Safety nowadays is just as relevant in the oil and gas industry as it was 10 years ago. And, while the industry continues to make great strides to reduce the amount of job-related injuries, the reality is the same safety policies and procedures that have been in place for years are simply not enough to prevent fatalities. Based on our depth of experience working with oil and gas executives,
Providers must constantly assess internal operations and measure results to stay ahead of the game. However, our recent findings show that most insurers are not tracking metrics that accurately reflect consumer perception. Without this type of valuable insight, they have no way of knowing what to improve upon from a customer’s perspective.
Alexander Proudfoot would like to congratulate one of its Advisory Board members, Ozires Silva for winning the Personality of the Year Award from the Sales and Marketing Leaders of Brazil Association (ADVB).
International Foundry Forum, Venice, September 2014
Alexander Proudfoot’s Head of Global Supply Chain, Jaymie Forrest was a keynote speaker at the International Foundry Forum’s annual trade summit on the 26-27th September 2014 in Venice, Italy.
The ability to run operations at full capacity, and then sustain them, is a major challenge for the mining industry. Vital tasks, such as crushing and transferring minerals, are suffering because people and equipment are not being utilized properly. The end result is low productivity and the high costs that are associated with it. However, our recent findings show that it in many cases it is possible to increase productivity in mining between 20 - 40%, reduce supply costs between 10 - 15% and cut energy costs by 2 - 10% through effective asset management.
Last week, Alexander Proudfoot had the privilege of participating in this year's Kaiser Permanente Corporate 5K Run/Walk and Fitness Program. Approximately 80 employees from Proudfoot and its sister company, Kurt Salmon, participated in the event.
Our Natural Resources Practice recently hosted a Summit Meeting in London that culminated in a dinner with guest speakers Jim Gowans, Co-President of Barrick Gold and Steve Mueller, President and CEO Southwestern Energy. With natural resource extraction undergoing a fundamental transformation,
Knowledge transfer a must
In the natural resources industry, companies are faced with the daunting challenge of maintaining current production levels despite an industry-wide shortage of skilled workers. For example, the lack of college graduates specializing in mining operations
