A CEO guide to today’s value creation ecosystem
The drivers of enterprise value extend beyond financial productivity — and as disruption intensifies, businesses must adapt to avoid value destruction.
Issue 103, Summer 2021
Cover story
In this issue
A leadership agenda to take on tomorrow
PwC’s 24th Annual Global CEO Survey reveals the opportunities and threats shaping company leaders’ outlook for 2021 and beyond.Practicing strategy in an uncertain world
A modern strategy that works will require leaders to learn new skills and apply new tools. Here’s a primer for a refreshed approach.Asia-Pacific’s rebalancing act
As the power of traditional drivers of growth fades, companies need to develop more resilient and rebalanced supply chains to keep the region moving forward.- GMO
Streaming energy
After a year of explosive growth fueled by the COVID-19 pandemic, streaming video companies have to embrace new strategies to create value for viewers, creators, and investors. - GMO
Giving CFOs more power in the marketing ecosystem
Can chief financial officers help companies make the most of their investments in digital advertising?
Leading Ideas
Simplifying cybersecurity
Have our institutions become too complex to secure?Diversity and the case for transparency
Vulnerability is a necessity if we want to lead effectively.China and the race for the future of money
How digital currency could change the global financial landscape.Taxing times require a new era of compromise
Tax reform may well be top of government agendas to help cope with COVID-19 spending, but every move could require trade-offs.Localization is the new globalization
Many factors are disrupting the equilibrium multinationals have enjoyed for decades. In response, organizations must adapt both their strategies and their tactics.How business can bridge the gap and achieve net zero
Business leaders need to act now to meet the demands of science, government, investors and society at large.
Essays
- Leadership
Can you master the inner game of leadership?
Conflicting demands and challenges must be managed. Here’s how to do it. - Strategy
Sustainability and digitization hold the key to long-term value for family businesses
Though resilient in a crisis, family businesses have not fully embraced the ESG agenda or digital transformation, according to a new survey. - Strategy
How organizations can design for agility and embrace uncertainty
Clarins Group’s organizational experiment during the pandemic shows how a large company adapts and becomes more flexible when it matters most.
Books in Brief
Battling the bots
In his new book, Futureproof, Kevin Roose provides useful advice for humans on life amid rampant automation.Bill Gates tackles climate change
In his new book, the Microsoft cofounder argues that doubling down on innovation can move the world closer to net-zero emissions.Arguing your way to better strategy
In Making Great Strategy, Stanford b-school professors Jesper Sørensen and Glenn Carroll bridge the gap between abstract strategic visions and executable plans.
Inside the Mind of the CEO
Fender hits the right notes
CEO Andy Mooney riffs on the boom in guitar sales during COVID-19 and rethinking business models for the post-pandemic world.
Endpage: Recent Research
- s+b Blogs
When molehills are worse than mountains
Small, persistent customer service failures may pose a bigger threat to customer retention than large, isolated incidents.
Trending articles
- 1.Six reasons successful leaders love questions
Asking questions and listening to the questions of others helps leaders make better decisions.
- 2.Does culture really eat strategy for breakfast?
This chestnut of the business world overlooks the importance of—and the challenge of creating—a clear strategy.
- 3.How fearless organizations succeedAmy Edmondson describes three steps leaders can take to create psychological safety, the prerequisite for greater innovation and growth.
- 4.A better way to market sustainable products
Research by NYU Stern’s Center for Sustainable Business and PwC highlights the differences between messages that connect with customers and those that miss.
- 5.Are We on the Verge of a New Golden Age?A long-wave theory of technological and economic change suggests the financial malaise that began in 2007 may be about to end.
©2025 PwC. All rights reserved. PwC refers to the PwC network and/or one or more of its member firms, each of which is a separate legal entity. Please see www.pwc.com/structure for further details. Strategy+business is published by certain member firms of the PwC network. Articles published in strategy+business do not necessarily represent the views of the member firms of the PwC network. Reviews and mentions of publications, products, or services do not constitute endorsement or recommendation for purchase. Mentions of Strategy& refer to the global team of practical strategists that is integrated within the PwC network of firms. For more about Strategy&, see www.strategyand.pwc.com. No reproduction is permitted in whole or part without written permission of PwC. “Strategy+business” is a trademark of PwC.