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By  Peter Wollmert, EY Global and EY EMEIA Financial Accounting Advisory Leader

The pandemic presents financial reporting challenges for finance teams, but they can benefit from lessons learned by their peers elsewhere in the world.

CFOs and finance functions around the world are helping their organizations to navigate the COVID-19 crisis. Yet different countries are at different stages of their crisis management journeys; finance functions in some markets are still responding to the challenges of the pandemic itself, while those in other markets are now starting to plan for what happens next.

As Asia experienced the disruption caused by the pandemic first, there is an opportunity for finance professionals in the rest of the world to learn valuable lessons from their peers there. Despite cultural, economic and institutional differences, the ways in which Asian finance teams have mitigated the impact of the crisis on their operations, and how they are communicating that impact through financial reporting, may provide some inspiration.

The finance teams of some multinationals are now studying the position of each of their markets on the COVID-19 curve. This is so they can develop scenarios, based on experiences in the Asian markets, for those that are further down the curve. These scenarios relate to unemployment rates, consumer behaviors, likely demand, the impact of government incentives, the extent of travel restrictions and the ability of employees to return to physical workplaces.

Already we have seen the COVID-19 pandemic weighing heavily on growth in Asia this year. China, for example, suffered a 6.8% contraction in GDP during the first quarter, on the back of declining retail activity and industrial output. Nevertheless, the impact of the pandemic does vary by market and by sector, and certain e-commerce businesses have in fact benefited from it. 

So, what are the critical lessons for finance teams from their peers in Asia? From talking to colleagues in China, Singapore and South Korea, I found that there are important takeaways in seven key areas:

1. Cash and liquidity

2. Financial reporting

3. Internal controls

4. Raising capital

5. Employee engagement

6. Engagement with customers and suppliers

7. Communication with shareholders

How EY can help

Accounting and reporting

Finance leaders are under pressure to deliver more reporting more quickly in an environment of technological change, increased regulatory change and increased scrutiny. EY can support clients in this ever-changing landscape.

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Now, next and beyond

It is clear that finance teams around the world will have to continue to manage the impact of COVID-19 on their organizations for the foreseeable future. So, what should they be thinking about now, next and beyond?

Now

• Focus on the “three Cs” – cash, costs and credit. Perform a comprehensive review of all cash flows, take control of expenses, undertake immediate renegotiations with suppliers, and apply for government loans and aid where these are available and needed.
• Study the patterns and trends in different markets for both the current and the previous quarters. Use scenario planning to anticipate different future situations and develop a response to them.
• Use purpose to inform all organizational decision-making at this critical time.
• Don’t lose sight of the long term. In a crisis, it’s easy to focus on short-term survival, but any decisions taken should also bear the future in mind.

Next

• Revise the organization’s budgets, strategy and structure for the medium term. Where possible, ask for external benchmarks (e.g., economic reports) that help support the forecasts. Devise a plan that allows it to respond to evolving customer demand and emerging risks while remaining resilient.
• Explore how the organization can use technology to transform its business. There will be opportunities to drive efficiency by automating processes and using data more effectively.
• Capture the results of how COVID-19 is impacting the business so they can be used as a reference in the future.
• Communicate clearly and openly with investors about what the organization is doing to improve liquidity, reduce costs and revise strategy.

Beyond

• Think strategically about what the new normal will look like – for both your organization and its sector. How can your organization adapt its business model to thrive in a post-COVID world?
• Explore opportunities for the company to operate differently in future. For example, greater use of remote working may allow it to reduce expensive office space and cut travel budgets.
• Review your organization’s purpose. Will its current purpose – as it relates to customers, employees and shareholders – still be relevant in future?

Above all, keep in mind the need for agility and flexibility. Circumstances can change quickly, and CFOs will need to be prepared to change course if necessary.

The views reflected in this article are the views of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of the global EY organization or its member firms.

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With a vastly distributed system (the telco network) already in place, the telecom industry has a significant advantage in the transition toward distributed cloud computing. To deliver best-in-class application performance, however, operators must also have the ability to fully leverage heterogeneous compute and storage capabilities.

Ericsson CTO Erik Ekudden’s view on the future of cloud computing

The growing interest in cloud computing scenarios that incorporate both distributed computing capabilities and heterogeneous hardware presents a significant opportunity for network operators. With a vast distributed system (the telco network) already in place, the telecom industry has a significant advantage in the transition toward distributed cloud computing.

This Ericsson Technology Review article explores the future of cloud computing from the perspective of network operators, examining how they can best manage the complexity of future cloud deployments and overcome the technical challenges. Redefining cloud to expose and optimize the use of heterogeneous resources is not straightforward, but we are confident that our use cases and proof points validate our approach and will gain traction both in the telecommunications community and beyond.

The cloud is transforming, both in terms of the extent of distribution and in the diversity of compute and storage capabilities. On-premises and edge data centers (DCs) are emerging, and hardware (HW) accelerators are becoming integral components of formerly software-only services.

One of One of the main drivers into the age of virtualization and cloud was the promise of reducing costs by running all types of workloads on homogeneous, generic, commercial off-the-shelf (COTS) HW hosted in dedicated, centralized DCs. Over the years, however, as use cases have matured and new ones have continued to emerge, requirements on latency, energy efficiency, privacy and resiliency have become more stringent, while demand for massive data storage has increased.

To meet performance, cost and/or legal requirements, cloud resources are moving toward the edge of the network to bridge the gap between resource-constrained devices and distant but powerful cloud DCs. Meanwhile, traditional COTS HW is being augmented by specialized programmable HW resources to satisfy the strict performance requirements of certain applications and limited energy budgets of remote sites.

The result is that cloud computing resources are becoming increasingly heterogeneous, while simultaneously being widely distributed across smaller DCs at multiple locations. Cloud deployments must be rethought to address the complexity and technical challenges that result from this profound transformation.

In the context of telecommunication networks, the key challenges are in the following areas:

1. Virtualization of specialized HW resources
2. Exposure of heterogeneous HW capabilities
3. HW-aware workload placement
4. Managing increased complexity.

Getting all these pieces right will enable the future network platform to deliver optimal application performance by leveraging emerging HW innovation that is intelligently distributed throughout the network, while continuing to harvest the operational and business benefits of cloud computing models.

Figure 1 positions the four key challenges in relation to the orchestration/operations support systems (OSS) layer, the application layer, run-time and the operating system/hypervisor. The lower part of the figure provides some examples of specialized HW in a telco environment, which includes domain-specific accelerators, next-generation memory and storage, and novel interconnect technologies.

More: Magazine #ericssontechnologyreview

Authors: Wolfgang John, Chandramouli Sargor, Robert Szabo, Ahsan Javed Awan, Chakri Padala, Edvard Drake, Martin Julien, Miljenko Opsenica

For today’s businesses, the only thing that is certain is uncertainty. COVID-19 has cast a clear and somber spotlight on the urgent need for resilience and digital capabilities. More than ever, businesses must be able to react to sudden and dramatic changes—in their supply chains, in their customer interactions, in how and where their employees work. But many companies simply aren’t there yet.

That’s a problem not only for immediate responses to COVID-19 but also for the longer-term future. Expectations for businesses, employees, and consumers have shifted with remarkable speed. Although the situation is evolving very differently across geographies and industries, one common theme recurs: the need to sense and shape the new reality. What will it take to compete going forward? Three elements are key: a relentless focus on the outcomes that matter; new ways of working; and savvy use of digital and technology.

This isn’t a secret recipe. Digitally mature companies embrace all of these principles, and our research shows that they significantly outperform digital laggards. They’re what we call bionic companies, blending human and technological capabilities to achieve superior outcomes. These companies spark innovation, efficiency, and growth. They have better visibility into their businesses and can more quickly make the radical changes that crises demand. Fundamentally, they are more resilient.

If your goal is to be like them, your aspirations are now table stakes—and you need a better hand. The new reality, which pushes digital channels and remote working to the extreme, has demonstrated the limits of many digital transformations. For all their plans, many companies are still not as data-driven, customer-focused, and agile as they need to be. They haven’t yet fully embraced advanced analytics and AI as critical capabilities for adapting to new trends. They have long-term goals but must now deal with unforeseen and crucial near-term needs.

To help companies prepare for the new reality and develop the necessary resiliency, we have developed an approach that centers on four key imperatives: ensure business continuity, reset the investment portfolio, future-proof the tech function, and build adaptable data and digital platforms. The steps involved in this approach may not seem like transformation as usual—but as COVID-19 has made all too clear, it’s no longer business as usual, either.

Digital and AI Maturity Bring Greater Resilience

In a crisis, businesses must quickly answer and address some critical questions. What’s selling? How do we best interact with customers? Where are the trouble spots in our supply chain? How do we support employees who are working from home? In the COVID-19 crisis, many companies have struggled with their assessments and responses.

Already, we’ve seen that digitally mature companies can reap a performance dividend. In a BCG study of more than 200 companies, digital leaders achieved 1.8x higher earnings growth than digital laggards—and more than double the growth in total enterprise value. (See the exhibit.) We also found that digital leaders channel a larger share of investment to areas such as AI as well as to reskilling, upskilling, and new ways of working. Our findings suggest that these companies are best situated to realize a “resiliency dividend” as well, by leveraging technology and digital capabilities to steer their business in real (or near-real) time, thereby strengthening their position in the midst of a crisis.

More: https://www.bcg.com

By Karalee Close , Michael Grebe , Marc Schuuring , Benjamin Rehberg , and Matthew Leybold

COVID-19Contact the Rapid Response Team

What’s next? That is the question everyone is asking. The future is not what we thought it would be only a few short months ago.

In a previous article, we discussed seven broad ideas that we thought would shape the global economy as it struggled to define the next normal. In this one, we set out seven actions that have come up repeatedly in our discussions with business leaders around the world. In each case, we discuss which attitudes or practices businesses should stop, which they should start, and which they should accelerate.

1. From ‘sleeping at the office’ to effective remote working

Stop assuming that the old ways will come back

In fact, this isn’t much of a problem. Most executives we have spoken to have been pleased at how well the sudden increase in remote working has gone. At the same time, there is some nostalgia for the “good old days,” circa January 2020, when it was easy to bump into people at the coffee room. Those days are gone. There is also the risk, however, that companies will rely too much on remote working. In the United States, more than 70 percent of jobs can’t be done offsite. Remote work isn’t a panacea for today’s workplace challenges, such as training, unemployment, and productivity loss.

Start thinking through how to organize work for a distributed workforce

Remote working is about more than giving people a laptop. Some of the rhythms of office life can’t be recreated. But the norms associated with traditional work—for example, that once you left the office, the workday was basically done—are important. As one CEO told us, “It’s not so much working from home; rather, it’s really sleeping at the office.”

For working from home to be sustainable, companies need to help their staff create those boundaries: the kind of interaction that used to take place in the hallway can be taken care of with a quick phone call, not a videoconference. It may also help to set “office hours” for particular groups, share tips on how to track time, and announce that there is no expectation that emails will be answered after a certain hour.

Accelerate best practices around collaboration, flexibility, inclusion, and accountability

Collaboration, flexibility, inclusion, and accountability are things organizations have been thinking about for years, with some progress. But the massive change associated with the coronavirus could and should accelerate changes that foster these values.

Office life is well defined. The conference room is in use, or it isn’t. The boss sits here; the tech people have a burrow down the hall. And there are also useful informal actions. Networks can form spontaneously (albeit these can also comprise closed circuits, keeping people out), and there is on-the-spot accountability when supervisors can keep an eye from across the room. It’s worth trying to build similar informal interactions. TED Conferences, the conference organizer and webcaster, has established virtual spaces so that while people are separate, they aren’t alone. A software company, Zapier, sets up random video pairings so that people who can’t bump into each other in the hallway might nonetheless get to know each other.

There is some evidence that data-based, at-a-distance personnel assessments bear a closer relation to employees’ contributions than do traditional ones, which tend to favor visibility. Transitioning toward such systems could contribute to building a more diverse, more capable, and happier workforce. Remote working, for example, means no commuting, which can make work more accessible for people with disabilities; the flexibility associated with the practice can be particularly helpful for single parents and caregivers. Moreover, remote working means companies can draw on a much wider talent pool.

Remote working means no commuting, which can make work more accessible for people with disabilities; the flexibility can be particularly helpful for single parents and caregivers.

2. From lines and silos to networks and teamwork

3. From just-in-time to just-in-time and just-in-case supply chains

Stop optimizing supply chains based on individual component cost and depending on a single supply source for critical materials

4. From managing for the short term to capitalism for the long term

Stop quarterly earnings estimates

5. From making trade-offs to embedding sustainability

Stop thinking of environmental management as a compliance issue

More: https://www.mckinsey.com

About the authors: Kevin Sneader, the global managing partner of McKinsey, is based in McKinsey’s Hong Kong office; Shubham Singhal, the global leader of the Healthcare Systems & Services Practice, is a senior partner in the Detroit office.