Global Corporate Achievement Awards 2002 Adapting to change

Economist Intelligence Unit launches a prestigious global awards programme

Which companies around the world best exemplify the ability to adapt successfully to rapid change? Which have prospered in times of economic downturn as well as during surging global growth? And what specific strengths have made them models of achievement?

To answer these questions, and to honour companies around the world that are thriving despite economic turbulence, Intelligence Unit has organised the Global Corporate Achievement Awards. This innovative programme, sponsored by Cap Gemini Ernst & Young, Oracle, SG Corporate and Investment Banking and Heidrick & Struggles, will single out three award winners, from all the world's major regions, at awards ceremonies in October and November.

Objectives of the programme Playing to our strengths of research and analysis, and reflecting the values associated with The Economist brand, the awards process will emphasise qualitative research. We will select companies that exemplify achievement in qualitative ways through the ingenuity of their strategy, the originality of their products or the dynamism of their leadership. Quantitative factors such as profitability and growth in market capitalisation will serve as important credibility checks in the selection process.

Our panel of experts To help set the criteria for the Global Corporate Achievement Awards and select the award winners, the Economist Intelligence Unit has created a prestigious panel of experts representing a diverse range of industries and areas of expertise. The panel includes some of the world's top corporate leaders and best business thinkers, and its reach is truly global, with representatives from Asia, Europe and the Americas.

As part of the awards programme, panel members have generously agreed to share their views on the standards for corporate achievement in 2002. In interviews with our editorial staff, each panel member was asked the same ten questions on leadership, strategy, performance, talent and other facets of corporate achievement. The views expressed in the interviews have helped us to define a concise set of criteria for the awards, and companies nominated for consideration must satisfy these criteria.

Nominations span the globe A high-profile nomination campaign that closed on September 1st yielded a total of 175 nominations, a full list of which is published on our awards website: www.eiu.com/awards. Once vetted by our editorial team, more than 100 of the most promising nominees have been ranked according to a customised assessment model that translates the qualitative criteria set by our expert panel in quantitative scores. A shortlist of ten finalists per region has been selected and will be announced in September.

Our expert panel will choose the three global winners and any runners-up from among the finalists. The winners will be announced at awards ceremonies to be held in New York on October 22nd, Hong Kong on November 6th and on November 13th. A white paper to be published by the Economist Intelligence Unit in November will feature case studies of the winning companies and an analysis of the awards programme.

For progress reports on the awards programme, please consult www.eiu.com/awards.

An Economist Group business Panelists Helen Alexander Chief Executive, Euan Baird Chmn & Chief Executive, Schlumberger M.S. Banga Chmn, Hindustan Lever Christopher Bartlett Prof, Harvard Business School Matthew Bishop Business Editor, The Economist Jan Carlzon Former CEO, SAS Xavier Debonneuil CEO, SG Larry Ellison Chmn & CEO, Oracle Mark Fields President, Mazda Motor Co. Carlos Ghosn President & CEO, Nissan Paul Hermelin CEO, Cap Gemini Ernst & Young Manfred Kets de Vries Prof, INSEAD Sir Terry Leahy CEO, Tesco Helmut Maucher Former CEO, Honorary Chairman Nestlé Gerry Roche Senior Chmn, Heidrick & Struggles Sir Evelyn de Chmn, NM Rothschild Carlos Solchaga Chmn, Grupo Estructura Hirotaka Takeuchi Dean, Hitotsubashi University Graduate School of International Corporate Strategy Laura D'Andrea Tyson Dean, London Business School

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