Welcome to the new online version of Agenda magazine, the publication in which we take a stroll through some of the key issues affecting businesses around the world, offering what we hope to be a mix of insight, commentary and the occasional quirky view on what’s happening in the corporate world.

Coming up with things to write on or opine about has not been a problem of late as we have experienced the most volatile business environment in recent memory. Issues which could make or break a business have emerged with uncomfortable frequency.

However, conventional wisdom now has it that we are on our way out of the economic crisis of the past 18 months. Accordingly, businesses should readjust their sights, moving away from pure survival tactics and looking for ways of achieving sustainable growth. In short, how can they succeed in a changing world?

In the post-crisis era, businesses will need to be fit for today (embedding the lessons learnt during the crisis period), poised for growth and focusing on the future – and these will be among the overarching themes we should see reflected in Agenda’s editorial line-up in the coming months.

The last of these three headings – focusing on the future - is arguably the most intriguing. No business can assume it can act in 2010, just as it did in 2007 before the crisis hit. The substantial nature of the changes to the business landscape in the intervening period may well require many companies to make fundamental changes to their business models. All of us, businesses and advisors alike, should be fully aware that transformation could be the name of the game in the immediate future.

As the saying (sort of) goes, we live in interesting times.

I hope you enjoy reading this online edition of Agenda.

Regards,

Alan Buckle, Global Head of Advisory