The new 11th Annual Global CEO Survey from PwC finds that, as might be expected, technological innovation is regarded by Japan’s CEOs as the main source of competitive advantage. However Japanese CEOs agree that not only is the "people agenda" a top priority, but that to compete for talent their organisations need to change the way they recruit, motivate and develop employees.
On a broader front, 87 percent of respondents in Japan are looking to finance growth through internally generated cash flow (compared to 82 percent globally), although only 21 percent of CEOs are planning a cross-border merger or acquisition in the next 12 months. Asia and North America are important destinations for M&A activity. Interestingly, almost half (48 percent) of CEOs in Japan say that joint ventures will play a greater role in the growth of their business over the next three years (compared to 30 percent globally).
