The AlixPartners Home Delivery Survey: Cost and ease of shipping emerge as key decision drivers in online shopping
(May 2012)

The rise of online shopping has been a boon for shippers—and it could mean big business for logistics companies as well. According to the AlixPartners Home Delivery Survey, nearly all of those who shop at home in the past year say that shipping concerns—cost, time, and convenience of returns and exchanges—impact their purchase decisions. This presents logistics companies with a powerful opportunity to differentiate themselves. Those that offer retailers a way to address consumer concerns and drive purchases could unlock significant growth. We see four key areas of opportunity for logistics companies: low-cost, deferred delivery services; reverse logistics; premium delivery; and large item delivery. Read The AlixPartners Home Delivery Survey to learn more.

One Size Does Not Fit All: Developing Emerging Market-Strategies by Country-Not Region
(April 2012)

Conversationally, we tend to group emerging-market countries into categories: BRIC, ASEAN, MENA, and so on. In reality, each country has distinct macro- and microeconomic landscapes, demographic realities, and logistical challenges that require very different entry strategies. To succeed, management must consider each country individually and conduct a careful market analysis, perform product reviews, and devise a customized approach to entry for each. Successful management teams build emerging-market strategies by country—not by region. 

Consumers Talk: Are You Listening?
(March 2012)

The 2012 AlixPartners Consumer Sentiment Index: What today's consumers want, who's giving it to them, who isn't - and what that means to the bottom line. We surveyed nearly 8,000 Amercian consumers to tell us what they're looking for across 18 retail categories, which retailers are delivering and which aren't.

Fair Value Accounting & Private Equity: The Challenges and Steps Firms Can Take to Measure Fair Value
(March 2012)

The private equity industry may soon begin to re-prioritize the means by which it measures its investments and performance reporting. This article discusses the challenges firms face when it comes fair value accounting and the steps they may take to address valuation concerns.
 

The Restructuring Outlook for 2012: AlixPartners Survey Results
(February 2012)

Recently, AlixPartners polled top restructuring professionals to gauge their expectations for 2012. Here are the results. From industries most likely to face distress to which party they think will win the Presidential election.
 

Making a Federal Case Out of State Sales Taxes
(February 2012)

Operating at budget shortfalls, states are increasingly seeking to collect sales taxes from public companies. In this article, we explain why companies and their boards should be aware of their sales tax obligations.
 

Winners don't play dead: Doing more with less in an uncertain future
(January 2012)

In this joint global executive survey and research paper from the Economist Intelligence Unit and AlixPartners, we explore how companies are reshaping their business to succeed in the challenging environment that has emerged from the great recession. What is hindering them and what are they doing to help remove the constraints? Despite considerable gloom in parts of the global economy, corporate leaders are guardedly optimistic.

The Challenge of Conducting Data Collections & Investigations under Unclear Data Privacy Rules
(November 2011)

The protection of personal data is a hot topic on many legislative agendas as lawmakers around the world attempt to catch up with the dramatic rise in electronically stored personal information and the explosion of new data collection technologies. The situation in China is no different, and PRC officials are in the early stages of figuring out how to handle the issue.
 

The Consumer Condition: Waiting for Recovery
(November 2011)

Our latest wave of consumer research reveals that Americans remain reluctant to spend amid continued economic uncertainty and continue to push their expected timelines for a return to prerecession lifestyles (including spending) further into the future.

AlixPartners Viewpoint: Lessons for treasury management from the financial crisis
(November 2011)

Since the onset of the global economic crisis, companies have accumulated record levels of cash. In Europe, cash comprises 12% of total assets on corporate balance sheets – almost a third higher than at any point in the last economic cycle. As a result, treasury management has gained a much higher level of importance within corporate strategy. For the treasury management function to generate maximum value, it must work seamlessly with all areas of the business, with processes adapted to create an integrated and holistic approach.

Are We There Yet? Achieving Optimal SG&A Spend for US Companies
(October, 2011)

Our analysis shows that US-based companies are actually spending more on SG&A expenses, both in total dollars and as a percent of sales, than they did prior to the downturn. Furthermore, in most industries, we find wide variation in SG&A spend as a percent of revenue across similar compa¬nies – suggesting better performers know something that under performers in the same industry don’t. What is it? Read Are We There Yet? to find out. 
 
Distressed M&A Success: It's All about Integration
(August, 2011)

The number of distressed M&A deals has risen significantly in the last few years and, according to our forecasts, global activity should increase significantly this year. Characterised by time-critical processes and a limited circle of potential buyers, these transactions benefit from an integrated approach that marries a heightened focus on due diligence, financing and structuring with a concentration on operational efficiency. In this first edition of our new management series, AlixPartners Viewpoint, we examine the interplay between cash and financing issues and operational concerns in post-merger integration.

The 2011 AlixPartners U.S. Restructuring Experts Survey
(July, 2011)

In each of the past four years, AlixPartners has polled top restructuring experts in North America to gauge their expectations on a host of issues affecting large- and middle-market companies and alternative-investment firms, including economic trends, bankruptcy trends and government policies. This year's survey, of 80 top bankruptcy lawyers, investment bankers, fund managers and restructuring professionals, touches on everything from risks that private-equity firms might be facing to the possibility of municipal defaults, from the outlook for pre-packaged bankruptcies to the outlook for a post-QE2 economy.

HR Services Quarterly: HR Services and the "New Normal"
(April, 2010)

As the United States slowly recovers from the current economic downturn, both employers and employees will be faced with a new reality of economic activity and employment levels. This issue of our newsletter addresses key trends affecting the HR industry as well as strategies to address these trends.

U.S. Economic Outlook
(September, 2010)

Americans' outlook on the economy is deteriorating, according to AlixPartners' recent survey. "The Great Recession may be officially over, but the lower-plateau, 'new normal' economy appears very much to be sticking around for a while. These numbers make it clear that Americans are still far from sanguine in their outlook for the future and their own personal economic security, and in an economy in which 70% of GDP is driven by the consumer, that's got to concern business and politicians alike," says AlixPartners CEO Fred Crawford. 

Strategic Alternatives for Distressed Businesses
(2010)

The chapter on Exchange Offers, written in part by Managing Director Carl Lane, describes common structures for exchange offers and the typical process involved. The chapter outlines the keys to a successful exchange offer and notes where an exchange offer may not be the best course of action.

 
Five Lessons Healthy Companies Must Learn from the Distressed (and Two Common Mistakes to Avoid)
(November, 2009)

Drawing on AlixPartners' casework with both successful and troubled companies, this article outlines the most critical lessons that all companies operating in today's environment must learn.