ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE
An AI-native strategy firmGlobal Advisors: a consulting leader in defining quantified strategy, decreasing uncertainty, improving decisions, achieving measureable results.
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Quantified Strategy
Decreased uncertainty, improved decisions
Global Advisors is a leader in defining quantified strategies, decreasing uncertainty, improving decisions and achieving measureable results.
We specialise in providing highly-analytical data-driven recommendations in the face of significant uncertainty.
We utilise advanced predictive analytics to build robust strategies and enable our clients to make calculated decisions.
We support implementation of adaptive capability and capacity.
Our latest
Thoughts
Global Advisors’ Thoughts: Getting the Balance Right
By Kate Barnes
I am a working mother, as are many of my friends and past colleagues. Naturally we often debate the challenges of getting the balance between work and family right.
Personal circumstances vary widely and have a big impact on the choices one has, but my solution has been to work on a part-time basis. I have been lucky enough to do so for the past seven years and to me it seems like an excellent compromise. Yet there are many times when it feels like balance is the last thing I am achieving – in fact, I have the distinct feeling that I am failing on every front – my kids, my husband, and my boss, colleagues or direct reports, all want more of me.
Perhaps the truth is that I want too much. I want to be stimulated, challenged and to feel like I am adding value in the work place, but I also want to see my children more than the average, full-time working mother.
Many working mothers have made decisions involving changes to their working day in order to manage the work-family balance better. Unfortunately, I have found that one of the biggest issues is that one cannot simply decide on an approach, agree it with your employer, and then settle into whatever routine that entails. You might agree an arrangement to work 5, or 6 or 7 hours a day, or 30 hours a week, or to arrive at work early and leave by 3 or 4pm. But in most jobs, you will have to consider the balance equation on a daily basis, sometimes multiple times a day. Is today the day I give more to work because there is a demanding deadline and everyone else is working late, or is it the day I give more to my child, because he is receiving an award at school or swimming in a gala?
And often the call has to be made taking into consideration not only what is happening today, but also looking at where the pendulum fell yesterday, or last week, or over the past couple of weeks.
As with any decision there are consequences, even if at first they are unforeseen. In the early stages of my career, I like many, was an idealistic youngster with dreams of holding a very senior, leadership position. I was ambitious, and some might say that I had much of what it takes to achieve my goal. Some years down the track I was being interviewed for a prospective job and the potential employer noted from my CV that the achievements in my career (or lack thereof) were not in line with my academic record, and he wondered why this was. I can’t remember what my response was, but I know I knew the answer. I even knew at exactly which point in my career the upward trajectory slowed. It was the day I was working at a large corporate, and I asked for flexitime. I negotiated that on two afternoons a week, I would be allowed to leave at 2pm and I would make up the time in the evening, after my young children were asleep.
Shortly thereafter, when a potential internal move to a new position was being discussed I was informed that I could not be considered for the role as I was “part-time”.
This was a wake-up call.
Read more at http://www.globaladvisors.biz/thoughts/20170719/getting-the-balance-right/
Strategy Tools
Strategy Tools: Growth, Profit or Returns?
By Stuart Graham and Marc Wilson
Stuart is a manager and Marc is a partner at Global Advisors.
Both are based in Johannesburg, South Africa.
Growth, profit or returns? It’s all three, however we find that the relationship between these and shareholder value creation is poorly understood – if at all.
All three measures become critical to the way forward as companies navigate the Covid-19 crisis.
After ensuring business survival, navigating through the Covid-19 crisis requires returns on invested capital AND growth to deliver shareholder returns. S&P 500 companies averaged 13% RONA and 5% revenue growth (CAGR) through the financial crisis (2008-2012) .
Monolithic survival approaches may starve compensating growth opportunities – a portfolio approach is required.
Key insights
Returns are not enough – companies must also grow to create value.
Profits and cash flows cannot increase indefinitely through cost-reduction, efficiency, business mix, etc – top-line growth is critical.
Returns must be above costs of capital to be value accretive.
S&P 500 companies averaged 13% ROIC and 5% revenue growth (CAGR) through the financial crisis (2008-2012).
Margins and revenue growth, or even profit growth in themselves don’t answer that question of whether shareholder value was created or destroyed. There are many examples of where growth and high margins actually destroy value.
Company valuations reflect an aggregate of their business portfolio – rebalancing segments based on their growth and return profiles can lift company value.
Growth requires investment – at the very least in the working capital required to support revenue growth.
Measuring RONA or ROIC and Revenue growth shows whether business activity is value accretive or destructive.
You can use the Global Advisors Market Cap (valuation) framework to map your business – and agree action to deliver improved shareholder returns.
Fast Facts
The use of full absorption or average costing in asset-intensive industries with under-utilisation can lead to self-defeating pricing strategies
The use of full absorption or average costing in asset-intensive industries with under-utilisation can lead to self-defeating pricing strategies
- The use of full absorption or average costing in a manufacturing environment with under-utilisation can lead to self-defeating pricing strategies
- The increase in price to cover costs results in volume decreases – lowering factory utilisation and increasing unit production costs. This is the start of the utilisation-pricing “death spiral”
- Costing according to factory utilisation – partial absorption costing – offers the opportunity to be more strategic about costing and utilisation
- “Unabsorbed” costs can be targeted through OEE and volume improvements. At the same time, the “disadvantage” of having a large factory is normalised and pricing can compete with more fully-utilised factories
- A recent manufacturing client saw 60% of unit costs arise from factory under-utilisation – sub-optimal OEE levels (non-conformance), low volumes and work-centre bottlenecks contributed to the utilisation gap
- These principles can apply to any asset-intensive business – for example banking
Selected News
Quote: Nate B Jones – AI News & Strategy Daily
“The one constant right now is chaos. I hear it over and over again from folks: the rate of change, the sheer unpredictability of AI – it’s very difficult to tell what’s up and what’s down.” – Nate B Jones – AI News & Strategy Daily
Context of the Quote
This quote captures the essence of the AI landscape in early 2026, where rapid advancements and unpredictability dominate discussions among professionals. Spoken by Nate B. Jones during his AI News & Strategy Daily segment on 15 January 2026, it reflects feedback from countless individuals grappling with AI’s breakneck pace. Jones highlights how the constant flux – from model breakthroughs to shifting business applications – leaves even experts disoriented, making strategic planning a challenge.1,5
Backstory on Nate B. Jones
Nate B. Jones is a leading voice in practical AI implementation, known for his no-nonsense analysis that cuts through hype. Through his personal site natebjones.com, he delivers weekly deep dives into what truly works in AI, offering actionable frameworks for businesses and individuals. His Substack newsletter, including pieces like ‘2026 Sneak Peek: The First Job-by-Job Guide to AI Evolution’, has become essential reading for those navigating AI-driven disruption.2,3
Jones has personally advised hundreds of professionals on pivoting careers amid AI’s rise. He emphasises execution over mere tooling, stressing accountability, human-AI boundaries, and risk management. In videos such as ‘The AI Moments That Shaped 2025 and Predictions for 2026’, he recaps key events like model wars, Sora’s impact, copyright battles, and surging compute costs, positioning himself as a guide for the ‘frontier’ era of AI.1,4
His content, including AI News & Strategy Daily, focuses on real-world strategy: from compressing research timelines to building secure AI interfaces. Jones warns of a ‘compounding gap’ between the prepared and unprepared, urging a mindset shift for roles in programme management, UX design, QA, and risk assessment.2,5
Leading Theorists on AI Chaos and Unpredictability
The theme of chaos in AI echoes longstanding theories from pioneers who foresaw technology’s disruptive potential.
- Ray Kurzweil: Futurist and Google director of engineering, Kurzweil popularised the ‘Law of Accelerating Returns’, predicting exponential tech growth leading to singularity by 2045. His books like The Singularity Is Near (2005) describe how AI’s unpredictability stems from recursive self-improvement, mirroring Jones’s observations of model saturation and frontier shifts.
- Nick Bostrom: Oxford philosopher and author of Superintelligence (2014), Bostrom theorises AI’s ‘intelligence explosion’ – a feedback loop where smarter machines design even smarter ones, creating uncontrollable change. He warns of alignment challenges, akin to the ‘trust deficit’ and human-AI boundaries Jones addresses.2
- Sam Altman: OpenAI CEO, whom Jones quotes on chatbot saturation. Altman’s views on AI frontiers emphasise moving beyond chat interfaces to agents and capabilities that amplify unpredictability, as seen in 2025’s model evolutions.1
- Stuart Russell: Co-author of Artificial Intelligence: A Modern Approach, Russell advocates ‘provably beneficial AI’ to tame chaos. His work on value alignment addresses the execution speed and risk areas Jones flags, like bias management and compute explosions.2
These theorists provide the intellectual foundation for understanding AI’s turmoil: exponential progress breeds chaos, demanding strategic adaptation. Jones builds on this by offering tactical insights for 2026, from accountability frameworks to jailbreaking new intelligence surfaces.1,2,3
References
1. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YBLUf1yYjGA
2. https://natesnewsletter.substack.com/p/2026-sneak-peek-the-first-job-by-9ac
4. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fbEiYRogYCk
5. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pOb0pjXpn6Q
6. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ftHsQvdTUww
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