By Timothy Roy C. Medina, Associate Editor
THE DIFFICULT YEAR that coincided with BusinessWorld’s 34th anniversary saw the newspaper, like many organizations, having to evolve. At the same time, it had to deliver a day-to-day news product that met the usual high standards expected of the Philippines’ leading business newspaper, and introduce innovations to adapt to the “new normal.”
The pandemic might someday be remembered as the time when newspapers became fully digital, not just in the way it delivered the news but also in ethos, with value-added products like podcasts, livestreamed BusinessWorld Insights sessions with industry experts, as well as one-on-one CEO conversations with senior editors. BusinessWorld was also in the process of becoming something of an events company even before the pandemic, organizing economic forums that were forced online starting in 2020 to keep participants safe.
For all that, we tried our best not to let the pandemic erode our core strengths. The BusinessWorld Anniversary issue is traditionally the venue for our journalists to practice the dying art of long-form writing, and our reporters went all-out to try to make sense of a confusing present and a clouded future. We are rightly proud of our extended stories, with the expectation that they consult the best-informed and widest range of sources possible.
This issue is ultimately a long and deep reflection on the economic recovery — when it might come and what form it may take, how to recognize the signs of its imminent arrival, how to reconfigure companies to face new realities. While we cannot possibly claim to tell experienced business leaders what the best course of action is in order to come out of this crisis with flying colors, what we can do is present a carefully curated selection of stories that might plant the seed of an idea in our readers. These are the lessons of transformation we found most relevant in the past year; we lived some of these lessons ourselves, and we hope you also find these stories a source of useful insight as your businesses evolve to meet the challenges ahead.
BusinessWorld’s 34th Anniversary Report can be found in Sections 3-13 and online (bit.ly/BouncingBackBetter). Scan QR code to be directed to the microsite.