SUPPLY CHAIN -
As the pandemic continues, rural agricultural producers and their communities will need renewed levels of support and commitments from supply chain partners, to ensure their continued health and stability.
FINANCE & INVESTMENT -
Many investment firms are modifying their strategies and valuation models over the long term in the wake of the pandemic. Over the next 12 to 36 months, the
following six mega-trends promise to reshape the business practices and investing.
WALKING THE TALK -
These four Fairtrade-certified brands show that during times of crisis, brands can support their communities — near or far — with some creativity and hard work, regardless of size.
MARKETING AND COMMS -
While it’s still too early to tell how significantly COVID-19 will alter our way of life, we’ve learned to challenge many of our preconceived notions about how to best do business — and solidifying your company’s place within this new order is critical. The true test is going to be
whether we are capable of dramatic positive change even when not spurred by a global pandemic.
BUSINESS CASE -
Even as COVID-19 continues to dominate headlines and the global consciousness, the 7th annual Fashion Revolution Week sees news and moves from Jeans Redesign, Vivienne Westwood and Fair Trade USA, to name a few.
WASTE NOT -
COVID-19 has delayed both the Scottish Climate Change Plan update and the Scottish Circular Economy Bill. While it’s unclear now whether the latter will ever see the light of day, stakeholders agree that the delay is a welcome opportunity to reassess and strengthen the Bill.
FINANCE & INVESTMENT -
It has been heartening to see major organisations
doing the right thing when it comes to dealing with the coronavirus: Follow the science. Although the COVID and climate crises are profoundly different, the parallels are obvious — and the key to surviving both is to use data-driven strategies to improve resilience to future shocks.
ORGANIZATIONAL CHANGE -
How this pandemic will impact the future of workforce development is yet to be seen, but it truly serves as an opportunity for employers to scale the pace of
evolution necessary for a more sustainable future.
MARKETING AND COMMS -
When it comes to Coronavirus, the climate emergency or any other disaster, we shouldn’t antagonize; rather, we should empathise. If we learn to see beyond the
tips of our noses and adopt a global empathy, we'll be able to tackle this virus — and the even bigger crisis of the climate emergency.
THE NEXT ECONOMY -
In moments of crisis, we return our focus to the base layer of Maslow’s famed pyramid and seek to secure a safe home, enough food for our families and basic
physical health. But we get to choose what the world will look like when we open our doors in three…six…twelve months’ time. Will we choose Human 101 or
Human 3.0?
BUSINESS CASE -
Deforestation often increases the proximity of bats and other animals to humans, bringing together species that would not otherwise live together and creating a
perfect storm for the creation of new zoonotic diseases.
WALKING THE TALK -
The Porter Novelli COVID-19 Tracker: Insights for a Time of Crisis highlights the need for US companies to step up, authentically, to address the public’s needs and expectations.
THE NEXT ECONOMY -
Green Swans also take the world by surprise — because of their exponential character, and because they produce outcomes previously considered to be not
just improbable but impossible. But rather than driving degeneration like their Grey and Black cousins, they help drive resilience and regeneration.
COLLABORATION -
If only we had a reliable system for tracking the spread of the coronavirus, and future outbreaks … The two tech giants are collaborating on just that — and they insist it won’t compromise public privacy.
WALKING THE TALK -
In a time when needs are growing but government resources are constricted, nonprofits are being asked to do more with fewer resources. Promises made by companies to fulfill the needs of their communities and their stakeholders are more important now than ever before — which is why we need social impact solutions that can do both.
ORGANIZATIONAL CHANGE -
COVID-19 has fragmented the future. Your best-laid plans may lie broken. But it is possible to bring order to a world of multiple, uncertain futures; and lay the groundwork for the reset we need.
THE NEXT ECONOMY -
Although the danger to our health is currently very present and very real, experts expect this crisis will at some point pass, and we will be able to resume our normal lives with a renewed sense of appreciation. The question is, what will a return to “business as usual” look like?
THE NEXT ECONOMY -
For businesses navigating the coronavirus, prospects are daunting in this liminal space. While many are navigating the current “new normal” well by taking
each daily (hourly) change one at a time, some are starting to look past now through the power of “yes-and” thinking.
WALKING THE TALK -
It’s during moments of great difficulty that our authentic selves shine through — and the same is true for companies. Long after the COVID-19 crisis passes, the world won’t forget the values-driven companies that led with a conscience. The time is now to decide: How will your brand be remembered?
THE NEXT ECONOMY -
If we look at the original Greek root of the word “crisis,” we learn it means to “sift and separate” — what if we are being called on to sift through and look at our lives, and let fall all that is not important? What does not get sifted, what remains with us, is where our energy should go.