CONVERSATIONS ON THE FUTURE OF BUSINESS:

A thought paper for the Future of Business Forum organized by

École des Ponts Business School 6-8 December 2017

Pr. Suman Modwel

1 December 2017

Prof. Suman Modwel, emeritus professor, École des Ponts Business School, prepared this thought paper to serve as a background for participants in the Future of Business Forum organized by École des Ponts Business School 6-8 December 2017. The author is grateful to Prof. Alon Rozen, Dean, Ecole des Ponts Business School for his valuable editorial help in completing this paper. This paper is licensed and distributed under the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.

CONVERSATIONS ON THE FUTURE OF BUSINESS: A THOUGHT PAPER

Prof. Suman Modwel, École des Ponts Business School

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1. Introduction

For the first time in recent history, and maybe for the first time ever, the fate of society seems to be

dependent on the future of business. Never before has business, technology and innovation

combined to create what most people are experiencing as (or anticipating) an assault on how we

live, work, communicate, interact and, at the end of the day, what it means to be human. This

general and generalized shared feeling makes exploring the contours of the future of business ever

more important, and pressing. And it places business schools in the very important position as

catalyzers, facilitators and orchestrators of this (brave) new world that lies ahead.

As we look forward, most of us see uncertain times. Some are excited about the possibilities, while

others are gripped by anxiety and a new form of existential angst. Will robots and artificial

intelligence eat our jobs, will humans be enhanced or replaced by robotics and technology, is

participatory democracy going the way of the Dodo, how can we ever hope to keep up with the pace

of technological change and required skillsets?, … These are just some of the questions on people’s

lips, Facebook feeds and newspaper headlines. In a VUCA1 world there are, naturally, more

questions than answers. And in uncertain times it is natural that the unknown be a scary place for

some. Risk aversion is a survival instinct and probably quite useful in most occasions, it is not

necessarily a knee-jerk reaction with a negative connotation. No matter the nature of the inquiry, it

is the quality of the questions, and the responsibility of those framing the debate, that will also

determine how we - as a society - understand, shape, react, respond and adapt (or not) to the

impending challenges.

For a thought paper introducing a broadly-themed forum, we hold no illusions of possibly exploring

all of the key dimensions of the future of business. However, it is important, from the beginning to

give the reader a quick introduction to many aspects of the debate and to what many see as the

(debatable) future of society. The following graphic, created by Frank Diana (2015) of Tata

Consulting Services, is a wonderful means to introduce just some of the many threads of the Gordian

Knot we may be creating as technology increasingly paves the road to the future of business and

society. The diagram both presents the technologies that will probably be disrupting our present

1 Volatile, Uncertain, Complex and Ambiguous, as coined by the US Army War College.

CONVERSATIONS ON THE FUTURE OF BUSINESS: A THOUGHT PAPER

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way of life as well as the technologies that have acted or are acting as the technological foundation

from which they will spring.

Figure 1 Disruption driving business evolution (Source: Frank Diana, 2015) On the left-most curve, in its downward slope we see how technology and bursts of innovation are

empowering and enriching our lives – from the internet to the internet of things, from inert

machines to cognitive and connected systems. As the curve rises to the right we see an emerging

potentially utopian future for us that includes smart homes, smart cities, smart cars, connected

healthcare, a sharing collaborative economy, even the radical extension of life expectancy. But,

between the lines so to speak, we can’t help but see or imagine potential dystopian scenarios – will

humans be replaced by robots just as horses were with automobiles; will we be cloned and rendered

soulless; will we be happy citizens in a world of collaborating nation states, or consuming customers

in a closed, polluting, “me-first” market system? Where will jobs come from – how will business be

transformed, will disruption conquer tradition, will start-ups provide a good answer?

The Future of Business Forum of the École des Ponts Business School is a gathering of experts who

are invited to express their views and share their questions through conversations with us. Indeed,

conversations they must be. We have intentionally avoided presumptuous titles such as

CONVERSATIONS ON THE FUTURE OF BUSINESS: A THOUGHT PAPER

Prof. Suman Modwel, École des Ponts Business School

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“understanding” or “road map for” prefixing “the future of business”. Because both the words

future and business evoke a universe of uncertainties, risks, unpredictability, and severe limitations

of quantitative methods to understand and interpret both phenomena of future and business in its

generic sense, and its interactions with technology and society more specifically. If we are able to

generate nothing more than stimulating conversations, exchanges of ideas and debates, one could

nevertheless extract multiple insights on how to address the future. To this end, we make an

attempt in the following pages to scan a limited sample of published literature (articles, blogs,

surveys, futurist scenarios) that could shed some light on the trends that seem to be shaping the

future of business or at least the discussions around the future of business. Limited not only

quantitatively by the sample of references covered, but even more so by the near impossibility of

grasping the intertwined dynamics of the three forces that have the most impact business –

technology, society, and culture. These references are accompanied with our comments here and

there.

Our main objective is to provide members of the audience who are not already well versed in these

subjects some background information and “food for thought” that can acquaint them with some

of the current thinking on these subjects.

As such, we have organized the paper according to the three themes of the conference – talent

management, sustainable management and the circular economy, and innovation and technology

management. We commence with a preamble on emerging trends heralding the future of business.

2. Future of business: emerging trends

It would be quite appropriate in the context of this forum to start with a look at how the principal

actors of business, the CEOs, view the future of business. Fast Company (2017i) talked to twelve

CEOs who predicted that 1) there would be more focus on corporate transparency; 2) tech

companies would “drive” the economy; 3) health and beauty will get increasingly personalised; 4)

insurance will be top of mind; 5) food and retail will encounter rising costs and threat from e-

commerce; 6) organic brands will be preferred in the beauty business; 7) upstarts will continue to

challenge banks... These seem to be fairly predictable predictions, but “more diversification – new

services outside primary area of business (additional streams of revenue to cope with uncertainty,

dips in the economy)”, should merit particular attention. There is also a clear awareness of the winds

of change as the quote brings out,” We've shifted to a business world where collaboration and

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connection are replacing hierarchy and bureaucracy. The outdated "alpha" notion of aggressive

management has given way to the modern era of cooperative "beta" leadership.””

There are several other such predictions of the captains of industry that could be cited, but they

largely turn around one or more of the views mentioned above. However, the popular annual CEO

surveys of Price Waterhouse Coopers are worthy of mention. Its latest 20th survey highlights, apart

from the expected finding that “at the top of CEOs’ minds is the use of technology to better interpret

the complex and evolving needs of customers in order to better engage with them”, their view that

the persistent mutual distrust and tension between government and business is not good for the

latter’s future. They need to work together and find a balance between over-regulation by the

former and self-regulation by the latter.ii

Fortune magazine’s predictions (Fortunes Crystal Ball, 2017)iii first highlight the “seismic shift”

brought about by Trump’s (unpredicted) election which puts the very science of prediction in

question. Nevertheless, it goes on to make predictions, this time commissioning too IBM’s Watson

and its algorithms to derive extra insight. Predictions include trends with catchy titles like “A Tesla

Will Drive Itself Across the Country (With Help), Drones Will Deliver Pizza (but Not Toilet Paper), The

Internet Will Get Shut Down Many More Times….”

In contrast to Fortune’s breezy style, Maxwell Wessel in the Harvard Business Review (April, 2015)iv

poses seriously three questions: What’s changed? What business assumptions become irrelevant?

How could new models take advantage of the change? Amongst the three changes he discusses:

1. Machine Learning: One thinks of Watson analytics, Google predict, and other data mining

and predicting algorithms that provide deep customer insights, aided and abetted by sensor

technology and affordable decreasing costs

2. New Urban Infrastructure: Continuous emigration of people to cities will create large markets for new types of services, upturning the old assumption that customers are geographically dispersed, shop at supermarkets and need parking for their cars. Future business opportunities will need different logistics networks and companies like Amazon and Uber are showing the way how to respond when “people are constantly connected and centrally concentrated” with different “on-demand” business models, and too, exploit opportunities requiring “different types of solutions to evolve areas of infrastructure like local government, law enforcement, energy consumption and creation, broadband access, and healthcare”.

3. Scalable Niches: These relate to opportunities in software, where cloud based platforms have evolved from proprietary to sharing of the basic services, resulting in scale economies and thus allowing companies to concentrate on, and go to market with, their own

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differentiated value- added services and other internet related business with relatively lower (mostly variable) costs. The proliferation of applications bears testimony to this trend, aided by the ever enlarging market of internet users.

James Canton in a blog (Huffingtonpost.com)v, Nov 2016) holds that the “predictive

enterprise will win in the future – the one with the ability to track game changing trends

ahead of competition, and for this “getting control” over your data is the basic step, using

social media as an “intelligence portal (to build).. a sensing network” and predict in real time

which way the stakeholders - customers, suppliers, employees – and competitors will go in

their attitudes, behaviour, and actions. He talks of prediction as a platform (PAAP) where

companies will compete. He lists automated deep learning, big data analytics, cloud

computing, AI and cognitive computing, using data science to understand business

algorithms as the five trends that impact on the predictive enterprise. A significant omission

in this list is the recent advances in quantum technology research that could revolutionise

and replace digital 0,1 computing technology, and impact other sectors of business, the

implications of which warrant our serious attention (and will be discussed in a subsequent

section).

Amongst Gartner’s Top 10 predictions for 2017 and beyond (forbes.com; Nov 2016)vi the ones

having particular relevance to future business models would be: immersive shopping experiences

(shopping in augmented reality); voice first web browsing (without screen); decline of mobile apps;

growth of blockchain-based business; Huge savings in maintenance and services through internet

of things (IoT); Reduced health care costs through use of wearable devices. All these sound rather

exciting, but one cannot help wondering how credible are the estimates of the numbers of

consumers and business generated in these predictions. Are we talking of the OECD markets? Do

these predictions make sense in the developing world which lags behind in IT infrastructure to fully

enjoy the fruits of the “third wave” (Steve Case; April 2016)vii.

In fact the third wave of Steve Case is perceived as the fourth according to Klaus Schwab in his work,

“The Fourth Industrial revolution” (January 2017)viii. With his decades of insights gathered at the

World Economic Forum, of which he the founder, he holds that today what we are experiencing is

sharply differentiated from the third industrial revolution (the period from about 1960 till the end

of the century which brought in digital technology, computing and the internet), by the sheer speed

of change of digital technologies, one disrupting the other to ever more sophisticated levels of

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automation, artificial intelligence and connectedness, penetrating into other sectors like genes and

nanotechnology. It is profoundly transforming societies as they embrace these innovations,

throwing challenges of leadership and of coming to grips with these changes in order to assimilate

them and adjust our economic, political and social systems. His recipe to “adapt, shape, and harness

the potential of disruption”, is for leaders to apply four types of intelligence conjointly: contextual

(the mind); emotional (the heart); inspired (the soul – shared purpose, trust…to effect change and

do good); physical (the body- remain healthy).

We now turn to examining some references that look at future scenarios in the specific contexts of

the subthemes of the conference. These subthemes address aspects of talent management and

leadership in times of transformation of jobs and organisations; sustainable management with open

systems of a caring economy and socially rich agendas; and innovation management embracing new

technology and entrepreneurship.

3. Day 1 theme: Talent management

As traditional HR tools are becoming obsolete, how can talent be identified, recruited, nurtured,

trained and retained? We have chosen just a few articles that seem to reflect latest thinking and

insights on the issues and constraints attending the management and retention of talent. The broad

issues we thought significant in the context of talent management and retention were work-life-

balance; errors companies commonly make; financial constraints; moving to maturity models;

dealing with “alphas”.

“You will never feel truly satisfied by work until you are satisfied by life.”ix This is clearly a trend –

paying attention to how employees are managing their lives, not only their job performance - that

many companies are following. A scholarly article based on extensive literature review (Deery, et al,

2015)x and survey concludes that ensuring work-life-balance (WLB) plays of top talent plays an even

more critical role in its retention. Regular monitoring of WLB levels amongst the staff is

recommended.

Noting that disengagement and departures of top talent in companies is on the rise, the HBR article

(May 2010)xi on keeping your top talent lists six mistakes that companies make in their assumptions

about, and consequent policies and actions relating to their top managers:

- Assuming that high potentials are highly engaged

- equating current high performance with future potential

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- delegating down the management of top talent

- shielding rising stars from early derailment

- expecting star employees to share the pain

- failing to link your stars to your corporate strategy

Some prescriptions on how to do it differently are provided, though they tend to be somewhat

general.

Addressing the “new talent tensions” posed by financial constraints and low investment, the authors

in a McKinsey Quarterly article (2016)xii suggest creating “different opportunities for would-be

retirees and to break the link between tenure and compensation”. Flexible hours, working part-time

and from home. Their accumulated experience and savoir-faire could be put to good use in

“occupations that emphasize training, customer service, advice, and mentoring”.

In an article on Talent Management Maturityxiii, Stacia Garr of Deloitte Consulting proposes “the

design and construction of a maturity model related to talent management which includes talent

activities, growth, and relationships”. The maturity model moves through the four stages of

essential, critical, managed and inclusive talent management systems. Emphasis is placed on

implementing real-time feedback systems, leveraging social media blogs, and erecting an integrated

career management/talent acquisition system.

How to deal with– seek and retain - the alphas, the Messi and Ronaldo of business? In their article

“Seeking Alpha: Excess Risk Taking and Competition for Managerial Talent”xiv the authors present a

model in which firms compete for scarce managerial talent ("alpha"). In cases where inter-firm

mobility is absent, efficient allocation and retention of talent to projects while at the same time

protecting low-quality managers is feasible. When managers can move across firms, “firm level

coinsurance is no longer feasible, but managers may self-insure by switching employer to delay the

revelation of their true quality. However, this results in inefficient project assignment, with low-

quality managers handling projects that are too risky for them”.

4. Day 2 theme: Sustainable management & the Circular Economy

- Is the circular economy the logical next step in sustainable management, and what role can

technology play in getting us securely on that path?

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There is a multitude of literature on the subject of sustainable management, the collaborative

economy, the circular economy, etc. We have selected just a few that attracted our attention for

their pertinence to what we feel will be the focus in the conference. As for the circular economy,

we have provided in the annex a very short bibliography of some references that explore its different

features and dimensions e.g. its history and current applications of the circular economy concept;

transiting from a linear supply chain management to a circular pattern; multi-criteria decision

making approach towards circular economy; European Union’s “new” environmental policy;

measuring circular economy strategies; fault lines and synergies between rural eco-economy and

circular economy; applying game theory analysis in shifting from a linear economy towards circular

economy; linking public procurement and sustainable business models with circular economy.

The Price Waterhouse Coopers Study made for the EU Commission (2015)xv highlighted the

following five sectors of the collaborative economy:

- Peer-to-peer accommodation: households sharing access to unused space in their home or

renting out a holiday home to travellers

- Peer-to-peer transportation: individuals sharing a ride, car or parking space with others

- On-demand household services: freelancer marketplaces enabling households to access on-

demand support with household tasks such as food delivery and DIY

- On demand professional services: freelancer marketplaces enabling businesses to access on-

demand support with skills such as administration, consultancy and accountancy

- Collaborative finance: individuals and businesses who invest, lend and borrow directly

between each other, such as crowd-funding and peer-to-peer lending

The study came to the conclusion that “the collaborative economy has now become a deep

socio-economic trend that is fundamentally changing the way we live our lives”.

A study on sustainability from a marketing perspective (Karin Tollin and others, 2014)xvi is worth

citing not only for the useful literature review on corporate sustainability that it contains but for

their analysis. Apart from the unsurprising revelation that top management plays a “conclusive role,

provided they practise a transformational leadership style”, what we found particularly interesting

is the successful testing of their hypothesis that “implementing environmental initiatives drives

company commitment to sustainability, and that engagement in social issues (i.e. human rights,

labour and anti-corruption) also serves as a driver to become engaged, or further engaged in

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environmental, product responsibility or bottom of pyramid issues”. Equally interesting was their

finding that marketing, both its market intelligence gathering and service dominant functions act as

drivers for the company’s engagement in product responsibility and social issues, including concerns

for the bottom of the pyramid

Alexandra Samuel (HBR, Oct. 2015)xvii affirms what customers want from the collaborative economy

- “companies need to embrace the core innovations of the collaborative economy if they want to

thrive in the era of Kickstarter, Uber and Taskrabbit”. They too have to launch their peer-to-peer

marketplaces, lend and share, not sell; become mobile-enabled; partner with start-ups, not

necessarily compete with them. But the study also suggests that sharers can be wooed back to

buyers if companies win them back with the power of their brand or play on the convenience factor

and price reductions of up to 25%.

On the question of boosting female employment, a study covering Europe in general and Poland in

particular (Beaumont, 2015)xviii, holds that women who face well documented issues in the

workplace - sexism, covert discrimination, pay differential – are being “attracted to the freedom of

having their own business. Even though women may still face obstacles when becoming an

entrepreneur, the collaborative economy, with relatively lower administrative burdens, easier

access, and especially its freedom, gives women a greater opportunity to easily create their own

business”.

In a contrarian study, though posed as an interrogation, the author (Martin, 2016)xix questions

whether the sharing economy is a pathway to sustainability or a “nightmarish form of neoliberal

capitalism.” Acknowledging that “hyper-consumption was central to emergence of the sharing

economy niche, he argues that it has “been successfully reframed by regime actors as purely an

economic opportunity”, and that “If the sharing economy follows this pathway of corporate co-

option it appears unlikely to drive a transition to sustainability”

How do the wonderful notions of the collaborative sharing economy sit with the present geo-

political realities of international business? Will we be happy citizens in a world of collaborating

nation states, or consuming customers in a closed, polluting, “me-first” market system of

diminishing international exchanges of trade, investments and people? Statistically we are talking

about a significant part of the world economy: World trade in goods and services is 29.53% of total

world GDP. Trends however signal a slowing down of the growth rate, making 2017 as the year when

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it will be slower (1.7%) than world GDP (2.2%) for the first time since 15 yearsxx. Foreign direct

investments (FDI) also slowed from 5.2% (2007) to 2.8 (2015)xxi. Same slow down for net world

migration, but with a sad reverse trend of refugees and asylum seekers increasing from 11.4 million

(2010) to 17.4 million (2015)xxii.

The HSBC and Oxford Economics in its Trade Winds report lists the following factors as potential

risks to the global trading systemxxiii:

- National security risk and terrorism

- Cybersecurity

- Pandemics

- Geopolitical uncertainty and instability

- Economic crises, recession or even periods of low growth – including in China and other

developing economies.

- Regulatory requirements on local economies and industries

- Countries returning to protectionism

- Climate change

- Political reaction against the perceived negative impacts of globalisation (for example

growing inequality).

Discussion on these issues will make us stray away from the main focus of the forum on the future

of business, so we will point only to a single reference (Davos 2017) that summarises succinctly the

main preoccupations at the Davos Summit of 2017. Amidst the anxious talk of “Trumpism”, Brexit,

trade wars, bleak future of the World Trade Organisation and a multilateral trading system, there

were also notes of optimism with the Chinese President’s “resounding defence” of globalisation and

open trade and discussions on the role the digital economy could play in ushering in a new

globalisation mind-set with “invisible” borders

5. Day 3 theme: Innovation and technology management

In an increasingly competitive world, what are some of the keys to successfully navigating

innovation, technology and change in an agile manner?

Raconteur, in the article, “The Agile Business”xxiv, declares that the two key determinants of an agile

business are collaboration and implementing smart technology. Collaboration is essential because

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that the complexities surrounding the present business landscape can be effectively understood by

benefitting from different perspectives and knowledge skills from external actors. And self-

evidently, latest technology – smart, new platforms of cloud, big data and social networking – has

to be adopted and exploited.

The mindtools websitexxv discusses the four stages of organisational change and displays them

graphically:

Four Stages of Organizational Change

Figure 2: (Source: Mindtools.com)

Indeed, many enterprises get stuck in the first and second phase as the forces of resistance resist

those of change. What could have merited more discussion is on ways and means to overcome this

resistance, emanating in large part from personnel feeling their careers threatened by these

changes, and lead them to either acceptance, or negotiated departures.

Thus, we thought it relevant to cite the article (Brimm, 2015)xxvi where the author gives her insights

on “how to embrace complex change”. To quote from the abstract, “Management researchers have

a lot to say about the best way to approach organizational change, but when it comes to personal

transitions, there is no blueprint for success. Over years working with MBA students and executives,

the author has developed a framework to help in thinking about change. It involves navigating the

Seven C’s: complexity (considering all the issues in a particular change effort); clarity (understanding

and prioritizing those issues); confidence (believing that one can be successful in making the

change); creativity (brainstorming innovative solutions to problems that arise); commitment

(beginning to implement the change); consolidation (leaving behind the previous identity to adopt

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the new one); and change (living into the change and its consequences).” This typology of a

sequential transition seems to make sense, but understandably the article does not go into granular

detail of issues and roadblocks encountered in the process, the “how to” of addressing them.

There are several such challenges, and attempts at their solutions, in becoming an agile enterprise

discussed in the literature of this theme. We cite one which we thought rather relevant in the

current difficult financial times. In The Impact of Cash Flow and Debt on Organizational Agilityxxvii

the authors find that “Organizational agility is found to be sensitive to both an organization's cash

flow and its financial leverage. We find that the size of an organization's cash flow and debt impacts

the cultural climate of that organization. Specifically that ample cash flows and low debt supports

cultural attributes that promote organizational agility and low cash flows and high debt contributes

to a cultural environment that retards”. Such reality checks must be acknowledged and addressed

to provide a proper balance to what could otherwise turn out to be a rosy utopian discussion on

agile organisations that embrace technology and organically interact with their stakeholders and

social media.

6. Concluding Remarks

We are conscious that this “thought” paper may demonstrate more its lack! However, it was never

the intention to provide a comprehensive literature review of the themes of the Forum. The idea

was to make a brief scan in a few article length pages of some salient ideas, issues and challenges

that are currently informing the discussion world-wide on the future of business, management, and

technology. Given the array of distinguished experts that are lined up to speak in the forum, their

contribution will surely provide more stimulating “food” for thought. We intend to capture this in a

publication of the forum conference proceedings, in which this paper will be a modest lead-in entry.

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References:

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Dec. 2016, www.fastcompany.com/3066479/12-ceos-share-their-predictions-for-2017. (extracted

20/8/2017)

ii PricewaterhouseCoopers. “20th CEO Survey - PwC Global.” PwC, 16 Jan. 2017,

www.pwc.com/gx/en/ceo-agenda/ceosurvey/2017/fr. (extracted 21/8/2017)

iiiFortune Staff. “The 2017 Fortune Crystal Ball.” Fortune, 12 Jan. 2017, fortune.com/predictions-

2017-future-business/. (extracted 21/08/2017)

iv Wessel, Maxwell. “Predict the Future of Your Business.” Harvard Business Review, 13 Apr. 2015,

hbr.org/2015/04/predict-the-future-of-your-business. (extracted 21/08/2017)

vCanton, James. “The Predictive Enterprise: Five Trends Shaping the Future of Business.” The

Huffington Post, TheHuffingtonPost.com, 26 Nov. 2015, www.huffingtonpost.com/james-

canton/the-predictive-enterprise_b_8656326.html. (extracted 21/08/2017)

viInc., Gartner. “Gartner's Top 10 Strategic Predictions For 2017 And Beyond.” Forbes, Forbes

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strategic-predictions-for-2017-and-beyond/#3817a4696976. (extracted 21/08/2017)

vii Case, Steve; The Third Wave: An Entrepreneur’s Vison of the Future, Simon & Schuster (April 5,

2016)

viii Schwab, Klaus, The Fourth Industrial Revolution », Crown Business (January 3, 2017)

ix Attributed to Heather Schuck, the Working Mom Manifesto

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strategies. International Journal of Contemporary Hospitality Management. 2015, Vol. 27 Issue 3,

xi Jean Martin, Conrad Schmidt. How to Keep Your Top Talent; HBR, (May 2010)

xii Dobbs, Richard et al. New Talent Tensions in an era of lower investment. McKinsey Quarterly.

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xiii Stacia Garr. Talent Management Maturity: High-Performing Organizations Invest in a Relationship

with their Talent. Workforce Solutions Review. Jul2016, Vol. 7 Issue 4,

xiv Acharya, Pagano, Volpin. Review of Financial Studies. Oct2016, Vol. 29 Issue 10

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xvRobert Vaughan, Raphael Daverio. Assessing the size and presence of the collaborative economy

in Europe PwC UK, April 2016, www.pwc.co.uk

xvi Tollin, Karin,Christensen, Lars Bech,Wilke, Ricky. Sustainability in business from a marketing

perspective. Journal of Strategic Marketing. Oct2015, Vol. 23 Issue

xviiSamuel, Alexandra; What Customers Want from the Collaborative Economy. HBR, October 8, 2015

xviii Beaumont, Karolina. "The Collaborative Economy in Poland and Europe: A Tool for Boosting

Female Employment?" CASE Network Reports.126 (2015): 1-36. Print.

xix Martin, Chris J. "The Sharing Economy: A Pathway to Sustainability or a Nightmarish Form of

Neoliberal Capitalism?" Ecological Economics 121 (2016):

xx Trade Statistics, World Trade Organisation (wto.org)

xxi Data Bank, World Bank (worldbank.org)

xxii Migration Remittances Factbook, 2016, World Bank (worldbank.org)

xxiii Kimberly Botwright. ICTSD, February 2017. (http://www.ictsd.org/opinion/what-now-for-global-

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Annex: A short bibliography on the Circular Economy 1. The Circular Economy: An Interdisciplinary Exploration of the Concept and Application in a Global Context. Revue universitaire By: Murray, Alan; Skene, Keith; Haynes, Kathryn. Journal of Business Ethics. Feb2017, Vol. 140 Issue 3, p369-380. 12p. DOI: 10.1007/s10551-015-2693-2. , Base de données: Business Source Complete Subjects: Economics; Nongovernmental organizations; Economic models; Sustainable development; Administration of General Economic Programs; Well-being -- Economic aspects; Economic development -- China; Operational definitions 2. Sustainable supply chain management and the transition towards a circular economy: Evidence and some applications. Revue universitaire By: Genovese, Andrea; Acquaye, Adolf A.; Figueroa, Alejandro; Koh, S.C. Lenny. Omega. Jan2017 Part B, Vol. 66, p344-357. 14p. DOI: 10.1016/j.omega.2015.05.015. , Base de données: Business Source Complete Subjects: Supply chain management; Industrial organization (Economic theory); Sustainable development; Industrial ecology; Life cycle hypothesis (Economic theory); Administration of General Economic Programs 3. Product biographies in servitization and the circular economy. Revue universitaire By: Spring, Martin; Araujo, Luis. Industrial Marketing Management. Jan2017, Vol. 60, p126-137. 12p. DOI: 10.1016/j.indmarman.2016.07.001. , Base de données: Business Source Complete Sujets: Product management; Marketing management; Customer services; Valuation; Entrepreneurship; Marketing Consulting Services; All Other Professional, Scientific, and Technical Services 4. Evaluating the comprehensive benefit of eco-industrial parks by employing multi-criteria decision making approach for circular economy. Revue universitaire By: Zhao, Haoran; Zhao, Huiru; Guo, Sen. Journal of Cleaner Production. Jan2017 Part 4, Vol. 142, p2262-2276. 15p. DOI: 10.1016/j.jclepro.2016.11.041. , Base de données: Business Source Complete Subjects: Industrial districts; Sustainable development; Economic development; Delphi method; Decision making; Administration of General Economic Programs; Environmental degradation 5. The 'New' Environmental Policy of the European Union: A Path to Development of a Circular Economy and Mitigation of the Negative Effects of Climate Change. Revue universitaire By: Wysokińska, Zofia. Comparative Economic Research. Jun2016, Vol. 19 Issue 2, p57-73. 17p. DOI: 10.1515/cer-2016-0013. , Base de données: Business Source Complete Subjects: GOVERNMENT policy; Environmental policy -- European Union countries; Climatic changes; Climate change mitigation; Environmental protection -- European Union countries; European Union countries -- Environmental conditions

CONVERSATIONS ON THE FUTURE OF BUSINESS: A THOUGHT PAPER

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6. The Circular Economy – A new sustainability paradigm? Détails disponibles uniquement Revue universitaire By: Geissdoerfer, Martin; Savaget, Paulo; Bocken, Nancy M.P.; Hultink, Erik Jan. Journal of Cleaner Production. Feb2017, Vol. 143, p757-768. 12p. DOI: 10.1016/j.jclepro.2016.12.048. , Base de données: Business Source Complete Subjects: Policy sciences; Bibliometrics; Sustainability; Snowballs; Information science -- Statistical methods 7. Measuring circular economy strategies through index methods: A critical analysis. Revue universitaire By: Elia, Valerio; Gnoni, Maria Grazia; Tornese, Fabiana. Journal of Cleaner Production. Jan2017 Part 4, Vol. 142, p2741-2751. 11p. DOI: 10.1016/j.jclepro.2016.10.196. , Base de données: Business Source Complete Subjects: Economic systems; Recycling (Waste, etc.); Economic models; Economic sectors; Other Waste Collection; Materials Recovery Facilities; Critical analysis 8. Enabling Sustainable Agro-Food Futures: Exploring Fault Lines and Synergies Between the Integrated Territorial Paradigm, Rural Eco-Economy and Circular Economy. Revue universitaire By: Kristensen, Dan; Kjeldsen, Chris; Thorsøe, Martin. Journal of Agricultural & Environmental Ethics. Oct2016, Vol. 29 Issue 5, p749-765. 17p. DOI: 10.1007/s10806-016-9632-9. , Base de données: Business Source Complete Subjects: Sustainable development; Agricultural economics; Economic structure; Farm Product Warehousing and Storage; Other Farm Product Raw Material Merchant Wholesalers; Administration of General Economic Programs; Farm produce; Environmental degradation; Rural geography 9. Ecosystems, Strong Sustainability and the Classical Circular Economy Martins, Nuno Ornelas; Ecological Economics, September 2016, v. 129, pp. 32-39, Base de données: EconLit Subjects: Political Processes: Rent-seeking, Lobbying, Elections, Legislatures, and Voting Behavior ; General Aggregative Models: Neoclassical ; Ecological Economics: Ecosystem Services; Biodiversity Conservation; Bioeconomics; Industrial Ecology 10. The history and current applications of the circular economy concept. Revue universitaire By: Winans, K.; Kendall, A.; Deng, H. Renewable & Sustainable Energy Reviews. Feb2017 Part 1, Vol. 68, p825-833. 9p. DOI: 10.1016/j.rser.2016.09.123. , Base de données: GreenFILE Sujets: Natural resources; Industrialization; Economic development; Stakeholders; Thematic analysis; Social innovation 11. Resource recovery from post-consumer waste: important lessons for the upcoming circular economy. Revue universitaire By: Singh, Jagdeep; Ordoñez, Isabel. Journal of Cleaner Production. Oct2016 Part A, Vol. 134, p342-353. 12p. DOI: 10.1016/j.jclepro.2015.12.020. , Base de données: Business Source Complete Subjects: Consumers; New product development; Waste management; Product design; Marketing Consulting Services; Other Waste Collection; Solid Waste Landfill; Waste treatment and disposal; Waste collection; Industrial Building Construction; Materials Recovery Facilities; Industrial Design Services; Resource recovery facilities

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12. Resource duration as a managerial indicator for Circular Economy performance. Détails disponibles uniquement Revue universitaire By: Franklin-Johnson, Elizabeth; Figge, Frank; Canning, Louise. Journal of Cleaner Production. Oct2016, Vol. 133, p589-598. 10p. DOI: 10.1016/j.jclepro.2016.05.023. , Base de données: Business Source Complete Sujets: Resource management; Financial performance; Environmental impact analysis; Precious metals; Mineral, ore and precious metal merchant wholesalers; Gold and silver ore mining; Gold Ore Mining; Jewelry, Watch, Precious Stone, and Precious Metal Merchant 13. Is the Circular Economy a New Fast-Expanding Market? Revue universitaire By: Esposito, Mark; Tse, Terence; Soufani, Khaled. Thunderbird International Business Review. Jan/Feb2017, Vol. 59 Issue 1, p9-14. 6p. DOI: 10.1002/tie.21764. , Base de données: Business Source Complete Subjects: Market potential; Longevity -- Economic aspects; Exponential functions; Circular motion; Disruptive technologies 14. Circular economy for the built environment: A research framework. Revue universitaire By: Pomponi, Francesco; Moncaster, Alice. Journal of Cleaner Production. Feb2017, Vol. 143, p710-718. 9p. DOI: 10.1016/j.jclepro.2016.12.055. , Base de données: Business Source Complete Subjects: Cluster analysis (Statistics); Correlation (Statistics); Built environment; Human ecology; Interdisciplinary approach to knowledge 15. Circular economy and the opportunity cost of not ‘closing the loop’ of water industry: the case of Jordan. Revue universitaire By: Abu-Ghunmi, Diana; Abu-Ghunmi, Lina; Kayal, Bassam; Bino, Adel. Journal of Cleaner Production. Sep2016, Vol. 131, p228-236. 9p. DOI: 10.1016/j.jclepro.2016.05.043. , Base de données: Business Source Complete Subjects: Bottled water industry; Bottled water manufacturing; Economic models; Jordan; Bottled Water Manufacturing; Non-alcoholic beverage merchant wholesalers; Soft drink and ice manufacturing; Sewage Treatment Facilities; Sewage – Purification 16. Performance indicators for a circular economy: A case study on post-industrial plastic waste. Revue universitaire By: Huysman, Sofie; De Schaepmeester, Jonas; Ragaert, Kim; Dewulf, Jo; De Meester, Steven. Resources, Conservation & Recycling. May2017, Vol. 120, p46-54. 9p. DOI: 10.1016/j.resconrec.2017.01.013. , Base de données: GreenFILE Subjects: Plastic scrap; Emissions (Air pollution); Waste treatment; Hazardous wastes; Key performance indicators (Management)

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17. MARKET-BASED APPROACH IN SHIFT FROM LINEAR ECONOMY TOWARDS CIRCULAR ECONOMY SUPPORTED BY GAME THEORY ANALYSIS. Revue universitaire By: Dolinsky, Martin; Maier, Stephan. Creative & Knowledge Society. Dec2015, Vol. 5 Issue 2, p1-10. 10p. DOI: 10.1515/cks-2015-0009. , Base de données: Business Source Complete Subjects: Game theory in economics; Economics -- Mathematical models; Computers in economics; Pricing; Closed loop systems 18. Towards a more Circular Economy: Proposing a framework linking sustainable public procurement and sustainable business models. Revue universitaire By: Witjes, Sjors; Lozano, Rodrigo. Resources, Conservation & Recycling. Sep2016, Vol. 112, p37-44. 8p. DOI: 10.1016/j.resconrec.2016.04.015. , Base de données: GreenFILE Subjects: Sustainability; Industrial wastes; Business -- Environmental aspects; Raw materials; Stakeholders 19. Propelling plastics into the circular economy — weeding out the toxics first. By: Leslie, H.A.; Leonards, P.E.G.; Brandsma, S.H.; de Boer, J.; Jonkers, N. Environment International. Sep2016, Vol. 94, p230-234. 5p. DOI: 10.1016/j.envint.2016.05.012. , Base de données: GreenFILE Subjects: Plastics -- Environmental aspects; Environmental impact analysis; Persistent 20. Towards circular economy implementation: a comprehensive review in context of manufacturing industry. Revue universitaire By: Lieder, Michael; Rashid, Amir. Journal of Cleaner Production. Mar2016, Vol. 115, p36-51. 16p. DOI: 10.1016/j.jclepro.2015.12.042. , Base de données: Business Source Complete Subjects: Manufacturing industries; Waste management; Recycling (Waste, etc.); Stakeholders; Environmental impact analysis; Materials Recovery Facilities; Other Waste Collection; Waste treatment and disposal; Waste collection; Solid Waste Landfill