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Biz Strategy

Biz Strategy Globalisation Governance Opinions

Deep Policy Responses: Could it happen again?

April 7, 2020

It is end of March / early April 2020 as I write this. Corona (Covid19) increases its grip onto the world. Draconian, tough policy measures are being put in place limiting people's lives ... and rattling the global economy. Could it hall happen again in the future? And if so - in what way?

Biz Strategy Brand Review

Communications Star: Hiut Denim

August 28, 2013

After having followed Hiut Denim’s newsletter and blog for weeks now I could wait no longer to place the brand in the best practise category. Hiut Denim is an authentic brand. If it were a person, Hiut would be personable, open, honest, trustworthy, fun: maybe with black and white views and opinions but always in line with its values. Surely, a person deeply bond to its roots.

Biz Strategy

Freeinterns – An open letter to decision makers and organisations

September 24, 2010

Freenterns - cynically also called volunteers - are highly skilled, work in qualified position, often in charities, but do not get paid. Help raise awareness!

Biz Strategy Globalisation Opinions Uncategorized

Climate Change x Geopolitics: All hands on Resources?!

March 1, 2022

Did you ever wonder, how the New Climate Changed reality could look and feel like at its worst? Then, we may right now be getting a flavour of exactly that. Ukraine's resource richness may be an important variable in a globalised world that will increasingly be struggling to access necessary resources in the decades to come. Because, after all, and as we learned when we played monopoly: Whomever controls the resources controls the game.

Biz Strategy Opinions

More Air-Time: Science, scientific-methods, and the scientific discourse

September 28, 2021

"The good thing about Science is that it’s true, whether or not you believe in it." This short quote by astrophysist Neil deGrasse Tyson is fundamental to making true progress specifically in the current times in the sustainability area. Science does not mean 'claim what you want as long as you have some data to go with it'. Instead it means: An approach whereby hard data and insights, together with the methodology how you got there, are transparently and openly provided. To be scuritinzed and - important! - improved upon. A call to give the Scientific Discourse waaaay more airtime in business.

Biz Strategy Circularity Globalisation

Global pandemic and resistant economies: The time is now

April 28, 2020

As I write this, it is late April. And our lessons from the last few weeks in Corona lock down and the impact of the pandemic on our communities and societies, all over the world, have thrown an even harsher light onto some of the realities we either assumed as a given, or worked hard to change for years already. And the lessons have been truly tough medicine.

Biz Strategy Definitions Trade Shows

Paris Ethical Fashion Show September 2010: Conclusion – What is the make-up of successful ethical brands?

October 1, 2010

Fall 2010, Conclusion: Paris Ethical Fashion Week, the longest standing ethical fashion event. What is the make-up of a successful ethical brand?

Biz Strategy Opinions

The Spark: The Resonance of an SME with vision, aspiration, commitment

February 9, 2021

We all interact frequently with SMEs of different types, characters, and offers. Yet there are two types of such businesses. Those where 'the spark' is graspable: Their vision, raison d'etre, motivation, aspiration, commitment. And then those, who at best surf the waves of third party demands. Content to be 'victims' instead of taking the courage to forge their own irons. A never ending fascination.

Biz Strategy Consumer-ism Globalisation

Consumers know where their clothing is coming from. Or do they?

March 6, 2013

Recently, my colleague Ilaria Pasquinelli and I had the opportunity to participate in a, generally speaking, consumer facing product showcase and trade show. For the purpose of this research, we built an interactive task which required the visitors to cut off one of their garment labels (i.e. the washing instructions), and then pin it to a map attached to a cork board according to 2 dimensions: – ‘Made in‘: Where the garment was manufactured. – ‘Made from‘: What the primary material the garment was made of.

Biz Strategy Consumer-ism

Validating sustainable consumption research critically: We don’t know what we don’t know

April 8, 2013

This article has was submitted to and appeared in edited form at the European Business Ethics Network annual conference, Lille...

You too, can do: Be part of the solution, not the problem. Adding value with your skill set.

Biz Strategy Opinions

You too, can do. Or: How to be part of the solution, not the problem

June 27, 2023

More and more people call themselves 'sustainability experts'. Just -we do not need more of them. Instead we need people who are extremely good at what they do, apply their skill in a context to create change and that nourishes them for years to come. That's the Sweet Spot. How did you find your 'Sweet Spot'? And how did you transition?

Biz Strategy Governance Opinions

Climate Litigation x Governments: A surprisingly (un)revolutionary approach

August 2, 2023

Litigation, going to court, is by definition not a fun business. And yet, in this 2023 several Climate Litigation cases have already caught the headline – and many more are in the makes. Among all the court cases, one particular case sticks out like – depending on the political viewpoint – either a lighthouse of hope, or a sore thumb: Urgenda vs Government of the Netherlands. In this blog post we dig deeper into this case: Who was going to court against whom? And why exactly? How come the plaintiffs won? And: is this just a one off local phenomenon in the Netherlands?

Biz Strategy Governance

Distinction-cum-baggage: The board director’s track record

January 5, 2021

A recent Bloomberg article found: of more than 600 directors and executives of the world’s 20 largest banks, only few individuals had experience in renewable or sustainable industries. Far more had ties to polluting industries: At least 73 individuals even have at one time or another held a position with one or more of the biggest corporate emitters of greenhouse gases, including 16 connected to oil or refining companies. The irony: it is precisely the directors’ prior track record and experience, one of the very reasons why they got (s)elected onto the board, that could jeopardise their board’s forward decisions.

Biz Strategy Governance

‘Rules of Procedures’ of a Corporate Board: In the best interest of …?

May 25, 2021

One of the things usually approved at the constituent board meeting after every company AGM are the board of directors' ‘Rules of Procedure’. What looks, and is often perceived, as a formality though, at close looks carries not just formal weight, but indeed formulates – directly or between the lines – the duties of the board. What do these rules typically enshrine - and what not?

Biz Strategy Governance

Responsible: For what, towards whom, and who indeed is?

June 1, 2021

Corporate responsibility, business ethics, sustainability, ESG. Whatever the terminology there are three fundamental questions that underpin all decisions, actions, strategies in this regard. These questions are strategically relevant for any board of directors. Because they are the basis upon which fiduciary duty is constructed. And: they outline the framework within which the fiduciary duty of a board is bound to evolve over time.

Biz Strategy Governance

CEO Remuneration: Creating the right incentives through long-term stock options

March 24, 2020

CEO pay is an ongoing topic. Stock options are a regular part of their pay package. The way CEO pay packages handle stock options may foster short-termism. Or contribute to remedy it. Some thoughts.

Biz Strategy Finance Globalisation

Energy Industry & Carbon Trajectory: A tale of two Trajectories

February 23, 2021

Carbon – together with biodiversity – is one of THE most critical dimensions among the Planetary Boundaries. Because the already existing overshoot is putting our civilisation at risk. So far nothing new under the sun. The energy sector is the by far most impactful sector: directly and indirectly our carbon footprint depends on how they fuel our civilisation. The big elephant in the room is of course: How well are badly do energy companies perform right now in terms of their carbon footprint? And: Do they have at the least commitments to work on a Paris Agreement trajectory? I look into these questions. Spoiler Alert: The results are pretty much in line with expectations. Yet: among the innovators, not everyone does perform as well as they probably should ...

Biz Strategy Governance

Have you Done the Math? Or: Growth – the Elephant in the Boardroom

June 9, 2020

We need new business models that are not predicated on selling more stuff to more people. And because in the 'Here and Now', there is truly not much more to say, I could finish with the above quote. Except that: Those ‘new business models’ are not reality. Far from it. About the Role of the Board in the 'Why'.

Biz Strategy

The Illusion of Impact Effectiveness. Or: How to Stress test your Corporate Responsibility Impact Performance.

May 28, 2024

In her thought-provoking 2020 article, Laura Liswood exposes "The Illusion of Inclusion," where companies appear diverse but lack genuine inclusion. In this blog post I extend this idea to "The Illusion of Sustainability Impact Effectiveness," where businesses seem committed to sustainability but achieve minimal real impact. By adapting Liswood's Inclusion Stress Test, I drafted a version of the assessmnt that can be a usueful tool for companies to genuinely assess and enhance their corporate responsibility efforts across all dimensions.

Biz Strategy Future Tech Supply Chain

AI x Sustainability (3): Supply Chain Compliance with AI

November 12, 2024

Can AI help us to get to (better) grips with supply chain compliance? Supply chains are based on fairly complex partnership networks where every link ideally must meet strict efficiency and compliance standards. Supplier audits and legislation aim ultimately to ensure high standard, it is a not the least highly time demanding task to be successful at. AI offers the potential to support practical solutions for risk assessment, process optimization, and partner evaluation. Commercial providers are already jumping on the band wagon by providing ways to build 'digital twins' of real supply chains – hence opening them up for 'offline optimisation' - and of course highly sophisticated data analytics tools drawing from multiple disjoint data sources.

Future Fit Industries of 'Stuff': Governance, Responsibility, and the Age of Doughnut Economics

Biz Strategy

Deep Policy Responses: Could it happen again?

Communications Star: Hiut Denim

Freeinterns – An open letter to decision makers and organisations

Climate Change x Geopolitics: All hands on Resources?!

More Air-Time: Science, scientific-methods, and the scientific discourse

Global pandemic and resistant economies: The time is now

The Spark: The Resonance of an SME with vision, aspiration, commitment

Consumers know where their clothing is coming from. Or do they?

Validating sustainable consumption research critically: We don’t know what we don’t know

You too, can do. Or: How to be part of the solution, not the problem

Climate Litigation x Governments: A surprisingly (un)revolutionary approach

Distinction-cum-baggage: The board director’s track record

‘Rules of Procedures’ of a Corporate Board: In the best interest of …?

Responsible: For what, towards whom, and who indeed is?

CEO Remuneration: Creating the right incentives through long-term stock options

Energy Industry & Carbon Trajectory: A tale of two Trajectories

Have you Done the Math? Or: Growth – the Elephant in the Boardroom

The Illusion of Impact Effectiveness. Or: How to Stress test your Corporate Responsibility Impact Performance.

AI x Sustainability (3): Supply Chain Compliance with AI

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