Tools and standards to support business sustainability The GRI Sustainability Reporting Guidelines have created performance indicators (both quantitative and qualitative),
and addressing social constraints to competitiveness are powerful tools for creating economic and social value,
tool called a‘‘Reference Impact Grid''(RIG) which helps strategists and risk managers define vulnerabilities within a given system
There are some tools for utilizing weak signals in organizational environments. One tool is called Strategy Signals, which aims to collect weak signals inside of an organization.
The tool is developed by the Finnish company Fountain Park. 5 Another tool for using weak signals in organizations is called the Futures Windows 5, in
which images of weak signals are shown in organization facilities. All the employees in the organization can send their images about weak signals to this tool.
The purpose of that tool is to disseminate weak signals in organizations easily and increase futures thinking
and innovating in the organization. In general weak signals are messages and signs usually associated with early developments in technologies, societal innovations, conflicts, origins of conflicts, etc. that while not easily verifiable from a present day perspective.
Examples of critical drivers by category A b c Society & Culture 46 Increased citizen participation with the help of collaborative Web tools International mobility of educated workforce improves cultural
The focus of the Conference was on foresight, technology forecasting and technology assessment methods and tools.
Many decision-makers remain ignorant of or unpractised with these tools, and may well resort to other guides to the future,
In this paper, Schippl and Fleischer demonstrate that a broad range of tools and methods can be used for assessing the impact of transport policy decision-making.
the article argues for equipping legal activities with a set of tools, methods and approaches that enables them to acknowledge
A variety of tools and methods of rather different character are applied, none of these methods are able to systematically reproduce a complete system;
In general, these can be gathered based on information by using a broad range of advanced tools and methods that can be allocated to the field of Future-oriented technology analysis (FTA,
it is not astounding that a huge variety of tools and methods for the anticipation of unintended effects of transport policies are applied to give guidance and orientation for planning processes.
There is a discussion about the potentials of discursive tools in the literature related to participative Technology assessment (pta;
The huge variety in tools and methods, however, makes it difficult to understand where exactly their potentials
as well as a more appropriate interpretation of the results of assessment tools. In doing so, there is a need to look at risks
On the contrary, typical, widely used transportation planning tools more often than not provide the impression that the consequences of policy interventions like new infrastructure projects,
In the following chapter a categorisation is introduced that helps to better understand the limits and potentials of tools and methods for addressing knowns, known unknowns and unknown unknowns.
Looking at the web of nodes it becomes obvious that prospective tools and methods will never be able to systematically reproduce the full web,
Other tools with a different and/or broader focus are needed. Based on this reflection, we make a general distinction between two groups of tools along the following criteria:
does the structure of the method allow for a high degree in openness concerning the inclusion of parameters and linkages between parameters,
One of the main criterions to distinguish between tools and methods is whether they use
is highly important for the type of unintended effects that can be anticipated. 3. 1 Structurally open methods This category comprises tools
MCA is structured a decision-making tool developed and used in complex and conflicting situations where multiple criteria are involved (Mendoza et al.,
As for the other tools described in this chapter, the process of reflection and systematisation might also improve the knowledge of known unknowns.
But it seems to be possible to allocate tools and methods to either of the two categories.
These tools are used to integrate data of different character and sources. There are a huge variety of possible combinations in this field,
The term‘‘scenario''subsumes a broad range of tools and methodological approaches. In general, several tools are combined in a scenario process (workshops, CBA, trend analyses, models, Delphi, roadmaps and others.
Scenarios are defined by many authors as a coherent illustration of possible future situations together with pathways that might lead to these situations (Kosow and Gaßner 2008.
SEA and EIA use combinations of different tools rather than only one tool. Scenario processes and modelling approaches quite often play an important role.
quantitative tools such as models have become much more sophisticated, there are still many examples that uncertainty in relation to such assumptions is acknowledged not sufficiently.
pointing at the potentials but also at the limits of the tools and methods used for the assessment.
A PAGE 290 jforesight jvol. 14 NO. 4 2012 broad range of tools and methods exists that are used for assessing the impact of transport policy decision-making by trying to anticipate such effects.
None of the tools and methods are able to‘‘guarantee''that no unintended effects occur.
Structurally closed tools are mainly of quantitative character, cause-effect relations can, to a large extent, be expressed in numbers and figures.
Grunwald (2009, p. 1129) argues in relation to quantitative tools:‘‘‘‘quantitative''is equated often with‘‘objective''.''Subjective questioning of evaluation should be‘‘objectivised''.
inventory of tools and methods for early detection of adverse effects, available at: http://optic. toi. no Evans, S. H. and Mackinder,
qualitative and quantitative tools and methods to detect unintended effects of transport policies, ''paper presented at the European Transport Conference, Glasgow, 12 october.
foresight techniques (see http://hsctoolkit. tribalhosting. net/The-tools. html for a summary of techniques,
Another mention concerning FFRC's input speaks of the role of expert workshops which in the evaluation are thought to be a very effective tool to find the right questions
and is therefore a powerful tool to investigate structures at the nanoscale. This discovery was the beginning of a whole range of microscopes achieving the same precision,
which is referred commonly to as RAM (Random access memory), is a temporary (volatile) storage area utilized by the processing unit of every personal computer.
the results and insights that are gained by applying CTA tools in practice can be fed back into theories of technology dynamics.
20 Nantero, Nantero, Inc. announces $10. 5mm in funding developing nanotube-based nonvolatile RAM technology for licensing.
Concepts, Spaces and Tools, Edward Elgar Publishing, Cheltenham, 2002, pp. 359 385. Rutger van Merkerk is currently a Phd student (Copernicus Institute for Sustainability and Innovation, University of Utrecht,
whether it is convenient and feasible to recover these tools for the sake of our cities. 2. The standard urban planning process
and tools to meet the coming challenges. Second, the social debate inherent to urban planning and the need for stakeholder collaboration can be facilitated through a mutually beneficial symbiosis between futures studies and urban planning (Cole, 2001.
urban planners tend to focus on forecasting tools, disregarding most foresight methods as frivolous exercises. In fact, our literature review has detected not specific
or just perceived as a trivial set of tools that do not provide much added value to the urban decision making processes.
detailed outputs (visions or scenarios) that can be used as inputs for quantitative tools. With this aim in mind, an approach is presented hereby to link foresight tools and the urban planning process.
Traditional foresight tools such as vision or scenario design are used to create a future vision of the territory and its broader socioeconomic context in a narrative format.
This first step should normally use qualitative tools that facilitate participation by stakeholders. 2. Determination of functional implications.
Therefore, the third step should be based on quantitative tools and be restricted to urban experts. 4. Determination of spatial implications.
A GIS tool will show graphic information about urban growth, urban sprawl and infrastructure networks. This step requires sophisticated quantitative and graphic tools,
which should be operated by experts. Nevertheless, the final product will be understood easily by stakeholders as well as the general public. 5. Strategy formulation.
Public management should be able to internalise environmental costs through sophisticated environmental evaluation tools. Functional implications of Scenario B (2025.
Projections for the year 2025 are displayed using diverse tools and analysis methods. The ultimate purpose of these parameters is to translate functional implications into quantitative values,
the spatial implications of each scenario can be displayed with graphic tools. Future spatial patterns are visualized through the location
I Main scenarios indicators 2025 Indicators Measurement unit 2010 Scenario A Scenario B Scenario C Analytical methods and tools used for estimating indicators Society Population growth K
and on the other hand, it encompasses analytical and spatial tools with a view to developing quantitative projections for specific issues.
However, modelling tools should support the process and not drive it. In fact, the sophistication of many statistical and mathematical models is more apparent than real
Fourth, this exercise elicits the potential for using foresight as a powerful tool for the dissemination of territorial knowledge and the establishment of expert networks,
the article argues for equipping legal activities with a set of tools, methods and approaches that enables them to acknowledge
It proposes the application of future-oriented analysis (FTA) as a common umbrella term that encompasses foresight, forecasting and technology assessmentmethods and tools to the legal sphere.
forecasting and technology assessment methods and tools to the legal sphere. 2. Future-oriented technology analysis (FTA)‘‘Future-oriented technology analysis''(FTA) was created the term to encompass the different tools
strategies and tools designed to anticipate and shape technological futures (Rader and Porter, 2008). In addition, this particular community of scholars and practitioners has managed also to provide a collective definition of FTA,
I shall briefly explain how each of these tools were used in this particular research project. Delphi think pieces.
This was, in fact, the strategy tool chosen by the project to reflect on alternative futures for law and legal systems.
the anticipation of the future is increasingly being carried out through the advanced tools that help process, search,
and relevance given to ICT tools in FTA illustrate, moreover, how the techniques used to envision the future have grown in complexity and sophistication. 3. 3. 2‘‘Future-verification''assessments.
like any public safety resource or tool, must be used legally and ethically. The analytic methods used in the predictive-policing model do not identify specific individuals.
These surveys constitute adequate tools to collect information and to provide a range of different ideas based on which scenarios can afterwards be designed and presented.
Through the use of this strategic tool, the future is laid down in an operation table,
in this respect, should be used‘‘as a tool to deal with uncertainty, rather than as a claim to know the future''(HIIL, 2011).
The combination between these tools (scenario planning, modelling techniques and simulation platforms), as we saw in the Futurict case study,
In this context, the incorporation of FTA METHODS and tools to lawmaking activities accompanies the growing interest in Regulatory Impact assessment (RIA) by European policy makers.
More evidence-based approaches to the assessment of regulatory quality allow a review of the effectiveness of policy tools used in practice
and the Compstat tool (described above). The latter constitutes an innovative approach to law enforcement. In fact, it reveals that the successful application of fta to Law encompasses all of its different domains,
the continuity of the financial investment presupposed in the application of fta tools?).Given the systemic unpredictability of the future 20, how can FTA-based
the application of foresight methods and tools to Law should be as scientifically-sound as possible.
Another important challenge regarding the application of fta to Law concerns the adequate role and use of automated tools of data processing and mining in law making
Here, it is important not to overrate the importance of the data output achieved through such tools,
which may (and should) make use of scientifically oriented tools and approaches, such as the ones of FTA,
reflecting on the application of fta tools and methods (such as Delphi surveys, scenario planning, backcasting and modelling techniques) to the legal sphere,
to equip the various legal activities, from research to lawmaking, with a set of tools,
3. These various tools and strategies differ according to the range of technology targeted, the time horizon span, their goals and outcomes, etc.
which acts as a powerful tool for the exploration of the long-term future of closely interacting policy-related issues (including human development, social change and environmental sustainability).
and the types of assessment tools that policy makers seem most able or willing to use.''
''As a proposed solution, De Smedt argued that‘‘f urther initiatives on IA tools should
and legitimate, using the appropriate combination of scientific tools.''''See de Smedt (2010. 22. The original phrase is in French:‘‘
Strategic intelligence for an Innovative economy, Springer, Berlin. de Smedt, P. 2010),‘The use of impact assessment tools to support sustainable policy objectives in Europe'',Ecology and Society, Vol. 15 No. 4
In this paper we propose to adapt the well known tool droadmappingt to contribute to the solution of this problem.
as an early warning of technological risks and unintended consequences, later also as a tool for an early diagnosis of the chances and potential of technology.
Such a reflexive procedure surely would take into account the numerous demands from the debate on sustainable research and technology policies. 4. Roadmapping methodology as a tool for technology assessment of nanotechnology?
and serving as a communication tool for the participants. It will be very helpful to observe how the social mechanisms typically involved in the practice of roadmapping will develop in the course of such a trans-disciplinary
others think that the application of planning tools to topics of basic research might confine creativity
NESTS pose special challenges to traditional forecasting tools. The authors explore how the 10-step‘Forecasting Innovation Pathways'analytical approach can be systematised through the use of Tech Mining.
They combine qualitative and quantitative tools in aiming to identify potential innovation pathways. The approach proposed is applied to the development of Dye-Sensitized Solar cells (DSSCS),
Denning (2005) on the use of narrative tools in combination with strategic analysis for addressing transformational innovation.
our intellect is a tool for intervention. It thus tells us how to break the continuity
Images of the future as a tool for sociology. American Behavioral Scientist 42, no. 3: 493 504.
and various approaches and tools have been developed and evaluated (Coates et al. 2001; Harper et al. 2008; Eerola and Miles 2011.
or as tools to corroborate policy agendas. In companies, public organisations and in ministries foresight exercises are conducted for many reasons and with different effects.
Methods and tools contributing to FTA: A knowledge-based perspective. Futures 43, no. 3: 265 78.
Concepts spaces and tools. Cheltenham: Edward Elgar. Willyard, C. H, . and Mcclees, C. 1997. Motorola's technology roadmap process.
while, at the same time, the rapid development of ICT tools made the market far more transparent and increased the pressure to optimise commodity production.
and the tools and practices to be used for handling uncertainty. Let us consider the case of continuous drivers of change and the chemical and automotive industries first.
Finally, Section 5 summarises the main conclusions and outlines implications for policy and subsequent decision-making. 2. Analysis of existing tools and their gaps Since the 1990s, a range of tools have been brought in to help companies design their path
Existing tools (Appendix 2) operate in two broad areas: first, in a group of critical principles that need to be internalised into the core of the organisation's operations to shape the route towards sustainable development and, second,
Each of the most used business sustainability tools (Appendix 2) is allocated according to the four main functions that the tool can perform inside companies and the six dimensions of sustainability.
The current gaps that are being tackled by the proposed framework in comparison to the analysed tools are depicted also.
Downloaded by University of Bucharest at 05:04 03 december 2014 800 C. Cagnin and D. Loveridge Table 1. Existing tools and their relation to the PDCA cycle.
Table 1 gives a brief overview of some of the tools depicted in Appendix 2
These tools are based on continuous improvement cycles as firms need to undergo a whole cycle of implementation
through processes and tools that enable spaces for inclusive dialogue to take place (Shelton 1997; Cagnin 2005;
this enables change towards a common vision using tools which can support firms through the process to shape business sustainable development throughout their networks of relationships.
critical principles that are taken often not into account by existing tools and shows the necessary activities and the interrelationships that need to be managed systemically to shape business sustainability.
to enable business networks 817 Appendix 2. Existing business sustainability tools and research outcomesdimensions of sustainability Institutional-Business activities Economic Environmental Social Political Spatial Cultural Strategy Principles and Values Visions Proposed Proposed Proposed Proposed Proposed Proposed
learning and continuous improvement Motivation Making available the necessary tools and an environmental where collaborators share responsibility
Hence, values are seen as a strategic tool to align all activities along the network and to give the direction as to where the firm will go with
Tools, techniques, and specific analyses are presented here. We find that these tools and techniques hold great promise for aiding the future direction of the science and technology enterprise.
D 2004 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved. Keywords: Laboratory-directed research and development; Investment; Sandia 1. Introduction The Laboratory-directed research and development (LDRD) program at Sandia National Laboratories conducts world-class research on a variety of subjects that are relevant to Sandia's missions and potentially useful to other national needs.
We have applied advanced information visualization tools to understand historical development validate strategic and tactical directions, and identify opportunities for future development for each of the five IAS mentioned above.
This paper describes the project plan, detailed processes, data sources, tool sets, and sample analyses and validation activities associated with the mapping of Sandia's LDRD IAS. 2. Project plan The original plan associated with this assessment activity consisted of several steps,
and navigation tools were provided also to IA leaders to allow them to explore the data independently. 3. Process,
data, and tools Two different types of visualizations, each designed to provide different types of information,
a visualization tool that enables interactive navigation and query of an abstract information space. Link analysis maps were generated using Clearresearch,
and analysis. Vxinsight is a tool that allows visualization and navigation of an abstract information space,
However, the tool is tuned to interactive exploration rather than static presentation. Thus, in most cases, the analyst will make screen captures
Software tools that are very good at both exploration and presentation have yet to be developed. 4. Analysis
to put the Vxinsight tool and data sets on his computer so that he could explore the data independently
when using the Clearforest link analysis tool interactively, a large number of additional relationships appear. The relationships consist of additional laboratories
We have learned also that one tool does not fit all situations, but that different approaches offer different perspectives and levels of detail that can each be of benefit to the analyst or manager.
The current approach of applying information visualization tools to the analysis of the LDRD portfolio enables a comprehensive assessment of the technological development trends occurring within our IAS.
Insights gained from the novel application of visualization tools, coupled with the tacit knowledge that comes from years of personal experience as experts in a technical field,
In other words, roadmaps are tools for the combination of organisational knowledge that may be‘unlinkable'with other strategic methods (see e g.
In this culture, the roadmappiin process is a tool to endorse product development. Second is the emerging culture of strategy roadmapping, in
The construction machinerywas defined as machines, tools, and equipment that are used on the building site for making end-products and for providing different repair tasks and related services.
Second, systemic transformation capacities could also be catalysed by integrating novel ICT-based analysis tools. For example
A tool for making sustainable new product development decisions. Technological forecasting & Social Change 71, no. 1 2: 81 100.
Technology management tools: Concept, development and application. Technovation 26, no. 3: 336 44. Phaal, R, . and G. Muller. 2009.
btechnology Policy and Assessment Center, Georgia Institute of technology, Atlanta, GA, USA Highly uncertain dynamics of New and Emerging science and Technologies pose special challenges to traditional forecasting tools.
'However, the highly uncertain dynamics of NESTS pose special challenges to traditional forecasting tools. Capturing and exploring multiple potential innovation pathways show considerable promise as a way of informing technology management and research policy.
Here, we go further to apply text mining tools (see www. thevantagepoint. com) to such compilations of research article and patent abstracts.
which combines qualitative and quantitative tools in the‘Profile, Project and Assess'steps, has strengths and shortcomings.
Notes 1. The FIP framework is designed to put tools to work in a systematic way
Additional results might be community building between stakeholders from various disciplines in academia as well as strengthening of networks between academia and industry. 4. Characteristics and use of strategic dialogues As a highly flexible tool
theories and tools'',Global Environmental change, Vol. 16, pp. 170-81. Corresponding author Frauke Lohr can be contacted at:
Therefore, many countries not only use foresight as a tool to improve anticipatory intelligence but also use it as a priority-setting tool.
In some Asian countries such as Japan, South korea and China, foresight has been taken as a tool for priority setting or R&d agenda setting.
''foresight activity was regarded as a‘‘search tool''to identify their strengths in R&d, and in particular to identify innovation potentials
and the interactions are demonstrated by a directional social network analysis (SNA) with a tool named Nodexl 1 in Figure 3
Note 1. Nodexl is an online free tool for social network analysis, which can be accessed at http://nodexl. codeplex. com/References Aichholzer, G. 2001),‘Delphi Austria:
Rowe, G. and Wright, G. 1999),‘The Delphi technique as a forecasting tool: issues and analysis'',International Journal of Forecasting, Vol. 15, pp. 353-75.
and tools would be appropriate to address certain policy needs. The first two are general ones,
/Technological forecasting & Social Change 80 (2013) 379 385 3. Combining quantitative and qualitative approaches FTA is an umbrella term to denote several decision-preparatory tools (technology foresight,
we don't know to a sufficient extent what combination of methods/tools works best in a particular context.
and practical work to establish what FTA METHODS would be useful and feasible to facilitate co-ordination of tools/actions used in various policy domains,
De Smedt et al. 5 investigate ways in which futures thinking assisted by scenarios can be used as a tool for inspiring actions and structures that address the grand challenges and for orienting innovation systems.
approaches and tools that intrinsically (ex-ante) integrate qualitative and quantitative thinking, as well as provide guidance for the identification of the features that may help the selection of the appropriate set of tools
which best fit each context. Gao et al. 7 proposes an approach to enable technology managers to determine the current life cycle stage of a particular technology.
Hamarat et al. 11 explore the application of EMA combined with a number of tools in a case that focuses on a large systemic transformation or transition of an energy generation system towards a more sustainable functioning.
which future thinking can be used as a tool for inspiring actions. It does so by analysing seventeen scenario-based projects to identify elements of good practices
In this context, scenarios are seen as a tool for inspiring and orienting innovation systems. Therefore, scenarios stimulate future-oriented thinking,
and a methodology as quantitative when applying statistical/mathematical tools. In contrast, we define data as qualitative
Sciencedirect Technological forecasting & Social Change mathematical tools. A participatory method, regardless of the qualitative or quantitative data it uses, is one in
Typically, when different methods/tools are applied within the same project, links consist mainly of using the results of one part as an input into another part.
Those intermediaries can be (ICT) tools, or disciplines that are traditionally not related to FTA and function as an integrator between qualitative and quantitative approaches.
For example, web 2. 0 tools allow for the collection of both quantitative and qualitative data or for the quantitative analysis of qualitative data (such as statistical analysis of stakeholder opinions or networking behaviour.
Examples of current and upcoming FTA practices Internet-based tools allowing for integration of data of various sorts Online sharing of perspectives on different data types:
tools and data (from unstructured text from internet to reports uploaded by experts), and the sharing of perspectives across the network is supported by a set of perspective visualisation tools.
Online analysis of data and creation of knowledge repositories: Cooke and Buckley 7 believe that web 2. 0 tools can be used to make data of all sorts accessible to respondents and researchers:
Respondents no longer merely respond to signals: they generate the data, they edit it, via their communal participation, revising it in response to others,
A related approach is proposed by Soojung-Kim Pang 41 who suggests that tools and methods of social scanning and prediction markets could be used to improve professional forecasting and foresight in an era of complex phenomena and disruptive events with high level of uncertainties.
the use of collaborative tools such as social web platforms has been limited rather, both in FTA practices and in linking policy
/Technological forecasting & Social Change 80 (2013) 386 397 Other tools and disciplines that can serve as interface to facilitate the use of qualitative and quantitative approaches and data Social network analysis:
During the 2011 International Seville Conference on FTA, the use of images and visualisation techniques was suggested as a tool,
and tools commonly used by the two communities, in the hope that adequate interfaces could be found facilitating operational collaboration.
Therefore, a model is more valuable as an analytical rather than a predictive tool. This means that both quantitative and qualitative tools and techniques should be judged not so much against the accuracy of their prediction on the future
but against the assumptions upon which they rely, the data (advantages and limitations) that have been used,
or similar tools that require the valuation (or at least some form of quali-quantitative estimation) of a variety of factors including the social costs
in order to constrain uncertainty to the point where traditional tools may be used. This is however not what the FTA COMMUNITY is set out to provide.
and tools provide as far as possible a 13 The 5 P's Framework includes Paradigms, Pragmatism, Praxis,
and the development of frameworks that support the selection and implementation of an appropriate combination of qualitative and quantitative methods and tools in a given context, can enhance shared knowledge,
both quantitative and qualitative tools aim at better understanding possible futures and reducing uncertainty and ignorance.
Research has so far primarily concentrated on the development of innovative ICT tools and of ex-post interfaces,
approaches and tools that intrinsically (ex-ante) integrate qualitative and quantitative thinking, as well as guidance for the 16 If forecasting is used to compare the impact of alternative policy options,
/Technological forecasting & Social Change 80 (2013) 386 397 identification of the features that may help the organisers of FTA projects in the selection of the most appropriate set of tools (characterising
which tools fit best which contexts). On the other hand, the main barrier to integration appears to be the lack of communication
I. Miles, Methods and tools contributing to FTA: a knowledge-based perspective, Futures 43 (2011) 265 278.23 For-Learn, Online foresight guide, European foresight platform.
He has been publishing articles and reports on anticipatory and analytical research in support of European RTDI policy and on new methods and tools for FTA.
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