Trends Identified
Globalisation reimagined
CEOs’ shift towards a targeted strategy signals the advance of globalisation – but it may diverge from how it’s looked in the past. Companies are not only affected by globalisation; the actions they take will shape it. And this time, the evidence shows, CEOs are going to do it a little differently.
2011
14th Annual global CEO Survey
PWC
Resilience to global disruptions and regional risks
CEOs report that they are less likely this year to focus on changing approaches to risk management than on other areas of priority, from strategies for talent to organisational structure. Significant defensive steps have already been taken: balance sheets have improved and cash reserves have been built. Enterprise risk is now more frequently discussed in boardrooms.
2012
15th Annual global CEO Survey
PWC
Creating new value in new ways through digital transformation
CEOs no longer question the need to embrace technology at the core of their business in order to create value for customers. Beyond a shadow of a doubt, digital technologies have revolutionised how customers perceive value. Creating the personalised and ongoing experiences that are increasingly in demand requires a full view of the customer and all their relationships with the company. It requires an unprecedented level of customisation, responsiveness and innovation. Doing all this effectively just isn’t possible by tinkering at the edges. Companies increasingly recognise that they need to reconfigure their operating models – and perhaps their business models. And in order to do so they need to ensure that they’re not only investing in the right digital technologies, but can deploy them in a smart and effective way.
2015
18th Annual global CEO survey
PWC
Putting customers at the centre of innovation
CEOs are placing a higher premium on innovation today. Since 2007, business leaders have consistently reported that their single best opportunity for growth lay in better penetration of their existing markets. Now they’re just as likely to focus on the innovation needed for new products and services (see Figure 5). It’s high on the agenda in virtually all industries, including industrial sectors such as metals, chemicals and manufacturing.
2011
14th Annual global CEO Survey
PWC
The glass half-full
CEOs are more positive about the state of the global economy than they were last year. Twice as many think it will improve over the next 12 months (see Figure 1). Conversely, just 7% think it will deteriorate, compared with 28% in 2013. But there are marked regional differences in sentiment. Only a quarter of CEOs in Central and Eastern Europe believe the global economy is recovering, versus half of all CEOs in Western Europe and the Middle East. The optimism some CEOs display may therefore stem from relief that certain risks (such as the collapse of the eurozone) have been averted for now, rather than the conviction that things are really getting better. Moreover, CEOs are still cautious about whether greater global growth will translate into growth for their own companies. They’re slightly more hopeful about the short-term outlook (see Figure 1), but just as wary about opportunities over the next three years as they were 12 months ago.
2014
17th Annual global CEO Survey
PWC
The global rebalancing act
CEOs are coming out of survival mode, but the search for growth is getting increasingly complicated as the global economy gradually rebalances itself. In 2012, the advanced economies were spluttering, while the emerging economies sizzled. In 2013, the picture became more nuanced. The advanced economies are mending, while some emerging economies are slowing down – and separating out in the process. By the third quarter of 2013, the US economy was already 4% bigger than it was in 2007, before the financial crisis was in full swing. The Japanese economy had also recovered all the ground it lost, although a listless performance in the second half of 2013 dented hopes that the eurozone had done likewise (see Figure 2). While the advanced economies are recovering, some of the emerging economies have been decelerating. The prospect of a shift in monetary policy in the US (which materialised in December 2013) and other advanced economies triggered substantial capital outflows from some emerging countries. These macroeconomic changes have revived interest in a number of the mature markets and exposed the weak spots in some of the emerging economies, as well as the extent to which they’re diverging.
2014
17th Annual global CEO Survey
PWC
On laying the groundwork for flying cars
Carl Esposito, President of Electronic Solutions, Honeywell Aerospace. On laying the groundwork for flying cars: The work being done over the next 12 months will be crucial to making the vision for urban air mobility a reality. We’ve seen a lot of innovative and motivated companies come to the table with concept aircraft and business models that sketch out a future where you and I get to commute from point-to-point with ease and convenience in our “flying cars.” But before we cross that threshold, we need to map out the regulations, infrastructure, and relationships that make the skies above our urban environments as safe and efficient as the routes we travel today. A lot of that foundation will be set in 2019.
2019
The biggest tech trends of 2019, according to top experts
Fast Company
Utilization of carbon dioxide as a resource
Carbon is at the heart of all life on earth. Yet, managing carbon dioxide releases is one of the greatest social, political and economic challenges of our time. An emerging innovative approach to carbon dioxide management involves transforming it from a liability to a resource. Novel catalysts, based on nanostructured materials, can potentially transform carbon dioxide to high value hydrocarbons and other carbon-containing molecules, which could be used as new building blocks for the chemical industry as cleaner and more sustainable alternatives to petrochemicals.
2012
The top 10 emerging technologies for 2012
World Economic Forum (WEF)
Carbon dioxide capture and storage technologies
Carbon capture and geological storage (CCS) is a technique for trapping carbon dioxide as it is emitted from large point sources, compressing it, and transporting it to a suitable storage site where it is injected into the ground. The technology of CCS has significant potential as a mitigation technique for climate change, both within Europe and internationally, particularly in those countries with large reserves of fossil fuels and a fast-increasing energy demand. Given the dominant role that fossil fuels continue to play in primary energy consumption, there is an urgent need to deployment CCS in Europe and beyond.
2015
Preparing the Commission for future opportunities - Foresight network fiches 2030
European Strategy and Policy Analysis System (ESPAS)
Sharing economy
Car- and bike-sharing programs, as well as the revolution in the nature of taxi services is set to reduce the purchase of private vehicles and by extension likely the consumption of oil related to passenger vehicles . Estimates by McKinsey suggest that the sharing economy is likely to reduce car sales by around 10 % over the next 25 years. The effect on oil demand in 2040 of this trend is somewhat uncertain, related to both the speed of adoption of the sharing economy and the actual replacement of oil – fueled vehicles with alternatives.
2018
The bigger picture- The impact of automation, AI, shared economy on oil demand
The 2° Investing Initiative