Tasks – Identifying trends challenge

activity

Learning challenge tasks

Complete the tasks listed below.

  1. Thinking about a full range of relevant financial, social, environmental, cultural and political issues; note down your thoughts about past, present and/or foreseeable trends relevant to your area of interest, business or organisation relating to:
    • The supply of essential resources that your business or community depends upon.
    • Environmental impacts and the health of ecosystems.
    • Social needs, including health and safety of people and communities.
  2. These may be drawn using the funnel model, with the size of the writing representing the influence of the trend.

Part 2

  1. Think about a full range of possible scenarios for your business or community if:
    • Prices for particular resources rise sharply.
    • People’s concerns about environmental issues relevant to your industry reach a critical point without warning.
    • People’s demand changes quickly in favour of products and services that can be delivered sustainably.

Part 3

Copy this table and populate it with what you consider are the three most important trends you have identified from the above questions.
The table is also available in a PDF version

The issue/trend What’s changing? Why – what is driving the change? Where might this trend go in the future? So what for us?
Risk and opportunity – potential action
Example for business

Tender documents increasingly ask for sustainability performance information.

Example

More questions being asked about environmental and social governance aspects of our organisation.

Example

Customers are seeking to show increasing corporate responsibility and want to know their suppliers can support their efforts.

Example

Tenders may ultimately require a pre-qualification stage where a minimum level of sustainability literacy and performance is required.

Example

We may miss out on tenders with ideal clients if our own house is not in order. We may increase our chances of winning the work we want by differentiating with strong and relevant evidence of sustainable practice.

Example for community

The river is increasingly polluted.

Example

Drinking water has to be treated, cannot swim in some locations, wildlife poisoned.

Example

Inadequate legal protection against cumulative effects, increased pollution from business/agriculture.

Example

Unsafe for recreational use, cost of providing drinking water increases, impacts on visitor industry. Ultimately, river may become ‘dead’.

Example

Community will pay more for clean water supply and/or treatment. Loss of economic opportunities for others from clean and healthy river…


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