About the project

The goal of "Futuring Sustainable Nordic Business Models (Futuring Nordics)" was to address the challenges posed to Nordic businesses by globalization, digitalization, and the UN Sustainable Development Goals, through:

  • an interdisciplinary analysis of the development and transformation of Nordic business models in an era characterized by globalization and digitalization,
  • an exploration of the opportunities and challenges that digitalization and sustainable development goals create for Norwegian business models today, and:
  • proposals for policy development to innovate Nordic business models for sustainability.

Through an interdisciplinary analysis drawing on historical sources as well as empirical data, Futuring Nordics examined the potential of Nordic business models in light of the goal to implement the UN Sustainable Development Goals within the planet's boundaries.

Special attention was given to typical Nordic governance models and their future:

  • large family-controlled businesses
  • foundations and public actors
  • small and medium-sized enterprises and companies

Involvement of businesses and other stakeholders, as well as broad dissemination, played a central role in Futuring Nordics' activities.

Goals

Through document analysis, case studies, and so-called Futuring workshops, Futuring Nordics aimed to critically analyze the sustainability concepts in Nordic business models, including in small, medium-sized, and large businesses, and their increasingly global value chains and networks.

The analysis identified the prerequisites for Nordic business models to contribute to sustainable development in the Nordic countries in line with the UN Sustainable Development Goals.

Finally, Futuring Nordics presented proposals for sustainable business models that can be implemented in Nordic and non-Nordic countries and regions, as well as across global value chains.

Organization

The research group was interdisciplinary, with participants from the Department of Private Law at the Faculty of Law, and the Department of Informatics at the Faculty of Mathematics and Natural Sciences. The host for the project was the Department of Private Law.

Duration

2019-2023.

Financing

Futuring Nordics is financed by the University of Oslo UiO:Nordic initiative, the Faculty of Law, Department of Private Law and the Department of Informatics.