For over a decade we've worked with a wide range of people who share our view that companies succeed in the long-term when they serve the interests of employees and societies as well as their shareholders. We have been pioneers in examining what this means in practice with regard to issues from company law to climate change. Our success is attributable to the relationships we have forged with members, partners, friends and supporters.
 
 

Tomorrow’s Company Programmes 2008-09

 

Tomorrow’s Owners – Stewardship of Tomorrow’s Company

The Tomorrow’s Owners programme is exploring the likely future patterns of ownership of companies, and the internal and external implications of different ownership structures, on the basis that stewardship of our companies is essential to our future well-being. We have just completed the initial scoping phase of the programme, and will be commencing the main phase in early 2009.

 

Tomorrow’s Talent

This is a hugely ambitious programme which is examining the changing nature of demand and supply in the global labour market and seeks to transform our understanding of how organisations can be far more effective in getting and keeping the talented people they need to deliver business success. We are already near the end of the initial phase of this research where we identify the systemic and dynamic problems in the global labour market and the structural weaknesses of traditional HR responses; we will publish our report in early 2009. We will launch the next phase of the research in 2009 where we will build on our analysis to provide policy and practice guidance for the global business community.

 

The Business Response to Climate Change in the Developing World

This programme, scheduled to start in early 2009, is intended to examine the role of the business community in helping to create effective adaptation strategies to climate change in the developing world.

 

The Economics of Ecosystems and Biodiversity (TEEB)

A European Union supported global project to analyse the economic benefits of biological diversity, the costs of the loss of biodiversity and the failure to take protective measures versus the costs of effective conservation.

 

Sustainability – Method and Practice

Tomorrow’s Company, in collaboration with Dalhousie University (Faculty of Management) is developing the methods and practice for putting the sustainable approach at the core of the enterprise, intended to implement sustainability systemically through organisations.

 

The Financialisation of Companies

Financialisation is defined as the process by which the growing importance of derivatives and financial valuations is changing the nature of the economy. This project will seek to cast light on the nature and extent of the impact of financialisation at the level of the individual company in the UK and to make recommendations for the ways in which individual firms and the regulatory frameworks could adapt in the light of the negative impacts or opportunities we observe.

 

Tomorrow’s Decision Making

A research project to help companies understand how to evolve into the intelligent organisations of the future by taking advantage of the capacity of knowledge base and emerging technologies to support collaborative working and decision making.

 

Islamic Business

As investment in the Middle East continues to increase, global companies are rapidly increasing their presence in the region. This project will examine how firms can better interact with the Islamic culture they operate in.

 

If you would like any information on Tomorrow’s Company projects, please contact Neil Walmsley –

neil@tomorrowscompany.com Tel: 020 7222 7443.



forceforgood.com
 

Tomorrow’s Company, in partnership with Heidrick & Struggles, has created a cutting edge web 2.0 site that is going to bring to life, in a practical and innovative way, the themes from our latest inquiry Tomorrow’s Global Company: challenges and choices. Our ambition is that this site builds a global community of interest using the inquiry report as a framework and platform for demonstrating why and how business can be a force for good.

 

It will highlight great practice, provoke debate and provide the first truly global and interactive online space to drive the agenda forward on the role of business in society, both in theory and in practice. Through this we hope to engage the many leaders, change agents, teachers, students and activists who share our belief that business has the potential to create positive change and want also to learn from each others’ experiences.

 

We aim to capture, generate and sustain the interest and energy of a wide constituency of people; from top executives to young leaders in business, investors to social entrepreneurs, opinion formers to MBA students. Therefore accessibility is a high priority; themed categorisation, user generated tagging and personalised accounts will make it easy for people to navigate directly to their areas of interest while user posted content will make the site thoroughly relevant to its users.

 

So please visit the site, contribute good examples and great content, and take part in the debate.

 

To find out more go to www.forceforgood.com or contact Ivor at ivor@tomorrowscompany.com

 
 
Tomorrow’s Global Company – the inquiry
 
The ideas that we are now discussing with companies spring from our two year Tomorrow’s Global Company inquiry. Tomorrow’s Global Company: challenges and choices is a major report we launched in the UK and India in 2007. The report was the result of two years of deep dialogue and extensive research by an Inquiry Team of senior figures from companies and civil society organisations based in Europe, Asia and North America. Members of the Tomorrow’s Inquiry Team came from companies and organisations including: ABB, Alcan, Anglo American, Amnesty International Business Group, BP, Dr. Reddy’s, Ford, the International Institute for Sustainable Development, Infosys, KPMG, Leaders’ Quest, McKinsey, Standard Chartered, SUEZ, and SustainAbility. As well as meetings of this team, 16 consultations were held in countries including Australia, China, France, India, South Africa, the UK and the US. We also conducted 55 interviews with business leaders, stakeholder organisations and experts from across the world.

The Tomorrow’s Global Company team explored the issues which they saw as being most significant for global business, and what needed to be done to address them. The conclusions on current trends were challenging:

 • That current patterns of consumption are unsustainable – which presents major challenges to business because global economic, social, political and environmental systems are interdependent; and

 • That the market remains the most powerful mechanism for delivering prosperity – but that the frameworks within which it operates are leading to unsustainable outcomes.

How can these challenges be tackled? The Inquiry Team considered factors such as talent and technology but eventually decided that the focus of leaders of global businesses should be on three specific and related priorities:

1. Redefining success – measuring business success not only in terms of financial and operational results but in ways that take account of social and environmental factors that affect long-term performance;

2. Embedding values – setting an example and using values as the ‘glue’ to unite complex organisations; and

3. Creating frameworks – working with governments, policy-makers and civil society to create international agreements, national legislation and voluntary frameworks needed to direct markets to sustainable ends– taking a proactive approach and therefore avoiding having regulation imposed without business involvement.

The report concluded that a change in mindset is needed. The Inquiry Team called this expanding the space – meaning that business should take on a larger role, extending its definition of success, applying its values more widely and creating frameworks that harness the power of business to bring wider benefits to society.
 

Some of our achievements
To read a summary of our achievements since 1995 click here.

Our recent publication Ageing Population, Pensions and Wealth Creation argues that there is no 'pensions crisis' and that as a society we can afford to grow old.

Alan Pickering CBE, praised Tomorrow's Company for challenging conventional wisdom and enhancing the contemporary debate by 'asking the right questions and coming up with the right answers'. 

John Neill, of Unipart Group, states that Tomorrow's Company "has played an important part in demonstrating to companies how an inclusive approach to business can improve competitiveness".

In a recent speech, Paul Myners described the work of Tomorrow's Company as "a beacon in directing the UK to evaluate the importance of values in corporate behaviour."
 
The RSA Tomorrow's Company Report (1995) has been the inspiration for many company change programmes, and led to proposals in the UK's Company Law Review to redefine the duty of directors.
 
The repealed Operating and Financial Review, which was going to be required of all large companies, had been strongly influenced by Sooner Sharper Simpler (1998), which described the annual report of the future. 

Tomorrow's Company starts partnering with Business in the Community, providing criteria and judging their 'Company of the Year' award (2002).

Redefining CSR, published in 2003, has initiated a fierce debate among business leaders and the media about current developments in corporate responsibility. 

Former Vice-President of the United States, Al Gore, gives annual lecture (2006), followed by the report Climate Change - The Role of Global Companies.

In every case the impact has come not simply from publications but from the actions of members and supporters in turning the ideas into practice.
 
Tomorrow's Company e-bulletins
The e-bulletin covers a range of areas including any new developments, press articles, current research, events, membership news and people. Published every 8 weeks our e-bulletin keeps you up to date with the work of Tomorrow's Company.

If you would like to receive a copy of the latest e-bulletin please contact gerard@tomorrowscompany.com