Backcasting for desirable futures in Finnish forest-based firms
ISSN: 1463-6689
Article publication date: 11 September 2020
Issue publication date: 3 February 2021
Abstract
Purpose
In Finland, new forest-based sector (FBS) businesses are seen as important for the transition to the circular bioeconomy. The purpose of this study is to explore the transition of Finnish FBS companies to new business models. The aim is to understand how FBS companies define their ideal future states and related business models for the year 2030.
Design/methodology/approach
This study uses thematic interviews with managers from various FBS firms and companies from interfacing sectors. In the interviews, the key idea of backcasting was pursued when respondents discussed the desirable future states of their business.
Findings
The effort to achieve growth of the business and the appearance of new products characterize the company-specific desirable future states. In these desirable futures, expanded businesses will be based on strong knowledge. Resource efficiency and collaboration create a strong basis for the desirable future state of the whole FBS to create a sustainable and innovative “Wood Valley.”
Research limitations/implications
The key limitations are that the backcasting process has been conducted only through interviews and a participative approach with stakeholder dialogue is lacking in the process. This means that the desirable futures are created by the FBS companies only.
Originality/value
As a practical contribution, the study shows the future-oriented thinking and goals of FBS firms. As a theoretical contribution, it extends research on sustainable business models and discussions on the novel field of corporate foresight.
Keywords
Acknowledgements
Funding: The work was supported by the Jyväskylä University School of Business and Economics.
The author would like to acknowledge the valuable contributions of the interviewees of the study for their time and expertise. The valuable comments of anonymous reviewers are also greatly appreciated. The author would also like to thank University of Jyväskylä Language Services for language editing.
Citation
Näyhä, A. (2021), "Backcasting for desirable futures in Finnish forest-based firms", Foresight, Vol. 23 No. 1, pp. 50-72. https://doi.org/10.1108/FS-01-2020-0005
Publisher
:Emerald Publishing Limited
Copyright © 2020, Emerald Publishing Limited