The belief in progress, and with it the short sustainability of contentment has colonized the world and forms a powerful revenue model behind (technological) innovation. Under the heading of Life-Long-Learning, it got another boost in education. In this article it is argued that letting people become discontented with what they used to be content has become the engine of our liberal economic revenue model. However, there is a lot to be discontent with, like with the fact that technology development is happening so fast that it places too much strain on our planet. Discontentment with the fact that it was already UK Overshoot Day on May 19 (on that day all the resources that the planet can produce in a year would have been consumed, if all the people in the world lived like the UK. Earth Overshoot Day always falls earlier each year, from December 29, 1970. Also discontent with the fact that everyone around me continues to claim that we are getting more and more sustainable technology, while in my view we are clearly mopping with the tap open. Time for a change that SDG and especially IDG offer.
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For future generations to meet their needs, and to close the global inequality gap, we need to degrow. That is we need to reduce resource and energy consumption to bring the economy back into balance with the living world in a way that reduces inequality and improves human well-being (Hickel, 2020a,b). This transition has consequences for business, because instead of boosting sales companies need to encourage consumers to make do with less, avoiding build in obsolescence, extending product lives to slow disposal and replacement, focusing on satisfying ‘needs’ rather than ‘wants’ and reducing overall resource consumption through conscious changes in sales and marketing techniques, new revenue models and innovative technology solutions (Bocken & Short, 2016). Overall, we can say that companies have to rethink their business models, therefore I specifically aim to answer the following research question: what could a degrowth business model framework look like? Degrowth business models (DGMs) are supposed to serve the dual aim of (1) obeying planetary boundaries whilst simultaneously (2) contributing to reducing inequality and increasing well-being. That is companies need to develop value propositions that, on the one hand contribute to absolutely reducing resource and energy consumption, and on the other are aimed at production of protected needs (Di Giulio & Defila, 2021). Since degrowth is considered an authentic and legitimate interpretation of sustainable development, SDGs 12-16 can serve as proxies for obeying planetary boundaries, whilst the remaining SDGs (minus SDG8.1 -economic growth) can be regarded as proxies for well-being and reducing inequality.
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The growing availability of data offers plenty of opportunities for data driven innovation of business models for SMEs like interactive media companies. However, SMEs lack the knowledge and processes to translate data into attractive propositions and design viable data-driven business models. In this paper we develop and evaluate a practical method for designing data driven business models (DDBM) in the context of interactive media companies. The development follows a design science research approach. The main result is a step-by-step approach for designing DDBM, supported by pattern cards and game boards. Steps consider required data sources and data activities, actors and value network, revenue model and implementation aspects. Preliminary evaluation shows that the method works as a discussion tool to uncover assumptions and make assessments to create a substantiated data driven business model.
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The purpose of this project was to create a roadmap with selected mechanisms to assist destination management organisations to optimize the benefits generated by tourism for their destination communities and ensure that it is shared equitably. By providing tools to identify and address inequality in terms of access to the benefits and value tourism generates, it is envisaged that a more equitable tourism model can be implemented leading to the fair distribution of benefits in destination communities, potentially increasing the value for previously excluded or underserved groups. To produce the roadmap, the study team will explore the range of challenges that hinder the equitable distribution of tourism-induced benefits in destinations as well as the enabling factors that influence the extent to which this is achieved. The central question the research team has set out to answer is the following: What does an equitable tourism model look like for destination communities?Societal issueHowever, while those directly involved in tourism will gain the most, the burden of hosting visitors is widely felt by local communities. This imbalance has, unsurprisingly, sparked civil mobilisations and protests in destinations around the world. It’s clear that placemaking and benefit-sharing must be part of the future of destination management to maintain public support. This project addressed issues around equity (environmental, economic, spatial, cultural and tourism experience). In line with the intentions set out in the CELTH Agenda Conscious Destinations.Benefit to societyBased on 25 case studies around 40 mechanisms were identified that can grow or better distribute the value from tourism, so that more people in destination communities benefit. These mechanisms are real-world practices already in use. DMOs and NTOs can consider introducing the mechanisms that best fit their destination context, pulling levers such as: taxes and revenue sharing, business incubation and training, licencing and zoning, community enterprises and volunteering, and product development..This report also outlines a pathway to an Equity-Driven Management (EDM) approach, which is grounded in participatory decision-making principles and aims to create a more equitable tourism system by strengthening the hand of destination governance and retaining control of local resources.Collaborative partnersNBTC, the Travel Foundation, Destination Think, CELTH, ETFI, HZ.
Last year, in the aftermath of the pandemic, Effenaar invited sixteen musicians to explore the hybrid world during the first edition of Hybrid Music Vibes - made possible by Innovation Lab (an arrangement of Creative Industries Fund NL and ClickNL) and Stichting Cultuur Eindhoven. In this first edition, talent from the region could learn about the use of new technologies, experiment with various techniques, and the artists were also given the opportunity to realize their own concept. With the aim of providing the artist with new possibilities for expression, and thus the creation of a new relationship with the public, and thus possible revenue models. The program consists of four meetings, each of which starts with a knowledge session followed by a workshop. In the knowledge session, leading speakers (including Raynor de Groot and Tim van der Zalm) will inform the participating artists about the opportunities offered by the use of new technologies, for example in relation to 'fan engagement'. In the workshop, the artists are then challenged to apply this in their own work, working towards a concept. After the program has ended, the artists will pitch this concept and a number of artists will be selected together with the program partners and the public to realize their concept.Societal issueMusic inclusion. Help the music industry and beginning artists to make use of new immersive media technologies to create new music experiences and reach new audiences. To not be left out and only the big companies have the knowledge and means to use it.Benifit to societyNew insights how immersive technologies can create new audience connections and means for artisits to express themselves and be included in society.
The project ‘Towards resilient leisure, tourism and hospitality (LTH) ecosystems in Europe’ addresses the critical problem of unsustainable practices in the tourism and travel industry. The LTH industry is ‘back on track’ after recovering from the global Covid-19 crisis. Destinations show increased numbers of international arrivals and rapid growth of tourism-related revenues. It is foreseen that cities like Amsterdam, but also vulnerable natural areas, will receive record numbers of visitors in the coming decade. The dominant economic model operating within the industry nonetheless prioritizes short-term gains, resulting in extreme exploitation of resources, labour, and local communities, evidenced by negative impacts in European destinations like Venice and the Canary Islands. The project aims to shift the industry’s focus to long-term sustainability, addressing systemic constraints and facilitating a transition that aligns with European priorities for a sustainable and just future. It builds vital connections between regional, national, and European research priorities by addressing and advocating for climate and social justice. Regionally, it investigates best practices across diverse tourism environments in Finland, Spain, Sweden, the UK, Scotland, and The Netherlands. Nationally, it challenges the status quo by proposing alternative governance frameworks that individual countries could adopt to encourage sustainable tourism practices. On a European scale, the project aligns with EU goals of climate action and sustainable development, supporting objectives of the European Green Deal and the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). It aims to build solid theoretical foundations necessary for a transition towards more resilient and environmentally and socially inclusive LTH ecosystems. Through integrating insights from multiple regions, the project transcends local boundaries and offers scalable solutions that can influence policy and industry standards at both national and European levels. The project's transdisciplinary nature ensures that proposed solutions are grounded in diverse eco-socioeconomic contexts, making them robust and adaptable.
