📚 Dyson Foundations AEM 1110 – Detailed Flashcard Notes 🌍 SDGs & Nexus Framework Five Ps of SDGs: People, Planet, Prosperity, Peace, Partnership.

📚 Dyson Foundations AEM 1110 – Detailed Flashcard Notes

🌍 SDGs & Nexus Framework

• Five Ps of SDGs: People, Planet, Prosperity, Peace, Partnership.

• People: Focus on dignity, equity, human rights, access to health & education.

• Planet: Focus on environmental protection, climate, biodiversity, sustainability.

• Prosperity: Inclusive economic growth, fair markets, innovation, jobs.

• Peace: Justice, political stability, strong institutions, reduction of conflict.

• Partnership: Collaboration across state, market, and civil society to solve problems.

• Nexus: The 5 Ps are interconnected; progress in one requires addressing the others.

• Example (Poverty): Lack of prosperity limits people’s dignity, worsens planetary conditions, and destabilizes peace → requires partnerships.

🌀 Wicked Problems & Wicked Opportunities

• Wicked Problem Definition:

  • Systemic, complex, no single solution.

  • Involves many stakeholders and competing interests.

  • Solutions often create new problems.

• Examples: Poverty, Inequality, Climate Change.

• Why wicked:

  • Interconnected with other SDGs.

  • Span across sectors (state, market, civil society).

  • Require long-term systemic change.

• Wicked Opportunity Definition:

  • Reframing wicked problems as innovation drivers.

  • Businesses can create new models by addressing problems.

• Example: Plastic waste → circular packaging innovations.

• Exam Tip: Always explain why the problem is wicked before showing how it can be turned into an opportunity.

🌫 VUCA & Complexity

• VUCA Definition: Volatility, Uncertainty, Complexity, Ambiguity.

• Volatility: Conditions change rapidly and unpredictably.

• Uncertainty: Outcomes and risks are difficult to forecast.

• Complexity: Many interdependent variables, no simple cause-effect.

• Ambiguity: Information is incomplete, open to multiple interpretations.

• Application: Wicked problems exist in a VUCA world.

• Five Parts of Complexity (Van Tulder):

  1. Systems Complexity: Interconnected subsystems (e.g., food-energy-water nexus).

  2. Dynamic Complexity: Changes evolve over time, often accelerating.

  3. Societal Complexity: Many stakeholders with conflicting goals/values.

  4. Generative Complexity: Future unknowns, new risks or opportunities.

  5. Normative Complexity: Conflicting ethics and cultural values.

• Example (Climate Change):

  • Systems: Energy, transport, agriculture all linked.

  • Dynamic: Rising CO2 → worsening effects.

  • Societal: Nations disagree on solutions.

  • Generative: Future tipping points unknown.

  • Normative: Economic growth vs. climate justice.

🔺 Societal Triangulation

• Three Key Actors in SDGs:

  • State: Provides public goods (laws, infrastructure, justice).

  • Market: Creates private goods (innovation, jobs, scaling solutions).

  • Civil Society: Builds social/common goods (advocacy, trust, inclusion).

• Common Pool Resources Problem: No single actor can manage resources like climate, oceans, biodiversity.

• Triangulation in Action:

  • Example: Plastic pollution.

  • State = bans plastics.

  • Market = develops alternatives.

  • Civil society = pushes awareness & pressure.

💼 Corporate Business Models & SDGs

• Van Tulder’s 4 Business Cases:

  1. Classic Case: Self-responsibility, cost savings, efficiency (e.g., energy reduction saves money).

  2. Defensive Case: Reduce negative externalities, reputation/risk management (e.g., pollution control).

  3. Strategic Case: Create positive externalities, align with business growth (e.g., Unilever hygiene campaigns).

  4. Transformative/Systemic Case: Shape whole systems, collective action, long-term sustainability (e.g., DSM: “business cannot succeed in a society that fails”).

• Exam Tip: Don’t just say what the company does → explain why the model works (aligns profit with solving wicked problems).

👥 Guest Speakers & Their Business Models

Sunil Rana – Vyzrd (SDG 13: Climate Action)

• Business Model: Climate risk data + analytics.

• Why it works: Translates climate risk into business language → companies act to protect profits.

• Framework: Planet, Prosperity, Partnership.

• Wicked Opportunity: Climate risk reframed as innovation opportunity.

Kiersten Combs – AstraZeneca (SDG 3: Health)

• Business Model: Pharma R&D + global health access programs.

• Why it works: Expands markets by improving public health + reduces global health costs.

• Framework: People, Prosperity, Peace.

• Wicked Opportunity: Health crises drive innovation in vaccines, medicines, access.

Salah Goss – Mastercard Inclusive Growth (SDG 10: Inequality)

• Business Model: Digital financial inclusion for underserved groups.

• Why it works: Creates new markets + reduces inequality.

• Framework: People, Prosperity, Peace.

• Wicked Opportunity: Inequality becomes new customer base and growth opportunity.

Elicia Carmichael – Labor Mobility Partnerships (SDG 8: Work & Growth)

• Business Model: Safe, fair migration pathways for workers.

• Why it works: Solves labor shortages + improves migrant well-being + remittance economies.

• Framework: People, Prosperity, Partnership.

• Wicked Opportunity: Migration challenges reframed as opportunity for shared growth.

📌 Wicked Problems with 5 Ps (Examples)

Poverty

• People: Limits dignity, education, health.

• Prosperity: Blocks economic growth + opportunity.

• Planet: Poor communities often live in polluted, degraded conditions.

• Peace: Unemployment + poverty drive instability/conflict.

• Partnership: Requires state, business, and NGOs.

Inequality

• People: Unequal access to healthcare, education, wages.

• Prosperity: Concentrated wealth slows growth.

• Planet: Marginalized groups often live near polluted areas.

• Peace: Division fuels discrimination/conflict.

• Partnership: Requires financial inclusion and social policies.

Climate Change

• Planet: Rising temps, biodiversity loss, extreme weather.

• People: Health impacts, displacement, food insecurity.

• Prosperity: Economic damage to agriculture and infrastructure.

• Peace: Resource conflicts, climate refugees, unrest.

• Partnership: Paris Agreement, corporate climate pledges.

🧾 Exam Strategy (200-word essays)

• Structure: W → F → B → W

  • Wicked Problem → Framework → Business Example → Wrap-up.

• Always explain why problem is wicked (scope, complexity, stakeholders).

• Always link to at least 3 Ps.

• Always bring in a guest speaker model or company example.

• Ramifications > definitions → show systemic impact.