Opportunity in the new age of uncertainty /// salterbaxter /// Creative communications and sustainability advisors in London

Uncertainty. Nothing new you might say – the future is always more or less unknowable. But in the early years of the 21st century, the dimensions of uncertainty seem to expand daily, as familiar doubts about economic and social progress and technological change are joined by more existential worries – about resource availability, climate stability and access to food and fresh water. And making business sense of it all gets harder still as the financial crisis that began in 2007–08 deepens. For years we have looked to markets for the answer, but can capitalism save us if it can’t even save itself?

The good news is that thought leaders and major companies all over the world are forging strategies that are good for profit, people and planet. In the pages that follow, we’ve crunched their ideas and experiences into seven ‘rules’ for success in the coming years. Our conclusion? You can’t conquer uncertainty, but enormous opportunities can open up when you embrace it.

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