Nesta pesquisa foi estudada a utilização do corporate foresight como forma de suporte ao processo de inovação empresarial. Assim, dentre os objetivos de pesquisa encontram-se: analisar quais são os principais métodos de prospecção utilizados pelas empresas; se existe um foco em alguma inovação específica, podendo ser essas: inovação de produto, processo, marketing, organizacional e/ou modelo de negócio; além de estudar a relação existente entre o corporate foresight e a inovação nas empresas. A metodologia de pesquisa é descritiva exploratória de caráter quantitativo, tendo como principal intuito, entender e descrever a relação entre as variáveis estudadas. Os dados foram coletados a partir de uma amostra não probabilística por tratar-se de uma amostragem selecionada intencionalmente de atuais executivos do mercado. Referente aos resultados ligados ao corporate foresight foi identificado que as empresas utilizam com maior frequência os métodos de Pesquisa de Mercado; seguido de Cenários; Previsões e Projeções de Executivos e Palestra com Especialistas. Quando se trata do horizonte de tempo, nota-se que dos quatro métodos mais utilizados, três visam a prospecção em curto prazo, trazendo assim, a visão de as empresas terem de antecipar-se ao futuro próximo devido ao crescimento tecnológico acelerado. Os resultados de inovação mostram que as empresas estão utilizando com maior frequência as inovações de produto, processo e o crescimento da utilização da inovação de modelo de negócios que demonstra a preocupação das empresas em não só inovar, mas sim em gerar valor para o seu consumidor final. Outro ponto é o modo que as empresas inovam, que, por meio dessa pesquisa, foi possível observar que existe uma tendência em utilizar a inovação aberta de forma individualizada e em conjunto com os modos centralizado e descentralizado. Por meio dos resultados ligados ao suporte que o corporate foresight fornece ao processo de inovação empresarial, foi possível observar que os executivos enxergam os métodos de prospecção como uma forma de suporte à inovação, e que esse suporte é utilizado com maior ênfase nas fases iniciais do processo, como a identificação de inovações estratégicas e em menos frequência na fase de construção de um cronograma factível quando a inovação já foi executada. Além disso, o nível de integração entre os métodos de prospecção e o processo de inovação mostra tendência de ser cada vez mais integrado, tornando essa relação mais madura e desenvolvida. Por fim, os executivos encontram-se, em sua maioria, satisfeitos com a utilização do corporate foresight como forma de apoio ao processo de inovação. / The use of corporate foresight as a way to support the business innovation process has been studied in this research. Therefore, among the research objectives are: to analyze which are the main foresighting methods used by the companies; if there is a focus on some specific innovation, such as: product, process, marketing, organizational innovation and/or business model; in addition to studying the relationship between corporate foresight and business innovation process. The research methodology is descriptive exploratory and quantitative, as main concern, to understand and to describe the relation between the variables studied. The data were collected from a non-probabilistic sample because it was an intentionally selected sample of current market executives. Regarding the results related to corporate foresight, it was identified that companies use Market Research methods more frequently; followed by Scenarios; Executive Predictions and Projections and Lectures with Specialists. When it comes to the time horizon, it can be seen that of the four most used methods, three are aimed at short-term prospecting, thus bringing the view that companies have to anticipate the near future due to accelerated technological growth. Innovation results show that companies are increasingly using product, process, and business innovations that demonstrate the concern of companies to not only innovate, but to aggregate value for their final customers. Another point is the way companies innovate, which, through this research, it was possible to observe that there is a tendency to use open innovation in an individualized way and together with centralized and decentralized modes. Through the results related to the support that corporate foresight provides to the process of business innovation, it was possible to observe that executives see prospection methods as a form of support for innovation, and that this support is used with greater emphasis in the initial phases of the process, such as the identification of strategic innovations and less frequently in the construction phase of a feasible schedule when the innovation has already been implemented. In addition, the level of integration between prospecting methods and the innovation process shows a tendency to be increasingly integrated, making this relationship more mature and developed. Finally, executives are mostly satisfied with the use of corporate foresight to support the innovation process.

A trajetória e desenvolvimento de Corporate Foresight, uma competência organizacional que permite estabelecer os alicerces para a construção de vantagem competitiva no contexto estratégico das organizações, têm revelado uma corrente de pesquisa independente no campo de estudos do futuro. A evolução do interesse sobre o tema, nos âmbitos acadêmico e gerencial, remete à necessidade de ampliar suas fronteiras interdisciplinares, permeando estudos concernentes aos elos que envolvem os construtos que delineiam todo o processo estratégico preditivo e decisório. Nesse sentido, esta tese tem por objetivo a proposição de um framework que realça a integração entre a competência Corporate Foresight e as demais etapas do processo estratégico que culmina com o estabelecimento de vantagens competitivas, proporcionando diálogo entre o conhecimento teórico e a observação empírica. Metodologicamente, foi realizada uma extensa revisão bibliográfica sobre os assuntos pertinentes ao tema objeto da tese, a qual serviu de base para a proposição do framework conceitual. Complementarmente, realizou-se uma pesquisa empírica, a qual recorreu a métodos mistos, envolvendo uma etapa qualitativa, com o emprego de entrevistas em profundidade face a face, e uma fase quantitativa. A primeira etapa serviu de subsídio necessário para o desenvolvimento da fase quantitativa, a qual visou a elucidar a relação e integração entre Corporate Foresight e as demais etapas do processo estratégico direcionado à elaboração de estratégias que permitam a consecução de vantagem competitiva e crescimento da organização. Conclui-se que a tese pode proporcionar um avanço no conhecimento sobre o tema, trazendo implicações acadêmicas e gerenciais, pois apresenta um framework aderente com poder explicativo de Corporate Foresight para a obtenção de Vantagem Competitiva Futura, condição necessária, mas não suficiente, pois também constata que apenas a implementação de ações necessárias identificadas durante o período de planejamento estratégico não é suficiente para explicar o estabelecimento de Vantagem competitiva. / The trajectory and development of Corporate Foresight, an organizational competence that allows laying the foundations for the construction of competitive advantage in the strategic context of organizations, has revealed a current of independent research in the field of future studies. The evolution of interest on the subject, in the academic and managerial spheres, refers to the need to extend its interdisciplinary boundaries, permeating studies concerning the links that surround the constructs that outline the entire strategic predictive and decision-making process. In this sense, this thesis aims at proposing a framework that highlights the integration between the Corporate Foresight competence and the other stages of the strategic process that culminates in the establishment of competitive advantages, providing a dialogue between theoretical knowledge and empirical observation. Methodologically, an extensive bibliographical review was carried out on the subjects pertinent to the subject matter of the thesis, which served as a basis for the proposal of the conceptual framework. Also, empirical research was carried out, using mixed methods, involving a qualitative step, using in-depth face-to-face interviews, and a quantitative phase. The first stage served as a necessary subsidy for the development of the quantitative phase, which aimed to elucidate the relationship and integration between Corporate Foresight and the other stages of the strategic process directed to the elaboration of strategies that allow the achievement of competitive advantage and growth of the organization. It is concluded that the thesis can provide an advance in the knowledge on the subject, bringing academic and managerial implications, because it presents an adherent framework with the explanatory power of Corporate Foresight to obtain Future Competitive Advantage, a necessary but not sufficient condition since it also notes that only the implementation of necessary actions identified during the strategic planning period is not enough to explain the establishment competitive advantage.

In many corporations, sustainability has become an important activity to focuson, with the aim of preparing corporations for the future. Foresight, a newerfield, is increasingly becoming an important activity of corporations, with thepurpose of surviving long-term. These motives make companies’ involvement with corporate sustainability and with corporate foresight fundamental. However, because foresight is a recent field, it implies processes that are less mastered by professionals than sustainability. Since the motives of corporate sustainability and corporate foresight are similar, the purpose of this thesis is therefore to understand if corporate sustainability can contribute to corporate foresight implementation. Specifically, the purpose of this thesis is to identify which corporate sustainability (CS) activities can be integrated to which corporate foresight (CF) activities, to facilitate and foster foresight. Consequently, the contributions of the research consist in extending the knowledge about sustainability as a foresight activity and in proposing suggestions to incorporate sustainability to foresight activities. This study reviews several CS frameworks and several CF frameworks, provides a deeper understanding of the underlying processes needed for the implementation of CS and CF, and identifies the similarities. The study specifically builds on the Maturity Model of Corporate Foresight from the book Corporate Foresight – Towards a Maturity Model for the Future Orientation of a Firm from Rohrbeck (2010). Based on the theoretical findings, qualitative interviews of sustainability professionals are carried out. Those interviews are meant to test the theoretical findings. The research provides knowledge on the management of corporate foresightby providing insights on foresight practices that benefit from incorporating sustainability practices. The conclusion of the paper consists in a model thatpresents explicit ways in which corporate sustainability contributes tocorporate foresight. In fact, it is shown that corporate sustainability fosters strong internal and external networks and creates a corporate culture favourable to change. Internal and external networks facilitate cross-functional collaboration and communication; and employees favourable to change are more open to new ideas; both being key for foresight implementation. Thus, Corporate Sustainability supports Corporate Foresight because it sets up a favourable corporate culture, and because it paves the way for appropriate work processes (internal and external collaboration for instance).

Studies show that the average lifespan of large companies is decreasing and that companies of today face a higher degree of market-saturation caused by globalization. In order for companies to stay alive, they need to scan for trends outside their business scope, which can be done by adopting corporate foresight. This thesis investigates the uniqueness of corporate foresight in large Swedish companies when compared to a European sample. The focus lies on measuring differences with regards to need, capabilities and maturity of corporate foresight. This thesis establishes that there is an ever-growing interest in studying corporate foresight from a Swedish perspective due to the high rate of innovation in the country. Based on a theoretical framework, a method is established for measuring the three main dimensions of need, capabilities and maturity. The data for the Swedish companies is empirical data from 11 Swedish companies gathered using a survey provided by the collaborator Rohrbeck Heger GmbH. The Swedish data is then compared to a European sample by using an existing database. Through the use of a quantitative method with two statistical tests, one non-parametric test (Mann-Whitney U-test) and one parametric test (Welch’s t-test), several interesting differences were found. For need, it was found that Swedish firms act in a less dynamic environment than its European counterparts, but that Swedish firms’ environment is more complex. For capabilities, Swedish firms have stronger internal capabilities with regards to culture, method sophistication and information usage. Finally, for maturity, Swedish firms have stronger perceiving abilities but weaker prospecting abilities than European firms. In summary, it is not possible to say that the overall need or maturity with regards to corporate foresight is greater or more advanced for Swedish firms. However, a conclusion is that Swedish firms have stronger capabilities for corporate foresight than its European counterparts. / Studier visar att genomsnittslivstiden för stora bolag minskar, samt att dagens företag möter en högre grad av marknadsmättnad orsakad av globalisering. För att företag ska överleva behöver de skanna efter trender utanför deras nuvarande verksamhet, vilket kan göras genom att arbeta med affärsförutseende. I detta examensarbete undersöks unika egenskaper gällande affärsförutseende i stora svenska bolag jämfört med stora europeiska bolag. Fokus ligger i att mäta skillnaderna i behov, färdigheter samt mognadsgrad av affärsförutseende. Detta examensarbete konstaterar genom flertalet källor att intresset och behovet av att utforska affärsförutseende för svenska bolag finns, eftersom Sverige är ett av världens mest innovativa länder. Från litteraturstudien etableras en metod för att mäta nivåer på de tre dimensionerna behov, färdigheter samt mognadsgrad. Empirisk data har samlats in på 11 stora svenska bolag genom en enkätbaserad intervju, där tillgång har erhållits till en granskad enkät genom samarbetspartnern Rohrbeck Heger GmbH, samt tillgång till deras databas med europeiska bolag. Den svenska datan jämförs därefter mot ett europeiskt dataset, där en kvantitativ metod används för att jämföra dessa grupper; ett icke-parametriskt test (Mann-Whitney U-test) samt ett parametriskt test (Welch’s t-test). Genom dessa tester erhålls flera intressanta skillnader mellan svenska och europeiska bolag. Gällande behov, visade resultatet att svenska bolag har ett lägre dynamiskt affärsklimat, men där affärsklimatet är mer komplext. Gällande färdigheter skiljer sig svenska bolag på de interna färdigheterna kultur, metodraffinering samt informationsanvändning. Slutligen, gällande mognadsgrad för affärsförutseende, är svenska bolag starkare på att uppfatta trender men svagare på att analysera trender. Sammanfattningsvis är det inte möjligt att dra någon slutsats överlag huruvida behov och mognadsgrad gällande affärsförutseende är mer avancerat bland svenska bolag. Däremot kan slutsatsen dras att svenska bolag har starkare färdigheter för affärsförutseende än dess europeiska motsvarigheter.