Evaluating the climate SWOT as a tool for defining climate strategies for business

Abstract Climate change is often referred to as the next major force shaping the business environment in which companies operate. This study aims at contributing to the needs of businesses for quicker and cost-efficient ways to strategically plan for the future uncertainty of climate change. When structuring the intertextual field around the underlying study, there are two main fields of contribution: (1) the systematical approach to the complex uncertainty related to climate change and its communication from a strategic perspective; and (2) developing novel approaches to life-cycle-based methodologies. The study includes the life-cycle perspective through a new, simplified method of representing product-related climate information in the form of an improved SWOT (i.e. Climate SWOT). We approach the climate-related structural change of the business environment by addressing questions of how usable the Climate SWOT is in building climate strategies; whether or not it raises awareness of the life-cycle perspective and climate change strategies and if it is able to produce strategic or operational changes in the pilot organizations. The focus of this research is therefore not the introduction of the tool itself, but rather the evaluation of the tool, as perceived by the users. Data were collected via surveys targeted at two principal focus groups: users of the tool (analysts), in May 2011; and users of the results (decision-makers), in September 2011. The results were positive in terms that the tool was implemented and seen as useful; it raised awareness both about climate issues and the life-cycle perspective and helped in communicating product-specific strategies to a wider audience; and it facilitated concrete changes. The findings resulted in further refinement of the tool to improve its usability. All in all, the Climate SWOT was indeed seen as helpful in structuring the situation around climate change and to develop strategies. In terms of raising awareness, a significant behavioral trigger, the Climate SWOT was perceived by the respondents to offer a concrete tool to become aware of climate change, in order to relate their activities to the phenomenon and incorporate its opportunities and threats into long-term strategic planning. The second survey was able to confirm that concrete operative or strategic changes had occurred in 50% of the cases.