"2022 is a year of transition, we cannot go back. There are millions of small decisions that make our way of life different today", concluded Professor Pablo Foncillas at lecturein front of more than 300 people at the Alumni Meeting Barcelona alumni. Last Thursday, 28 April, the University of Navarra travelled to the Catalan capital to meet up with its alumnialumni at a networking event organised by Alumni University of Navarra. The event was also attended by Jordi Cassany, president of the boardAlumni Barcelona, who encouraged the attendees to continue to be in contactwith the University, and Ignacio Ferrero, Deanof the Schoolof Economics and Business Sciences. 

Those attending the event, which took place at IESE in Barcelona, were able to enjoy the lecture"66 days to reset the world" with Pablo Foncillas (MBA IESE'00 | PhD'20), graduatein Law and MBA from IESE. In it, Professor Foncillas reflected on the social transformation that the pandemic has brought about.

One of the main transformations is in the way users consume and what this change has brought about. "The new customer value chain has brought new datato companies and they have restructured the way in which they offer their products or services", explained Professor Foncillas, "one of the consequences is the servification of products. Any product under digital pressure is susceptible to being transformed into a service. Another of the transformations is the change in the time horizon of consumption; as the professor explained, "there is a new short, medium and long term deadline. Consumers have shortened their expectations and find it difficult to make decisions beyond 12 months". 

Finally, he commented that although a good economic recovery was expected in Spain, recent geopolitical events have made it more complicated: "The impact of the war is very local in the military conflict, but very global in its economic impact". 

Ecological footprint

Concern for the environment is also one of the major changes in society as Professor Foncillas pointed out during his talk at lecture: "The new generations seem to be committed to the environment and sustainability, however they are ecommerce talibans. They have a greater tendency to refundthe products they buy online", he said. 

The increase in the use of ecommerce platforms has generated a new problem; the ecological footprint it leaves on the world. According to the professor, "this shift creates a savage impact on the environment. A billion returned products end up in landfills, generating more waste and more Co2 and a larger ecological footprint," he explained.

Photo gallery of the event