The objective of this article is to analyze the evolution of logistics in three different contexts: past, present and future. By looking at where the concept of logistics began and the point it has now reached, we can understand and better anticipate the trends and logistical challenges of the future. We live in an era where digitalization is increasing rapidly, which enables us to obtain more data, more transparency, a greater capacity for anticipating change and a greater automatization of processes. In addition, the health crisis of COVID-19 has only accelerated the use of electronic devices and online tools, as shown by the increasing figures in e-commerce over the last two years. However, the pandemic has also shone a spotlight on the need to rethink the current logistical model. Aspects such as globalization, sustainability, resilience or security throughout the supply chain are in question. In this changing context, the skills and competencies of logistics professionals will undoubtedly decide future success.

The article analyses, from a historical perspective, the geopolitics of energy in the framework of the capitalist system. The first section explains the birth of the geopolitics of energy (a geography of energy by state and the kind of energy relations between states), arguing that its birth is associated with fossil fuels and its goal is the safeguarding of supremacy through both territorial control of energy sources (or flows) and their commodification. After a brief review of the geopolitics of oil, the article ventures on what, in the present context of capitalism, the geopolitics of renewables might be. The main conclusion is that, because of the inherent features of renewables, at the end of the day the outcome will be the result of a political choice. The question is whether this choice will also be aimed at both grounding hegemony on international energy relations and funding the global unbalances of the system.

Becoming the first continent to be climatically neutral is currently both Europe’s main challenge and greatest opportunity. A new energy model, based on energy that is renewable, distributed and efficient, is crucial in order to accelerate the solution to the climate emergency. In this sense, on 25 February 2015, the European Commission set out a vision of an Energy Union with citizens at its core, where citizens take ownership of the energy transition, benefit from new technologies to reduce their bills and participate actively in the market. In June 2019, the European Union turned this public policy objective into an applicable regulation while the new EU directive on the electricity market set a new actor on the energy market: the citizen energy community. In this article, we analyse the meaning and significance of this key player in transforming the economy into a climate-neutral economy.

The value of a company is usually measured with data included in the firm’s accounting records and other financial information, such as financial forecasts. This type of valuation provides an incomplete value, since it does not take into account other economic, social and environmental aspects. For this reason, the objective of this article is to discuss how companies can quantify the costs and benefits that their activities generate for society and the environment (externalities). Therefore, the article describes how to reach an estimate of the company’s real value (or total value) by adding the social and environmental value to the firm’s financial value, according to the «True Value» methodology (KPMG, 2014). Additionally, this methodology is applied to a business in order to estimate its real value. Once the estimate has been calculated, the study analyzes how externalities can end up affecting the value of the company. Finally, a strategy is proposed so that the business can minimize the negative impact of externalities on its results.

The Roadmap for Moving to a low-carbon economy in 2050 states that the objective of the European Union policy for Energy and Climate is to reduce its CO2 emissions to 80 % below 1990 levels. First, the article explains that decarbonisation within this framework does not only mean a transition towards renewable energy, but also changes in the use of ‘clean’ fossil fuels, in type and location. Secondly, it shows that the investment, infrastructures and treaties proposed to carry out this transformation will lead to the creation of bigger monopolies, and to the regionalization of the European energy space. Finally, we conclude by saying that if measures to offset the power of the monopolies are not applied, the outcome of these reforms will be the creation of energy baronies.

Lluerna is a business plan developed by students from both the UOC's Executive MBA course and its MBA in Social Entrepreneurship course.

This work combines classical techniques from business schools with a more innovative approach related to impact-centred (rather than profit-centred) businesses. This business plan demonstrates that it is possible to run a sustainable company with a social objective, in this case the electrification of rural areas.

Furthermore, the plan shows a profitable business model that can be exported to many countries, where it is possible to create a market with a remarkable positive impact on a great number of families. Specifically, Lluerna is implemented in Bolivia, a country with an important lack of rural electrification, and where significant levels of collaboration from local actors in the area of rural electrification can be found.

Lluerna is also an example of how putting together new technologies and new commerce management tools makes it possible to generate a positive impact, even with a population that is normally considered too poor to be part of the market.