SAP Solution
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Collaborating Across Generations: Problems That Span Generations Require Leadership That Does Too
More than half of the people on earth are under the age of 30, yet in political arenas and board rooms they are scarcely present. Why are we building a future without the voices of those who will inherit it?
In a new 2024 global study on the power of intergenerational collaboration published by We Are Family Foundation (WAFF) in partnership with The Possibilists and the Vienna University of Economics and Business, 87% of respondents cited believe youth have ideas and solutions that can improve or solve global issues. Yet, only 19% agree that youth are currently given enough opportunities to lead and contribute. We need young people to help rethink, reshape, challenge, and collaborate alongside today’s decision-makers as we solve the world’s unprecedented problems.
No single generation has all the answers. SAP embraces this methodology of intergenerational collaboration, bringing dynamic perspectives together across its business in hopes that young experts can work alongside today’s leaders to shape the future of both business and our world. As evidenced by WAFF’s global study, here are some additional insights as to why this strategy is one you should consider too.
Youth Are Digital Natives in a Tech-Driven Era
Technology can help address the most profound environmental, economic, and social challenges of our time. Software and analytics can help predict and prevent disasters, make cities smarter, and foster equity in workplaces. In this era of rapid technological evolution, leaders of all generations have valuable perspective and expertise to augment the power of technology as well.
WAFF’s global study reminds us that Gen Z are digital natives who grew up online and “have adapted to learn, grow, and build skills in an entirely new and accelerated ways.” The study goes on to remind leaders that by investing in young people now, global leaders and corporations alike can sooner harness their technological expertise and unique lived experiences.
SAP, for example, is curating partnerships and opportunities that invest in the expertise of young social entrepreneurs, like 19-year-old Sneha Revanur, CEO and founder of Encode Justice and one of Time’s 100 Most Influential People in AI 2023. At World Economic Forum’s Annual Meeting in Davos, Switzerland, this January, Revanur sat alongside Chief Technology Officer and Member of the Executive Board of SAP SE Juergen Mueller, hosting a powerful conversation on the future of AI and the opportunity to bring youth to the table. “In spaces rife with credentialism, young people can offer perspectives that are rooted in lived experience,” Revanur shares.
Mueller affirms this approach: “I strongly believe in the power of intergenerational leadership – involving young talents in decision-making processes helps to bring the best in innovation to market. For instance, I have an early talent board in my organization who I regularly exchange with and get valuable guidance from. I also had the opportunity to meet with several young changemakers at events like the World Economic Forum in the last years and could learn a lot from them. Giving young leaders a seat at the table brings the right connections, mindsets, and energy together to create innovative and responsible solutions.”
Youth Demand Accountability
The tech industry and young people are united by a common cause: ensuring responsible data use and harnessing its power for good. Data allows us to generate accurate and actionable insights to transform the way the world works. When companies and governments have access to data-driven information, they can use those insights to achieve their vision – be it to clean the ocean, transform industries, or redefine the future of work. Effective solutions and responsible technology require collaboration, however. Data provides a foundation, but real change occurs when the public, private, and social sectors work together to create solutions.
This collaborative spirit echoes the work of Revanur and Encode Justice to leverage the power of data to shape the future. Encode Justice launched an intergenerational and multisector campaign towards AI ethical regulation by 2023. “Recent breakthroughs are transforming social, political, and economic realities, but they have not come without unanticipated risks…As AI grows more and more capable, harms will only proliferate. Our shared future is more precarious now than ever before. It is young people who have the most to gain – and the most to lose,” Encode Justice’s website reads.
SAP Commits to Expanding Open Source Innovation with New Open Source Manifesto
SAP is proud to announce the publication of its open source manifesto, reinforcing our commitment to open source principles and community engagement.
The manifesto aligns with SAP’s established presence as a key contributor to open source: SAP currently ranks as one of the top ten commercial contributors globally on GitHub in the OSCI.
Open Innovation and Collaboration
“Our open source manifesto is more than a declaration of our current contributions; it’s a promise to continue driving open innovation and collaboration at a significant scale,” said Juergen Mueller, chief technology officer and member of the Executive Board of SAP SE. “By embracing open source, we not only accelerate our own innovation but also empower our customers and partners to build on a foundation of transparency, security, and shared success.”
SAP’s commitment to open source is evidenced by its leading role and active participation in pivotal projects like OpenUI5 and OpenJDK/SapMachine that influence digital innovation, as well as by SAP’s active participation in leading open source initiatives and foundations like Open Invention Network, Eclipse Foundation, Linux Foundation Europe, and Cloud Foundry.
We believe that open source serves as a driving force for great technology, allowing global minds to work together, share ideas, and further advance our collective development.
Open Reference Architecture Project
The manifesto coincides with SAP’s participation in the Open Reference Architecture project under the EU’s IPCEI-CIS initiative, exemplifying SAP’s support for digital sovereignty in cloud infrastructure and services. This project’s development, contributed as open source, showcases SAP’s transparent approach to fostering community-led growth and innovation.
Martin Georg Fassunge, project lead of Open Reference Architecture project, SAP BTP, confirms the importance of open source for this project: “Our participation in the IPCEI-CIS initiative signifies our commitment to supporting Europe’s digital transformation by providing open, secure, and scalable solutions. With our open source approach, we aim to foster an environment of collective growth and innovation.”
SAP’s Open Source Engagement in Cloud-Native Development
In accordance with the Open Reference Architecture project, SAP leads several open source, cloud-native projects, such as Gardener, GardenLinux, Open Resource Discovery (ORD), and Open Component Model (OCM), all aimed at encouraging an open community of external contributors and adopters.
We are committed to empowering our employees with training, guidelines, and tools. We also support our ecosystem by sharing best practices and expertise via webinars, our podcast series The Open Source Way, and community events. Come visit us at our booth at KubeCon North America to learn more about our cloud-native open source projects.
Looking Ahead
With the publication of the open source manifesto and the start of our Open Reference Architecture project, we are excited to enter the next phase of our open source journey together with the open source community, our customers, and our partners.
Learn more:
- SAP Open Source landing page
- The Open Source Way podcast
- SAP Open Source webinars
- SAP Open Source Report 2023
Michael Ameling is EVP and head of Intelligent Enterprise and chief product officer for SAP BTP.
Bonprix Implements SAP BW/4HANA and SAP Datasphere
SAP has announced the successful completion of the implementation of SAP BW/4HANA and SAP Datasphere solutions by Bonprix, a prominent international fashion company under the Otto Group umbrella. This strategic move marks a significant milestone for Bonprix, enhancing its data management and analytics capabilities. Bonprix, one of Germany’s leading online fashion retailers, has integrated a […]
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Inetum Bolsters SAP Strategy in Belgium with Global Expertise
Inetum, a global technology consulting firm, has strategically reinforced its SAP strategy in Belgium, leveraging its extensive capabilities in SAP S/4HANA Public Cloud. This move is aimed at providing fast, cost-effective, and low-risk implementations of the SAP S/4HANA Public Cloud through its locally adapted Adopt2win package. Inetum is a significant player in the SAP ecosystem, […]
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SAP Strategy
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SAP Document and Reporting Compliance Boosted by Thomson Reuters
The recent expansion of the partnership between Thomson Reuters and SAP marks a significant step forward in tax reporting automation. The integration of ONESOURCE Sales & Use Tax Compliance into SAP Document and Reporting Compliance for SAP S/4HANA aims to help businesses streamline their tax processes more efficiently, leveraging the robust capabilities of SAP technologies. […]
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How Mindsprint Uses High Tech to Help the World Grow and Eat Better Food
We don’t often think about how cutting-edge technology helped get fresh produce to our grocery store – or our doorstep. But that’s exactly what agritech firm Mindsprint is trying to do, alongside its parent company, whose mission is to reimagine the overall food supply chain.
Agritech, or agricultural technology, looks to improve yields and efficiency on farms using technology, and Mindsprint helps customers digitally transform sustainably. The Singapore-based technology and business services firm’s services include digital transformation, cybersecurity, and more – which requires a robust landscape.
“Now, we have added almost every product that SAP has into our environment,” Amit Jain, senior vice president and head of SAP at Mindsprint, said. This includes moving to SAP S/4HANA as well as running SAP SuccessFactors solutions, SAP Concur solutions, SAP Integrated Business Planning for Supply Chain, and more. “We work very, very closely with SAP – not just on the product side, but also on the services side.”
This has helped Mindsprint stay nimble and continue serving its customers – and their customers – as market demands have shifted.
Transparency for All
“People are not going to the shops anymore,” Jain said. “People want to order everything online.”
COVID-19 helped accelerate that shift, giving rise to food startups and other e-commerce sites, according to Jain. And Mindsprint uses logistics, finance, and manufacturing solutions within SAP S/4HANA to help those customers meet growing online demand and add transparency to the process.
“When you talk about the food supply chain, people want to be sure that the food that they’re eating is good – so they’re able to trace the origins of the food,” Jain said.
Toward that end, Mindsprint also relies on SAP to help refine transportation management every step of the food’s journey, from farms to ports and all the way to consumers, according to Jain. And between each of those trips, SAP Extended Warehouse Management proves to be important, as different foods require different temperatures and other conditions.
New SAP Concur Research Reveals Five Challenges for Business Travel in 2024
As global workforces grapple with the disconnect of remote working, efficient business travel is a top priority, offering access to new markets, insights, and development opportunities. However, it comes with complications, as revealed by new SAP Concur research of 3,750 travelers and 600 travel managers across global markets.
Many influences are driving – and sometimes stalling – the business travel industry. To ensure maximum productivity and well-being for travelers and travel managers, businesses must support them with the right education and tools in 2024 and beyond. To ensure smooth running and maximize their investments in business travel, business leaders must understand its friction points. The sixth SAP Concur Global Business Travel Survey explores some of the most pressing challenges facing business travelers today. These are the top five takeaways:
1. The Threat of Disruption
- Eighty-eight percent of travelers have been forced to make last-minute changes in the past year because of unexpected delays, cancellations, or the need to re-route.
- Eighty percent opt to add “booking buffers” to the start or end of their journey, or both, incorporating extra time to counteract unexpected schedule changes. This frustrating cycle discourages business travel altogether.
2. Traveler Safety Concerns
- Business travelers cite safety (44%) or political or social (35%) concerns about the destination as the most common reasons that would cause them to decline a business trip.
- Many travel managers experience burnout due to the range of aggravating factors they must consider when planning and provisioning for business trips. A third feel like they are expected to take on a more strategic role without further training.
3. The Toss-Up Between Sustainability and Costs
- Over a quarter of business travelers are willing to decline a business trip due to the environmental impact or the inability to choose sustainable options.
- Twenty-seven percent, on the other hand, claim their company has cut back on paying more for sustainable travel options over the past 12 months.
- Over a third of travel managers face difficulties because they are expected to provide more sustainable travel options without an adequate budget.
4. Unequal Access to Travel Opportunities
- Two in three business travelers say that travel is critical for their career advancement – but the same proportion feel they haven’t received equal opportunity to travel compared to their colleagues.
- Staff cite reasons for unequal access such as their level of seniority (19%), age (18%), and gender (11%).
5. The Need for AI Solutions and Education
- Most travelers (95%) are open to using AI-enabled options when arranging travel, but there is a prevailing “wait and see” attitude. Fewer than one in ten are comfortable using AI-enabled options currently.
- Eighty-nine percent of business travelers want more company support, including assurances for personal data protection, potential biases, and protection from repercussions if AI-assisted bookings contravene company policy.
Leaders won’t be able to solve current travel disruption overnight – but they can make it more manageable for staff. By introducing measures to improve travel flexibility, training opportunities, and next-generation software solutions, organizations can adapt to a challenging market and future-proof their business travel posture for the long term.
For more information about the survey, including additional findings, please download our business traveler, travel manager, and SMB business traveler whitepapers.
Charlie Sultan is president of Concur Travel at SAP Concur.
The SAP Concur Global Business Traveler Survey was conducted by Wakefield Research between April 5-26, 2024, among 3,750 business travelers in 24 markets: U.S., Canada, UK, Germany, France, Benelux (Belgium, Netherlands, Luxembourg), Sweden, Denmark, Norway, Finland, Italy, Spain, ANZ (Australia, New Zealand), Middle East (UAE, Saudi Arabia), Japan, Korea, India, Mexico, Brazil, SEA (Singapore, Malaysia), South Africa, Portugal, Switzerland, and Austria. Data has been weighted to facilitate tracking.
The SAP Concur Global Travel Manager Survey was conducted by Wakefield Research between April 5-26, 2024, 2024, among 600 travel managers, defined as those who direct or administer travel programs for businesses, across 6 markets: Germany, Canada, Japan, ANZ Countries (Australia and New Zealand), UK, and U.S.