Future Business Trends
April 3, 2009
Image Source–http://www.rightattitudes.com/2007/05/
Economists like to tell some jokes about trying to discern the future –
It is very difficult to forecast, especially about the future.
He who lives by the crystal ball soon learns to eat ground glass.
Jokes aside, the current business landscape is increasingly complex and rapidly changing. A serious look at the future is essential.
First, before you look at future trends, you should enhance your trend watching skills. Thanks to TrendWatching (a great site –visit it for a further description of these tips, sign up for their newsletter) here are some tips –
- Know why you are tracking trends
- Make sure you acquire a point of view about the world around you. The more trends you spot and track, and the more skilled you are at putting these trends into context, the more guidance you’ll have.
- Celebrate the incredible wealth of trend resources at your fingertips, many of them free or dirt cheap! (Yes indeed, more on this below)
- Have a Trend Framework: basically a long list of all the trends we’ve spotted over the years.
- Every company should have its own Trend Group. Even if that “group” is just you. The Trend Group is not some multimillion dollar/euro/pound affair. It doesn’t have to employ a dozen staff (though that would be nice
. It’s more a state of mind. It can be low-cost, unauthorized and grass roots if need be. Don’t wait for permission, make the Trend Group a fait accompli.
Ok, now let’s look at some trends. The first list is from Ernst & Young’s 2009 Global Megatrends
- The accelerating shift of power from West to East
- The changing Financial landscape
- Overhaul and globalization of the regulatory environment
- The rising economic importance of energy and commodities
- Responsibility firmly on the corporate agenda
- The next wave of technological innovation
- The increasing challenges of managing and developing talent
For a comprehensive discussion of these trends visit E&Y’s website. This is one of the best resources on future business trends.
Next, visit A Thousand Tomorrows. This is a most unusual “blog”. The company that publishes this resource, Pantopicon, calls this a blog, but it is much more than a blog. There is rich content here. Be warned, topics go beyond future trends, you might find yourself captivated by the breath of topics covered.
Another worthy resource is the downloads section of Z_punkt and download “Megatrends–A survey of the top twenty megatrends shaping tomorrow’s business.” Here you will find other good references such as, “Ten Trend Setting Products”, “Rethinking Business” and more.
A look at the future would not be complete without a view of Risks. The Global Competiveness Forum offers 2009 Global Risks.
A good site that I’ve used for many years, ManyWorlds, has a Futures section. Finally, a discussion about the Future must include the World Future Society. This a membership site but many no-cost references are offered. Be sure to see their “Top 10 Forecast For 2009 and Beyond“.
There are more good resources, feel free to post and share them.
Websites Worth a Visit – Part 2
January 6, 2009
Recently, I wrote a post on some good websites. As I surf, I bookmark sites that I found uniquely informative. So here goes my latest findings.
Best practices are always informative since they give you examples of what companies are top in various corporate matters. The problem is that they are usually fragmented and widely dispersed among many sources. Well, PricewaterhouseCoopers solved the problem. They have a Best Practices website that has a comprehensive menu of best practices –
First note that the menu on the left has navigation to more than best practices. There is benchmarking, best companies and more. Next note the variety of business processes menu that you may view.
Nice job PWC.
Next there is The Top 100 Management and Leadership Blogs That All Managers Should Bookmark. Thanks to the site HR World, you can find blogs that are organized into sub categories. Now you can find out what people are saying on topics such as Leadership, Creativity and Inspiration, Self-Awareness and more. This was an excellent find and is well worth a visit.
Since I write about Corporate Governance, I had to list Corporate Directors Forum’s Useful Corporate Governance Websites. They have the sites organized by –
- Institutional Investors/Investor Groups
- Proxy Advisory & Ratings
- Journals, Newsletters & Blogs
- Professional Organizations
- Other Resources
Those interested in Corporate Governance now have a one-stop-shop for finding needed information.
Finally a interesting blog My CEO Life –
The Category menu is robust and “Running a Business on Skype” seems like a must read. The topics are somewhat unique and are thought provoking.
Now it is your turn to post your Sites To Visit.
Governance Visualization — An OCEG Masterpiece
December 16, 2008
In one of my posts I wrote about a standout Corporate Governance organization Open Compliance and Ethics Group (OCEG). Another post covered Corporate Governance Visualization, the use of graphics to convey and explain Governance matters. I’d like to combine the two themes.
Corporate Eye has received permission to link to OCEG’s seminal visual on Corporate Governance. Think of it as “everything you wanted to see about Governance.” This is a landmark effort and visually shows all Corporate Governance practices and stakeholders, and all relationships and linkages.
You may access the visual here.
You will need to register for free subscription: well worth it you will get access to the visual and more. Also don’t worry about e-mails, OCEG respects your privacy.
For those who have an interest in Corporate Governance, OCEG and the visual is a must.
Worth A Visit Websites
November 25, 2008
It is difficult if not impossible to keep up on new websites that continually pop up. So here are some suggestions on websites worth your visit.
First a site for office suite Acrobat and other software users Free Guides. This site offers many free quick reference guides for much popular software. This is a smart marketing technique since they are selling training.
Next, MIT offers a comprehensive menu of On-Demand Videos on a wide variety of significant public events at MIT. There are over 500 videos, therefore you are likely to find something useful.
For those interested in Stakeholder analyses, the Infinite Games is an interesting site that offers a unique “Stakeholder Lens” to view stakeholder interests. The site offers other lenses in support of their mission –
The purpose of this site is to support pragmatic, visionary leaders in transforming their organizations in ways that make a lasting difference for all involved. It is designed to support pioneering leaders in unleashing the unlimited potential within their organization’s membership.
Then there’s Cool Websites and Tools all resources are screened to be free, no trials or but to use requirements. Some examples include watch movies online without downloading, easy package tracking, collection of subway, bus and train maps and more.
Since I frequently write on Corporate Governance here is 20 Websites Every Director Should Bookmark.
Finally, here is the “Kitchen Sink” of recommended websites by PC Magazine –
I was delighted to see that the Undiscovered list includes some sites that we profiled in earlier posts.
If you have any suggestions on good websites, please post them.
11 Phrases That Destroy Brand Innovation
November 24, 2008
We’ve all sat through meetings where nothing gets done. For one reason or another, your team is tasked to come up with innovative new brand programs, but one idea after another is shot down.
Take a look at the 11 phrases that destroy brand innovation below, then ask yourself if you or someone on your team is guilty of saying one (or more) of them. If so, it’s time to adjust your thinking cap with an eye toward innovation and away from negativity.
1. We tried that already.
This is a big idea killer. It’s natural over the lifespan of a business that ideas will resurface. Just because an idea didn’t work in the past, doesn’t mean it can’t be retooled and be a big success in the future. Consider Apple which was failing in the 1990s only to revive its brand and product line to become a market share threat to Microsoft. What if Steve Jobs followed the, “we tried that already,” line of thinking? Would the new Macbook, iPhone or iPod be available today? Read more
Get our updates
 |