Scan Monthly No. 002April 2003 |
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Signals of Change
IM Implications
SoC005
The scramble to implement instant messaging technology in the corporate environment has now begun, but will the advent of IM really transform communications and increase productivity within companies? IM as a corporate tool raises important organizational-structure questions, which can help formulate implementation plans. New tools for analyzing electronically mediated social networks are turning up coincidentally with the IM bandwagon and hold future promise for optimizing such tools in the organization.
Japans Future in China
SoC006
Ten years ago, Japan perceived China primarily as a commercial threat. That perception is dramatically changing as current trends anticipate Chinas becoming Japans largest trading partner. Japan is already Chinas largest export market. The dynamics are very complex, but some Japanese corporations are actively exploring the potential of taking advantage of Chinas inexpensive but skilled labor force and cheap land instead of competing with them. Japans activities in China will have significant impacts on global direct-investment flows, the health of other Asian industrialized economies, and U.S. and European corporate strategies.
RFID Liabilities
SoC007
Radio-frequency identification tags are already transforming manufacturing, supply-chain, and retailing processes. The ability to perform cradle-to-grave tracking of parts and products promises unprecedented efficiencies for a wide variety of companies. But concerns about potential abuse once products with RFID tags reach the consumer are raising some red flags that companies will want to address proactively before the potential abuses become legal problems.
Fraud versus Fraud
Soc008
Fraud versus fraud is the operative strategy when the record industry spoofs file-sharing services by populating the services with faulty files and when eBay participants sabotage auctions of items that known swindlers are offering for sale on the site. But fraudulent measures never turn out to be viable long-term solutions to problemsthey are indicators of structural problems in business models or processes. More important, they are also red flags highlighting unmet consumer needs.
Insights
| Digital Copyright: Clouding the Competitive Environment | View summary |
| D03-2422 | Download this Insight |
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A momentous battle is waging in the courtrooms of the United States and Europe over the force and scope of legal protections for copyrighted digital materials. The outcome of that battle will have very far-reaching implications, affecting a great many companies outside the digital-content industry. This study examines the intended and unintended consequences of the U.S. Digital Millennium Copyright Act (DMCA), the central piece of legislation in the global digital-copyright struggle. The DMCA represents a revolutionary rethinking of copyright laws to accommodate digital media and technologies. The main issue at stake in the legal battle over digital copyright is the definition of fair use of copyrighted digital materials. Copyright holders have succeeded in passing legislation that, if upheld by pending legal decisions, may have the effect of rolling back well-established rights of reverse engineering and transforming the competitive environment in a number of industries. Author: Thomas M. McKenna. 8 pages. Index Keywords: Consumer Electronics; Electronic Commerce; Information Technology; Intellectual Property; Internet. |
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| Reconceptualizing the Competitive Environment of Consumer Products | View summary |
| D03-2423 | Download this Insight |
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Globalization, growing competitive pressure, and more sophisticated consumers require companies to develop an intricate understanding of the competitive triangle of consumer needs, competitor strategies, and technological developments. Traditionally, managers have defined their companies competitors as players that offer products in the same technical category. This view is not only limiting but increasingly untenable in todays complex business environment. In fact, products from different categories can offer similar benefits to consumers, whereas products that share a category may not be direct competitors. Marketers who ignore this fact, relying on traditional means of categorization, may lose ground to unexpected competitors or miss opportunities for new products or expanded markets. To avoid these pitfalls, companies can adopt a consumer-centered framework for evaluating their product mix and their competition. Author: Martin Schwirn. 16 pages. Index Keywords: Competitive Analysis; Consumer Behavior; Marketing; Product Development; Strategic Planning. |
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| Communications as the Gateway to Pervasive Computing | View summary |
| D03-2424 | Download this Insight |
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Pervasive computing—the convergence of information technologies into a networked computing environment that is always on, always available, and unobtrusive—is a large, amorphous topic, but by discussing the enablers and applications that contribute to its commercial development, we can reflect on possible development paths. The author concludes that communication is likely to be the early pervasive-computing application, not only because it already has strong consumer demand but also because of current advances in the technology enablers. The rapid implementation of wireless networks is particularly noteworthy. Both consumers and businesses are adopting wireless networks, seeing potential for productivity improvements. The potential of collaboration software for context awareness is another exciting development. Collaboration tools help users determine the environment and availability of other users, showing whether other users are currently or have recently been online, for example. As hotbeds of change in pervasive computing, wireless local-area networks and collaborative software will have both short-term and long-term effects on the field. Author: Carolyn E. Sleeth. 8 pages. Index Keywords: Computer Networks; Communications; Internet; Information Technology. |
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| Chinas Role in the Global Electronic Future | View summary |
| D03-2425 | Download this Insight |
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Chinas acceptance into the World Trade Organization in 2001 was a bellwether event for the country, paving the way for it to apply its significant resources in global markets and to open its vast consumer market to companies around the world. The potential is particularly great in the electronics business, where Chinas ambitions have implications for the materials and equipment supply chain, the design and manufacture of integrated circuits (IC), and the supply and demand of end products and services, including software. In 2002, when chip companies in the United States, Europe, and the Pacific Rim region suffered in the worsening business climate, Chinas IC market continued to grow solely on the basis of domestic demand. For this reason, the time may be right for China to play catch-up in the chip industry by attracting foreign interest. Indeed, estimates suggest that by 2005, China may account for some 12% of world chip sales, putting it on the road to becoming the largest chip consumer. In other areas, from software development to networking hardware, China is also amassing the resources to play a key role in world markets. Nonetheless, despite the attractions of Chinas dynamic economy, the countrys growing pains will pose challenges to overseas and domestic companies alike. Already, World Trade Organization members have filed antidumping lawsuits, for example, and China must still strengthen its capacity for technology leadership in electronics, improve customer-service attitudes, and develop leading-edge skills for lean and flexible manufacturing. Clearly, however, whether or not China achieves all its ambitious objectives, its efforts to become a global electronics titan will pose threats and opportunities to electronics companies around the world. Author: David J. Roughley. 18 pages. Index Keywords: Consumer Electronics; Electronics Industry; Far East; Global Operations; Information Technology; International Trade. |
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Calendar
Scan™ Briefings
The 2003 biannual Scan™ Briefings in which Scan staff present Scan analysis and findings in Menlo Park, California, will take place on:
- 22 May 2003 at 9:00 am
- 23 October 2003 at 9:00 am
Scan™ Abstract Meetings
Scan abstract meetings (in which SRIC-BI [now SBI] staff participate in a free-form discussion of current Scan abstracts) are open for client observation/participation on:
- 23 July 2003 at 9:00 am
- 17 September 2003 at 9:00 am
- 22 October 2003 at 1:30 pm
- 21 January 2004 at 9:00 am
- 17 March 2004 at 9:00 am
- 19 May 2004 at 9:00 am
Watch List
The Scan program's scanning and research processes identify areas on the periphery of your organizations's focus that constitute potential opportunities or threats. The areas that we decide bear watching go on Scan's watch list of defining forces that are transforming the business environment. Current watch-list topics include:
