Signals of Change

Culturally Competent Health Care SoC381

The basic notion of what constitutes quality health care is changing by expanding and becoming more comprehensive: Health practitioners and the entire industry will increasingly have to meet demand not only for accurate diagnosis and treatment but also for linguistic and cultural competence.

The Electric Grid at Risk SoC382

Huge potential risks are connected to power grids because of their interconnectivity with support systems such as water and sewage treatment, power-station controls, financial markets, and many others that rely on electricity. Efforts around the world are already under way to overcome vulnerabilities of the grid as well as encourage the use of alternative energy sources.

Next-Generation Consumers SoC383

The current global economic recession and the expanding reach of networking technologies are enabling consumers to rely increasingly on each other to share in the ownership and use of a wide range of products. A redefined understanding of purchasing, owning, and sharing could turn out to be more persistent than in previous recessions—essentially establishing a new generation of consumers.

The Future of Books SoC384

Significant changes are unfolding in the evolution of the concept of books, the distribution models of books, and the publishing industry, with potentially even more far-reaching implications for related industries such as newspaper publishing and distribution for all kinds of packaged media.

Evolving Privacy Expectations SoC385

People's reasonable expectation of privacy—a concept at the basis of many privacy-related legal cases—is evolving because many surveillance-type mechanisms are seeing implementation in varying degrees across societies throughout the world. Enhanced data capture and monitoring technologies also add to existing privacy concerns.

Climate-Driven Migration SoC386

Widespread migration because of climate-change effects will affect a handful of countries dramatically, potentially to the degree of their ceasing to exist. But such a migration will ripple through societies—and, by association, economies—globally. Political institutions will increasingly have to deal with related issues, but movement of people also means movement of talent and consumers, thereby affecting companies in most industries.

Insights

Media Metamorphosis D09-2598

In October 2005, Scan™ published D05-2516, Media Landscapes in Turmoil, which states that dramatic changes have already come to content, distribution channels, advertising strategies, and consumer behavior in all forms of media. Recent developments indicate that these changes are accelerating and broadening in terms of their effect on diverse aspects of business, societal, and social environments. In fact, these changes not only are accelerating but also have developed intriguing dynamics that could potentially completely alter the media landscape itself and also affect related and dependent industries.

Scan™ has published a large number of Signals of Change (SoCs) related to media technologies, applications, and business models since the publication of Media Landscapes in Turmoil in 2005. This study builds on the changes that those SoCs note, but it provides a more comprehensive look at emerging dynamics and potential impacts on industries, content providers, platform manufacturers, advertisers, and consumers. The news is that a wide range of developments in arenas such as technology, business models, regulations, and consumer behavior appear to be culminating in a sea change—and media and media channels touch upon and affect virtually every part of the economy and every single individual in one way or another. Author: Martin Schwirn. 13 pages.

Scan™ Meeting Digest: 17 June 2009 Meeting D09-2599

This document is a digest of the Scan™ abstract clusters that participants in the 17 June 2009 Scan meeting identified. The digest includes a description of the Scan process for people who have never attended a Scan meeting, a list of the clusters that meeting participants identified, and a one-page description of each cluster's premise and supporting abstracts. The document has active links that allow the reader to access the supporting abstracts for each cluster in Scan's online abstract database. The document also has links to previously published Scan documents relating to the particular cluster. Clusters of abstracts for this June meeting included topics related to environmental issues, the retail environment, China's future development path, changing consumer behavior, surprising demographic developments, and energy prospects. Compiler: Kimberly Wiesbrock. 36 pages.

Calendar

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 in Menlo Park on:

• 23 September 2009 at 9:00 am
• 21 October 2009 at 9:00 am
• 20 January 2010 at 9:00 am
• 17 March 2010 at 9:00 am
• 19 May 2010 at 9:00 am
• 7 July 2010 at 9:00 am.

Scan also sponsors occasional Scan abstract meetings in Croydon, Tokyo, and Washington, D.C. Contact your SRIC-BI (now SBI) marketing representative to schedule participation in any of the Scan abstract meetings.