Announcement

Beginning with the January 2012 Scan™ set, the monthly Synopsis will feature a new layout inspired by the valuable feedback that we have received from our clients. We hope that the new layout makes it even easier to access topics of interest quickly.

• The first part of the Synopsis lists topic areas that the identified monthly Patterns fall into.
• The second part of the Synopsis features the Topic-Positioning Framework, which arranges the identified monthly Patterns from short term to midterm to long term on a scale of urgency, and reflects the degree of uncertainty—from low uncertainty to high uncertainty—surrounding the topic. The framework also recommends associated company actions, ranging from Initiate (appropriate projects) to Monitor (ongoing changes) to Watch (for indications of changes in urgency). The colors of the Patterns in the Topic-Positioning Framework indicate which topic areas the Patterns fall into.
• The final part of the Synopsis lists Patterns and Signals of Change in numerical order, with a short description of each.

Meeting Synopsis

The Scan™ Meeting on 7 December 2011 featured four thematic areas:

• Digital living includes P0289, "The New Digital Natives"; P0296, "Apps' Tug-of-War with Television Advertising"; and P0297, "Life in the Cloud."
• Industry developments comprises P0290, "Retail-Store Analytics"; P0291, "Employing LED Lighting"; and P0292, "Automotive's Strange Bedfellows."
• Ingredients for success encompasses P0293, "Motivating Labor, Labor Motivations"; P0294, "Recipe for Success: Adaptability"; and P0295, "New Performance Metrics."
• Human issues consists of P0298, "Malleability of Human Traits"; P0299, "Mining Data and DNA"; and P0300, "Memory and the Mind's Eye."

Topic-Positioning Framework

Patterns

The New Digital Natives P0289

The youngest generation—currently infants and young children—is the most digitally savvy generation yet, and members of that generation will soon become important consumers. Before long, they will also enter the workforce.

Retail-Store Analytics P0290

Start-ups are beginning to deliver foot-traffic-analytics solutions similar to the analytics solutions that online applications provide for measuring the traffic on retailers' websites.

Employing LED Lighting P0291

The use of light-emitting-diode technologies is proliferating, but some issues, such as emerging health concerns, could prove problematic.

Automotive's Strange Bedfellows P0292

Changes in automotive platforms are driving novel cross-industry partnerships.

Motivating Labor, Labor Motivations P0293

Keeping employees motivated is key for organizational success. Harnessing motivation productively, though, is a multifaceted task.

Recipe for Success: Adaptability P0294

New research sheds light on the elements of personal success in life and work. Hint: Adaptability is key.

New Performance Metrics P0295

Measuring performance by short-term profitability is demonstrably flawed. What are the alternatives?

Apps' Tug-of-War with Television Advertising P0296

Television broadcasting and advertising are in a symbiotic relationship and affect each other mutually. Recent developments put the relationship in flux again.

Life in the Cloud P0297

As the lines between reality and virtual worlds blur, the fate of digital assets will increasingly become a legal and economic consideration.

Malleability of Human Traits P0298

Several human traits that scientists believed were fairly stable over a lifetime—most prominently the intelligence quotient—are in fact variable and susceptible to influence.

Mining Data and DNA P0299

Algorithmic mining of genetic databases holds new promise for disease and drug discovery.

Memory and the Mind's Eye P0300

New research provides important insights into memory and visual processing, offering new hope for future cognitive-impairment treatments and insights for applications across many disciplines.

Signals of Change

Software Runs the World SoC555

Software capabilities increasingly influence the success or failure of organizations in sectors as diverse as finance, entertainment, publishing, automotive, energy, and law enforcement. Companies should evaluate scenarios of software start-ups cannibalizing their businesses. But incumbent competitors could transform their businesses through strategic investments in IT capabilities.

Urban Economic Forces SoC556

Urban environments are growing and proliferating. Not surprisingly, urban environments' impact on economy, society, and environment—dynamics are not exclusive, and areas affect each other mutually—has become an increasingly active area of research.

Postrecessionary Dilemmas SoC557

In a decade defined by debt repayment, corporations will need to become more inventive. Strategies that involve emerging markets will be important for many organizations—and are already being pursued in some sectors—but catering to financially hard-pressed consumers in developed markets may become a key success factor.

Dynamics of Discontent SoC558

Governments around the world need to deal with the consequences of social unrest as best they can, but a greater understanding of the dynamics of discontent is prerequisite to developing strategies that will benefit governments, businesses, and society.

Migration's Beneficiaries SoC559

Migration establishes networks among people, and those networks have important economic and social implications globally.

Rise of Machine Vision SoC560

Machine vision can provide a deep and comprehensive understanding of the environment that vastly outstrips what a biological visual system can provide. The past two years have seen especially significant advancements in machine-vision performance thanks to a confluence of technological and social trends.