Technology Revolution: The Future of Now

The buzz: Your business wish list. Still wishing for a crystal ball to see what 2015 may bring for your company, industry and the world? We've got the next best thing. Completing our three-part Predictions 2015 Special, today 14 thought leaders will share their insights on the technologies, strategies, and trends that can help you grow and compete better in 2015 and beyond – bringing our total to...

The buzz: Your business wish list Wishing and hoping for a crystal ball to see what 2015 may bring for your company, industry and the world? We've got the next best thing. On our three-part Predictions 2015 Special, you'll hear 40 thought leaders' insights on the technologies, strategies, and trends that can help you grow and compete better in 2015 and beyond. Pour a cup of Joe, Earl, or Dom, and...

What's at the top of your business wish list this holiday season? If you're hoping for a crystal ball to see what 2015 may bring for your company, industry and the world, we've got the next best thing. On Dec. 10, Dec. 17, and Jan. 7, you'll hear a total of more than 40 thought leaders' predictions on the technologies, strategies, and trends that can help you grow and compete better in 2015 and be...

The buzz: Your business wish list Wishing and hoping for a crystal ball to see what 2015 may bring for your company, industry and the world? We've got the next best thing. On our three-part Predictions 2015 Special, you'll hear 40 thought leaders' insights on the technologies, strategies, and trends that can help you grow and compete better in 2015 and beyond. Pour a cup of Joe, Earl, or Dom, and...

What's at the top of your business wish list this holiday season? If you're hoping for a crystal ball to see what 2015 may bring for your company, industry and the world, we've got the next best thing. On Dec. 10, Dec. 17, and Jan. 7, you'll hear a total of more than 40 thought leaders' predictions on the technologies, strategies, and trends that can help you grow and compete better in 2015 and be...

The buzz: Industrial Internet. The world as we knew it a few years ago has changed. The Internet of Things or Industrial Internet now promises to transform businesses and competition in most industries. Is your company ready to seize the opportunities or are you stuck in the dark ages? The experts speak. Dave Westrom, ThingWorx: "If all you're trying to do is essentially the same thing as your riv...

The buzz: Retail. Retailers: If you're not making each customer's experience more engaging, exciting and fulfilling than your competitors are, help is here. Hints: Find your own retail niche. Leverage that distinction across your business. Nurture a "Fan to Brand" loyalty that compels shoppers to engage far beyond the purchase…and more. The experts speak. BJ Bueno, The Cult Branding Company: "Some...

The buzz: Our safety. Product safety recalls are in the news so often that our reactions of shock and fear have been replaced by, "What now?" Manufacturers clearly need help identifying potential safety issues earlier in a new product's life cycle, detecting existing unknown issues, and keeping pace with increasing regulatory requirements. Can advanced analytics help proactively identify safety is...

The buzz: Counterfeits, "Quality has its price" is especially true for drugs and medical devices, where counterfeiting is a $Billion market. How to protect consumer safety and stem revenue losses facing honest manufacturers? The food, fashion, high tech products and automotive industries face similar challenges. Will Life Sciences solve it first? The experts speak. Eric Newmark, IDC: "The life sci...

The buzz: Banks. Since the financial crisis, banks have been working harder to rebuild customer trust and improve relationships, even offering interactive online communications to meet consumer demand. A survey from SAP and analyst firm Ovum finds many banks now seeking cloud technology to develop products faster, simplify operations, quickly enter new markets, and ultimately be more agile and cus...

The buzz: Mentoring. Great mentors can be invaluable to the success of individual employees, as well as to your entire organization. Are only a few employees, perhaps mainly one gender, privileged to have mentors? Are your mentoring practices building a diverse leadership or cloning "desirable" stereotypes? Do you support reverse mentoring in a multi-generational workforce? The experts speak. Bria...

The buzz: A healthier future. On Pharma and Technology Part 1, we discussed the need for pharma to move quickly to introduce safe, cost-effective drugs that respond to cancer, Ebola, and other chronic and urgent diseases. Now we'll explore how pharma and medical devices companies are working to surmount health market hurdles andprepare for a healthier global future. How soon can they glean life-sa...

The buzz: HR – There's an app for that. Just six years after first-generation iPhones debuted, smartphones pervade every corner of our work, personal, and emotional lives. As demand for corporate mobile apps escalates, HR is climbing aboard the mobility bandwagon. But with only a few developers offering mobile HCM – most limited to slim, basic process steps – HR is not finding the easy-to-use func...

The buzz: Banking. Triggered by the financial crisis and subsequent regulatory changes, banks are moving toward a new paradigm of simultaneously and proactively managing risk, return, liquidity, and capital. While technology is playing a transformative role in the industry, many regulators believe banks are moving too slowly to fully embrace it. Are they right? The experts speak. Richard Fleming,...

The buzz: Retail. Retailers: If you're not making each customer's experience more engaging, exciting and fulfilling than your competitors are, help is here. Hints: Find your own retail niche. Leverage that distinction across your business. Nurture a "Fan to Brand" loyalty that compels shoppers to engage far beyond the purchase…and more. The experts speak. BJ Bueno, The Cult Branding Company: "Some...

The buzz: Retail. As NY Fashion Week ends, fashion retailers are under more competitive pressure than ever to deliver great "retail therapy" experiences that consistently meet or exceed customers' expectations. And because customers shop brands, not channels, retailers must deliver at all points along the shopping journey. But how? The experts speak. Scott McKain, Expert on Distinction: "The attri...

The buzz: Pharma. Populations are aging. Chronic diseases are increasing, with new strains emerging at an alarming rate. For these reasons and more, global healthcare costs are skyrocketing and pressure is mounting to develop innovative pharmaceutical drugs. How can pharma organizations accelerate R&D – without compromising quality – to deliver new therapies that effectively fight complex, life-th...

The buzz: Balance. Whether you call it work-life balance or integration, some days it seems impossible. How can you be calm, centered, productive, happy amid 24/7 work distractions and deadlines, family and sleep demands? The experts speak. Pamela Weiss, Appropriate Response: "In a real sense all life is inter-related. We are caught in an inescapable network of mutuality, tied in a single garment...

The buzz: Cloud and Marketing. Breaking news! The cloud brings one of the biggest opportunities for the future of marketing. But it comes with big challenges. Have you begun developing a digital marketing strategy and platform makeover? Are you prepared to shift into a totally customer-focused culture? Is the right talent on board yet? Before your marketing organization can play well and win big i...

The buzz: Fraud. As hard as you work to implement effective anti-fraud processes, voracious and savvy fraudsters are working even harder, and perhaps smarter, to thwart you. Good news! Predictive analytics technology can help you understand emerging fraud patterns and adapt against new types of attack, but only if you use the tools effectively. What will it take for your leadership to make this a...

Today's buzz: Insurance. Along its paper-to-digital journey, the insurance industry has attained sophistication in the use of some analytics tools. But the industry overall is still a laggard when it comes to adopting an integrated approach across the enterprise. The best way to catch up? Establishing a Business Intelligence Center of Excellence may be the key to creating a much-needed business-dr...

The buzz: SMEs. If you're the entrepreneurial founder or leader of a small-to-midsize company, your commitment is tested daily. After engaging investors and building a core team, your challenges can include scaling technology, opening sustainable distribution channels, engaging and delighting customers, mastering social media opportunities and more. Whew! How are today's successful businesses gett...

Today's buzz: Customer experience. Is technology the magic bullet to help you give customers everything they want and more – and thus ensure their loyalty? Not quite. Technology can indeed give you real-time insights to be relevant, to respond with agility and speed, to connect collaboratively and transact efficiently. But the perfectly seamless, frictionless customer experience can be elusive. Th...

Today's buzz: Potential Is your company still operating by Industrial Era standardization, predictability, top-down authority? Enough! Progressive organizations are using a connected, collaborative, creative model to unleash and amplify the imagination, initiative, passion of inspired individual employees, customers, suppliers. How? The experts speak. Polly LaBarre, MIX: "Every great advance has i...

Today's buzz: You - again! Plus ça change, plus c'est la même chose (Jean-Baptiste Alphonse Karr, 1849). Early-days "Make for Me" industrialization was humming along until Henry Ford car-jacked it to launch the "Any color you want, as long as it's black" mass-production manufacturing economy. Today, consumers are once again calling the shots, loudly clamoring for "Make for Me" products and service...