Trends Identified

Brand Youth as Politics Undergoes a Generational Shift
Justin Trudeau is perhaps the most recognizable among a new generation of political leaders from around the world—New Zealand to North Korea, and Austria to Saudi Arabia—who are redefining politics as usual. While some of these new leaders champion political views stereotypical of their generation, others have veered towards more conventional ideas. The emergence of these young leaders marks a watershed: it will signal either a rising tide of millennial leaders, or will relegate these early entrants to a short-lived experiment with change.
2018
Top 10 Tech Trends For 2018
Forbes
Brands won’t be able to stay neutral.
Consumers and employees increasingly expect companies to take a position on the day’s issues and live their values, says Blackbird CEO Ross Martin. “You’re forced, as a company, as a leader, to stand for something, otherwise everyone will know you stand for nothing,” he warns. “You won’t be hated, you’ll become completely irrelevant, and the people who worked for you, won’t work for you anymore because you didn’t stand up when it mattered.” These expectations will only intensify in 2019, agrees Marianne Cooper, senior research scholar at Stanford and the lead researcher on Lean In. “To prepare, leaders need to get clear on their own and their company’s values, decide which issues make the most sense to weigh in on, and pre-plan how they will respond — or at least establish a process for dealing with situations that need a rapid response.”
2018
50 Big Ideas for 2019: What to watch in the year ahead
LinkedIn
Brexit will continue to consume the European political scene.
Prime Minister Theresa May is now touring European capitals to attempt to renegotiate her Brexit deal with the EU after she canceled a parliamentary vote, which should have taken place today. Brexit should have been the most predictable geopolitical event of 2019 – we’ve known for two years the clock runs out at the end of March. Instead, it continues to defy predictions. Negotiations will be uncertain to the very last minute, Ian Bremmer, president of Eurasia Group, warns. “May now needs to be thinking about plan B, since she’s lost so many [members of parliament],” he says. A revamped “Norway plus” deal is becoming the most likely outcome, but the tail risks of a no deal Brexit or a second referendum are also increasing, he adds. “It is really, really hard to come to terms to negotiate something this complicated with one of the most challenging supranational institutions in the world, the EU, and one of the most dysfunctional developed governments in the world today, the U.K.” Writing any more about Brexit at this point would just be handing the stick you’ll beat me with in a day or two.
2018
50 Big Ideas for 2019: What to watch in the year ahead
LinkedIn
Brexit, break-up of the Eurozone; ongoing EU economic weaknesses and debt problems
23% of the respondents view this as a negative trend
2017
Adoption of intelligent automation does not equal success. 4Q 2017 KPMG Global Insights Pulse Survey Report.
KPMG
Brexit, Eurozone turmoil
31% of the respondents view this as a negative trend.
2019
4Q 2018 KPMG Global Insights Pulse Survey Report
KPMG
BRIC: the new powerhouses
The economic growth of the BRIC countries up through 2030 is overwhelming. Their real GDP will grow by 7.9% p.a. over the next 20 years, much faster than over the past 20 years (5.6%). The BRIC countries will generate 36% of global GDP in 2030, compared to 18% today. China's annual real GDP growth rate will be the strongest at 9.0%, followed by India (8.4%), Brazil (5.5%) and Russia (5.3%). China will overtake the United States to become the world's largest economy by 2026. India's will be one-quarter the size of the Chinese economy in 2030, accounting for 5.7% of the world's GDP. Brazil will overtake Japan in 2030
2011
Trend compendium 2030
Roland Berger Strategy Consultants
Bridging global skills gaps
The ‘war for talent’ was declared more than 10 years ago, but few CEOs are prepared to declare victory. They know talent isn’t just a numbers game. It means finding, retaining and motivating employees whose skills really fit the company’s strategy. Given that 84% of CEOs have changed strategies in the past two years, companies’ talent needs are changing, too. So talent is now at the top of the CEO agenda for 2011, across all regions (see Figure 7).
2011
14th Annual global CEO Survey
PWC
Broadcasting of electricity
Example of Organizationsactive in the area: Powercast (US).
2018
Table of disruptive technologies
Imperial College London
Business confidence: Vigour & Circumspection
For 11 years, our Annual Global CEO Surveys have tracked how confident global leaders feel about the prospects for growth. The overall level of confidence has now dipped for the first time in five years. But this troubling picture masks two very different regional trends. CEOs in the industrialised Western economies are less confident about the prospects for business growth than they were last year. Those in the emerging economies of Asia, Latin America and the ‘new’ Europe, by contrast, see increasing opportunities for expansion.
2008
11th Annual global CEO Survey
PWC
Business friendly governments & administrations
23% of KPMG member firm advisors answered that this trend has a large positive impact for the user organizations.
2015
Top trends and predictions for 2015 and beyond
KPMG