Wrapping up the year and looking forward, we turn our attention to the trends that will be affecting our favorite precursor industries of travel and food in 2010 and beyond. These trends represent the hospitality industry’s struggle to balance the customer as king with the realities of operating a business to make profit. In 2010 we will explore what micro-purchase strategies are working, what is failing miserably and why. If you have considered micro-purchase strategies for your business, it will pay to take a lesson from the airlines before repeating their mistakes. Vacation rentals are increasing in popularity among consumer travelers but with surprising advantages for the business traveler. We will be innovating practical ways to boost your bottom line with existing and new capabilities. The difference between a win-win situation and a complete disaster when going green is all in the choice of and application of green strategies that are right for your business in your sector, with your specific customer base. Going green is not new but is evolving to develop new industries and advantageous business strategies. Meanwhile, consumers are seeking something from the small and local business - authenticity, agility, responsive service, unique products, local knowledge and more. We will document each and develop practical ways to create these elements within your business and individual teams without significant investment. In line with the paperless office is the cashless operation. In 2010 we will track the evolution of cashless operations within the hospitality industry to innovate new strategies for your own business that may decrease the overall time spent managing contracts and payments, reduce cash flow latency and collection problems and provide a host of other benefits. Stay tuned as we track them all, how they affect each other and how your business can create advantage from each and every one no matter what industry you call home.

Continuing our look forward towards 2010 and beyond we turn our attention towards the evolving trends that will affect your talent and workforce strategies in the coming years. These trends represent an overarching theme of the individual in an environment of rapid change and continual learning. Training has to be fast, timely, targeted and relevant. One way may businesses may accomplish this in 2010 and beyond is via audio push. Audio push, differs from podcast in that the delivery is immediate and the whole process transacts over your phone with only SMS and phone service. As more employers demand proof of timely skills sets, more job seekers will look for short certification programs to gain and prove these skills. Certification programs are evolving and we are tracking it. We have not forgotten that the talent pipeline for the majority of American industry is broken. In 2010 we will be tracking efforts by governments, organizations and companies alike towards turning this negative trend around with a future workforce checkup. Speaking of your employees, there may be fewer of them. Freelancing is on the rise to the extent that the employee of the future may not be an employee at all, but an independent contractor. Employees that are not moving towards freelance status in the coming years will need quite a bit more to stay with your organization more than a year. Incentivizing employees to drive innovation, effectiveness, and the bottom line has to be personalized. In 2010 we will be tracking the evolution of freelance as the norm and incentive solutions forms. Each of these evolving trends are part of the larger complex landscape of your talent and workforce efforts. Stay tuned throughout 2010 as we explore each of these and more to develop ways for your business to get ahead.

>>>> NOTE TO READERS: Trend Watch List is evolving and joining forces with Trend POV to become the way that forward thinking executives access the people and ideas that drive strategic advantage. See and share what we are planning for the big launch January 1st at http://www.New.TrendPOV.com. <<<<

True advantage for your business starts with targeted expertise and innovative ideas that help you turn evolving trends into your competitive edge. Trend POV and Trend Watch List, the names that more than 50 thousand turn to for the latest on emerging trends and practical advice is evolving to deliver access to the people and ideas that you need to make your competition irrelevant.

Starting January 1st, you will be able to join the strategic vanguard with a membership at TrendPOV.com and start turning evolving trends into your competitive edge by accessing leading experts, innovative ideas, and other forward thinking executives.

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Innovation is about new ideas. It may be new products, processes, services, business models and more. Entrepreneurship, however, is about realizing profit. The difference between innovation and entrepreneurship is key. You can build it, but they may not come. Delia Smith of Green Field Ventures gives a concise view of the difference when she notes that, “If innovation is the creation of new capacities for wealth creation, entrepreneurship is the exploitation of these capacities.”

In the accelerating business environment and evolving innovation economy, differentiators are key. Your business has to be unique in some advantageous way that draws your customers. The right mix of innovation and entrepreneurship is at the heart of creating advantage in this evolving economy. Steve Epner suggests, “an entrepreneur with an innovative idea is a rare and valuable find...everyone is capable of coming up with the idea. Put that together with someone who can execute a plan—and watch out.”

To turn this trend into a competitive advantage, develop the right mix of innovation and entrepreneurship for your organization. Decide how you will encourage each kind of innovation within your organization. Next, develop entrepreneurial processes for acting on innovation. Your entrepreneurial process needs to vet ideas effectively and move them forward systematically. In other words, invest in moving forward with ideas that fit your business strategy, contribute to your company’s future prospects and are within your current means.

Lastly, reward innovation and entrepreneurship individually to keep enthusiasm high. Given these steps, your organization will be on the path to a sustained mix of innovation and entrepreneurship that will enable your to thrive and not just survive in this evolving economy.

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Trend Watch List and Trend POV are all about helping businesses create unique advantage from emerging trends. We want to hear from you about what you like, what you don’t like and how we can serve you better. Follow this link to take our 10 min survey and get a free copy of this month's extended article on converging business trends: “Smarter, Faster, More - Converging Trends Driving The New Business Environment”. We value your opinion and look forward to being a part of your strategic point of view.

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The major trends culinary industry investment have included a push towards highly individualized business concepts, high end at low prices, catering to mobility (pun intended) and loads of new technology adoption.

Highly individualized business concepts in the restaurant industry mean local flare, unique experiences, and overall just something different that speaks of the region or city they call home. We live in a customizable society and enjoy finding the unique and sharing it with everyone we know.

Meanwhile, a clash of economic hardship and consumer craving has produced a new trend in the restaurant industry of high end dishes for low prices. With an increasingly mobile clientele, the restaurant industry has responded with an increasing number of concepts that cater to the mobile customer. Understanding that their customers are business professionals, and always working, Ruth’s Hospitality Group went the route of technology adoption by installing video teleconferencing capabilities at over 100 of their Ruth’s Chris Steak House and Mitchell’s Fish Market locations.

To turn these trends into an advantage, consider the following steps. First, when developing new business concepts, make every effort to ensure they are unique in every aspect. If possible, offer a version of your higher end products and services at lower prices. Find a way to address the mobile nature of your customers. Lastly, technology often works well as a differentiator for your products or services. Don’t be shy to comb other industries and unlikely places to find a technology that will work best to help bridge the gap between you and your customers.

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Economic Warfare, including the more specific Financial Warfare may include blockades, preferential purchasing, bank account seizures, trade sanctions, industry-specific laws, media coverage of financial issues, and much more. With economic warfare, one state can actually profit while the other collapses and all the while maintain cordial relations in the court of world opinion.

In the Fall 2007 issue of Orbis, Paul Bracken, Professor of Management and Political Science at Yale University, suggests that, “Financial warfare is likely to be an increasing form of conflict because it lies at the intersection of powerful long-term trends in technology, networks, and finance.”

But just how wide-spread is it today? The Fauklands are accusing Argentina of economic warfare and Argentina openly admits it. At the same time, The People’s Bank of China is calling for a new “super-sovereign” currency to take the place of the dollar in the global financial system. The mere suggestion temporarily dropped the value of the dollar. Was that deliberate? The brilliance of economic warfare is that you will never know. For most actions you would not be able to prove that the offending country was not simply acting in their best interest - because they are.

The reality may be that the US is already under attack. According to Howard C. Whetzel, recent article The War No-One Is Talking About, “...we are paying for our own demise. As China and Russia are some of our biggest debt holders, our own treasury is paying for the purchases and foreign policy funds they are using to reduce the US economy to lower and lower levels.“

If another business puts out a product that is better than yours, specifically to take your market share, you have no legal recourse. You can, however, become better at the game and produce another product or strategy to reverse the trend. Is it warfare? Is it aggression? Or is it just business and they all need to grow up a little and stop whining.

Whether your business is large or small, local or global, business owners and executives must become more globally, politically and economically savvy. Consider whether your overseas and domestic locations and partners alike are in zones of potential economic conflict or ripe for financial attack and who would “win”. Cordial political ties do not imply economic bliss.

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In the K-12 range, a multitude of companies are making efforts to develop their own pipelines. We have highlighted several via the Spotlight Awards but there are hundreds more; 18 from the Aerospace Industry Association alone whose members support an average of 26 educational programs each. The college level of your talent pipeline is perhaps the most common and accepted place to find new talent, and one that your organization likely is tapping already.

Now consider the talent that you already have in-house. This part of the pipeline is perhaps the most vulnerable. Other organizations will tap your current staff in many ways including: social media, ambush interviews, and the newest style of corporate raiding that we will call “network raiding.”

In the social media age, there is no such thing as a secret. This fact has let to two more unusual forms of recruitment. The first emergent form of recruitment is the ambush interview. The ambush interview begins as a legitimate business meeting for a legitimate purpose and devolves by design into a serious discussion of whether or not the talent in question would consider jumping ship. On the other side of the coin, a popular tactic is to lure away one or two and have them lure more in turn, a.k.a. the Network Raid.

For a positive advantage, you have two options: raise the talent yourself, or let your competition raise the talent and siphon off of their pipeline. Organizations that are focused on the short term (perhaps planning a grow-and-sell strategy) will prefer to pick off great talent from other organizations after they have put in the effort to educate and train them. For stable brands in it for the long haul, it is cheaper and more effective to have your own pipeline rather than siphoning off of your competitors.

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Over the past decade, the Airline Employees Whistleblowers Association, and the Coalition for an Airline Passenger’s Bill of Rights (a.k.a FlyersRights.com) have developed in support of a passenger bill of rights. Recently, the National Business Travel Association (NBTA), the Business Travel Coalition (BTC) and the International Association For Contract & Commercial Management (IACCM) joined the cause. The BTC testified four times in front of congress in opposition to federal passenger rights legislation and in favor of the market forces approach. Now even they have turned.

A major meeting of stakeholders including senators, congressmen, industry representatives, everyday passengers, and more took place on September 22nd in Washington, D.C.. This was an open registration meeting that anyone could attend...anyone at all...but the attendee list did not contain a single current airline executive or ATA representative. They have been hiding under their desks for ten years. No press releases, no statements, no speeches ... and no action to correct the problem that clearly has their customers up in arms. We asked the ATA if they had a position. The ATA representative stated that, “...we continue to believe that a hard-and-fast rule requiring mandatory deplaning of passengers after three hours will have substantial, unintended consequences, leading to even more inconvenience for passengers and ultimately more flight cancellations. “

Passenger rights clauses have now been written into the current FAA reauthorization legislation which means, by New Year’s Day, we could have real laws in place for passenger rights as part of the FAA mandate. Meanwhile, ATA and their member airlines hide in silence telling themselves that it will all be OK in the end.

First, price is important but service is what distinguishes you from your competition. Set your own high standard of service and stick to it. Listen to your customers. Don’t be afraid to hear the bad news along with good ideas. Lastly, when industry leadership fails to lead, don’t be shy to step up and take the role.

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FIRST was founded by inventor Dean Kamen in 1989 to “change the culture” by “inspiring young people’s interest and participation in science and technology.” The non-profit organization provides challenge programs culminating in competitions where teams from grades K-12 put forth their best solutions to real world problems posed by sponsors.

Three factors make FIRST special and of note to organizations everywhere: it reaches all the way down to the early elementary level, it is measurable, and it is massively scalable.

Among FIRST programs, if Junior FIRST LEGO is tee-ball, FIRST LEGO is little league, FIRST Tech Challenge is Junior Varsity and FIRST Robotics Competition is Varsity. Coaches and mentors from companies that sponsor, promote and just get involved provide guidance, real-world application, hands-on learning and critical encouragement to teams of all ages. Today, FIRST has 3000 corporate sponsors and reaches over 196,000 students. Careful tracking has shown that FIRST programs directly increase technical career choice by two to four times. The secret to FIRST scalability is putting the power in the hands of individuals who come together to create their own teams. Coaches and mentors volunteer within these local teams.

We asked FIRST President, Paul Gudonis, how he will know when FIRST has succeeded in changing the culture? He recommended a two-sided measure: qualitative and quantitative. He suggests, “quantitatively, by college entrance and by graduation in STEM fields and qualitatively by who we celebrate as a culture. You get what you celebrate - we celebrate innovation, creativity, and teamwork.”

Companies and organizations worldwide can turn this trend into an advantage in several ways: get involved, create additional challenge programs locally, and incentivize employee participation at the individual level. Time is a precious as money and it does not take a lot of either to start seeing the rewards of a solid technical talent pipeline for your organization.

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Innovation is the process of creating new solutions, brands, processes, products or concepts in response to opportunities, needs and demands. Several organizations have begun to put forth measures of innovation. One of the most prominent is PRO INNO Europe. The offer two different analyses - the Innobarometer, and the Innovation Index (not to be confused with the Business Week Innovation Index of stocks).

PRO INNO Europe’s Innovation Index, in contrast to the Innobarometer, is more of an actual measure of the innovation performance of individual countries. Their measure is based on seven specific dimensions in three categories: Enablers , Firm Activities, and Outputs.

Another measure of innovative capacity is the Global Innovation Index by The Boston Consulting Group (BCG), the National Association of Manufacturers (NAM). The scores for the Global Innovation Index are based on a total of twenty four factors in six categories: Fiscal Policy , Other Policies, Innovation Environment, R&D Results, Business Performance, and Public Impact.

Michael Porter of the Harvard Business School’s Institute for Strategy and Competitiveness and Scott Stern of Northwest University and the Brookings Institution have also produced a candidate measure in their paper, “National Innovative Capacity.” Their measure of innovative capacity is based on four sub-factors derived from twenty four measures: proportion of scientists and engineers, innovation policy, cluster innovation environment and linkages.

What is the same about each of these efforts is the focus on not only what goes into creating innovation, but the ability to turn that innovation into growth. What is lacking, is a focus on the individual business firm or organization. To turn this trend into an advantage, take the time to develop the right measure for your organization. Consider the specifics about the people, infrastructure, money, training, time and other factors that affect your organization. For each, devise a measurable factor. Keep your measures relevant and growth-ready. Lastly, weight each factor based on importance. Now you have your own organizational innovation score.

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Small and medium sized organizations are just as capable of producing new business concepts in diverse industries quickly...in fact, in an age when speed is critical, the smaller organization with the right mix of talent and resources is the best positioned to succeed. So, why would a company want to take on multiple brands? The answer is not far from why individuals would create a side business: reduced risk, greater chance of overall success, and to capitalize on opportunity. To turn this trend into an advantage for your organization, prepare to get biznophrenic. The challenge for any biznophrenic company (i.e. diversified organization) will be quality and speed. The key is to determine which are the winners and worth the time, effort and resources of the team. Once you know the business concepts you want to pursue, the key will be to pursue them quickly before their time has past. Lastly, you must know when to retire a brand that has over-stayed its welcome. Now a caution against toxic biznophrenia - the tendency to create multiple brands for the sake of multiple brands. Just because it would be profitable does not mean it should be under your umbrella.

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An awakening, a renaissance of sorts, has come to Utah and there are lessons for all of us in how it came about and where it is going. In this article we detail some of the starts of the Utah culinary and entertainment scenes and how it all came to emerge quite uniquely in Utah.

Let’s start with a small creamery from Ogden Utah that is catching the eye of foodies worldwide: Beehive Cheese Company. Without traditional rules to hold them back, they decided to try an experiment - an espresso and lavender rubbed cheddar. Resulting awards and orders are the result of their customer-centric innovation-based approach.

Amano Chocolate’s 70% Madagascar Premium Dark won the bronze medal from the Academy of Chocolate for overall process “bean to bar”. Digging a bit deeper we discovered that more often than not they produce their product from the beans of a single farm allowing Amano to pick and choose exactly that tastes they want for their products.

The pattern continues on consolidated scale with the culinary master of Culinary Crafts - a catering company that creates innovative combinations using local ingredients. Innovation, inspiration and a splash of adventure are the recipe for great food, and a great business.

The hot topic here worthy of a 5th Monday, is the emergence of Utah as a playground for culinary and artistic innovation. For each of these companies, the reasons for basing out of Utah, staying in Utah, and using the local capabilities were the same: freedom to innovate...no preconceived notions...no limits. Each of these companies had the freedom to try anything, to take a risk, and to innovate along lines that most would not dare.

Businesses and organizations can gain an advantage from Utah’s emerging trend in several ways. No matter what your business is, allowing room for the innovation process, freedom to try and fail, will result in phenomenal products and services. In addition to freedom and an innovative spirit, there is much to learn from Utah businesses that enjoy true work-play balance that keeps employees coming back as often as the customers. Enjoy these amazing Utah talents, and take the lesson for your own organization.

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Negative Nine, the innovative early learning math book for 0-7 year olds by Dr. Amy Vanderbilt and Sabrina Vanderbilt, has been awarded the Gold Seal by the Young Voices Foundation for books that educate and inspire. This first book in the Early Math Series plants the seeds of the concept of negative numbers and was followed by the second book in the series, Zero, Zero Everywhere. The boardbook edition of Negative Nine is in limited quantity only and the entire award winning series can be found at http://www.books.dramyvanderbilt.com

The travel industry is suffering from the economic downturn more than most as families and business alike cut back on what is perceived as the luxury of travel. Overall growth is negative but with some specific areas of surprising growth. In this article we detail the realities of inbound versus outbound travel thus far this year and shed some light on the growth areas where every business can find an advantage.

According to the US Department of Commerce Office of Travel and Tourism Industries, travel inbound to the United States in the first quarter of 2009 from the rest of the world has decreased. Given the current economic crisis, business belt tightening and luxury-driven scrutiny, the industry does not expect to regain this lost ground for at least a year.

The most surprising statistic was that travel out of the United States to the Middle East and Africa has increased more than 33% from last year’s totals. A significant portion of new property development is taking place in the Middle East and Africa. Airlines, at the same time, are increasing service to these regions at attractive prices.

Couple these trends with recently lifted sanctions in the region and you have the makings of a potent emerging business travel market. The hospitality and travel industries are predicting a mini-boom in 2011. If brighter days are expected in coming two years, it can only be due to an expected increase in business travel beginning in early 2010. However, for businesses to increase travel, they will have to stop feeling the economic pinch and return themselves to brighter days of higher revenues.

The advantage for businesses everywhere can be found in tracking the expectations of the travel industry; for they themselves have carefully measured where your business will go, how much success you will encounter, and therefore how much travel you may undertake. So permanently locked together in the dance of success, you can learn a lot by watching the moves they make and where their eyes are looking.

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It seems like great talent is getting harder and harder to find. Few industries have felt the pinch more than those who need technical minds to survive. Something has gone wrong. The pipeline that used to turn future talent into today’s talent is broken. In this article, we travel down the pipeline to find the break. There is advantage to be had for organizations that act now. The university end of the pipeline appears to be in tip top shape. However, there are not enough people emerging from technical majors because students do not choose those majors. The pipeline is in tact, but it is empty. High School shows a similar story. Let’s look at middle school. Decisions made by these 11-14 year olds are making the difference between staying in the technical pipeline and leaving it forever...and they are choosing to leave it forever. The full damage to the technical pipeline is not seen until you look all the way back at the shattered remains of what once ran through the pre-school and elementary years. Today, the technical talent pipeline of today does not really begin until the end of Middle School when most future talent has already chosen a different path. The pipeline that used to exist before middle school was destroyed in the early 1970s when we lost our culture of importance. Few in...few out. To turn these trends into an advantage for your organization, I recommend a two-pronged approach. First, It is not too late for the millennials and beyond. Establish your own pipeline that begins in pre-school and continues through college. The reward is a pool of talent that competes to work for YOU instead of the other way around. Sadly, It is too late to increase the amount of technical talent in generation X and generation Y. For those generations, offer education and experiences within your organization to grow the talent you have and those diamonds in the rough that you will discover. This combination of strategies will keep you in sufficient talent to weather the innovation economy and beyond in grand style while your competition takes loss after loss in the great talent war.

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The Spotlight Award is given to those who demonstrate a keen understanding of emerging trends and turn those trends into a distinct advantage. This month we spotlight the secret jewel of the western hemisphere: Barbados. In this article, we detail how this innovative island nation of less than 300,000 has moved to a place of regional domination in the emerging innovation economy while diversifying to survive and thrive. Perhaps more impressive than their growth in patents filed, is that fact that the average number of patents filed per person in Barbados is three times that of the United States and just barely below that of Japan.

Help is not far away for the innovative Barbadian. According to the 2008 year end report from BIDC, “The Innovation Support Programme continued to assist clients in realizing the commercial viability of their ideas.” While several of Barbados’s regional neighbors have fallen prone to sometimes unhealthy political and economic relationships, Barbados itself has remained strong and has avoided potentially negative alliances such as Petrol Caribe. Barbados also recognized the need to maintain their strengths in banking, manufacturing, and agriculture. Services as an industry is not ignored in Barbados and has produced a more than doubling of foreign investment. The final piece of the puzzle is leadership attitude. Barbados has enjoyed a series of leaders employing a command without control management style that is honest, transparent, and based in strong belief in the power of their people.

Consider the many capabilities of Barbados. Review your options carefully, then dive into those relationships that will benefit your business the most. Most importantly, learn from Barbados’s story. The potent combination of education, agility, modern leadership, and calculated growth are a lesson for every organization large and small. Just because you are smaller than your competitors does not mean you have to settle for a smaller piece of the pie. Organizations of all sizes can dominate their markets, and diversify to fantastic results.

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The Self Tending Mushroom award is given to individuals and organizations who refuse to accept the realities around them. This month, we award the STeMie to IBM Global Services in the category of Business Trends for ignoring the nature of the modern employee-employer relationship.

According to IBM’s own proudly displayed metrics, the number of employees at least minimally satisfied with their jobs has remained in only the mid to upper sixties for more than five years without change. Specifically, it shows no effective effort to increase employee satisfaction.

One current employee, notes in detail what others are saying in droves; that IBM Global Services is a strong brand name that looks very nice on your resume, and it is a great place for training, but that there are major problems with the work environment, specifically with the way employees are treated. Employees (current and past) are posting more frequently and more negatively on sites such as Glassdoor.com, Computerworld’s Sharkbait blog, and others. Among the most common comments are:

“I have been IBM-free since January and I feel like I have been reborn.”
“I still work there, but I would leave if the economy were better.”
“Trending Downward - Avoid”
“Nothing but contracted slaves.”
“If you don't work for IBM, don't come, if you already work here, leave”
“IBM - a stepping stone to a real career”

Ouch. When you treat your employees like a commodity, they will treat your company like a commodity. Back to the golden rule, students: Do unto your employee as you would have your employee do unto your company.

So it is with great hope for change that we award this month’s STeMie to IBM Global Services. May you put that shovel down immediately and start making a difference for your employees. It is too hard to see a legend fall.

There are so many lessons in this story. For IBM Global Services - act now to change this negative trend. Accept the message your employees are sending. For IBM competitors - in the near term, you have a golden opportunity to grab some great talent looking for a new home.

For businesses and organizations everywhere, the time has come for a more modern management style. You are never beyond the human frailty of complacence. Face the realities that your employees are posting. As much as you are preoccupied by economic woes and just staying afloat, don’t forget that it is your team that keeps the boat from going under.

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The Trend POV Show will be launching August 7th at http://www.TrendPOV.com with live and archive syndication to all major online video outlets, and even your iPod! This one-hour live call-in show takes advantage of online formats to provide a highly interactive discussion on Trend Watch List topics to give YOU the trend point of view. For the latest news on the launch of the Trend POV show, follow us on Twitter at http://www.Twitter.com/TrendPOV and be the first to know. In the meantime, check out the Trend POV Daily Advantage - one minute clips to give you your daily dose of the Trend POV...by podcast, YouTube, RSS and Widget at http://www.TrendPOV.com

The spotlight award is given to those who trends into a personal and professional advantage. This month, we are shining the spotlight on a unique set of boutique hotels and their trend-driven exploration of one of the first truly mobile guest management services. Allow me to introduce you to the Edward Thomas Collection (or ETC Hotel Group) and Hotel Evolution; this month’s Spotlight Award winners in the category of Travel Trends.

We spoke with Gerald Day, General Manager at Shutters on the Beach, one of three ETC properties. When asked about the rise of the boutique hotel, he notes that, “There’s a real change these days in what guests like to have delivered to them when they stay and it’s more than a very good guest room at a very good property...it's a personal touch.”

At the same time, a proliferation of mobile devices is motivating organizations of all kinds to interact with customers on the go via mobile applications. Enter RunTriz.com with the first major breakout mobile application for the travel industry - Hotel Evolution. Hotel Evolution is, “a mobile touch screen platform that allows guests to quickly and easily order food, drinks, guest services, transportation, entertainment and more; anytime, anywhere.”

We spoke with Runtriz Founder and President, Matthew Allard. He recalls, ”When I was traveling, no matter what the hotel was, I found it mind boggling how hard it was to purchase on-site services and items.” So he solved the problem. He notes that, “The key to the system is that it is completely customizable so it actually functions a bit differently at each property.”

ETC hotels snapped up the chance to customize this platform for their properties. When asked if technology replaces the need for service, Day notes that, “We don’t ever want to loose sight of the fact that we are a customer-centric organization... but If this technology speaks to their style, we want to be able to be that for them.”

The lesson: Don’t be shy in trying out new ways of interacting with your customers. To turn this potent combination of trends into an advantage, consider the capabilities in today’s mobile devices. Determine how you can use these capabilities to serve your customers more effectively, more efficiently and to provide that all important presence.

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They said it was ludicrous but we are going to do it anyway! Trend Watch List Extended is now available as a group email for companies and organizations at absolutely no cost! Sign up for the Trend Watch List Extended Corporate Program - Your best and brightest receive a new extended article each Monday right to their inbox. Extended articles are 2-3 pages of practical detail on trends affecting your organization and how to turn them into your advantage over the competition. These innovative and well-researched articles keep your organization one step ahead while training every member of your team to have the Trend POV. There are three simple rules: You MUST have CEO (or equivalent) approval, it MUST be delivered to a single email alias at your organization, and you MUST distribute it to EVERYONE in the organization (from the highest level to the lowest - no holding back). Fill out the quick form at: http://www.Group.TrendWatchList.com. You will receive an approval email within 48 hours and your subscription will start immediately!

Why the form? We are a little picky about who will be getting these valuable articles without paying for them and we will not be giving them out to just any and every organization that applies. So don’t waste even one minute. Get your organization in on this program today and start getting the trend point of view company-wide.

The Self Tending Mushroom Alert, or STeMie, is bestowed on individuals, organizations and countries who choose to delude themselves rather than face reality. Albeit harsh, the STeMie serves an important role in showing us what not to do. Grab your shovels as we award this month’s STeMie to the American Parent in the category of Education Trends.

Few people have spent more time deluding themselves about their children’s future than the American Parent. For decades, a “they” mentality and a culture of low standards in math and science performance has brought about significant declines in our overall technical capacity as a nation. The attitude of the American Parent (and teachers, and daycare providers alike) is at the center of problem and the solution to the declining technical capability of the United States.

How did it come to this? Somewhere towards the beginning of Generation X, our culture stopped thinking that math and science are important. We allowed ourselves to think that some people are just not good at math or science because it made us feel better about our own failures. In short, it became uncool to be good at math and science. We put ignorant people on a pedestal and listen to every word they say because it makes us feel smarter.

There is not one parent in the country that would believe that their child is “just not good at P.E.”. After all, they have a body now go out there and use it! But the average American Parent allows their child to come home and declare that they are “just not good at math,” relying instead on THEY. Somewhere out there in their generation there are some smart kids and they will study math and science and create wonderful things.

I have good news and bad news and you can decide which is which. Every child has a brain. Now expect them to go out there and use it. There is no THEY. Your child is the brilliant one who is capable of amazing ingenuity. If your children are “just not good” at math and science it is because you ”just don’t put in the effort.” Maybe you didn’t do well in math or science and you are embarrassed about that...Maybe you don’t like math...maybe you just hate science..Maybe you don’t understand the varied methods that your child brings home in their homework. You don’t have to like it. You don’t have to understand it. You don’t have to have done well in the classes. You just have to care that your child does.

The lesson for individuals and organizations across the United States is both simple and critical. The solution to the education crisis in the United States begins with creating a culture of importance in the home. A culture of importance is what you create when you say to your child, “Whether or not I did well in these subjects, it is important to me that you do.” Your opinion matters. Now use it for your own future and that of your children and grandchildren.

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The world is understandably preoccupied. Things tend to happen, however, where and when no one is paying attention. In this article we detail political and economic alliances in the western southern hemisphere and some surprising emerging forces worthy of your best attention.

Central America, South America, and the Caribbean currently house some of the most actively emerging political and economic communities in the world. Countries within this region are reaching out, forming global alliances, regional alliances, emerging service and innovation based economies, and more.

Case in point - global alliances are finalizing between Venezuela, Cuba, China, Russia and Iran. In a 2008 article by Howard C. Whetzel, a former US Army Officer and Intelligence Specialist, he notes that, “Mr. Chavez of Venezuela and the premier of China have different but cooperating agendas ... Mr. Chavez, in order to spread anti-Americanism, under the tutelage of his mentor Fidel Castro, has deftly used oil, and oil revenues to sway elections, buy politicians and gain control over the economic futures of many of the small island nations of the Caribbean.”

At the same time, other countries within the region are forming more local alliances and global capabilities.

The Caribbean Community (CARICOM), has 15 member nations and dependencies and 15 community institutions for various purposes. One of these is the Caribbean (CARICOM) Single Market and Economy (CSME) established in 2001. Other regional alliances of interest are many including the Association of Caribbean States (ACS), the Caribbean Tourism Organization, The Latin American Economic System, the controversial Petrol Caribe and many more.

In terms of global capability, Argentina is hosting an emerging services economy that will soon be on par with that of India. The well educated population is finding a niche in outsourced technical services such as market research, statistics, technical support and more.

With a well educated population and previously high unemployment rate, Barbados might have been tempted to enter the technical services market. However, with more than 1400% growth in patents filed over the past decade, Barbados now dominates the region, placing itself in a prime position in the innovation economy.

According to Adrian Sealy, an Invest Barbados representative, “The legislation has been rewritten in the last year to facilitate new business in patents and intellectual property so people are taking advantage of this flexible legislation.” When asked what people should know about Barbados as a player in the innovation economy of the future, he states that, ”We are very transparent and comfortable in our actions.” With a very modern leadership and business perspective, Barbados is one to watch and will be highlighted in detail in next month’s Spotlight Award.

There is no shortage of advantage to be found in these trends. Individual countries offer enormous potential for lower priced outsourcing, lower priced innovation capability, best in class offshore (and clean) banking and more. Toss those countries aside and focus on those with the right attitude, the right capabilities and the right price points to make your agenda their own.

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The most spectacular crashes happen at the highest speeds. The pace of business today is like a race car at full speed and accelerating every minute. If any part of your organizational vehicle is weak, moving slowly, outdated, or sub-optimal in any way, you will not have time to avoid the oncoming disaster. Tuning up your organization is no longer a luxury. It is a necessity for survival. In this article, we explore why periodic organizational optimization with a human approach is so critical and how to carry it out quickly and effectively.

The end product of a well-conducted organizational checkup should include a concise list of what you need to do to boost your productivity, efficiency, optimize your processes, retain staff, boost growth and sales, and a lot more! If you put into practice the resulting recommendations, your organization will see benefits in the near term, with larger benefits accruing long term. In other words, it should show you what you can do NOW to make a difference NOW and LATER.

Over years of corporate and program rescue, I developed my own streamlined organizational check-up that anyone can carry out in less than a week to keep your organization at peak capacity. I want to share it with you here. The only way to accurately assess an organization is to talk to the people that do the work; from the CEO to the janitor. Address privacy and layoff fears before you begin. Then, start by listing out your core tasks. Ask each person to outline each process. Cross-check between interviews to get an accurate picture of the real processes. Every step of a process matches to a skill that someone has (you hope). Ask each person to rank themselves and each other on how well their current role, skill set, and interests match to each step. A self tending mushroom mentality will not lead to growth so check your rose colored glasses at the door. From all of this, you might recommend role changes, learning opportunities, more efficient or effective processes or any number of innovative solutions. Include enough detail to act on, a measure of impact and a cost to implement.

You can turn this into an advantage by ensuring that your organization has regular check-ups. Be the hero who brings the idea to the table and leads the effort. The result - your organization will accelerate to maximum capacity and stay there as your competition stagnates and declines.

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Social media affects our business lives and the travel industry at large in so many ways. One of the most surprising future impacts may be an increase in business travel where most people expect a decrease. In this article, we detail how social media affect business networks and the travel industry and why it will mean an increase in business travel, especially critical business travel.

Social media, originally developed for actual social purposes, has exponentiated the flood of Information on the internet. Because the key to great business is a great relationship, social media is fast becoming business media too.

Along with the internet and social media came another significant communications technology…voice over internet protocol or VOIP. This cheap and often free way to phone, conference, whiteboard and more brought us utilities like Skype, Webex, GoToMeeting and others.

With all of this technology, some types of meetings can take place online instead of face-to-face. However, some meetings, no matter how good the technology becomes, are better carried out in person.

All of this results in a business travel shift where businesses travel to encompass the more critical meeting types and less so for short or routine meetings which can be held online.

However, social media creates large searchable networks of people quickly. Large searchable networks of people make it easy to find not only new team members but new potential markets, clients and partners. All of those new potential clients and partners require critical meetings, negotiations, and deals and not just locally, but all around the world! The result: more business travel and the majority of that travel focused on very important meetings.

There is significant advantage here for the travel industry, and businesses alike. First, for those in the travel industry, understand what your customer will be going through and act on it. For businesses worldwide, prepare now for the onslaught of more prospects than you can possibly pursue. Have a plan in place to prioritize and exploit these new opportunities more efficiently; and pack your bags because you are off to some very important meetings.

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In this article, we turn our attention outward to look at cultural attitudes towards math and science worldwide and what it means for us. Cultures which strive for continual improvement are synonymous with innovation and success. Four of the top seven performing countries have a 90% rate of belief that technological advancements bring social benefits. Another interesting find is that students in the large majority of the top performing countries study within systems where 80% of schools have at least two other schools competing for students leading to higher emphasis on academics.

The important conclusion from these results and others is that attitudes matter. A secret sauce of attitudes would seem to be the perfect recipe for high performance and high interest. All of this emphasis on attitude might make you wonder why it is so important.

Attitudes affect vocational choice and national research funding in every country. If no one wants to be a scientist and no one is funding research, there will be no work done. The result: we will not have the medicines, we will not have the gadgets and we will not have the know-how. In short, we will stagnate while others race ahead...And it all comes down to attitude.

To turn global attitude trends into an advantage for your family is quite simple: start today to form a culture of importance within your home and within your family. It doesn’t matter if you failed every math and science course you took. Decide that it is important to you that the children in your life learn as much as they can. Then, let them know!

For businesses and organizations, foster a culture of importance within your communities and among your employees. Perpetuating a culture where math and science are important is a critical factor for filling your talent pipeline.

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The Self Tending Mushroom Award is given to those who keep themselves in the dark and feed themselves their own rich propaganda-laden fertilizer. This is an intervention on a global scale as we award this month's STeMie to Italy in the category of Global Trends. A co-dependent relationship with the Russian Federation threatens to stunt Italian innovation while imparting a dangerous control mentality. Italy is honored with the STeMie because they tell themselves this abusive relationship is the best thing that ever happened to them.

Look closely at the patent filing patterns of these two countries. The Russian Federation and Italy both display the same pattern of sharp bursts of success with an inability to sustain. Moreover, They are nearly exactly opposite of each other. When Russian innovation soars, Italian innovation takes a nose dive and vice versa. There is a co-dependence and a very unhealthy one for Italy.

According to the Italian Ministry of Foreign Affairs, “Over recent years relations between Italy and the Russian Federation have evolved to a level of absolute excellence, to the point of justly deserving the designation of “privileged relations”.”

Italy is becoming to the Russian Federation what China once was to the United States...a disposable source of cheap labor, goods and manufacturing. Meanwhile, the Russian Federation is becoming Italy’s indispensable source of energy, the one thing they cannot do without.

There are two critical lessons for any individual or organization. First, you are who you surround yourself with, bad habits and all. Second, understand that the future economic growth of organizations and countries will be built on innovation. Do not trade away one ounce of your own innovative capacity for all of the energy or any other commodity in the world.

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The Spotlight Award is given to individuals and organizations that stand as examples for us all. We are thrilled to present this month’s Spotlight Award to Brigadier General John “Mick” Nicholson in the category of Business Trends. So you might ask what a United States Army Brigadier General is doing in the Business Trends section! Quite simply, this month’s Spotlight Award recipient is a prime example of management and leadership at its best in the social media age.

We sat down with BG Nicholson for an extended interview on the management and leadership methods that he employs and what they mean for management and leadership in every industry in today’s changing climate. In this article, we offer you the most critical parts of our interview with one of the US military’s most capable leaders. For all those who think that management and leadership of an army at war has nothing to do with leading your company...think again.

BG Nicholson proved himself an agile leader with a Command Without Control mentality that led to great success before, during and after his command of the tumultuous eastern region of Afghanistan. The lessons are universal for businesses and organizations everywhere.
Creating his culture of learning and agility took a lot of investment in human capital both within and outside of the organization. Tyranny of distance stood between this commander and his team more often than not with thousands of team members spread out over 27 thousand square miles of unforgiving terrain with little to no infrastructure and the most minimal of communications if any. How could he command a team that large and distributed? It was all about the people...

“The bottom line is I invested a lot of time in these individuals and in my relationship with those individuals… And with the demands on your time, you say i can’t afford to do that; but you know what? You can’t afford not to...”

That philosophy is at the heart of Command Without Control management and leadership in the social media age. BG Nicholson left me with the following advice on why a Command Without Control style of leadership will yield more success than old school control mentalities:

“...you are tapping into the full human potential of the organization not just the potential of one individual. To me its so you can achieve the full potential and do even better whether that’s making a profit or winning a war.”

Well stated. BG Nicholson offers several lessons: Be honest about yourself, your organization, your situation and your goals. Invest in the human connection with your team and entrust them with ability to remain agile in an uncertain and changing environment. And lastly, long distance is just an excuse and not a real obstacle to team cohesion in the social media age.

With this, it is my honor to name Brigadier General John “Mick” Nicholson, US Army our Spotlight Award recipient in the category of Business Trends. Many thanks to you from all of us for the inspiration.

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The original Early Math Series book, Negative Nine (limited edition boardbook) is on sale now direct from the publisher. Fun and Innovative Early Learning; This full color, 28 page boardbook makes a great gift, storybook and early learning book for children 0-7! As always, shipping is free. This much loved book will not be reprinted in boardbook format again so get them now while supplies last!

Follow this "negative" negative number as he quests for his place on the great number line. Children will learn the basic concept of negative numbers along with valuable lessons in perseverance. Opposites abound as you pass zero into the realm of negatives, leaving the positive numbers behind. See if you can find them all!

Dr. V will be on site at Meeting Professionals International's annual education meeting, the World Education Congress (WEC09) July 12-14 this year in Salt Lake City. She will be on hand to give three great topics three days in a row to a packed house of the best and brightest in the meetings industry.

WEC 2009 SESSIONS:

Sunday, July 12th @ 3:15 pm

Double Agent: Social Media & The Internet's Role In The Talent War - Finding, Growing & Keeping Multi-Generational Talent By Turning One Of The Root Causes Into Your Ally

Monday, July 13th @ 1:45 pm

High Technology - Low Economy: A Deeper Look At The Landscape Of Trends Affecting Travel & Your Meetings Over The Next Five Years

Tuesday, July 14th @ 9:50 am

Command Without Control - Management & Leadership In The Social Media Age

WILL YOU BE AT MPI WE2009? MEET DR V! EMAIL CONTACT@DRAMYVANDERBILT.COM

The Self Tending Mushroom Alert or STeMie, is given to individuals and entities that support their right to keep themselves in the dark and feed themselves their own brand of fertilizer. So take in the lesson as we present this STeMie in the category of Travel Trends to Amtrak. What did they do wrong? They have done nothing....absolutely nothing.

The travel industry at large is seeing a surge of technology-based advancements. Amtrak, however, has chosen to ignore the technological revolution that surrounds them. Their lack of response to the rapidly changing travel marketplace coupled with lack of economic opportunity recognition will be their downfall.

Out of hundreds of thousands of online booking sites, how many carry Amtrak rail tickets? ONE...and only at an affiliate level. At the same time, travel vendors from airlines to car rental companies are offering full booking capabilities for every aspect of your trip. What does Amtrak offer? A few random packages poorly advertised and difficult to book.

It is not too late for Amtrak...they can still make a significant change. In the current economic slump, Amtrak should be the best friend of every business and family within a hundred mile radius of a station. Their refusal to take this once in a decade opportunity and run is astounding.

Organizations of all sizes can learn from Amtrak. Change is an opportunity to dominate your market. Do so or your competition will. Action may entail some risk, but the risk of inaction is far greater. Thus, I am pleased to award the STeMie to Amtrak in the category of Travel Trends. May you display it proudly and may your shovel never rust.

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The spotlight award is given to individuals and entities that demonstrate a keen understanding of emerging trends and who successfully turn those trends into an advantage over and over. Spotlight award recipients are examples to learn from and a great place to get ideas for your own trend POV. This month’s spotlight award goes to Intel Corporation in the category of Education Trends.

Intel is pursuing a powerful portfolio of programs to, “help teachers teach, students learn and universities around the world innovate-particularly in the areas of math, science and technology.”

With nearly a dozen programs to tackle many of the major aspects of early and higher math and science education, it can seem overwhelming. Why would any company do so much? The major reason is in the sad fact that no company or organization in the United States can depend on our current educational system and culture to produce sufficient technical talent for the future. The fact that Intel recognized over a decade ago is that any organization requiring technical talent to thrive has to fill the pipeline themselves.

Beyond positive results and philanthropy you have to ask what is in it for Intel. After all, Intel Corporation is a technology manufacturer. They make computer chips. They are not in the education business. They funnel a lot of corporate profit into the endeavor but they do not profit from education or education research...or do they?

No company is THAT philanthropic without an expected ROI. Looking a little deeper, we see that there is indeed quite a bit in it for Intel: direct lines into a large worldwide pipeline of technical talent AND increased worldwide positive brand image and awareness.

There are several aspects of Intel’s program that any organization can emulate even if your budgets are small. The important features of Intel’s education outreach programs include:

1. budgeting a consistent percentage of profits each year towards educational outreach programs,
2. designing activities that tap into their unique workforce,
3. designing activities that promote the skills their organization will need in the coming decades
4. benefiting students, parents, teachers and administrators alike,

We are thrilled to award this month’s spotlight award to Intel Corporation as an example that every organization can follow and wish to offer our heartfelt thanks to the people behind the education initiative for the inspiration they provide worldwide.

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Everyone is talking about innovation. We need to be more innovative...innovation is the key to success...but how? In this article, we will detail how to turn innovation into revenue and your organization into an innovation engine. Innovation is the art and science of applying knowledge in new ways. Your organization may innovate new processes, new products, new business models, and more. Innovation results in intellectual property including product and process and method.

The question then, is how to capitalize on innovation. To turn intellectual capital into revenue, you need social capital and financial capital (the old fashioned kind) and motivation. In other words, you need people and money...but not just any people and not just any money. That brings us to the missing element...Motivation. Motivation comes from many sources and is wildly different between any two people. When selecting your social capital (to include your financial capital) each individual’s motivation must be taken into account.

For established organizations, this same entrepreneurial model applies. For example, suppose that some brilliant person within your organization has an idea for a new product, or perhaps a process improvement. If you are like most businesses, nothing happens. But if your organization is an innovation engine, this idea’s story will play out quite differently resulting in vastly improved product, process or method and more revenue for the organization.

Each organization has unique human capital that can translate into intellectual capital. Social media will give you the tools to create the social capital required; and your organization (or another) is the financial backer. Create an environment for innovation and be prepared to reward and capitalize on that innovation. The advantage will be yours, and it will be global.

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on May 8th, 2009 in Roseville, MN, Dr. V energized and enlightened the members of the MN Childcare Resource and Referral Network at their annual in-service meeting with a private keynote address. She covered critical trends in education nationwide, what to expect from the current administration and how resource networks can turn them into an advantage for parents, childcare providers and the network itself!

The pace of business, that is the rate at which you take a prospect to customer status and the speed at which they expect you to respond, is faster than ever before. Even more so, the pace of business is accelerating. It is not an illusion brought on by age, but a reality of the connected world in which we live.

Communications technologies including the internet, email, cell phones, VOIP and others were the first major contributors to the accelerated pace of business. Customers have access to easy and fast information and they expect easy and fast access to you too. Then came social media. Blogs, Twitter, Linkedin, Youtube, Facebook, Ustream, and others created and continue to create vast extended networks of people with common interests.

Social media in this way is driving a faster pace of business by creating a cultural expectation of immediacy and by accelerating the speed of word of mouth (be it good or bad). The online word of mouth arena with your business at the center has grown to unprecedented size. Each video view, blog view, tweet and post is a part of a larger swarm of conversation that may be for you, against you, or ignoring you. Only one of these leads consistently to positive outcome.

Over the next few years, I see social networks expanding. In short, anything that will help to automate or semi-automate the lower end of the business prospecting cycle will be well received. The best way to get business in the future social media market may be through short term bidding or must-apply opportunities. A great example of this is Maria Andros, self proclaimed video marketing queen, who dominates YouTube and Twitter. She opened a competition for a limited number of spots as her customer for personal coaching, to great success.

The better news is that the social media age, the very thing that produced this fast-paced environment, also gives you the tools to make it your advantage and that goes way beyond marketing. Turn social media into your double agent by using it to find, keep and cultivate that talent. Then, use communications in all its forms to optimize your proposal and business processes for maximum efficiency and effectiveness. Do that and you will accelerate your organizational performance to peak capacity and keep it there.

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On the culinary side of life, the US is enjoying a steady increase in the number of talented gen-Xers in the kitchen. As a result, cities like Washington DC are giving Paris and London a run for their money. It seems as if you can’t swing an apron in any large town in the United States without catching one on the strings. What is so interesting about this trend is that these chefs are grounded right here in the United States, and the majority were born here. Why such a surge in GenX talent in the US? In understanding what spawned this trend, we can begin to see where it is going.

Cause 1 - They were always there...it has only been an increase in news coverage.

Cause 2 - GenX is now in their late twenties to early forties, the natural time for talent to first shine.

Cause 3 - Young up and coming people are natural to any industry and the culinary industry is no different.

Cause 4 - Baby boomers are retiring, leaving a declining pool of active boomer chefs to report on and enjoy.

Cause 5 - GenX is not one to pay their dues for too long and is not shy about breaking out on their own.

Each of these causes contributes to a secret sauce that has driven GenX chefs into the spotlight and out on their own in force.

This is one trend to enjoy personally and potentially as an investor in this market. If you love food, consider a culinary tour or short trip to see for yourself why these chefs are making news. Find them within your own hometown and host a business dinner that no one will soon forget. For investors, If you like to put your money where your mouth is, you may not need to look any further than right here in the US.

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In the January 2009 Trend Watch List article, ”Trends in Math and Science Performance,” we noted that “An important trend is that the United States was in a similar position in 2003. Not an upward trend, not a downward trend, but a trend wherein other countries continue to out-perform the US and still others are racing forward while the US stagnates in ineffective education...The impact of stagnant and ineffective math and science education is a severe lack of technical talent in the current and future workforce.”

This problem is significant and not likely to be resolved in time for Generation X...perhaps there is a fighting chance for the Millennials (second half of Generation Y). In the February Trend Watch List article, ”Cultural Attitudes Towards Math And Science In The US,” we noted that, “Major differences in math and science performance between countries can be traced to a cultural issue – one of parent and teacher attitudes towards math and science and its importance...To turn this trend into an advantage, your organization needs to reverse the trend.”

In this article, we review past research and detail why early childhood is the last frontier and best possible stage to foster and enjoyment and importance of math and science that will lead to a larger, more capable emerging workforce.

There is no shortage of research blooming from every corner on the subject of literature-based mathematics at the early childhood level and its impact on the emerging workforce. But introducing concepts early is not enough. Effectively stemming the decline to produce the technically savvy workforce required for the coming decades will require TWO specific remedies.

The definition of success is quite easy to reach. We will pass the turning point when every school has sufficient resources to introduce higher order math and science at the preschool and early elementary level and when every parent and teacher says honestly and often to the children in their lives, “Whether or not I did well in math and science, it is important to me that you do, and I will do what I can to help you.”

Individuals can create an advantage from this trend by fostering a culture of importance with the children in your life - your own children, your nieces and nephews, your cousins, your neighbors, your friends. You have the power to influence - so start using it to positive effect.

Companies and organizations have an equally powerful chance to influence young minds, and an entire workforce to gain. Consider the talents within your own organization. What experiments, talents, information and demonstrations can you and your organization bring to local schools to make a difference? It is rare that a single undertaking can be a win for both the organization and the community, so get started today!

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The spotlight award is given to individuals, organizations and entities that stand as examples to be followed.

We are living in a time where the innovation economy sees the lines between company and country blurred. Emerging markets make or break global conglomerates and yet the future of emerging markets is hard to predict. If we treat countries even more like companies, however, some of that difficulty goes away...In the innovation economy, ideas are the basis for economic growth. In that sense, patent data can read like a stock market ticker. I considered that ticker recently and came upon one to watch.

This month’s Spotlight Award goes to the Republic of Korea. They are on the cusp of either massive economic growth, or simply a place in the top five. I like those odds. Innovation begins with ideas. For the time being, patent records are a great way to track idea development and the record shows some surprising trends.

You can almost see the classic entrepreneurial story unfolding in these numbers. Granted patents are one aspect of innovation. One that shows solid educational foundation and loads of great ideas. But great ideas alone are not enough. The question for any rapidly innovating country is: can you turn all of those great ideas into economic growth?

When I look at their graph, I see a critical point in time for Korea. IF they have grasped the process of the innovation economy, they will soon outpace the rest of the world in terms of both ideas AND the economic growth they will bring. If a practical innovation engine is not in place, however, we will see another downturn as they learn once more what it takes to make it in this new age.

In the DEMOS report titled South Korea: Mass Innovation Comes of Age, Molly Webb writes, “Korea can teach us all something about the future of innovation simply because it is one of the best-connected, best-educated societies in the world. It is at the leading edge of experimenting with ubiquitous, connected, collaborative innovation.”

I could not have said it better myself. So I am pleased to name the Republic of Korea as a Trend Watch List Spotlight Award recipient for Global Trends. The world will be watching!

To turn Korea’s trend into your personal and professional advantage, consider several avenues: investment, collaboration, and study.

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The Self Tending Mushroom Alert or STeMie, is given to individuals, organizations and entities that support their right to keep themselves in the dark and feed themselves their own brand of fertilizer. As an important point of balance, STeMs give us a valuable lesson in what not to do. So feel their pain and take in the lesson as we present this STeMie in the category of Business Trends to General Motors...yes, the entire company from executives to every last union worker.

Every successful business runs a natural cycle of rise, success and domination leading to decline and a final end. The biggest clue should have been in Toyota’s sales trends in the North American market. When you are overtaken by your competition by more than ten times revenue...you need to take note.

It is the natural cycle of capitalism that some businesses will fail, even some large businesses and that even successful businesses will eventually meet their end. They will be broken up, acquired by venture capital, relaunched, and reincarnated to consolidate once more.

Americans love their cars, and are not likely to stop providing a strong market for cars. That is to say there is plenty of demand to go around. Thus, the more likely scenario is that the majority of jobs would not be lost but would move to another automaker such as Toyota who would naturally expand to fill the void in supply.

But there is something more to the picture than just the natural decline of a business. Businesses decline because they become obsolete. GM is a prime example. The fact of the matter is that GM remained mired in their old school ways, in their knowledge economy processes and their information age management. By failing to move their practices and processes to meet the social media age business environment, they succumbed to a competitor who did.

To turn GM’s example into your advantage, recognize the harm done in not adapting to the times at hand. How can you update your management, processes and skills to keep pace with your competitors..and if you are smart, to outpace them. Look five steps ahead of your competitors’ use of management, process and technological trends and make the leap ahead!

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The Spotlight Award at Trend Watch List is not easy to earn. Spotlight recipients are individuals, companies or organizations who have demonstrated over and over that they are turning trends into their personal and professional advantage. They are shining examples of more than just keeping up with the trends - they are actively creating a positive advantage in their lives and the lives of others.

This month, I would like to introduce you to Nicholas Stefanelli. If you have not already heard the name, it is time to take note. Currently the Executive Chef at Mio in downtown Washington, D.C. and preparing to open his own restaurant, Hint; he has that rare combination of culinary talent, business sense and proactive trend POV.

His style is on the front end of a trend in modern American cuisine - locally driven, seasonal, and with some very enjoyable comfort food overtones. Always creative; he has amazing range that can happily remain on the subtle side of more traditional ingredients; or go so far as avaunt guard if you are equal to the task.

His management and leadership style is at the center of why Mio, and subsequently why his startup, Hint will do well. He embodies a Command Without Control management mentality. A modern businessman, Stefanelli is coming to understand the benefits of social media. Enjoy his profiles on LinkedIn and Facebook and look for his blog entries soon to appear at the Mio website. But don’t leave it at that. To really understand his passion for food, and his sense of community, you need to consider his outside activities where he shares his gifts via cooking classes and is working towards establishing a farmers market to provide fresher ingredients in his local neighborhood in Maryland.

There are several lessons here that we can all take to heart for a personal and professional advantage. First, that in today’s environment, talent by itself is not enough. Secondly, finding and keeping great talent on your team is pervasive across industries. Lastly, don’t be afraid to pursue what you think is right. For Nicholas Stefanelli, it is establishing a farmers market because that is what the community needs. It is about creating a quality experience when other restaurants choose profit over palate.

By turning the spotlight on Nicholas Stefanelli, I hope to accomplish two separate goals. First, to let the world know that he is someone to watch, to support, and to learn from; and secondly to go beyond the kitchen to let you get to know him a little bit better. It is the sum of who we are in the whole of our efforts that defines us.

So here’s to our Spotlight Award winner - Nicholas Stefanelli. Many thanks from all of us for the inspiration!

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This month’s STeMie goes to a reporter, radio host and nightly cable news anchor who, as a result, will probably not invite me on any time soon; the illustrious Lou Dobbs. Lou Dobbs is the anchor and managing editor of CNN's Lou Dobbs Tonight.

After a recent episode of his CNN show, I knew he was a perfect candidate for a STeMie in the category of Education.mHe goes so far as to suggest that large companies like Microsoft are deviously plotting to import foreign post doctoral students for cheap labor...insert Bill Gates and an evil laugh here...and that this results in lower pay for scientific jobs thus deterring our own citizens from pursuing scientific careers.

He fails to understand the reality behind these statistics, however, which have formed from the sad state of pre-college math and science education in the United States and the higher quality of such in thirty five other countries around the world.

The lesson for Lou Dobbs is: it may be time to get some new researchers on staff. Granted, in the media world, “bad news is good news and good news is not news.” Nonetheless, taking a victim mentality via tabloid quality expose to protect yourself and your audience from the reality of our educational failure is unacceptable. Your viewers deserve better...they deserve the “TRUTH” that you so vehemently promise each night but, in this case, failed to deliver.

The lesson lesson for Trend Watch List readers is: compete on a global scale, or suffer the consequences. No good will come from blaming our poor educational system on foreign states or evil corporations. We need to face the reality and start doing something to turn it around.

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Terrorism is not new. It has existed in some form or another as a method for getting your way for as long as toddlers have thrown temper tantrums. The only difference is that big boys and girls have access to weaponry when they throw their tantrums. A single uppity terrorist is no global threat but a network of terrorists really concerns us. In this article, we examine how human nature is at the root of developing terrorist networks, is the reason we seem to focus on one terrorist in particular, and at last is the reason for their consistent and eventual disintegration. There is advantage to be found.

In a report from Audrey Kurth Cronin titled “How al-Qaeda Ends,” she notes that “Terrorism, like war, never ends; however, individual terrorist campaigns and the groups that wage them always do.” All people, no matter the culture or religion or upbringing, harbor greed, desire, want, need, and the like in some amount. It will always lead to war or terrorism as a means. Moreover, we need to put a singular name, face and character on everything that we love or hate. So we buy in to the hype of Al-Qaeda as a single monolithic entity and Osama Bin Laden as its single commander.

Those same base human frailties that drove people to join Al-Qaeda will also be their undoing. It is already happening. Given some level of success in 2001, we see a splintering of sub-groups within the organization. Some splintered for geographic security, but most broke away to some extent out of localized agendas based on these core human elements. Al-Qaeda’s actions down to every last video, assassination, bomber and image will be used by their own people as proof that their separate agenda is justified.

As Cronin notes, those who oppose the organization can help speed this process. But help is not necessarily required. It will happen quite naturally via the unstoppable force of human nature.

To turn this trend into your advantage, begin by letting go of fear. Recognize and appreciate that human nature is true and powerful and largely good. Having that, reconsider potential emerging markets that you previously passed by. As this organization continues to decline, many of the affected areas will foster new growth and new opportunities. Be prepared to create advantage in those areas when the time comes.

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It seems like everyone has a side business these days. This trend is more than just perception. In this article, we explore the emerging trend of individual biznophreniaTM and how you and your organization can turn it into a personal and professional advantage.

There are a number of factors driving individuals to create a secondary income or side business. These can range from job dissatisfaction to a life long dream, a need for additional income, and similar factors.

The internet and e-commerce are decisive factors in the side business boom. The spice in this secret sauce, however, is the disposable worker mentality. Today, and for the last decade, the average employee changes jobs every 3-4 years. Today’s workforce does not offer company loyalty because they have not been shown loyalty by any company. They understand that they must provide their own plan B and their own stability.

Other factors contributing to the boom in side businesses include the U.S. cultural and legal environment and upcoming generations who are used to multi-tasking. All of this mixes together to provide the perfect environment for a side business boom. Some take it farther than others by having three to four simultaneous efforts or more. This author is a prime example with no less than 5 income generating efforts currently on tap.

The benefits of having a side business are many. It increases customer base. It allows you to incorporate your passions and hedge your bets. Individual BiznophreniaTM is a skill and an art. It’s time to start using it to your advantage.

Organizations can turn this trend into an advantage by not discouraging employees from having a side business. For a radical idea, consider being the one to help them get started. If done correctly, you can earn back some of that lost loyalty and maintain revenue from that employee long after they have moved on. Individuals can turn this trend into an advantage by considering how you might benefit from having a side business. Follow your passions, learn how to run multiple efforts while maintaining your sanity, and then go for it!

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Ever wonder what it would be like to watch Dr. V on your favorite news channel? Enjoy these cable news style "DNN" media commentary samples on business, global and education trends. Find out what turning trends into your advantage is all about straight from the guru herself! See http://www.events.dramyvanderbilt.com.

Technology (specifically online booking and online information explosion) has led to more travel booked online by the travelers and businesses themselves. To date, 86% of all travel is booked online.

The internet is fast and plentiful information. The impact of fast and plentiful information is trust. Travelers are turning to the internet for information. However, do not confuse information with service. Information is not service. That is so important that it bears repeating…say it with me now…information is not service. That fact of humanity is at the core of major trends in the travel industry right now.

To understand why the travel industry is reacting in the way that it is, you need to get inside the customer mind.The agencies that service both the corporate and leisure travel markets have responded by going online themselves; and by either consolidating or evolving towards niche marketing. As an agent or vendor in the travel industry, where are you going to find your advantage? Travelers no longer need you for information. They barely need you for booking, but information does not equal service. The one thing that technology can never replace is that person-to-person, human connection that says I care about what you need and I care about your experience. For small to medium sized agents and vendors, that connection and service are the key to turning these trends into an advantage.

That level of service takes time and effort forcing agents and vendors alike towards niche market concentration. This comes in two forms: niche marketing by niche ventures, and niche marketing by mass ventures.

Turn these trends into your advantage by identifying your best route – consolidation or niche marketing. Consider a market survey. Surveys of all kinds are an effective, fast and inexpensive way to define your niches. Your clients will not be shy to tell you what they want so do not be shy to listen! Do not hold yourself to one niche. In fact, market as many as you have time and money. Target them in a personal and detailed way. Offer a unique level or type of service that they cannot find anywhere else. The payoff will be your share of the market even in a recession.

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Major differences in math and science performance between countries can be traced to a cultural issue – one of parent and teacher attitudes towards math and science and its importance. In this article, we look as the state of cultural attitudes towards math and science in the US specifically and how companies and organizations can help reverse the trend for an advantage.

Many parents push back on updated teaching methods because they are not what they know themselves. Keep in mind, these are Generation X parents of Generation Y and Millennial Children. We were among the first wave of the lost technical generations. It is no surprise that our fear of not understanding makes us less open to our children learning new ways to solve problems. There is nothing wrong with the method…the problem is the parental attitude, and often that of the teacher as well.

Many teachers across the country also push back on any new method of instruction. Largely for the same reason…fear. I have seen it first hand in my teaching experience. Imagine a room full of soon-to-be elementary school teachers of which 80% are quite literally in fear of math. They are teaching your children and grandchildren today.

Students in the PISA test (see January’s Trend Watch List Article on Education) echoed their parents’ sentiment that science (including mathematical science) is important and should be advanced. But only 1% take up a mathematics major when they reach college in the United States because they do not see the subject as relevant and useful to them personally.

To turn this trend into an advantage, your organization needs to reverse the trend. Consider what you can uniquely do to affect attitudes, reach children at all ages, and educate parents and teachers on the importance and use of math and science. It is not only good for your community; it fills your future talent pipeline AND builds brand awareness with the upcoming generation and their parents!

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This month, I am proud to unveil the very first Trend Watch List STeM Alert! This distinct honor, aka the STeMie™, goes to individuals and organizations that refuse to face reality in some way and choose instead to keep themselves in the dark and feed themselves their own brand of fertilizer. They are the Self Tending Mushrooms™. Everyone knows someone who refuses to see trends, refuses to see where they are going, and wants nothing to do with the reality around them. The classic STeM stays in their office (or cave as the case may be) and tells themselves that everything is going great and the world is the way they wish it were.

The point behind the STeMies is balance. Trend Watch List is about recognizing and harnessing trends. As we have the Spotlight Award for those who do that particularly well, we must also have recognition of those who run in the opposite direction. Examples of what not to do are often useful and this case is no exception. STeMies and Spotlights are both opinion based with factual evidence and may be quite controversial. For example, a high profile figure may be a STeM in one area of their professional life and get a Spotlight Award in another. Why? Because none of us is perfect, and we should not ignore lessons from successful people no matter how we may feel about them personally.

For our first STeM alert honoree, we needed a particularly prime example, so I have chosen one from the world stage that you will no doubt recognize: Osama Bin Laden, and Al Qaeda for choosing to ingest the same fertilizer.

Although there are some things that he does well, in justifying his efforts, Osama Bin Laden is a consummate STeM. The lesson at hand is about telling yourself and your followers any random thing to keep them on your side while ignoring the fact that a few minutes spent looking up the facts will topple your house of cards.

We see Bin Laden going the way of all STeM leaders in the decline of his organization. When a business has a STeM for a leader, you will see some moderate growth in the beginning followed by declining revenues, mass talent exodus and the eventual failure of the business. In this case, it looks like Al Queda has turned the corner towards lost revenues.

In a January 9th 2009 audio tape, Osama Bin Laden turned his campaign speech into an infomercial with a pitch for funding. He notes that “tithes from any of the great Muslim or Arab traders” would be enough to carry out his efforts on many fronts. But wait! There’s more! …

So if falling revenues are at hand, the next stage of decline for the Al Qaeda organization will be mass exodus of their better talent. That is bad news for Al Qaeda but good news for anyone craving their decline and likewise for anyone looking for some good technical and public relations talent. Isn’t it interesting that the latest Bin Laden statement came across with such lower production quality than we are used to? Could it be a sign that some of that talent is already gone? But I digress….

In conclusion, it is my honor to hand our first STeMie to Osama Bin Laden and the parts of Al Qaeda that are still with him. May you display it proudly and may your shovel never tire.

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In the social media age, we live in a global society, where communications, and moreover, necessity have produced a convention of vast, physically extended yet tightly connected networks of people. Managers and leaders must accept that control is a delusion, but leadership and agility are real and required. I am not advocating that well studied management methods such as situational leadership and others be abandoned. I AM advocating that it is time to apply them in a new way. This new age has fostered the need for a new model of leadership: Command Without Control™.

Control used to be an option. There was a time when the leader really was the only source of information for his or her team; when it was possible to posit an alternate reality and proliferate it through the team via propaganda in many forms (even before the advent of PowerPoint).

What changed? COMMUNICATIONS! Specifically the internet and the proliferation of inexpensive communications capabilities (email, messaging, cell phones, etc.) and social media. There are two particular outcomes of increased communications capability that are at work here: easy availability of information and accelerated response time.

To turn this trend into your advantage you need only to update your current management methods. Depending on where your management and leadership style is now, that may mean a large change, or a small one. Most likely it is somewhere between. Your leadership cycle may be in need of update as well. Consider your current management styles and methods for each stage of a more modern Command Without Control leadership cycle. Refine where needed and free yourself from the control mentality…for your bottom line, for your employees and for the future of your organization.

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Curious about Trend Watch List Extended? In the Month of February, readers can get two free sample articles by visiting this link.

Free Articles include Business Trends - Social Media as Business Media, and Global Trends - Knowledge to Innovation Economy Evolution from January 2009. Get yours today!

Trend Watch List Extended gives you critical insight into emerging trends that affect your organization's strategic future. Make better strategic decisions with full understanding of how these trends affect each other, your industry and your organization. Subscribe to the online edition for 24/7, year-long access, and get the year-end print edition for a handy reference.

Dr. V is in demand! She is interviewing for an article in one of Spain’s most prominent business magazines, Capital (part of diximedia). The interview, by Juan Manuel Roca highlights LinkedIn’s role in the management revolution.

Dr. Vanderbilt has been honored with a request to judge for the Young Voices Foundation Awards. The YVF Awards are given for family friendly books and media that inspire, mentor and/or educate young people. She is thrilled to be involved and looking forward to having a hand in recognizing outstanding media. The Young Voices Foundation is a non-profit organization devoted to mentoring young writers through community based support programs.

The first Reading is Fundamental (RIF) Week of the calendar year is soon upon us and Dr. V will be undertaking another round of readings at Bailey’s Elementary School in Falls Church Virginia the week of February 9th. She will be reading and discussing the latest book in the Early Math Series, Zero, Zero Everywhere! with Bailey’s Kindergarten, First and Second Grade classes reaching almost 400 students in one week.

Members of the global travel industry have used SMS technology since 2002. Among the first notable examples that year was Gulf Air who started using Sabre’s SMS travel notification service for real time alerting to travelers. The development and widespread use of SMS technology in the travel industry follow one particularly notable trend: they did not take place in the United States. That late adopter mentality has its pros and cons.

Given past trends, I predict that the future of SMS for travel will include more robust reminders, and simplified processes through the entire travel life-cycle. From approvals to planning, booking and expense reporting, SMS will become a player in improving the accuracy and speed of these processes to the benefit of the bottom line.

Other future trends will include increased use of GPS-based SMS services also known as social travel media. Speaking more to your travel budget, we will see an increased use of SMS for reporting and tracking functions. Imagine that you are checking out of your hotel after a productive set of meetings. Your itemized expenses are sent by SMS to the automated back office at your organization. Out-of-policy expenses are flagged in real time and your are notified by SMS that a particular expense on your bill might better be paid on your personal account.

SMS applications overall are useful for improving speed, accuracy, timing, ease of use, and overall cost savings. How can it do all of that? Information is transmitted instantly. Information reported as it happens is more accurate than information reported a week later. Information arrives when you are in the right location and have an opportunity to act. Texting is fast and easy; especially for generation X and beyond. Lastly, better decisions, more accurate reporting and time saved all translate to cost savings.

SMS as a technology has come of age. This versatile tool for fast and simple reporting and notification enables a myriad of possible applications for marketing and internal advantages. Considering now how these trends will translate into advantages for organizations in the future; you must first identify where organizations will need which type of advantage. Then tailor applications of SMS to meet their particular goal.

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Performance in Math and Science for High School students is a critical indicator of both current educational effectiveness and future workforce capability. More important than the trends themselves are the implications for individuals and organizations nation-wide. The United States trails 35 other countries in math and science performance (23 of which are considered “rich” countries) and has for years.

An important trend is that the United States was in a similar position in 2003. Not an upward trend, not a downward trend, but a trend wherein other countries continue to out-perform the US and still others are racing forward while the US stagnates in ineffective education. Look again at the worldwide list of countries that out-performed the US. You will see some of the poorest countries in the northern hemisphere. It strongly suggests that increased educational funding is not a factor in an effective technical education.

The impact of stagnant and ineffective math and science education is a severe lack of technical talent in the current and future workforce. Retirement is near for the boomer generation. A smaller and smaller percentage of technical degrees are awarded each year to US citizens. There goes Generation X. Add to that the waning pipeline cut off by the above noted lacking math and science education at the K-12 level. There goes Generation Y.

To create advantage from this trend, your organization must develop unique methods for locating, attracting and maintaining that technical talent. Moreover, you must prepare a pipeline of technical talent starting from the early elementary and even preschool levels. In later articles we will detail how Education affects the talent war and what you can do to affect your position in that war to a positive end at each stage of the pipeline.

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I recall when the internet was first widely used. Back when computer screens were two-color (black and green) and when the five and half inch floppy disk was a hot commodity. Little did I know back then that it was the dawn of a new age and a new economy. Back then, it was the beginning of the information age, which spawned a knowledge economy. The knowledge that resulted became an economic model that worked and worked well. Now we live in a time where knowledge is everywhere. This pervasive knowledge is fueled by social media; which interestingly enough is the next stage of the internet.

The next economic revolution is afoot. It is one that organizations worldwide are taking to heart, and to wallet…The Innovation Economy. Now that knowledge has become plentiful, innovation is becoming an economic basis.

Several countries around the world are leading the way in the Innovation Economy. Singapore and Sweden are prime examples of countries to watch. These countries place an importance on collecting a mixture of intellectual capital, social capital and venture capital among other resources.

This trend towards an innovation economy can be a major advantage to any organization. Decide how your business or organization will change to meet this new economic basis. What services or products will you uniquely innovate in a market hungry for new ideas? Then take it even further. Once you know the kind of innovations that you want to pursue, create a plan to capitalize on that innovation that goes beyond patents and licenses all the way to your brand equity and the next big idea. Turn your organization into an innovation engine.

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It seems like social media has taken over the internet. More and more, businesses and organizations are using social media for marketing and brand development. It is time to take a closer look at how early adopters are using social media for business and how you can take advantage of this trend to make it your personal and professional advantage.

Large organizations including, The United States Coast Guard, H&R Block, The Home Depot, The Mayo Clinic, Procter and Gamble and others are noting the social media platform as a means to market and build brand. Others are taking it a little further by promoting social media as a platform for customer interaction and Customer Relationship Management (CRM). As a next step for social media in the business world, however, there is some push-back from boomer generation management worldwide due to several factors.

It is important to note that for business use of social media, we are in the early adopter stage…the perfect time to turn it into your personal and professional advantage. Consider the trends a play. The first step was using social media for purely external benefit – marketing and brand management. The second step is using social media for Customer Relationship Management, a partially external and partially internal task.

The logical next step is the one that no one is yet discussing but could bring the greatest advantage of all. The greatest advantage will come from using social media for purely internal use – to do your job better, to make your internal processes and teams more effective and efficient.

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Get extended Trend Watch List articles with all the data and analysis for your Kindle, iPhone or iPod Touch at Amazon!

We have received a number of compliments on the newsletter and article contents…but readers tell me they want more! I am listening. You want detailed trend analysis that you can use to make better decisions on future product and business lines and better strategic decisions overall. You want to know how trends in business, the world, education and more converge, interact and affect you and your organization. I am thrilled to announce an extended version of Trend Watch List that will feature full-length articles on the trends you see here as well as articles on how these trends affect each other. For every short article that you see in the blog or newsletter, there will be a complete article in the extended version with data and all the details you crave.

Trend Watch List Extended will be available online all year, and in print at the close of the year as a handy reference. Articles are uploaded throughout each month to fuel your strategic decision-making. See the complete list of topics planned for 2009 and order seats for your organization today!

Sponsorship opportunities for both the online and print editions are also available.

Disclaimer: Dr. Vanderbilt reserves the right to refuse any subscriber or advertiser to protect the integrity of Trend Watch List, its sponsors and affiliated sites. Certain CCR registrants are NOT eligible to be subscribers OR sponsors...please email the publisher for confirmation.

On January 8th, Dr. Amy Vanderbilt will address the North Central Business Travel Association in Minneapolis, MN.

The hour-long presentation will include news on commercial technologies affecting the travel industry and interactive “Trend POV” sections where participants will work through how they can use these technology trends to their advantage for their own organizations.

Charity Book Sale Extended – the charity book sale at Trend Factor Press has been extended through the holiday season. Get great early learning books for the children in your life and proposal development books to make your business more agile! For every book sold, we will match your purchase with the donation of a new early math series book to First Book and a monetary donation to Community of Hope. Bulk and single orders accepted. Order today and make a difference in a child’s life!

Cruise Sale through December 31st – Carnival cruise line gift certificates make a great gift for employees and family and are all on sale now at great prices! Check out the sale here and show your employees and family how much you appreciate them!

The Early Math Series - In early November, the second book of the Early Math Series titled Zero, Zero Everywhere was released along with a paperback version of Negative Nine. These books make a great early learning gift for children 0-7 years old. Available in major bookstores everywhere, and via Amazon.com. Ask for them by name!

The Lean Proposal Series – also in early November, the second book of the Lean Proposal Series launched. Lean Proposal Development is the flagship book of the series and is designed to help you optimize your proposal processes with simple but detailed, step-by-step instructions and examples. Turn even your newest employees into proposal machines. Lean Proposal Development joins the first book in the series, The Lean Proposal Quick Start Guide. The Quick Start Guide is designed to be the super-quick reference that you can place on every desk in the company to keep everyone on the same page. Lean Proposal Development is designed to be handed out to your core proposal team for a more in-depth reference and for training new proposal personnel. Available in major bookstores everywhere, and via Amazon.com. Ask for them by name!

Technology is coming to the travel world in a big way. I will be analyzing how various social media age technologies are affecting the travel industry and how to use them to make your travel dollar go farther and your organization more agile. While on travel, there will be a number of great food trends to keep your eye on. I will be reporting on various up and coming cities in the food world and on the young chefs that are making their mark and bringing true art to American cuisine.

Get extended Trend Watch List articles with all the data and analysis for your Kindle, iPhone or iPod Touch at Amazon!

The United States has fallen far from the lead in math and science education over the last decade and it could not have worse timing. As the boomer generation retires and fewer and fewer technically savvy graduates are produced, this country will see a sharp decline in our capacity to innovate. As the world moves to an innovation economy, our country will move to the end of the line. It is already starting and the trend to watch is this: will the US wake up to reality and make a move to end this decline; or will we watch, as WE become a third world country over the next ten years. In 2009, I will be reporting on the organizations and businesses who have chosen to do something to end this decline; what they are doing and what effect it is having. As a cultural issue, it starts with individuals, parents, companies and our society. I will be tracking the national discussion that is soon to emerge and will show you how you can start to make a change for your children, and for your future talent pool.

Get extended Trend Watch List articles with all the data and analysis for your Kindle, iPhone or iPod Touch at Amazon!

With everything happening in the world today, there are several interesting trends to watch in 2009. Globally, the knowledge economy is morphing into an innovation economy; and several countries are taking the lead…I will give you a hint…it is NOT the US! I will be tracking the countries that are leaping ahead of the rest of us into the innovation economy and detail what they are doing right, and where they fall short.

As the war on terror rages across an increasingly large front, there are signs of the end of Al Qaeda and the end of many naïve assumptions along with it. In 2009, I will be tracking trends in terrorist activity and analyzing what it means for you and for the world.

Lastly, globalization on massive scale is quickly taking hold thanks to the social media age. In 2009, I will be analyzing why, how and how you can take advantage of this unique time in our world for yourself, your family and your career.

Get extended Trend Watch List articles with all the data and analysis for your Kindle, iPhone or iPod Touch at Amazon!

The social media age has had a significant impact on the business environment. Customers expect faster response and innovation. Businesses must increase agility and not just work harder, but also work smarter, and work faster. Great talent is easier to find but harder to keep. The impact of the social media age on business is not a short-lived fad but a real business trend that not only brings these challenges, but also brings the means to overcome them. In 2009, I will be tracking how social media is affecting your business environment and how to turn this double agent into your ally, using these trends to your advantage.

Get extended Trend Watch List articles with all the data and analysis for your Kindle, iPhone or iPod Touch at Amazon!

The charity sale at Trend Factor Press has been extended through the end of the year! A little hope can go a long way in the difficult economic times. Join me and make a difference at http://www.TrendFactorPress.com/CharityEvent.

When the economy is down, we tend to dwell on how hard it is for our families and us. Although it is true, it can be easy to forget how fortunate we truly are. We also tend to forget that the power to make an impact is within each of us individually; and I am going to PROVE IT right now, in what I hope will become an inspiration to people nationwide.

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Trend Factor Press is small publishing company, but we have joined forces with First Book and Community of Hope to make a big point – The Pen Is Mightier than Poverty. Through the end of October, we are hosting an online charity event that will positively impact the lives of thousands of children nationwide – an event driven by you and people like you passing on the message via the power of social media.

We are opening up our catalog for this event, including three new books launching at the beginning of November and one in January. For every book sold or pre-ordered from ANY series, Trend Factor Press will match it, book for book, with the donation of a brand new Early Math Series book to First Book AND with a monetary donation to Community of Hope. You get great books for the children in your life, for holiday gifts, for your business, and more; the children you help will get a critical early learning book just for them – their first new book.

I cannot sum it up any better than the 4-year old First Book child who said, "I love to read the books you gave us. I love when somebody cares."

Join me, and be a part of the movement

1. FIRST, Take this message and PASS IT ON! Email it, blog about it; post about it on your favorite social media site.
2. THEN, follow this link to our online store where you can make a purchase to make a difference.

On behalf of the children and families nationwide served by these great organizations, I want to personally thank you for choosing to make a difference.

Sincerely,
Dr. Amy Vanderbilt
Owner – Trend Factor Press
Publisher@TrendFactorPress.com
www.DrAmyVanderbilt.com

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About First Book
First Book is a nonprofit organization with a single mission: to give children from low-income families the opportunity to read and own their first new books. We provide an ongoing supply of new books to children participating in community-based mentoring, tutoring, and family literacy programs.

About Community of Hope
The mission of Community of Hope is to improve the health and quality of life of low-income, homeless, and underserved families and individuals in the District of Columbia by providing health care, housing with supportive services, educational opportunities, and spiritual support.

About Trend Factor Press
Trend Factor Press publishes unique books from expert authors that turn global trends into your personal and professional advantage. Shop our online store today!

The Early Math Series - Fills the gap in the early learning genre with higher order math fiction for 0-10 year olds; planting the seeds of a smarter generation TODAY. This teacher-endorsed series makes it easy for parents and teachers at every level to introduce critical concepts to newborns, toddlers, preschoolers and early elementary age children.

The Lean Proposal Series - Develop complete, compliant and competitive proposals with the least amount of time, effort and resources. Builds on proven best practices to produce proposals and any other critical document FAST even if you are not an expert. Great for small to medium sized businesses and for large businesses learning to compete in today’s environment

The Management & Leadership Series - Bringing new perspectives on management, leadership, and running your business in the social media age.

A CORPORATE DREAM: NEW ANALYSIS METHOD HELPS ADVERTISERS CRACK THE CODE OF CONSUMER DECISIONS...AND CHANGE THEM.

Vanderbilt Consulting founder Dr. Amy Vanderbilt unveils a new way to analyze market research data that not only unlocks consumer minds, but shows advertisers how to change them. In today's increasingly competitive market, it can make the difference between success and failure; and between election and loss.

Have you ever wondered what makes people want to buy a product or vote for a certain candidate? For decades advertisers have turned to market research – surveys, polls, and focus groups – to tell them whether a product will sell, how to craft their next ad, or how to get voters to favor their candidate. Until recently, the best way to analyze this research was a combination of statistics and intuition. Like reading tea leaves, statistics even in its most advanced forms would often leave much to be desired. The question of what consumers really want to hear in order to sway their opinion has been largely left up to the gut feel of expert pollsters and analysts.

But one D.C. area firm is changing the face of advertising by unveiling a new analysis method called Nonmonotonic Analysis, or NMA. NMA is a blending of new artificial intelligence techniques and proven probability and statistics that reveals the exact strengths and combinations of messages advertisers can use to encourage or alter consumer decisions. And the best part of all is that the analysis requires no other data beyond the types of market research data that a company or campaign already collects...just apply the analysis!

Although it may sound like something out of science fiction, it is all science fact and it can be used to crack the code of any decision – what to buy, who to vote for, what idea to support or reject, and more. So how effective is it? Recent testing showed that when advertisers used the targeted messages produced by NMA, they gained a significant increase in consumer support by keeping supporters AND swaying 25% of non-supporters. Can you think of any political candidates that could use a 25% increase in votes right now? How about a product that might enjoy a 25% increase in sales? In the world of marketing and advertising, even a quarter of that is a huge gain and can make all the difference in a product or candidate’s survival.

NMA was developed over nearly a decade by the husband and wife team of Scott and Amy Vanderbilt. Dr. Amy Vanderbilt, founder and principal consultant at Vanderbilt Consulting said, "This is a powerful method that gives advertisers and campaign managers what they really want to know: how to solidify or change consumer and voter opinion.".

Consumers may wonder if advertisers would use this to toy with their minds. “Not at all,” says Dr. Vanderbilt, “Think of it this way; advertisers have always worked hard to craft messages that will appeal to people. Now they have a way to take the guess work out of it.” So how can you know if your favorite product or candidate is using this analysis method to sway your decision? According to Dr. Vanderbilt, these ads will not look any different than the ads you have grown accustomed to all these years. And we may never know. She notes that, “We don’t disclose our NMA client list at this time. But we invite you to have fun guessing!”

The social media age has spawned fantastic advancements in technology and communications. It has also spawned one of the greatest battles for your children’s attention that our society has ever known.

It seems to be getting harder and harder to create, nurture and maintain real communication with your children. Add to that the complexity of up to three wildly different generations within your family (the boomers, Gen X and Gen Y).

In this highly interactive session, Dr. Amy Vanderbilt will show you the role of social media and the internet in the war for your family’s attention and how to turn it into your secret weapon. Participants will learn key insights into how our own behaviors led to the creation of social media and the need for a different kind of leadership within the family.

Dr. Vanderbilt will walk participants through case studies and real life examples of how to use social media and the internet to create, nurture and maintain real communication with your children. Worksheets will be provided to help participants plan and tailor these techniques for their own families and create an action plan that can be implemented immediately.

Special cases and scenarios from participants will feed a portion of the presentation on handling difficult and unique situations with new methods and an enlightened point of view.

Learner Outcomes

• Social Media And Internet-driven Techniques That You Can Implement To Keep Your Family Together And Talking
• Behaviors Within Your Own Family That Are Holding You Back
• An Action Plan That Can Be Implemented Immediately For Transforming Your Family’s Use Of Social Media To Create, Nurture And Maintain Communication