Whats an example of megatrends?

Question

Whats an example of megatrends?

Answer 1

Starbucks

Crispy Creames

Any diet known to man

Answer 2

Matt Knaus

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Megatrends: What Are They and What Do They Mean?

08.12.2006 Superstars, supermodels and megastores – and now megatrends. Superlatives like these are meant to make something sound important and are often used. At the Credit Suisse Investment Conference, the German trend analyst and futurist Matthias Horx explained the background to this concept and showed why superlatives are not out of place here. Three examples.

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It is the year 2024, 07:31, somewhere in Europe: Nicole Tobler-Lee is running late. She is taking her son Liu to the crèche and must be at the Executive Board meeting at half past eight on the dot. Normally his grandparents take him, but they have gone for a week's skiing in the Yanshan Mountains in China – grandmother's present to the grandfather on his 75th birthday.

Matthias Horx:

Matthias Horx lives in Vienna and is probably the best known trend analyst and futurist in German-speaking regions. He is the founder and owner of Zukunftsinstitut GmbH, a trend analysis and futurology institute near Frankfurt am Main. His latest book "How We Will Live" is published by Campus.

At first glance, this scene looks banal, and yet it contains some details that make it unusual. Behind these details lie global cultural changes that are a reflection of so-called megatrends.

In the course of the annual Investment Conference, a Credit Suisse client event, trend analyst and futurist Matthias Horx gave participants an insight into some global scenarios of the future. This was not about technology, science fiction or fantasy. Instead, the aim was to use statistical data from around the world to pinpoint trends and identify the most likely developments. At first glance, therefore, megatrends – despite their name – do not seem to lend themselves to sensational headlines. The effects of a megatrend, however, can be found everywhere: in the economy, in our day-to-day coexistence and in our social value systems.

It's in Our Hands

The demographic scenarios of the future that we encounter in the media are predominantly negative. However, low birth rates aside, Matthias Horx also sees demographic developments as presenting enormous opportunities. He pointed out that, with the exception of a few former Soviet republics and some African countries that have been plagued by civil war, we can all expect to add seven or eight weeks to our lifespan for every year that we live. In Europe, this would result in a life expectancy of well over 90 years. Diabetes and obesity have already been factored into this calculation.

Higher life expectancy is often equated with the need for longer-term care. Horx showed that this does not have to be the case.

"Some countries have a relatively long immobility period; in other words, people tend to be ill for a very long time once they grow old. The US is one example. In Japan, however, this period tends to be quite short. These differences are the result of diet, culture and many other factors." However, the simple fact that fewer and fewer people are working in heavy industry means that on average we will be in better shape in our old age. "Today it's up to us to choose how we grow old."

The Renaissance of Wisdom

The falling employment rates in most Western countries are generally seen as a cause for concern. Across Europe, the financial future of national pension systems is being called into question. In this context, too, Horx identifies different ways of dealing with our increasing life expectancy. "Icelanders aged between 55 and 64 work around twice as many hours as Germans. And this isn't down to some kind of neo-liberal turbo-capitalism – it's because they want to." He believes that, in future, Western cultures will once again place greater emphasis on the experience that comes with age. "Ideally a culture could emerge which develops its core value system around wisdom. After all, a long biography needs content and purpose."

The Specter of Poverty in Old Age

The fear of impoverishment in old age is familiar to most Europeans. Horx identifies this as an ancient fear that originated in agrarian societies. Here, too, he has figures to back up his argument: "In reality, older people are becoming wealthier and wealthier. In Germany, for example, only two percent of those receiving unemployment or social benefits (Hartz IV) are over 60 years of age. Today even blue-collar households are inheriting EUR 70,000 to 100,000 – but not until they reach 60 years of age."

What Will I Do When I'm 93?

These developments will have an enormous impact on our life plans. Career and family can be planned very differently over a longer period. Here, Horx optimistically sees opportunities for us to take a freer hand in designing our own life path and achieving our goals. However, we don't seem to have grasped these opportunities just yet. "If you ask people on the street how long they expect to live, most will say around 75. But at 90 years of age, they will still be fit and well in the seniors' home", says Horx.

A Fresh Wind Is Blowing

Megatrend Asia – in banking circles in particular, this buzzword combination may have lost some of its impact. However, this megatrend also manifests itself outside the realm of stock market price tables and low-cost products. In this context, Horx uses the term "multi-manifestations," by which he means the following: "Aside from the obvious economic changes, it is Asian – and not French, Australian or Canadian – restaurants whose numbers have been increasing in recent years." Values from Zen and Buddhism are slowing filtering into European Christian value systems. The children of today encounter Asian aesthetics every day in the form of manga and Pokémon, and almost every village has a center where people can learn about Asian medicine, meditation techniques and life philosophies. Matthias Horx concludes: "The cultural wind is no longer blowing from the West, but from the East."

Women Are Better Educated

At the beginning of the 20th century, no more than two percent of those enrolled at university were women, and higher education was the preserve of a mere five percent of the population. Highly educated women were thus few and far between. In the course of the century, they steadily gained ground, and since 2000 there have been more women enrolled at universities than men. This development has far-reaching consequences. Because they are better educated, career development now features more strongly in many women's life plans. Depending on their culture, however, this will have different implications. In a conservative environment – like Northern Italy, for example – the response is that children and career are incompatible and that educated women therefore do not marry and have children. "The result is practically a rejection of marriage and motherhood," says Horx.

There Are Other Ways

Things are very different in neighboring France: here, all-day schools allow women to pursue a professional career. As a result, not only has the number of women in management positions risen to between thirty and forty percent, but they are also having significantly more children, i.e. two or three. The birth rate has also risen in Denmark and Sweden since the availability of childcare facilities has improved. Horx also sees this as a key factor for the economy, as children represent a major driving force for economic activity. Moreover he says that women would spend their money more readily than men, and so provide substantial support for the consumer sector.

Whether we like it or not, megatrends have a direct impact on our lives and are changing society and everyday life. One may not always share his opinions, but Matthias Horx certainly provided much food for thought, challenging us to take a critical look at ingrained thought patterns and preconceptions.

What makes a megatrend?

What turns a normal trend into a megatrend? Matthias Horx names four criteria:

1. A megatrend has a half-life of at least 30 years.

2. It must be apparent in all areas of life: in everyday life, in politics, in culture, in the economy.

3. Megatrends can be observed all over the world, i.e. they are a truly global phenomenon.

4. A megatrend can survive setbacks, and its influence may weaken temporarily. Here, Matthias Horx is referring to "backlash resistance."

Hope that helps you out...

coachdonna http://www.yourimblueprint.com

Answer 3

environment..............Since the 70's and 80's, a minority in society has been pushing for environmental awareness.........now, ha, everything is SLOWLY going green....Gore is lecturing on "Global Warming", shows like "Planet Earth" are making a huge impact.

The wave toward the future is now to protect the earth for our future generations.