play the role of a CEO charged with formulating a strategy for his/her firm. Your task: accurately predict the future. As previously explained, accurately predicting the future is one of the biggest challenges a strategist faces in formulating a strategy for his/her firm. Further, as explained in Chapter 13 (see p. 399): "Although a firm has little or no control over environmental factors [especially factors in the remote environmentsee Chapter 4], these factors exercise considerable influence over the success of its strategy, and strategies usually are based on key premises about them." For the purpose of this discussion, focus on predicting far reaching changes in the remote environment. In other words, focus on identifying broad trends in the remote environment that will affect all business organizations regardless of the industry in which they operate. For example, attempt to identify general (1) economic, (2) social, (3) political, (4) technological, and (5) ecological trends/factors.

In essence, I am asking you to do two things: (1) look into your "crystal ball" and tell me what you seetell me what the future looks like to you (e.g., what do you think the world that we live in will look like 5 to 10 years from now) and (2) discuss the ramifications/consequences of your predictions (e.g., the effects they will have on business organizations). Additionally, you might find it helpful to scan through recent copies of major business periodicals (e.g. BusinessWeek, Fortune, the Wall Street Journal, or the Denver Post) to see what others are saying about the future. Do you agree or disagree with what others are saying about the future? Why or why not?