Examining the future to plan more effectively

Analysis of social trends of the past several decades indicates the growth of significant social‐political issues which, if predicted in the late 1950s, might have made the position of business firms stronger in the 1970s, and far better prepared to cope with the 1980s. Examples abound. They follow a pattern of peaking and waning where peaks were preceded by measurable signals from the environment. Had these signals been recognized, they could have been adapted to strategic and tactical business plans.