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Forecasting, Planning, and Strategies for the 21st Century

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One of the best business books of the last ten years

Forecasting, Planning, and Strategies for the 21st Century
Spyros G. Makridakis
Manufacturer: Free Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

Strategy & Competition | Management & Leadership | Business & Investing | Subjects | Books

Systems & Planning | Management & Leadership | Business & Investing | Subjects | Books

General | Business & Investing | Subjects | Books

Forecasting: Methods and Applications

ASIN: 0029197813

Book Description

Products ranging from Fifth Generation computers and sophisticated robotics to inexpensive, superfast wireless communications and smart cars will become widespread by the 21st century. At the same time, now unimagined new technologies will also appear. Automation, covering all areas of work and all walks of life, will drastically shift employment patterns, while unattended factories and expert systems will pose novel challenges for managers. What can businesses do to prepare for such a fast-changing and volatile future? What strategies should they follow to keep up with technological and other breakthroughs as they unfold? What type of skills do they need to cultivate within their organizations? What steps and actions should managers take now to improve their chances of survival and their ability to succeed in the future? How can they effectively compete in a global village?

Now, Spyros Makridakis, the pioneer whose name is synonymous with forecasting, addresses these complex questions. Drawing on twenty-five years of research, teaching, and corporate consulting, Makridakis contends that a thorough knowledge of the principles of forecasting and decision making, coupled with a basic understanding of how and why past mistakes were made, has a pronounced and positive impact on future-oriented decisions, notably planning and strategy. Moving beyond his earlier work, and building on his unique knowledge of the methods of forecasting and their real-life applications in companies throughout the world, Makridakis presents a brilliant, non-technical reassessment of forecasting, planning, and strategy that will be welcomed by every manager who has ever struggled with a budget or a long-range plan.

After presenting the myths and realities of forecasting and explaining what can and cannot be successfully planned for, Makridakis offers a complete analysis of the factors that influence short, medium, and long-term planning. He does so by comparing and contrasting economic long-term cycles to shorter-term trends and emphasizing the necessity of distinguishing temporary cyclical movements from those indicating changes in trends. He also presents various analytical planning models and discusses their use and limitations in real-life situations.

Finally, Makridakis probes the relationship of competitive and non-competitive strategies to forecasting and discusses the factors that during the past contributed to achieving success or avoiding failure. He explores, by examining past patterns in human history, the type of businesses and managers most likely to emerge in the coming century and shows how managers can employ creativity as their major strategic tool.

Practical and straightforward, this book is must reading for the managers of today who want to better understand forthcoming changes and their implications, and who wish to successfully lead their companies into the world of tomorrow.

Customer Reviews:

One of the best business books of the last ten years.......1999-12-09

I first read this book in 1990 and just recently did a re-read. I am buying it as a gift even now in 2000. A real thinker who has the intellectual chops to write this type of book - not a blow hard know it all like so many business experts. On the same level with, or very close to, Drucker, but perhaps more practical.

French Defence Policy into the Twenty-First Century

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French Defence Policy into the Twenty-First Century
Shaun Gregory
Manufacturer: Palgrave Macmillan
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

Military Science | History | Subjects | Books

General | Politics | Nonfiction | Subjects | Books

Book Description

This book examines the evolution of French defense policy since the end of the Cold War through an analysis of the debates in France between 1989 and 1994 about the changing international security context and risks and opportunities for France. It analyzes the effect of the Chirac Presidency [1995 -] on the implementation and direction of the reform of defense policy. The second half of the book assesses the key themes identified by the 1994 Livre Blanc sur la Deacute;fense and the 1996 Loi de Programmation [1997-2002] and examines the implications for the role of France in international security into the 21st century.

Implosion: Downsizing the U.S. Military, 1987-2015 (Contributions in Military Studies)

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Implosion: Downsizing the U.S. Military, 1987-2015 (Contributions in Military Studies)
Bart Brasher
Manufacturer: Greenwood Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

General | Military | History | Subjects | Books

Military Science | History | Subjects | Books

General | Politics | Nonfiction | Subjects | Books

History of Technology | Technology | Science | Subjects | Books

Book Description

Since the buildup of U.S. armed forces peaked under Reagan in 1987, many changes have occurred in all four services, including reductions in both human and material resources. This study traces these trends and details the government's vision of how the military will look in the year 2015. Changes in the global security environment and pressure to decrease federal spending have resulted in force restructuring, eliminating major units, and displacing military and civilian personnel. Other consequences include base closures and reduced major weapon system inventories. Brasher discusses the implications of these new policies and assesses their current and future impact on American defense capabilities. The media has focussed considerable attention on the downsizing of U.S. forces. It predicted that base closures would have catastrophic effects on local communities, and it warned that women and minorities would see fewer opportunities for advancement within the military. Brasher chronicles the effects of base closures on many communities and determines that original fears were exaggerated. Women and minorities have also fared better than initially anticipated. In fact, especially in terms of relative combat power, the new military is even stronger than it was in 1987.

Forecasting, Planning, and Strategy for the 21st Century.: An article from: The Futurist

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Forecasting, Planning, and Strategy for the 21st Century.: An article from: The Futurist
Timothy Willard
Manufacturer: World Future Society
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Digital

Book Description

This digital document is an article from The Futurist, published by World Future Society on July 1, 1991. The length of the article is 889 words. The page length shown above is based on a typical 300-word page. The article is delivered in HTML format and is available in your Amazon.com Digital Locker immediately after purchase. You can view it with any web browser.

Citation Details
Title: Forecasting, Planning, and Strategy for the 21st Century.
Author: Timothy Willard
Publication: The Futurist (Magazine/Journal)
Date: July 1, 1991
Publisher: World Future Society
Volume: v25 Issue: n4 Page: p33(2)

Article Type: Book Review, Bibliography

Distributed by Thomson Gale

Public participation in planning: New strategies for the 21st century (Working paper)

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Public participation in planning: New strategies for the 21st century (Working paper)
Judith Eleanor Innes
Manufacturer: Institute of Urban and Regional Development, University of California
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Unknown Binding

21st century warfighter support: Optimizing seabasing through the transformational possibilities of reachback (USAWC strategy research project)

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21st century warfighter support: Optimizing seabasing through the transformational possibilities of reachback (USAWC strategy research project)
Jeffery M Peterson
Manufacturer: U.S. Army War College
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Unknown Binding

Military Science | History | Subjects | Books
ASIN: B0006SAQCI

Jichi no genten to seido (Local government strategy towards the 21st century)

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Jichi no genten to seido (Local government strategy towards the 21st century)

Manufacturer: Gyosei
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Unknown Binding

Nonfiction | Japanese | Foreign Language Books | Specialty Stores | Books

All Japanese Books | Japanese | Foreign Language Books | Specialty Stores | Books

Forecasting, Planning, and Strategy for the 21st Century.

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Forecasting, Planning, and Strategy for the 21st Century.
Spyros G. Makridakis
Manufacturer: The Free Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
ASIN: B000OR5K1I

75th Ranger Regiment: Strategic force for the 21st century (USAWC strategy research project)

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75th Ranger Regiment: Strategic force for the 21st century (USAWC strategy research project)
Ken Keen
Manufacturer: U.S. Army War College
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Unknown Binding

Military Science | History | Subjects | Books
ASIN: B0006QWCGI

Seeking a national strategy : a concert for preserving security and promoting freedom : the phase II report on a U.S. national security strategy for the 21st century

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Seeking a national strategy : a concert for preserving security and promoting freedom : the phase II report on a U.S. national security strategy for the 21st century

Manufacturer: The Commission
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Unknown Binding
ASIN: B000112OIO

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