Executive Thought Leadership

Shaping the Future of Global Business

The Economist Intelligence Unit (EIU), in association with Cisco, conducted Foresight 2020, an online global survey to understand the long-term forecasts and scenarios that are critical to understanding economic issues shaping the future of global business.

Some top-level results include the following:

Increasing competitive pressures will lead companies to improve efficiencies and costs using technology to automate processes and transactions as well as employ outsourcing.
Companies will look to create high-value interactions and customer experiences through customized products and quality customer services as points of differentiation and competitive advantage.
As production processes and transactions become more commoditized and automated, value will lie in personal interactions made possible through technology that enables collaboration, high-value services, and knowledge workers

Research Findings

Download this full report (427.5 KB)

Foresight 2020: Economic, industry and corporate trends‎ (106.9 KB)
Foresight 2020 looks to the future of business - creating more satisfied customers through customization of products and services in order to set each business apart and contribute to its economic success.

Spanish Foresight 2020: Economic, industry and corporate trends‎ (246.1 KB)
Foresight 2020 looks to the future of business - creating more satisfied customers through customization of products and services in order to set each business apart and contribute to its economic success.

Portuguese Foresight 2020: Economic, industry and corporate trends‎ (290.5 KB)
Foresight 2020 looks to the future of business - creating more satisfied customers through customization of products and services in order to set each business apart and contribute to its economic success.

Portuguese What Might the Future Hold?‎ (966.4 KB)
TBD

Portuguese Transforming the World's Emerging Markets‎ (157.5 KB)
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Portuguese Transforming the Customer Experience in Western European Markets‎ (139.4 KB)
TBD

Portuguese Part 1: Customers will demand more personalized services‎ (44.0 KB)
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Portuguese Part 2: Collaboration and knowledge share will increase productivity‎ (41.4 KB)
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Portuguese Part 3: Information Technology will enable companies to collaborate‎ (45.9 KB)
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Portuguese Understanding the long-term business landscape‎ (216.4 KB)
A roundtable discussion with the aim of illuminating and analysing long-term trends and their likely impact on international businesses.

Portuguese Examining the Economic, Industry and Corporate Trends of the Future‎ (43.4 KB)
TBD

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