Defining trend

HUMMS TNCT

1. Defining Trend

2. A trend is a pattern of group behavior that lasts for a long period of time. It can affect your life and shape your future. Sociologists view trend as a collective behavior or mass involvement which is acceptable to society and shows a “line of historical continuity” as it can be downplayed today but can resurface sometime in the future.

3. The tight pants, for instance, was the trend toward the end of the 1960s, after which, the bell-bottom pants relegated the former to the side. Nowadays, tight pants have made a comeback, especially in the form of skinny jeans

4. Spotting a Trend Someone or something starts or causes as trend. Trendsetter is a person who starts a trend. The individual’s act or the event has attracted attention, earned acceptance, and created strong interest and influence on people whose number keeps snowballing as days go by. The act or event is something different from what is currently going on and it becomes “the next big thing.”

5. Futurist is one who studies and predicts the future, especially on the basis of current trends. Trendspotting refers to “the study of trends and the way they develop and affect society.” Cool-hunting is “a hunt for those things that will become popular before they are popular.” Trend analysis is “based on trendspotting but it extends this into developing future scenarios.” Cool-hunting can be understood as looking for things that are going to be popular, while trendspotting is looking for future trends, generally including those that are less or not obvious, that ultimately affect society and the way people live

6. Trendspotting requires more analysis. For example, discovering what accessories will hit the fashion markets in the next season is coolhunting, as well as a record label producer looking for the next singing sensation. Trendspotting is the basis for trend analysis, which has applications in several fields

7. Below are the characteristics that a trend spotter should possess, based and adapted from Rehn and Lindkvist (2013). Adopt a beginner’s mind – Know how to unlearn things. With a beginner’s mind, you can see things in a new light, as if everything is new and strange; thus you will be able to detect even small changes and shifts that field experts tend to ignore. Know why and what you are looking for – Ascertain first the reason why you are looking for trends. Only then can you focus on what kinds of trends to spot and how to specifically look for them. The reasons of a businessman are different from those of an enthusiast or a traveler or a writer.

8. 3. Move and search in many places –Look beyond what and where others are looking for and searching at. Dare to look for something different and do not remain in your comfort zones. 4. Beware of the obvious – Do not join the bandwagon of the obvious-the flashy things (the peacock). Remember that if something is easy to spot, everyone most likely sees it, too. 5. Never judge something as good or bad – Set aside your biases and be objective in looking for trends. You may not like a topic, but you have to pursue knowing more of it if you are to be an effective trendspotter .

9. 6. Be sensitive in looking for signals – Study how trends gain momentum. Not all things new and novel can become a trend, but they sometimes do. 7 . Look for shifts rather than novelties – Observe for changes in how things are done of in people’s behaviors when something new is introduced. Also included in this particular characteristic is the importance of taking note of what people actually do in contrast with what they say they do.

10. 8. Spot for combinations of things – Do not think of trends as a singular evolution or development of things. They come as a combination of shifts or individual spots 9. Find the reason for something – However difficult this may be, seek logical explanations and causes for everything. By understanding the reasons behind things, behaviors, changes, and shifts, you can get a better understanding of an emerging trend.

11. Trend vs Fad

12. Trend and fad are both group patterns of behavior but not without differences. A trend lasts for a longer period of time than a fad. It may take years before a trend slows down, while it only takes a few weeks or months for a fad to stay. Thus, a fad is a temporary or short-lived pattern of group behavior. The Beatlemania in the 1960s and the hippie trends.

13. A trend has a record of occurrence in the past and might continue to the present, something which is unseen in a fad. It leaves a long, significant mark in history and could go on to the present. The rise of One Direction ushered back the boy band trend in music, which recurs intermittently since the 1960’s. Trends and fads can happen in areas of life where change or transformation continuously occurs. This means that while you are alive, you will encounter and experience various trends and fads .

14. Elements of a trend Number of participants – A trend may be started by an individual but the number of people who follow it becomes bigger as time goes by. The group grows into a community which, not long after, swells into national and international societies. Pattern of behavior – A trend is formed from repetitive actions of people. The simple act of taking a selfie has now become a cultural trend. The selfle phenomenon enabled people to construct themselves visually and present it to the public by putting it on social media.

15. 3. Long period of time A trend has a long time frame, sometimes running for decades. A trend may experience some ups and downs in popularity, may fade away, and may recur. 4. Cause – A trend has a starting point which can be an idea, technology, event, or person. Portable audio players were popularized when Walkman was introduced in the 19803, allowing people to listen to recorded music (cassette tapes) through headphones or earphones. 5. Consequence – A trend makes considerable influence or impact. Social networking has become an encompassing trend that tends to influence behaviors of online users.

16. Characteristics of Trends

17. Trends are difficult to study and analyze. Studying them is like predicting the future and determining what changes may possibly last and thus have wide effects on society and the people. Rehn and Lindkvist (2013) mention of a so-called hierarchy of trends, which explains why trends seem to have varying reach, effects, and influences on people.

18. Microtrends are “little things that happen all around us all the time, the tiny shifts that occur in everything from clothes we wear and the snacks we eat to the way we work, play, and love.” These trends happen right now and are outright observable. For others, microtrends are synonymous with fads. Macrotrends , on the other hand, are “aggregated microtrends or more sweeping changes that are affecting society.” They provide major changes that are perceptible in the societal level for a longer period. These are more stable than microtrends, which can quickly fizzle out.

19. Megatrends are “macrotrends that have grown up and moved out. They are big and bold, and affect the lives of great swathes of the human race.” They can last for decades and are “so pervasive as to be generally known.” Because of this condition, megatrends are regarded as so obvious and evident. In other words, they have become the prevailing condition that has become too normal. Gigatrends are “trends that are so general that they affect most areas of human life or, at least, more than one aspect of life or more than one industry.” Gigatrends are usually identified to define an era.

20. To illustrate this hierarchy of trends, study the following examples . Popular games and apps on smartphones are examples of microtrends . One game can create a mania that later wanes to give way to another. A few games have attained a higher level in the trend’s hierarchy, like Super Mario, which actually started in the 1980s but has resurfaced through different gaming platforms. For some, this particular game is a representation of an era to which they belong.

21. Social media can be considered as a macrotrend , but it can arguably turn into a megatrend considering how common it is nowadays. The continuous development of platforms and apps made the concept of social media pervasive across computer and smartphone users, while social media would not have been a trend without the overall influence of the Internet it has, nonetheless, given many people a venue to be heard and to exchange thoughts, opinions, and ideas.

22. Smartphones can be considered a megatrend (if not bordering on being a gigatrend itself). They have affected many lives and industries. In fact, many check their smart phones first thing in the morning to read text or private messages, surf the net, and so on.

23. Internet connection is now considered a gigatrend as its functions are now tied up to the everyday activities of people all around the world. It has become too normal such that it is now the base of several vital activities like banking, business, online communication, information gathering and dissemination, research, entertainment, transactions, gaming, shopping, and more.

24. Identifying Parts of a Whole

25. It was mentioned earlier that trends are formed from the combination of things. Thus, a trend has constituent parts or portions that are interrelated. Their confluence, as well as how the people adopt them, makes the trend viable, especially the megatrends and gigatrends. Take for example the Japanese animation (anime) trend that is associated with several generations spanning decades. In retrospect, the popularity of anime was brought about by a number of developments such as the ones shown below.

26. Another example is the visual culture we experience today. It was developed from various trends-digital camera, smartphone, Internet, Wi-Fi technology, social media, mobile apps, computer, fashion, art, photography, to name a few. Internet memes, infographics, and shareable videos seemed to be a microtrend only, but they eventually became a mainstay in disseminating information.

27. Remember that microtrends can become macrotrends if they affect more lives and societies. Then macrotrends can become a megatrend if it can affect a much larger group for a longer period like a decade. Megatrends can become gigatrends if they have ever-lasting effects and influences. Therefore, it is evident that a larger thing (the whole) consists of smaller things or parts.

28. Identifying Emerging Pattern A pattern is a design, shape, form or configurations that emerges from repetitious appearance of lines, curves, and behavior. In the study of trends, repetitive behavior that gives rise that gives rise to an emerging pattern is the main interest.

29. The tools that a trend spotter should find handy to use are categorized into four activities. Documentation –This means being able to record your observations which you consider related to any trend. The primary tools for documentation, however simple, are notebook and pen. Archive or Memory – This means being able to easily retrieve any documentation you have kept. Nowadays, the most space-saving way of archiving is turning the physical into digital. Analysis -This is the stage where examination and combination happens. Looking for patterns on prospective trends can be achieved through these methods: brainstorming, grouping, and crafting combinations. Presentation – This is representing your findings for easy understanding as a way of analysis. You can represent your findings through, among others, a mood board and a storyboard.

30. Differentiating Relationships between Causes and Consequences A cause refers to an agent that brings about a result or a consequence. A consequence is always traceable to a cause which can be a person, thing, principle, motive, act, or event. There is no cause without a consequence and vice versa.

31. Strategic Analysis and Intuitive Thinking Strategic Analysis is the process of examining, using one’s rationality or reason, the organization’s surroundings and resources, and how they relate to each other to formulate a strategy to meet objectives and improve performance. It is the understanding of an organization’s external and internal environments to create a strategy for better utilization of resources in the pursuit of the organization’s objectives and priorities.

32. Intuitive thinking is sensing or knowing without using rational processes such as reading facts and instructions. According to the dictionary, intuition is something that is known or understood without proof or evidence. Good intuition results from long years of knowledge and experience which enable you to comprehend how people think, act and react, perceive and interpret, and interact with one another.

33. Analytical Tools Facility in Strategic Analysis - Strategic analysis is commonly applied through a process called strategic planning.

34. Strategic planning may be divided into three phases Phase I : Establishing the identity of the organization. This covers the questions who or what the organization is, where it wants to be, and where it is now. It concerns the organization’s core values, mission and vision, objectives or strategic priorities, members and stakeholders, and partners and competitors. Both the internal and external environments are taken into consideration.

35. Phase II: Developing and implementing an action plan or strategy to attain priorities. This answers the question, “How will the organization get to where it wants to go?” It concerns the goals and outcomes, structural and financial changes, and other initiatives of the organization.

36. Phase III: Evaluating how the organization manages its actions toward its priorities. The question raised here is how well the organization knows its performance. This needs performance standards and measurements or yardsticks such as monthly or annual reports.

37. SWOT Analysis is applied particularly in phase I where situational seaming is undertaken. Strengths –These are the internal attributes of the organization that can contribute to the attainment of its objectives and priorities. Weaknesses – These are the internal attributes of the organization that can obstruct the attainment of its objectives and priorities Opportunities – These are external factors that can contribute to the attainment of its objectives and priorities. Threats –There are external factors that can obstruct the attainment of the organization’s objectives and priorities.

38. PEST Analysis surveys the bigger environment where the organization operates. It scans the Political , Economic , Sociocultural , and Technological factors in the environment affecting the existence of the organization. For a business enterprise, PEST Analysis is conducted to evaluate its standing in the market, whether it experiences growth or decline and what direction the business is heading to

39. Exploring Global Networks

40. Positive and Negative Impacts of Globalization One outstanding phenomenon from which emanated a number of global networks is globalization , a concept given various meanings and which spans variegated dimensions. It comes from the word globalize which refers to the rise of global networks of economic systems. Generally, globalization is a process involving the interconnections, diffusion, and exchange of goods (production), services (technology), ideas (communication), and people.

41. social theorist Paul James (2014) identified four different forms of globalization: embodied globalization, which refers to the movement or migration of people; agency-extended globalization, which deals with the dispersion and exchange of agents or representatives of various institutions, polities, and organizations; object extended globalization, which involves the mobility of goods, commodities, and other objects of exchange such as machinery, money, and food items; and disembodied globalization which covers the diffusion of ideas, knowledge, and information such as the dos and don’ts of dating, Confucian philosophy, and good study habits across the world

42. Globalization is multidimensional. However, due to its complex nature, discussions, writings, and research usually focus on a single dimension or component of globalization. These dimensions mirror the comprehensive reach and effects of globalization.

43. Dimensions of Globalization

44. Economic globalization. This refers primarily to international business which covers all contracts and negotiations concerning sales, investments, mobilization, and related transactions undertaken by two or more regions, countries, and nations outside their political territories. These negotiations involve economic resources, including human power and capital necessary for the production of goods for global consumption and maintenance of services such as banking, insurance, engineering, construction, information technology, and other profitable ventures.

45. The forerunners of economic globalization are the multinational companies (MNCs) or transnational companies which have branches in two or more countries. Popular MNCs include sportswear manufacturers such as Nike, Adidas, and Reebok; beverage companies such as Coca-Cola and Pepsi; vehicle manufacturers such as Toyota, Ford, and Mitsubishi; fast-food chains such as McDonalds, Kentucky Fried Chicken, and Jollibee; fuel companies such as Exxon Mobil, Chevron, and Shell; and business outsourcing companies such as WNS Global, Teletech, and Convergys.

46. Sociocultural globalization. This dimension has two components: cultural globalization and social globalization. Cultural globalization refers to the spread of ideas, values, and meanings across countries, broadening and increasing social relations. It paves the way for the creation of shared norms as well as of broader and deeper knowledge of other cultural identities. This facilitates increased interrelation and interconnection among variegated cultures and populations and a better appreciation for one another.

47. Social globalization , the second component, covers the diffusion of beliefs, practices, and issues concerning population growth, media, urbanization, tourism, education, and sports that also drive nations, institutions, and governments to expand social relations.

48. Political globalization. This involves institutions, public policies, and practices that cut across national borders to facilitate international agreements and transactions. Avenues of globalization such as the supranational institutions in the EU, World Trade Organization (WTO), and the International Criminal Court (ICC) have either partially diminished the sovereignty or perceived to have reduced the power and importance of the nation-states which created them. As such, globalization is perceived to be a factor to the erosion of some democratic structures.

49. Natural environment globalization . This concerns the environment where the interaction of living species takes place. Many environmental problems such as water and air pollution, overconsumption of fish and other marine resources, and global warming need a global approach in their solutions. The intense desire for high economic growth, foreign capital, and technological advancement of many countries has forced them to deregulate some of their environment and resource-protection laws. This deregulation has proven to be detrimental to the natural environment.

50. Climate Change and Global Warming Various kinds of networks are within you and around you, stimulating and triggering your thoughts and actions, influencing your attitudes and behavior, which in turn affect the people around you, your environment, and ultimately the world. Actions which transpire in the realm of local networks can produce consequences that penetrate and affect global networks. But it does not stop here. There is another kind of network, a wider one, which your thoughts and actions can reach and influence—the planetary networks.

51. Planetary networks refer to the interconnections and interrelations among the various elements in the natural environment enveloping and affecting Earth as well as elements beyond Earth’s surface. It includes the rain, the wind, the sun’s rays, gases, and other climate-related elements.

52. Planetary networks also cover natural resources such as forests, mineral deposits, lakes, oceans, hills, and mountains as well as the flora and fauna and other living organisms which when heavily exploited and exhausted shall cause detrimental effects on Earth’s natural cycle and functions.

53. Of particular concern is the phenomenon called global warming , which is the rising of global average temperature of Earth’s surface due to the thinning of the ozone layer in Earth’s stratosphere. Global warming is causing alterations in the climate patterns and weather cycles of Earth

54. Climate change refers to the major changes in the climate that last for long periods of time, up to decades or more. It is easy to relate that global warming causes climate change. Weather is easier to forecast than climate