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Insights
Medical diagnostics are increasingly moving away from laboratory testing in hospitals and regional labs to point- of-care testing (POCT) in doctors' offices, at hospital bedsides, and in patients' homes. Though central labs continue to improve their testing systems through automation and better organization of specimen processing, POCT could provide even greater benefits by providing results in seconds or minutes rather than hours or days and by shortening times between testing and initiation of treatment, reducing the volume of blood samples, and improving health and cost outcomes. Today U.S. sales of POCT devices are between $2 billion and $3 billion, with hospital POCT markets accounting for some $500 million to $600 million of this total. Expanding hospitals' use of POCT and moving the devices into clinics, doctors' offices, and homes will be a challenge for manufacturers, given the health-care industry's historically slow pace in adopting information technology. Moreover, uncertainty about standards, poor interoperability of competing vendors' systems, and an entrenched infrastructure of solution providers stand in the way of speedy market expansion. Adoption of wireless communication standards and availability of total information-management solutions would go a long way to expand market acceptance of POCT. Most important, however, manufacturers need to demonstrate that POCT systems are more cost-effective than central-laboratory testing, which means the newer technology must provide economies of scale in throughput and cut costs through faster turnarounds and minimization of errors. Author: Andrew Broderick. 16 pages. Index Keywords: Diagnostic Technology; Health Care; Information Technology; Medical Equipment; Medical Research; Sensors.
Skyrocketing consumer demand for wireless devices and portable entertainment products has pushed battery developers to pursue advanced battery technologies that can meet the devices' increased power demands. But as hard as battery makers have worked, battery improvements have failed to match the achievements of semiconductor manufacturers. Not only must the next generation of batteries cope with the increased functionality of portable devices--such as color displays, speech recognition, and embedded MP3 players--but also they must accommodate significant increases in voice and data traffic. Although battery makers will make incremental improvements in battery performance in the next five years, significant advances in lithium-rechargeable and portable fuel-cell technologies are unlikely before 2006. Consumers have come to expect days--even weeks--of standby time before recharging device batteries, and they are likely to lose patience with new services if batteries expire quickly from the strain of supporting increased device functionality. Thus, if consumers are to reap the benefits of wireless technology in the short term, the onus is on battery makers, device engineers, and chipmakers to work together to mitigate the limitations of battery technology, primarily through improved power management within the batteries themselves and within devices. Author: Rosamund Gee. 14 pages. Index Keywords: Consumer Electronics; Electric Power; Electronics Technology; Energy Storage.
Employers can benefit greatly from the implementation of biometric security solutions such as fingerprint-based technology. Benefits include reduced costs associated with username and password maintenance, increased security because of the reduced incidence of shared passwords, increased ability to detect unauthorized account or application access, and a competitive advantage over companies without biometric systems. Employee benefits include faster and easier login because of no password use, increased security of confidential and personal files or applications, and nonrepudiation. Although biometric authentication and verification solutions are not an information-technology (IT) security panacea, for noncritical applications, fingerprint- based biometrics alone have a significant advantage over traditional username and password systems and will reduce the cost of system administration in the long run. For other more proprietary and vital applications, the combination of biometric and other authentication and verification measures will provide the ultimate in security. Fingerprint-based identification technology is ready for implementation, and appropriate infrastructure elements such as hardware and software are becoming affordable. No reason exists for companies not to evaluate the technology for immediate application. The task companies face, however, is to evaluate and implement a system that balances the benefits and costs of various system alternatives while factoring in additional factors involving risks of a compromised IT system and privacy concerns. Author: Lindsay C. Wilson. 10 pages. Index Keywords: Computer Security; Data Management; Internet; Intranets; Security Industry; Technology Development.
Companies developing applications and Web pages often look at disabled consumers as a niche market, and a profitless one as well. People with disabilities often have more than one impairment, which means that designing an effective interface entails individualizing it for each consumer. This process is costly and time-consuming. Government regulations are often the driving motivator for many companies to make their products and services accessible. However, regulations and good-faith intentions are not the only reasons to develop products that aid people with disabilities. Rather, the market for products for people with disabilities can be a step toward building superior products and services for the general market. Also, products originally for the nondisabled market can be of great use and popularity in disabled markets. Each market can benefit and learn from the other. This study outlines the current status of the market for products and services for consumers with disabilities and the recent government actions to regulate products and services. It discusses organizations that are developing products for people with disabilities, but that are leveraging this investment for products and research for general markets for people without disabilities. In addition, this study examines innovations originally for products for people without disabilities, but that have particular application in markets for the disabled. Efforts to make Web sites and other products more accessible are an opportunity to try out new technologies and new markets. Companies will make headway in accommodating people with all types of needs, as well as improving productivity and efficacy for the population at large. Authors: Carolyn E. Sleeth, Barbara Heydorn. 11 pages. Index Keywords: Internet Technologies; Telecommunications.
The fact that the United States holds a leading position in the global postindustrial economy is attributable in part to the relative success of the technological developments from the U.S. federal research and development "investment portfolio." The somewhat haphazard macrolevel allocation process for federal R&D funds affords a few valuable lessons in "investment portfolio" planning for other national governments and private corporations that plan R&D investment portfolios for long-term growth. One key to the success of the federal R&D portfolio is the combination of top-down goal setting and bottom-up researcher-initiated research proposals. Exploring the fundamental debate and ongoing struggle between unfettered basic research and strategic management of R&D also draws valuable lessons. This study discusses the budget allocation process at the U.S. federal government level and highlights two federally funded R&D agencies: the Department of Defense and the National Institutes of Health. More imperative to industry are the implications of a reduced federal budget for R&D--especially when, in comparison to industry-funded research, government funds for research tend to gravitate to riskier and more basic research. In light of the haphazard federal research budget-allocation process, corporations should consider the long-term effects of reducing R&D investment. In mature and nascent markets alike, technological developments may be the major factor that delivers growth. Players from different but auxiliary industries, or a foreign firm backed by government support could leapfrog existing players and drastically alter the competitive landscape. This study also discusses factors that influence federal R&D funding and perspectives on federal R&D funding the near term future. Authors: Brock Hinzmann, Margaret Pak. 11 pages. Index Keywords: Political Trends; Research and Development; Strategic Planning. Scan
The Business World after 11 September 2001 Even before the terrorist attacks of 11 September 2001 on the World Trade Center and the Pentagon, the global business environment was primed for dramatic change in the form of a looming recession. The events of 11 September have only raised uncertainty levels by introducing a whole new set of complexity, variables, and risk factors to an already murky business environment. The necessary retrenchment that corporations are currently conducting, however, needs to take place with something other than a "bunker" mentality. Meeting the needs and demands of markets transformed by recent events will require aggressive planning. Economic hard times and turmoil provide fertile ground for innovative strategies, services, and products that will determine which companies succeed in meeting the new needs of the evolving marketplace and the fight against terrorism. Slow Food The Slow-Food movement, which positions itself as championing the antithesis of fast food, is building a ready-made market niche for other companies with good potential for growth. News Seasonal Close The staff of SRI Consulting Business Intelligence (SRIC-BI) wishes you and yours a very happy holiday season. We look forward to working with you in the coming year. SRIC-BI will close from Monday, 24 December, through Tuesday, 1 January, for the holidays. The Tokyo office will close from Monday, 31 December, through Thursday, 3 January. Let Our Inquiry Service Help You Clients routinely call Menlo Park to place inquiries about topics that are important to their businesses. But did you know that we have offices in Croydon and Tokyo that respond specifically to requests about Europe and Asia? Inquiry questions need not pertain to specific reports and studies. Our offices in Europe, Japan, and the United States can help you obtain information about relevant literature and expert opinions from local companies and industry associations. If your search to define new opportunities, identify challenges, and develop innovations in products, operations, and services could use input from more than one geographic area, give the Inquiry Service a call. For information from around the world, contact your local SRIC-BI office. Consultation Visits Available Do you have a question you'd like to discuss with an SRIC-BI professional? Consultation visits—one-hour sessions for informal exchanges of opinions and ideas—with SRIC-BI staff may be available at no extra cost as part of B-I-P's Inquiry Service. Contact your organization's Executive Contact or your local SRIC-BI office in Menlo Park, Croydon, or Tokyo. The following are examples of topics that clients have discussed with SRIC-BI staff in person in the past year: • Economic and regulatory issues • Issues in the pharmaceutical industry • Continuous training of scientists and engineers • Scenario planning • Trends in research and development. Current Watch-List B-I-P's scanning and research processes identify areas on the periphery of your business's focus area that constitute potential opportunities or threats. The areas that we decide bear watching go on B-I-P's watch list of defining forces that are transforming the business environment. Current watch-list topics include:
The Bulletin will periodically highlight each defining force, listing related B-I-P publications. |
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