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In this issue:

   * Anticipation of 4G Networks
   * Prospects for Bioethanol
   * VALS(TM) Segments and Financial Services
   * Uncertainties in Nanotechnology Development
   * Noninvasive Medical Testing
   * Customer-Focused Online Communities
   * Signals of Change
   * Optoelectronics in China
   * New Understanding of Social Networks
   * Opportunities in Emerging Markets

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---------------------
 Recent Publications
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Anticipation of 4G Networks

R&D has already begun on fourth-generation (4G) mobile 
technologies, which promise bandwidth comparable to that 
of landline networks, with mobility matching that of 
existing cellular services. Experts debate whether 4G 
technology will be an evolutionary or a revolutionary 
development. Certainly, third-generation technology has 
disappointed many people, raising hopes that 4G networks 
will improve performance and interoperability--and do so 
on an accelerated timetable, before 2010. 
(Fourth-Generation Mobile Technologies)
http://www.sric-bi.com/DF/summaries/4GmobileTechs2004-06.shtml


Prospects for Bioethanol

Interest is growing in bioethanol fuel from low-cost 
biomass resources. Given rising energy costs and alarm 
about the security of world oil supplies, some influential 
policy analysts are proposing aggressive development of a 
strong bioethanol industry to reduce industrialized 
countries' dependence on oil. Biofuels can also avoid some 
of the environmental problems that accompany oil 
consumption, such as pollution and greenhouse-gas 
emissions. (June 2004 Biocatalysis Viewpoints) 
http://www.sric-bi.com/Explorer/BC.shtml


VALS(TM) Segments and Financial Services

Historically, the financial-services industry has 
segmented consumers by age and income, typically within a 
single product area. However, today, financial-services 
players need to adopt a more integrated approach and look 
at factors such as customers' toleration for investment 
risk, their channel and interface preferences, the time 
they spend managing finances, and their level of trust in 
financial institutions and intermediaries. A recent report 
combines information from the MacroMonitor and VALS(TM) to 
identify the financial characteristics and behaviors of 
the VALS consumer groups. (Segmentation in the 
Twenty-First Century: Financial Behavior of the VALS(TM) 
Segments)
http://www.sric-bi.com/CFD/MRsummaries/MR.VI-09.shtml


Uncertainties in Nanotechnology Development

The intersection of nanotechnology with biotechnology 
and information technology offers many exciting 
possibilities for innovation. However, no one can yet 
say what impact nanotechnologies might have on human 
health, where the high-return commercial applications 
will emerge, what business models will be most attractive, 
or whether companies will be able to stake out defensible 
intellectual-property positions. (June 2004 
Nanobiotechnology Viewpoints)
http://www.sric-bi.com/Explorer/NB.shtml


Noninvasive Medical Testing

As people live longer and the size of the elderly 
population grows, easy-to-use, noninvasive testing 
techniques will enable safe and effective home-care 
solutions. Noninvasive tools can measure mechanical 
parameters such as heart rate and blood pressure, 
electrical parameters from the heart and the brain, and 
chemical parameters such as glucose, metabolites, and 
hormones. In addition, applications are likely to emerge 
for fitness fanatics and people who want to invest in 
staying healthy. (Noninvasive Testing and Sensors for 
Health Care)
http://www.sric-bi.com/Scan/ScanMonthly/SM016.shtml#D04-2475


Customer-Focused Online Communities

Following Cisco's lead, companies are finding that online 
communities can be an excellent supplement to their formal 
support channels, offering opportunities to educate 
customers and business partners about products and 
services. Another type of learning-related online 
community enables "reverse-flow learning," giving 
companies a new way to observe consumers and learn about 
their needs and preferences. (LoD Bulletin, Second Quarter 
2004)
http://www.sric-bi.com/LoD/bulletins.shtml


Signals of Change

In the new field of synthetic biology, researchers are 
learning how to design biological systems using standard 
parts. The June 2004 issue of Scan(TM) Monthly explores 
this and other signals of change, including the search to 
understand viral marketing, ways to create markets in 
developing countries, and innovative uses of paper. 
(Scan(TM) Monthly, June 2004) 
http://www.sric-bi.com/Scan/ScanMonthly/SM016.shtml#SoCs


Optoelectronics in China

For optoelectronics companies, China--the world's most 
populous country--now represents one of the most important 
locations for technology development, manufacturing, and 
market development. The country offers a potentially 
enormous domestic market, low-cost labor, and an educated 
workforce. However, as home-grown Chinese ventures gather 
strength and receive strong government support, they will 
increasingly challenge foreign companies on their home 
turf. (June 2004 Optoelectronics/Photonics Viewpoints)
http://www.sric-bi.com/Explorer/OP.shtml


New Understanding of Social Networks

Terms like viral marketing and computer virus have limits 
in describing the processes by which an idea or word of a 
product disseminates through a population. Researchers are 
learning that fads, financial crashes and bubbles, 
blockbuster products, and other such phenomena do not 
necessarily follow biological models. In marketing, for 
example, the process by which information spreads is often 
more important than the quality or price of a product. 
(Information Cascades and Social Contagion)
http://www.sric-bi.com/Scan/ScanMonthly/SM016.shtml#D04-2474


Opportunities in Emerging Markets

Conventional wisdom holds that the world's poor are not 
viable targets for companies' products because this group 
earns too little to afford most consumer products. 
However, some experts are beginning to question this 
assumption, suggesting that companies are in an ideal 
position to supply many necessities--including clean 
water, access to capital or financial services, energy, 
telecommunications, and health-care services--to consumers 
and businesses in poor, rural areas. (Selling Products and 
Services in Emerging Markets)
http://www.sric-bi.com/Scan/ScanMonthly/SM016.shtml#D04-2476


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