Mats Lindgren, CEO Kairos Future Group, will be joining a prestigious panel of speakers in Madrid October 6-7.

By: Heléne Olsson

Will the future Spanish Youth develop in different paces? How will this impact on Career, Living and Life Styles?

According to the survey Global Youth performed by Kairos Future in 2007, Spain was the country in Europe with highest bipolarization between Young Hedonists and Young Future Entrepreneurs.

Hedonists, because 28% of the enquired youth declared to prefer an easy-going life with few obligations, less career focused with a preference of future work in public administration and sufficient income to consume day to day luxury as clothes, travels and entertainment and without any intention to leave their parents in the close future.

Entrepreneurs, because 24% of the enquired youth stated a clear interest in creating their own company in the next years, preparing themselves carefully with education and experience.

Spain has undergone a dramatic change with a high increase of economic welfare since 1975 and the young Spanish born after Francos’ death are today excelling in consumption, education and environmental concern, one of the highest in Europe. The high rate of immigration of more than half a million of new young foreign people into Spain during the last five years, most of them with a low rate of education from Latin America and Africa but with a strong will to succeed, is also blending the future Spanish Youth culture.

Tribalization exists in Spain in big urban areas like Madrid, Barcelona, Valencia, Bilbao and Sevilla, but is still not as fragmented or dominating as in other European countries, showing more homogeneous youth life styles and big groups. The clearest urban tribes in Spain are alternative groups like; “Okupas” (young people occupying empty buildings), “skaters” (urban skating at public spaces) and “skinheads” (extreme right underground movement). However, the big volume of youth is bipolarized in welfare between local low ambitioned youth and global high ambitioned youth.

The trend of continued Individualism, eclipsing collectivism and associate life, brings a big challenge for politicians and companies to design their future strategies towards this target. The Spanish youth has little faith in politics and they consider themselves capable of influencing more in the immediate and local future than in the global perspective.

It is evident that the Spanish Youth in the next ten years will undergo a big change, with many different paces simultaneously and it will become more and more complex to understand and grasp.

For further information, please contact Mrs. Heléne Olsson by e-mail!

By: Marie-Claire Maxwell

Xinhaonanren, or “new good men”, are slowly becoming available for Chinese women who know what they want. With more money and challenging jobs, women are postponing marriage and exploring new family constellations. Some are simply demanding divorce from the old stereotype men, as increasing divorce rates prove.

Young people’s opportunities to live the life they dream about are increasing. To meet the new demand, the availability of new good men is on the rise. Like their counterparts in the West, these “metrosexual” men put family first and they do not mind sweeping floors or putting hot dishes on the table. This is a middle-class phenomenon starting to spread in Asia where men’s biggest goal used to be a fat paycheck. Nevertheless rising incomes are a key factor in the growing number of xinhaonanren, but the trend also correspond very well to the ranking of post-materialism as a key trend among youth in a recent survey conducted by Kairos Future and its Futuretrackers network. Another study by the Communication University of China shows that men in major cities now are in control of the household budgets, something we are only seeing the initial effects of.

This new breed of sensitive men, who are playing with children and shopping groceries, represent a change in a society where traditional gender roles left child raising and housework to their wives. The trend started in Taiwan around year 2000 and is now spreading to China’s big cities. In Japan, Brad Pitt was similarly the new cover hero when popular British Dads magazine, Father’s Quarterly launched last year. Magazines, blogs and websites like www.allcoolmen.com are also helping men to transform into considerate, helpful and good looking new ones. In Hong Kong, more flexible parental leave is possible amongst bigger corporations, but legislated paid paternity leave is far from being implemented.

The old smoking, drinking macho men who think the enlightened ones are just under the thumb of their partners might have to rethink when they find themselves alone. Questioning old Confucian values and adapting to a society where women are not just accepting their fate, will be inevitable in order to get a wife in the future! However being a new good man does not mean that you are weak, or less manly, but it will not stop you from buying a family car, make-up or household appliances either. When consumption is such an important way for young people to express their identities, advertisers should look out for xinhaonanren’s - soon pushing prams in Beijing. The stereotype Asian man, only being interested in his career and self-satisfaction is in fact becoming more responsible to the family and to society. Soon they will be seeking parenting advice, shopping and posting baby pictures online, being part of the big social world we live in today.

As the rumour goes, most new good men can be found in Shanghai – finders keepers, but beware of copies!

For further information, please contact Mrs. Marie Claire Maxwell by e-mail!

– why do they beat the emos?

By: Jonna Olsson Engström 

Tribalization, life-style based social groups, is becoming increasingly common in Mexico, at least according to the number of newspaper articles published in the last few months. This spring, the media have been flooded with headlines about the phenomenon of urban tribes, such as fresas, darkis, punketos, darketos, salseros, poperos, rastafaris, ravers, eskatos, hiphoperos, and, above all, emos.

Emos, those young skinny kids dressed in tight jeans, striped t-shirts and a pair of Converse or Vans, with a long fringe and black make-up around their eyes, listening to groups such as 30 Seconds to Mars or My Chemical Romance, have had a tough time in Mexico this year. The culture is relatively new to Mexico, according to themselves they have been around for something like three years in Mexico City, and until now nobody has really noticed. But after this spring, everyone in the country knows about the emos.

It all started in March this year, when the news media published reports and footage of an emo-bashing in Queretaro, a city in central Mexico. Hundreds of youths flooded the main plaza, kicking and punching the emos in an attack allegedly organized over the Internet, shouting “Kill the emos”. This emo-bashing was followed by similar events in Mexico City, Durango and Colima. The dailies reported about emos feeling frightened to walk around in the city alone, about a young emo boy attacked by punketos who cut his hair, and about parents with emo daughters and sons worrying about their kids’ security.

Meanwhile, emos in Mexico fought back. Pro-emo, pro-tolerance rallies and demonstrations were staged, and commentators and city officials called for tolerance and peace.

But why do they beat the emos? There are a lot of urban tribes in Mexico, and, until now, the different groups have been if not welcomed then at least accepted. But for some reason, the emos are victims of violent outbursts, and it seems like all the other groups agree – the emos are a problem. But why?

The media have feverishly been trying to answer the question by interviewing emos as well as punketos and darketos, by talking to professors in youth culture, by quoting social workers and teachers, and by visiting the emo headquarters in order to describe the culture. The answers differ, though. In a televised interview a punketo, as an answer to the question why they beat the emos, simply explained: “Because they copy our style”. The punketos and darketos accuse the emos for not having any proper culture, just copying the others.

Others search for answers in the Mexican society. One of the most popular theories is that the emos challenge the Mexican “machismo”, because of their androgynous style. The emo boy sometimes wears make-up and dresses effimenately, still a provocative thing fore many people in today’s Mexico. Hence, according to an anthropologist from the country’s largest university interviewed in La Jornada, the fighting against the emos could be an expression of the rising conservatism in the country.

But maybe it is as simple as Rodrigo, a 25 year old who defines himself as “fresa alternativa” puts it: “Everyone is beating the emos, because the emos cannot defend themselves. They are helpless. They are all 15 or 16, skinny and fragile, while the punketos are at least 20-something.” Rodrigo himself wouldn’t ever beat an emo, but still, between him and his friends, the expression “it smells of emo” is used when talking about something unpleasant, uncool, and pretentious. The urban tribes in Mexico are many, and they do not all like each other.

For further information please contact Ms. Jonna Olsson Engström by e-mail!

...but there are examples of the trend "Tribalization"

By: Per H Nilsson

Tribalization exists in Malaysia among young people but is not as common as in the West. In general, individualism is not encouraged in society, family and friends set the standards for acceptable behavior. This is also emphasized in the schooling system where the students are seen as a collective and not as individuals.

But there are examples of Tribalization even in Malaysia, one being the notorious “Mat Rempit”, a Malaysian term for individuals that participate in illegal street racing with motorcycles and scooters. They usually travel in groups late in the evenings and ride their motorcycles in a dangerous, provocative manner. A search on YouTube will display several examples of this behavior.

However, youth in general do not try to distance themselves from their parents’ generation as many of their peers in the West; instead they tend to blend in with the rest. Family ties are very strong; parents have high expectations on their children and play an active part in their education and career choices. In Malaysia like in the rest of Asia respect for elders and authority figures like teachers is the norm, youth listen to them and are expected to follow their advice.

The National Youth Survey 2007 published by the opinion research firm Merdeka Center showed that the majority of Malaysian youth do not see themselves as being able to make a difference within their community. Youth are not inclined to join clubs or associations, only one out of every five in the poll reported being member of a group.

Malaysia today is a middle income country with strong economic growth. The objective is to be a fully developed country by year 2020. The growth is to a large extent consumer driven, Kuala Lumpurs’s many shopping centers lure people to spend their hard earned money. Post-materialism is not prevalent, to show success it is important to wear designer clothes and expensive accessories like brand name watches.

For further information please contact Per H Nilsson by e-mail!

The Hindu Business Line writes about Kairos Future's survey Global Youth:

"...A Swedish strategy group ‘Kairos Future’ conducted a global youth survey in 2007 covering 22,000 respondents from 17 countries belonging to both the developed and the developing world.

The survey concluded that the Danes and the young Indians were among the most optimistic people looking forward to the future of their societies with a great deal of hope and self confidence. The vast majority of our population is below the age of 35. "

Read the whole here!

Could you imagine a more personal and revealing statement than the choice of your life partner? Relationships and love, who you choose to lead your life with and who you choose as the parent (or future parent) of your children – these are all sensitive and crucial choices in a person’s life.

When we ask the mid-life generation about their private lives, most of them answer that their relationships are equal.

At the same time, both women and men agree that women perform a majority of the typical household chores and that they have the primary responsibility for childcare, according to Kairos Future’s recent survey Generation Ambition.

Are the relationships really equal or is love making us blind?
Read the whole article here!

Vom 21. bis zum 23. Mai veranstaltet Kairos Future den Kurs  "Scenario planning -
die Verbindung zwischen Zukunft und Strategie" in Amersfoort, Niederlande.

Hans Bandhold und Karin Andersson werden den Kurs in Englisch durchführen. Laden Sie sich hier die Broschüre zum Kurs "Scenario planning" herunter!

Dauer: 3 Tage
Datum: 21. - 23. Mai 2008
Ort: Amersfoort, ausserhalb von Amsterdam, Niederlande. Amersfoort ist in etwa 40 Minuten mit dem Zug vom Schipol Airport zu erreichen. Die genaue Anfahrtsbeschreibung wird Ihnen bei der Anmeldung mitgeteilt.
Preis: EUR 2100

Lesen Sie hier mehr über "Scenario planning"!

Melden Sie sich hier für den Kurs "Scenario planning" in den Niederlanden an! 

Bitte kontaktieren Sie den International Coordinator Sofia Johnsson für mehr Information:

per E-mail or Telefon: +46(0)8- 545 225 18!

– The newsletter is published and distributed by Kairos Future International AB

Issue: 2, year 2008
Date: March 18, 2008
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CONTENT:
FEATURE:
-    The generations that never learnt to cook
NEWS:
-    To run a family you need the right fuel! Kairos Future studies food futures in metropolitan families
-    The hottest trends in food shopping – Launching of Ridderheim report 2008
UPCOMING EVENTS:
-    Open Lectures in Copenhagen
-    Register for international course on Scenario Planning in May
------------------------------------------------------------------------

Dear reader,

Cookbooks sell like never before while fewer people cook regularly in their homes. Ordinary people blog in their everyday lives about recipes, food trends and gastronomic pleasures.  We become more and more aware of concepts such as glycemic index, Omega-3 and organic food but we also want to treat ourselves some everyday luxury and are getting increasingly picky when dining at restaurants.

Food concerns everyone! In this issue of Global Watching we focus on food without writing about tasty recipes. Read instead about the generations that never learnt to cook in an article by Birthe Linddal Hansen, senior consultant at Kairos Future Denmark, or about Kairos Future's new food study!

Enjoy your reading!

Best regards,
Sofia Johnsson
Editor
Kairos Future

------------------------------------------------------------------------

FEATURE:
Generations that never learnt to cook
By Birthe Linddal Hansen

Once upon a time, not many decades ago, making soup, baking bread, serving up a suitable cheeseboard and at least three types of biscuits was well within the capability of most housewives. Back then, there weren’t many cookery books. Thickening, making white sauce, stewing, proofing dough, baking, preserving and other techniques were at the fingertips of every housewife. Being able to bake and cook was just normal – everyone could do it, so there was no point in boasting about it. Of course, some were better at it than others. But if you couldn’t cook, well, that was a real stigma. Being a bad housewife/cook was about the worst reputation any woman could get for herself.

Read the whole article here!

For more information, please contact Birthe Linddal Hansen by e-mail or by phone: +45 30651110

------------------------------------------------------------------------
NEWS:

To run a family you need the right fuel! Kairos Future studies food futures in metropolitan families

What will be the areas for food innovation in the future?

That is the question that Kairos Future together with our main financer Findus, will try to answer within the scope of a new food study. The approach is to study the everyday life of families using methods derived from cultural studies, such as semi structured interviews, observation and video filming. The work is led by Dr. Eva Knuts, who reports: We have fifteen families who enthusiastically have started to document their everyday lives.  Our initial results are very interesting.

We can see different interesting rhythms: the rhythm of the weekend, the rhythm of everyday life and the rhythm of the normative systems. We can also see how people are struggling with the puzzle of everyday life. There is no such thing as perfect food, but there is functional food. "You shouldn’t feel bad just because your eating habits are bad sometimes”, reports a father of two children in the qualitative part of the study.

In April  we will follow up the results of the ethnographic field study  with a quantitative study. Then we will also extend invitations to leading experts on food and families. The experts will be gathered at a seminar on the future and identify areas of food innovation based on the results of the study using Kairos Future’s well established methods.

Right now we are extending a special offer to companies wanting to join our study. Are you interested in further information? Please call Dr. Pernilla Jonsson at +46-705522504

------------------------------------------------------------------------

The hottest trends in food shopping
Launching of Ridderheim report 2008

Trends within non-durables in general and food in particular are becoming increasingly important as focus areas when it comes to understanding consumers’ behaviors.

Food concerns everyone! “Food shopping says a lot about human behaviors and cultures and it is crucial to study food trends if we want to understand our future” says Magnus Kempe Senior Consultant at Kairos Future.

The Swedish company Ridderheims, a company that imports and produces delicacies, cooperates with Kairos Future and contributes with inspiration and trends within food and shopping. The first Ridderheim report was presented in 2007 and included the hottest trends within food during the last year. This year’s report focuses on consumers’ food shopping. Some of Sweden’s most prominent experts in the area have worked together and generated trends within shopping environments, food and shopping in France, Belgium, USA, the UK and Sweden.

For further information, please contact Senior Consultant Magnus Kempe at Kairos Future.

------------------------------------------------------------------------
UPCOMING EVENTS:
OPEN LECTURES IN COPENHAGEN
Kairos Future Denmark

Kairos Future Denmark now offers open lectures in Copenhagen on the following themes:

April 18, 2008: Ready for the shift of generations?
May 9, 2008: Environmental pollution - who cares?
May 23, 2008: Challenges for innovation
June 13, 2008: Re-writing the future

The open lectures will be held in English!

Please read more about the open lectures here! (The information is in Danish)

For more information about the open lectures in English, please contact Marie Skov Christensen at Kairos Future Denmark via e-mail or phone: +45 24603279

------------------------------------------------------------------------
COURSE IN HOLLAND MAY 21-23:

Register for international course on Scenario Planning!

On May 21-23 2008, Kairos Future will organize the course  "Scenario planning -
the link between future and strategy" in Amersfoort, the Netherlands. Hans Bandhold and Karin Andersson will hold the course in English.

Download and read the Scenario Planning brochure!

The ability to foresee, understand and shape the future is the key to an organization’s long-term performance. The program “Scenario planning – the link between future and strategy” gives you an opportunity to learn concrete methods in exploring the future and developing new strategies, based on insights from the future. The program will shift between practical tools and theories of future-based models and trend development.

Duration: 3 days
Dates: 21-23 May 2008
Place: Amersfoort, outside of Amsterdam, the Netherlands. Amersfoort is
located 40 minutes from Schipol Airport by train. Exact location will be communicated upon
registration.

Register here for the course on Scenario Planning in Holland!

Please contact International Coordinator Sofia Johnsson for more information:
by E-mail or by telephone: +46(0)8- 545 225 18!

------------------------------------------------------------------------
The newsletter Global Watching is distributed monthly free of charge to anyone who has registered as a subscriber and contains a selection of news and information on society and futures related issues. You are welcome to forward Global Watching free of charge to everyone you know and internally within your organization, with reference to the source.

Do you know someone who would like to subscribe to Global Watching? Please refer them to: http://www.kairosfuture.com/en/subscribe
The same link is used if you wish to unsubscribe.

Would you like to get in touch with us? Please visit our website www.kairosfuture.com/en, or contact us at the following address:

Kairos Future International AB
P.O. Box 804
(Street address: Vasagatan 40)
SE-101 36 Stockholm
Sweden

Tel. +46 8 545 225 00
Fax. +46 8 545 225 01
E-mail: info@kairosfuture.com

Kairos Future International AB is a Swedish futures research and strategy consulting firm that helps companies understand and shape their future. We have done youth surveys and values research for over a decade and possess unique methods to assess futures scenarios.

On May 21-23 2008, Kairos Future will organize the course  "Scenario planning -
the link between future and strategy" in Amersfoort, the Netherlands.

Hans Bandhold and Karin Andersson will hold the course in English. Download and read the Scenario Planning brochure!

Duration: 3 days
Dates: 21-23 May 2008
Place: Amersfoort, outside of Amsterdam, the Netherlands. Amersfoort is
located 40 minutes from Schipol Airport by train. Exact location upon
registration.
Price: EUR 2100

Read more about Scenario Planning here!

Register here for the course on Scenario Planning in Holland! 

Please contact International Coordinator Sofia Johnsson for more information:

by E-mail or by telephone: +46(0)8- 545 225 18!