Friederike Mueller-Friemauth

This book describes the broad guidelines of economic futures research. Focus is on the foundation:

•*on the understanding of modern natural sciences (quantum physics) which intensively relates to modern futures research;
•*on the disciplinary core question (managing complexity), the research program and understanding of empiricism;
•*as well as on the connection to economic sciences (in which economic tradition do futures research stand?).

The book is divided into eight chapters: The Introduction (1) lays the foundation of our conceptual proposal. Then the creation of futures research is pursued: conceptually but also geographically and socio-cultural (2). The following chapters explain the theoretical basis: first the initial questions of the discipline; an unique and specific understanding of complexity and strategic action (3). This is followed by the actual research program (4), the understanding / model of science (5) and two central paradigms (6), as well as the economic concept of futures research (7). At the end some current political and economic themes are discussed (8): What do achieve scientific futures research, what about science that goes beyond: Where is the beef? There are philosophical principles and boundaries of this "mentality" of research, a special term of criticism and first projections and hypotheses for a longtime perspective.

The Smart is exceptional within the automotive industry – a radical innovation that appeared on European mar-kets in 2001 as a result of more than 20 years of mobility research. In this study the genesis of the small town car is traced as an example for a complex corporate foresight process, in order to reassess some of the central hypo-theses about conditions and quality standards of intra-group foresight. The focus is on similarities and differen-ces to the dominant economic discourse on strategic ma-nagement of innovation and future. From the authors’ point of view these relations will finally be classified and evaluated in a critical epilogue on science.

This book presents an alternative economy master image, as it is in Silicon Valley to find. The authors explore how in companies on the US West Coast decisions are made, and demonstrate how business success can be achieved by a mental anticipation of the future. To understand what drives the Californian economy, the authors operate with instruments of futures research: regarding the perception of science, special methods and the central research perspective. They show that the future-empathic entrepreneurial mindset that shapes the economy of the Silicon Valley is open to any company.

It is above all sociology and media theory which to an increasing extent are providing impulses for redefining the modern semantics of the concept of time. At the focus of attention here is the explication of the present and, as an indirect consequence, a chronodiagnostically founded discrimination of the concept of future. The discourse is concerned with the semantic field of simultaneity, synchronisa-tion and above all " presentism ". The background and motive of this discussion are on the one hand transformations in the modern scientific view of the world, but on the other hand new descriptions of social reality—particularly of decision-making and actions under conditions of complexity and thus of uncertainty. The article deals with the question of whether this discourse , which is taking place on a number of conceptual levels predominantly within the German-speaking world, affects the interests of future research, and if so, how. The authors base their investigation on practical questions developed from the point of view of organisations: What does this discussion mean for the future plans of institutions and political and economic organisations? The article begins by offering a scientific classification of the debate, before underlining its most important defining concepts. Finally, the authors outline the initial methodological consequences for future-oriented action within organisations that would be appropriate considering the complex, dynamic conditions currently prevalent in our economy and society.