By "Female Think" , she means "a new set of values that shift marketing consciousness from a hierarchical model to a familiar one". The basis of this is that there are very marked differences between women and men, including their way of thinking. The trend indicates that more account will have to be taken of the female way of thinking. Everyone is convinced that these differences between men and women exist, but, as Popcorn observes, absolutely no account is taken of them in organisations' marketing efforts.

"Mancipation", is closely linked to "Female Think". In this case the man decides to stay at home full or part time to look after the children. According to Faith Popcorn men have suppressed their intuition for far too long and have blindly followed normal expectations. This trend confirms a reversal in which men will choose a particular sex role of their own free will.

"Anchoring" concerns the return to customs from the past, an important part of which is the rediscovery of spiritual values. The return to eastern and western religions should be seen as part of this.

"Bigness=Badness". In the future companies will look substantially different. It is clear to Popcorn that they will put the accent on cooperation and will put a very high value on relationships. The company of the future will be smaller in size, and very large companies will be experienced as smaller (e.g. by subdivision).

By understanding the kinds of trends Popcorn is anticipating, job hunters will be able to research companies and organizations which are likely to prosper in the new environment and pre-emptively access opportunities.

BioTechnology

May 05, 1998

The recent cloning of Dolly the sheep focused worldwide attention on the broad scientific field of biotechnology.

This is a burgeoning field, which will continue to grow in size and scope for the foreseeable future.

If you have an interest in biotech, an excellent resource is Bio Online, which claims to be "the most comprehensive Internet site for information and services related to biotechnology and pharmaceutical research, combining resources of the biotechnology companies, biotechnology centers, research and academic institutions, industry suppliers, government agencies, and non-profit special interest groups."

The site has several sections, including a Career Center, which not only contains job listings, but also has sections devoted to Career Management Articles (by Search Masters International), a Job Hunter's Guide and a Career Discussion Forum.

Many of the jobs listed are scientific in orientation. Nonetheless, this field supports all disciplines in its infrastructure.

Much of the advice available at the site, however, has general application to Career Management and Job Search, and, as such, is definitely worth checking out.

If for no other reason, this site is a good source of market intelligence on the biotechnology industry and can provide advanced warning as to which companies are most likely to be in the market for employees or contract workers.

Viruses and Hoaxes

May 04, 1998Viruses represent a very real threat to the security of your business and the evolution of commerce on the Internet. We've had recent virus experiences with purchased mailing lists (an infected Microsoft Excel spreadsheet) and no longer open files attached to email unless we know the source. With our computers online all the time, Noton Anti-Virus (for the PCs) and Symantec Anti-Virus (for the Macs) get a constant workout. The best solution is to install anti-viral software and keep it updated. Most software vendors provide regularly downloadable monthly upgrades.

Recently, we've been on the receiving end of a spate of concerned warnings. Typically, the concerned correspondent will be forwarding on a piece of email describing a virus. In the body of the letter will be a copy of the original note suggesting the urgency of "getting the word out to as many people as possible" or making sure that "your staff knows about this one." Often, they concern email viruses.

With so many different email readers using so many different operating systems, the odds that an effective email virus could be generated are quite small. Before you react to one of these notices, be sure to notice whether the warning tells you about the operating system (Windows, Mac, Unix etc) that the virus will interact with. There are as many, if not more, virus hoaxes as there are actual viruses.

Good security means avoiding panic. Before you respond to a message about a virus, be sure to check out Virus Myths (which includes an alphabetical list of hoaxes and a good overview of the unnecessary hysteria surrounding the arena).

If you take one thing away from this short article, let it be this: Viruses are very real but the hysteria surrounding them is even more alarming. Before you take a preventive action, make sure you can confirm the information you act on. Please don't pass information about viruses on to your mailing lists without confirming that the info is true.