Related to the monthly theme of the role of the countryside, May was kicked off with a discussion on the current attitudes toward telecommuting and working remotely. Since the 1980s, telecommuting has been seen as an important development path in the evolution of working. Currently, the initiative for remote working comes from the employee, and is not particularly well promoted as a possibility by the employer. In the future, it is important for employers and businesses to investigate and develop the possibilities for telecommuting and promote them in their organisations, as future employees consider them as a significant factor for choosing their employer.
Kari A. Hintikka discussed the possibilities of new technology in short-term foresight work. Information streams from the internet (Twitter, for example), enable organisations and common citizens to monitor developing trends in real-time as the crowds produce the information. Individual weak signals become streams of signals. The information streams are already utilised by various companies to monitor real-time consumer reactions or to anticipate growing trends that will fully emerge in the near future. The flip side of the coin is the potential for misinformation and panic boosted by the internet – for example, in the case of the global H1N1 swine flu outbreak.
The H1N1 influenza also prompted two bloggers to address the topic of risk management. Even though most of live in the safest environment in the history, we prepare for an unprecedented amount of various risks. Some of the risks are managed on a personal level, while others are handled on a societal level. The governmental policies for obtaining H1N1 vaccinations, for example, are under close scrutiny by the public eye, as the public is ready and willing to questions made by the authorities. Analysing and evaluating risks, and acting according to the evaluation results instead of panicking, is important on both societal level as on the economical level for individual businesses.