Strategic future scenarios and trend forecasting. Trend forecasting can be used successfully for the short term while scenario planning is the advisable option for understanding longer-term futures.

Strategic Scenarios of the future operating environment in South Africa

• provide insights allowing decision-makers to interact with future possibilities
• indicate parameters to be monitored
• broadly assess the limits of future risk

In order to do this, a wide range of different factors and their interaction have to be taken into consideration i.e.

• the economy
• socio-economic conditions
• population demographics
• politics and policy
• administration and policy implementation
• The impact of technology