ABSTRACT
This chapter looks at cyclical and linear change next, followed by a review of the four mega changes – in technology, resources, social change, and climate change. There are two major types of change: cyclical and linear. Cyclical change keeps swinging back and forth, such as boom and bust. The internet has decimated the high street, with one in six UK shops empty, and with some prophesying that the number could rise to 40 per cent. Especially hard hit were book and record stores, whose customers went to Amazon. Perhaps the biggest impact of technology will be automation, followed by job losses. Robotics and automation are set to cut swathes of jobs. Many technologies around the corner merely enhance or supersede existing products. Many factors are at work in the economy and in people’s behaviour. Political changes are both linear and cyclical. Over time businesses become subject to ever more stringent rules. Voters oscillate between laissez-faire and dirigiste governments.
