This is visionary thinking, and after all vision is the very stuff that strategy is founded upon. The thinking behind the strategy is important because understanding the thought process highlights why geographical information can be strategic. A change of management thinking, often referred to as a paradigm shift, is taking place. The old paradigm, leading to business strategy based upon efficiency and economies of scale, can be seen to have failed many companies recently, for example, General Motors, IBM, and Wang Computers. The mass market is dead.
Mass communications are less effective than targeted advertising.
Information captured at point of sale gives the retailer enhanced power vis a vis the manufacturer. Information from the point of sale can help forge a strong relationship with the customer. Maintaining state of the art technology in a wide number of areas is increasingly difficult. The cost of information technology has reduced to a level which makes it viable to make information available within and between organisations to the manager who needs that information. In the above areas geographical information is fundamental to releasing the potential of new business relationships.