The present paper focuses on the computer-based technologies supporting Corporate
Foresight (CF): how companies use technologies to anticipate future trends and detect weak
signals.
The research focuses on a multiple case-study in seven companies in four different
industries that perform CF with a different degree of expertise. The paper highlights and
describes the different technologies that are used, subdividing them in knowledge
management technologies, semantic technologies and network technologies.
The different technologies have been related to the phases of the process of CF, to the
amount of resources needed to implement them and, taking a contingent approach, to the
different needs in terms of turbulence of the different industry sectors (in terms of dynamicity
and uncertainty).
Finally, the research relates the different clusters of technologies to CF performance
measures and draws hypothesis on their influence on CF performances.
