The new age has arrived - three technology laws are driving the new economy:

• Moore's law : Computer power doubles every 18 months
• Gilder's law: Bandwidth doubles every 12 months
• Metcalfe's law : Effectiveness increases exponentially with connectivity

Individuals and companies worldwide are now electronically linked. The rules of the game are changing. The driving principles of the new economy are not new, but taken together they constitute a revolution in the rules of business.

Fast-forward a Century:

• How does Abbott/Ross today compare with Moores & Ross Milk Co. in 1903?
• How do we apply the accelerating changes in the new economy to help our own business?

Development Speed:

• Time - speedup a matter of survival. Example: After conventional estimates of 3-years, Kodak’s new digital cameras was developed in 10 months.
• How long does it take Abbott/Ross to develop a new product?
• What are the barriers to faster development?

The Human Genome Project:

• A significant new inflection point with revolutionary and startling consequences for humans and life as we know it.
• The changes in the next century will be more significant than past several millennia.

Lifespan extension:

• Technology will enhance biology through the virtual elimination of disease and significant increase in longevity.
• There will be several new population segments.

Custom food & medication:

• Implications of new genetically engineered products.
• In the future, people will have access to their own individual genome sequence for custom food & medication.
• Will there be custom-blends of Similac and Ensure?

Trans-Human:

• Some people suggest that synthetic intelligence will inevitably exceed human capabilities within the next few decades.
• Fringe-thinkers are already discussing trans-human and post-human societies.
• How will Abbott/Ross products nourish new and different types of humans? Or, is that unthinkable?

Get ready for change:

• The new millennium brings with it enormous changes in all areas of human consciousness.
• Significant philosophical, ethical, moral, legal, sociological and spiritual questions must be answered, as we move forward in a new century and millennium.