"To survive in our highly competitive marketplace, business owners must tune into prevailing trends," write C. Britt Beemer and Robert L. Shook in the introduction to IT TAKES A PROPHET TO MAKE A PROFIT. Market-research professional Beemer and business writer Shook--who previously collaborated on Predatory Marketing--then lay out 15 significant directional shifts now appearing on the national and global horizon that are "likely to impact your business." Some of these may be more widely recognized than others ("More Americans Are Caring for Their Aging Parents" vs. "Dual-Income Families Are Becoming Single-Income Families," for example), but the key is in how Beemer and Shook dig out the details, making them relevant to today's world of commerce and industry (i.e., precisely how each shift may affect consumer behavior both directly and indirectly, and ways businesses can take this into account). "It doesn't take a prophet to recognize that the ability to spot trends is vital to all managers and entrepreneurs," the authors conclude. "A business thrives by anticipating and then planning what will be, which is why understanding trends is essential." IT TAKES A PROPHET TO MAKE A PROFIT is an insightful and fast-paced read for managers looking for ideas on how to shape their businesses going forward. --Howard Rothman