In a recent survey of nearly 100 pharmaceutical and life science market research executives conducted by my company InCrowd, 80% identified their respective brand as being in a volatile market, characterized by disruption and uncertainty.

This week's round-up brings you the latest insights from a variety of industry analysts at top market research publishers, including The Freedonia Group, Packaged Facts, and Simba Information.

Plus, don't miss a new thought-provoking article written by MarketResearch.com Founder and CEO Robert Granader tackling the thorny issue of fake news and fake research.

There is a famous New Yorker cartoon with one dog sitting in front of a desk-top computer telling another dog: “On the internet, nobody knows you’re a dog.”

It appeared in 1993.

And now 24 years later the problem of internet identity has moved from a punch line to the front lines of business, news, politics and commerce.

Self-driving cars represent the next generation of personal vehicles. Self-driving cars with artificial intelligence are starting to be used in 2017 and will gain more use in 2018.

By 2021, all the new personal vehicles being sold will have autonomous capability, which has the potential to increase performance and safety dramatically. 

MarketResearch.com, the leading provider of global market intelligence products and services, recently announced a partnership with Carahsoft Technology Corp., a trusted government IT solutions provider. Through this agreement, MarketResearch.com’s Kalorama Information Knowledge Center is now available to government agencies via Carahsoft’s GSA Schedule Contract, which helps to streamline the ordering process for federal employees.

Quickly scan important new findings on the markets for dog toys, health care, professional services, textbooks, and more.

Plus, download a new white paper from Packaged Facts, Terminology Tempest in the Dairy Case, which explores the debate over the use of the words “milk” or “butter” to describe plant-based alternatives.

Check any trade magazines such as Microwaves & RF or Microwave Journal, and it rapidly becomes clear that most manufacturers of RF modules offer their products in connectorized form. In this context, connectorized means metal or plastic containers that have standard coaxial connectors screwed into place for the signal lines. But this somewhat old-fashioned approach is steadily coming to an end — or at least toward merely a trickle.

Life sciences tends to be a source of competitive and investor interest, because of its potential role in fighting disease and increasing human health. We asked one of our publishers, Kalorama Information, to talk about its recently published market studies. The publisher noted the following areas of health care.

The professional services market is growing rapidly, according to the recently published report Professional Services Market Global Report 2017 by The Business Research Company. The market is forecast to register a 5.4% growth rate from 2016 to 2020, reaching almost $5 trillion.

The last decade has been filled with unexpected events, from the global financial crisis to Brexit to the election of President Donald Trump. The reputations of polling companies have taken a public beating, and data gathered from surveys, interviews, and focus groups may fall under increased scrutiny as a result.

Given the current climate of volatility, how can consumer insight professionals, research analysts, and marketers choose the right forecasting methods and make meaningful predictions with confidence?