Technology Revolution: The Future of Now

CRM 2013: Remember me?If you thought your customers were very demanding in 2012, wake up and smell the coffee in 2013! Is your sales team skilled enough in the art and budding-science of social monitoring and sentiment analysis to handle it? Are you analyzing field-fresh customer data and giving sales the 360-view needed to make smarter sales? Do you know when and where to use push vs. pull marketing? Are your CMO and CIO equipped to lead the way? So many questions – and our panel has answers. Big Data Power 2013: Fast, faster and wow! How is your company coping with the deluge of big data, so far? Can you tell the difference between big data and good data, in time to make the right decisions? Does your sales team have the super-fresh information they need to close more profitable deals faster? You've heard about the power and benefits of in-memory computing, but is it hype or real? So many questions – and our panel has answers. Join us for Big Data Power 2013: Fast, faster and wow!

Truth time! On a scale of 1 to 10, rate your corporate social responsibility program. If it's below 5 (you know who you are), our experts may inspire you to raise the bar in 2013. Daniel Elliott: "International corporate volunteer programs are a win-win-win proposition. The host organizations gain access to pro bono world-class consulting services, volunteers gain a unique, once-in-a-lifetime experience, and companies enhance their brand and increase exposure to new markets." Rebecca Wang: "The betterment of our society is not a job to be left to a few. It is a responsibility to be shared by all." - David Packard Brittany Lothe: Plan like a pessimist, think like a realist, act like an optimist and–above all–love what you do." Evan Welsh: "Garbage can be good." (Referring to Evan's mission to create a communications plan for the "catadores" garbage collector association in Brazil.) Join us for smart business talk about the value of corporate social responsibility.

Your company's Social Media IQ. Do you know the score? If you haven't checked recently, or it's embarrassingly low, do something now – yes, this second day of 2013. Why? Because in the time it takes to read this, zettabytes of fresh social media intelligence are whooshing by. If you're not listening, capturing, analyzing and taking action on rich business data, you may miss the boat all year. Our experts know what it takes to achieve a Mensa-level Social Media IQ. Amber Mac: "If content is king, then conversion is queen. - John Munsell, CEO/co-founder of Bizzuka Arthur Bailey: "You cannot control what people say online about your company, but you can manage and track the volumes of conversation." Schalk Viljoen: If everything seems under control, you`re just not going fast enough. - Mario Andretti, world champion racing driver Pour a cup of Joe, Earl or OJ (or leftover Dom), and join us at the game-changers' table for smart business talk to kickoff a positively game-changing New Year!

Although 2012 holiday gift-giving is officially over, we've got another present for you: Game-Changers 2013 Predictions – Part 2. Yes, more than a dozen thought leaders (guests on previous Coffee Break and In the Cloud programs) will gaze into the SAP Game-Changers Radio crystal ball, joining our 14 experts from last week's program. Their collective gift is a smorgasbord of insights into the technologies, strategies, people and trends that can help you grow your business and compete better in 2013 and beyond. Pour a cup of Joe, Earl, OJ or Dom, and pull up a chair at the game-changers' table for smart business talk and good cheer. You're invited to Tweet your comments during the show to #SAPRadio. Please accept our best wishes for a positively game-changing New Year!

What's on your holiday business wish list this year? If it's a crystal ball to help you predict what 2013 will bring for your company, we've got the next best thing. Today and next week, more than two dozen thought leaders from previous Coffee Break and In the Cloud programs will gather to gaze into the SAP Game-Changers Radio crystal ball. Their gift to you: a grab-bag of insights into the technologies, strategies, people and trends that can help you grow and compete better next year and beyond. Pour a cup of Joe, Earl, OJ or Dom, and join us at the game-changers' table for smart business talk and good cheer on Game-Changers 2013 Predictions – Part 1. And mark your calendar to listen live to Part 2 on Dec. 26. You're also invited to Tweet your comments at #SAPRadio.

Social entrepreneurship. Yes, good things do come in small packages. The experts speak. Alexandra van der Ploeg: "Donating money is easy, volunteering in the traditional sense is easy, but is it effective? Corporate social responsibility should not be about philanthropy, but about leveraging capital, technology or talent to truly create an impact in the communities we work in." Anne B. Evans: "Social entrepreneurship is love and respect in action." Patrick Furlong: "I believe in the importance of data and statistics…but it is the connection we feel to one another that moves us most strongly to act and make a positive and lasting difference in our communities." Rob Henning: "Get your team and strategy right, so you, as the entrepreneur, can focus on thinking about how to grow your business and have a business plan. Without the right team and a clear understanding of the market, most people will take a pass on financing your business." Join us for Social Entrepreneurship: The Power of Small

Banks and big data. Risky business, according to our experts. Simon Paris: "As reported more or less daily, banks continue to face multiple risk and compliance challenges – are they not willing or not able to do proper risk and compliance management?" Ralph Silva: "Banks have to find some humility and realise that retailers, auto companies and grocery chains are far better at managing and mining data than they are. Steal it if you can." Jane Griffin: "It's understanding the risks in the market and how I respond to those risks or any other components that might jeopardize my success." Craig Rich: "The price of light is less than the cost of darkness -- A.C. Nielsen. "Too often organizations are challenged with creating a business case for improving their data and analytical capabilities. In today's competitive landscape, it is not whether you can afford to invest in analytics but whether you can afford not to." Join us for Banks' Big Data Risks: Analytics to the Rescue

Corporate banking. If your treasury department is in a stranglehold with your bank, you're not alone. Richard Walker: "For commercial banks, the imperative is on improving customer experience and becoming easier to do business with through ease of integration, data and process transparency..." Olli Kähkönen: "When you walk through a storm, hold your chin up high...At the end of the storm is a golden sky... (Lyrics: You'll Never Walk Alone) Robert Grimes: "With everything from supermarket chains (e.g. Tesco, Sainsbury, Walmart) to technology giants (e.g. Google, Paypal/eBay) entering the financial services sector, banks have a new challenge to not only compete with their own kind but also with completely new players." Tom McAllister: "Demand for new revenue sources driven by capital needs, and mitigation of short- to mid-term geographic risk, is causing many banks to look beyond their borders for other sources of capital." Join us for Corporate Banking: Show Me the Money.

UI (user interface) is king. Why? If software UI is not beautiful, easy, intuitive – and fun – even the most brilliant engineers and designers will fail to please their intended business or consumer end-user audience. The experts speak. Bill Newman: "Over-burdened knowledge workers are tasked with doing more with less. With the economy picking up, particularly in the US market, these 'technocrats' demand access to necessary, complex information in easy to use, engaging means." Anders Raft: "The art of teaching kids to gamble is that there is no teaching needed. Ella Morgulis: "Easy, fun, user-friendly WORK experience at work is no longer an oxymoron; it is a requirement today. The 'iron curtain' between work and consumer experience have fallen." Mariano Kristensen: "As far as the customer is concerned, the interface is the product." - Jef Raskin (1943-2005), human-computer interface expert at Apple, 1970s Join us for more insights on All About the UI: Technology without the gory details.

Charge! If you're a greenie eying an EV (electric vehicle) as your next car, there's a lot to consider: battery pack size, driving range of plug-in hybrids like C-Max Energi or Volt vs. all-electric Leaf, power grid impacts, ongoing costs and more. The experts speak: Christine Hertzog: "A consumer-centric EV market maturity model could help accelerate EV adoption. Alaa Owaineh: "The world is increasingly urban, and cities are an important part of any strategy to build smarter, more sustainable energy systems." Sam Jaffe: "Teach your mouth to say 'I don't know' and then progress will be made.--Maimonides Maurizio Cattaneo: "In the more densely populated areas of the world, electric vehicles will soon make up 10-15% of the vehicles on the road. They may not sound like many, but if all would charge at the same time, today's electricity grid would not be able to cope and blackouts would be almost inevitable." Join us for more insights on Charge! Driving Global Electro-mobility.