The consolidation of ownership will continue to drive the media industry in 2003, says Dr. Loy Singleton, professor and chair of the telecommunication and film department at The University of Alabama.
An American attack on Iraq will likely cause a drop in the stock market, a decline that will continue as long as the war goes on or if there is an increase in terrorist attacks on the United States, a University of Alabama finance professor predicts.
Healthy, low-calorie, conveniently packaged foods, snacks and beverages — requiring minimal or no preparation — will guide food trends for the coming year, predicts Dr. Ralph Lane, UA professor of nutrition and hospitality management.
Dr. Leonard Zumpano, professor of finance and director of the Alabama Real Estate Research and Education Center, says home buyers can look for mortgage rates to increase next year … if the economy continues to recover and the competition for loan money increases.
Changes in the department store industry will accelerate next year, says Dr. Robert Robicheaux, Bruno Professor of Retail Marketing and director of the Hess Institute for Retailing Development at The University of Alabama.
As sports utility vehicles grow more popular, more Americans take to the road in them. But as the possibility of another war in the Middle East looms in 2003, SUV drivers may be forced to leave their big rigs at home, suggests Dr. Dan Turner, professor of civil and environmental engineering at The University of Alabama College of Engineering.
Online Shopping will continue to grow in usage in 2003, predicts Dr. Barrie Jo Price, a University of Alabama professor in the College of Human Environmental Sciences’ Institute for Interactive Technology.
The upcoming year will define Bob Riley’s term as governor and may include the Republican governor calling for some sort of tax or fee increase to assist in the state’s funding crisis, predicts the chairman of The University of Alabama’s political science department.
Palm size computers and special purpose devices will continue to flourish in the coming year, forecasts Dr. Allen Parrish, associate professor of computer science and director of the CARE Research and Development Laboratory at The University of Alabama.
President George W. Bush will lose his bid for re-election if the United States goes to war in 2003 against Iraq, predicts a University of Alabama expert in military and political affairs.