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The purpose of this paper is the foresight of new forms of intellectual activity in society.

This research examines the ways of predicting the development of intellectual activity. To reveal the topic, the author uses semiotics and the method of building possible worlds. The author explores intellectual activity in terms of sign systems. From this angle, the logic of the narrative expresses the order of the organization of intellectual activity. This approach reveals the connections between images of possible worlds and decision-making methods.

The author conceptually outlines the forms of intellectual activity in a globalized society. A globalized society is a complex of political, economic, cultural and scientific ties that spread throughout the world. The foresight of new forms of intellectual activity allows conceptually sketching the practical use of proper decision-making methods. These methods involve the use of artificial machine intelligence, collective intelligence, etc. Forms of intellectual activity are related to the worldbuilding that cause the development of culture through the development of knowledge. The description of forms of intellectual activity shows a promising way of humanitarian research in a globalized society.

The research implies technological metaphors related to the history of culture and the role of intellectual activity in it.

The author examines the practical possibilities of applying traditional humanities for the development of new forms of intellectual activity in a globalized society.

In the social space, exposing the effectiveness of traditional humanities helps to assess the consequences of using intellectual activity in practice.

The originality of this research is associated with the identification of links between the conceptual provisions of semiotics and the method for building possible worlds.

Changes in the financial services sector, brought about by new legislation and increased competition, have led to many institutions turning to marketing as a means of adjustment. Building societies, in particular, have been placed in a situation where the development of marketing is crucial to corporate performance. In this scenario, marketing information systems should serve to underpin and strengthen the marketing concept in its implementation phase. Suggests, via empirical evidence, that current strategies deployed by smaller building societies for the development of marketing information systems may actually fall short in terms of marketing intelligence.

Building societies developed in the second half of the 18th century when country people came flooding into the towns and cities to provide the workforce for the new factories. Faced with a lack of suitable housing in industrial centres, more enterprising and prosperous workers clubbed together to build their own homes. The first building society was established in Birmingham in 1775.

Proposes three phases in the emergence of an information society. Identifies these as the previously dominant industrial society, the capitalist system, the Cold War and the emerging view of culture as information. Concludes the information society consists of two major processes: production and consumption.

Time is a man‐made phenomenon. Thus, it may also be owned. Ownership of time has been a decisive factor in the creation of affluence in societies throughout history. When a society has changed, it is only with changes in the ownership of time that the new society reaches its full effect. Right now, we live in an information society in which the ownership changed from that of the industrial society. The process of change is not easy. It creates problems at work and in the family. But where is the ownership of time going to in the next phase of society, the dream society? Have we already started to practise for the next change?

Regarding the information society’s outcome, the only certainty is that there has been a revolution in the management of bit‐split knowledge and information. A flood of information has not significantly changed society in a direction or towards a state where a community could be characterized as a society of nearness, experience or citizenship, for example. Information and knowledge are probably the very concepts that have been confused most in the information society debate. Knowledge is to be understood as a phenomenon that is larger than information but uses information as its building material. Wisdom is additionally considered to include and cover the questions for which there are no unambiguous answers. It is wisdom that people use to estimate and distinguish good from evil and right from wrong. This is a task that calls for wisdom which computers do not have. Potential growth of wisdom in the information society is an issue that is difficult or impossible to say anything about with certainty. The reality of an information society includes the fact that wisdom is connected to moral and ethical judgements, and that the solutions are not always stronger than the powerseeking choices or egoistic interests of individuals, businesses, communities or states. Even if wisdom should promote the common good, it seems to be used, to an equal degree, to exclusively promote the good of the wise individual. But is it still wisdom we are talking about?

This paper describes the approach taken by the Norwich and Peterborough Building Society (the Society) in implementing models, policies and practices to meet the expected requirements of the third Capital Adequacy Directive as described in consultation papers issued by the Basel Committee, the EU and the Financial Services Authority. The Society is a medium‐sized mutual retail banking operation in the UK providing savings, current accounts and mortgage lending services to approximately half a million customers and operates predominantly in the East Anglia area of England.

Legislative changes have opened up new opportunities for building societies in Britain to operate as retail banks offering a wide range of services. These organisations have operated very successfully in their traditional role for many years and have acquired a favourable generic image. The factors underlying consumer perceptions of the images of building societies are explored and compared with those relating to banks. Findings are presented to suggest that, although the building societies retain a generally favourable image, there are aspects of it that may hinder their successful operation in new markets. There is no evidence of the existence of distinct images for particular societies. Possible marketing implications of the findings are considered.

This article appraises the current marketing policies of the building societies and suggests an alternative strategy based upon an assessment of the motivations of investors and the dynamics of the funds market. In particular a short review of the societies' growth over the previous decade shows their extremely successful performance (giving timely perspective to the recent and well‐publicised difficulties of the movement), but a detailed analysis of the marketing programmes and “products” offered by the societies does suggest that societies as a whole have been slow to adapt to the maturity and size of the market in which they now operate. It is argued that these delays have accentuated the recent difficulties of the movement, and clearly they hold serious longer‐term threats to growth. Finally a strategy of market segmentation is outlined which is based upon the heterogeneity of investors and the nature of competition for funds.