The considerable differences between Shell and Nokia, in terms
both of their businesses and the kinds of uncertainty they faced, allowed to more clearly observe contrasting patterns in the data regarding the selection of foresight practicesand techniques and at the same time enhanced the generalizability of our conclusions regarding their use for strategic decision making. On the other hand, it is critical to note that our work is based on two focal firms and thus on a limited number of cases. We selected our theoretical sample according to the main purpose of this paper that is - as typical of case study research - to develop theory: the next step is empirical testing(Eisenhardt, 1989). Future research may build upon our work to explore the cases of other firms and investigate the role of strategic foresight versus flexible approaches in sustaining the performance of the organization in fast-paced environments (Teece,
2007)