Does Futures Research have a corporate role?

The author suggests that Futures Research is an indispensible initial step in the Strategic Planning process. For various reasons, including executives' belief that futurism is not “businesslike”, it appears unwarranted to establish a Futures Research group independent of the Strategic Planning department. In view of the repeated and serious predictions of the demise of the corporation, what could be a better Futures Research project than to seek ways of reversing these forecasts?