The Tesla Model S electric car costs $70,000. The Apple iPhone 5s costs from $199 to $399, depending on the gigabyte storage. But they both use lithium-ion batteries. And that may be the common denominator linking the two companies.

A stake is more than a share. And as consumers — all types of consumers —understand their stake in the products, services, issues and people they choose, the better equipped they will be to influence producers and providers.

“What did he know, and when did he know it?” These probing questions are probably asked more than any others when attempting to learn vital details about public institutions and the people who run them.

“Predictions are difficult, especially when they are about the future!” So said Niels Bohr, 1922 winner of the Nobel Prize in physics. That particular witticism, however, does not deter the annual exercise of predicting outcomes for the year ahead. Here are a number of consumer-related trends gleaned from aggregated sources we may see play out in 2014.

I’m not so sure about this. Consumers who smoke, some who don’t and others who would like to quit are experimenting with new e-cigarettes. An ever-growing number of smokers, or former smokers, are just outright switching to the new electronic smoking device that delivers nicotine but emits no smoke, only vapor.

Over the years, consumers have added the content on desktops as one of their sources of news, information and entertainment. Along with television and, to a lesser extent, print, consumer eyeballs are now fixed on more communication platforms than ever. The most impressive shift, however, is from desktops to smartphones and tablets. And advertising dollars are following.

Although Kodak developed digital technology and invested billions of dollars in digital imaging, its business model failed to recognize and transition the foundation of the company into a brand that could claim the creation of a whole new category of imaging.

“Only in Arkansas.” That’s the theme of one of the state’s larger banking enterprises headquartered in Searcy. The “only” theme also appears in marketing messages for two Arkansas Scholarship Lottery games, the Natural State Jackpot and Arkansas 50/50. Have you heard of or played these games?

Having long been a supporter of state lotteries for the funding of public programs, I’m compelled to admit the promotion of the Arkansas Scholarship Lottery continues to be a puzzlement. By promotion I mean the marketing communications strategy targeting Arkansas consumers.

The frugal consumer always likes the best deal. Looking for leadership in the low-cost category, consumers are willing to be loyal to a brand if the price is right, and right consistently. That’s why marketers who adopt “cost leadership” as their primary strategy consider price not as a tactic, but as a day-in and day-out mission.

After losing 25 percent of its overall business in 2012, and posting a first-quarter sales drop of 16 percent over the same period last year, the J.C. Penney board brought to an end CEO Ron Johnson’s 17-month tenure and his revamped pricing strategy.

Increased housing starts and improved values are relating to increases in other areas, like pick-up truck sales. Here’s how they all connect.

Get on board. The train is leaving the station. The housing industry is back on track and moving out. And along with it, consumer confidence is improving, adding value to a growing economy that is chugging ahead nonetheless.

How much is it? At what point in a possible transaction do consumers ask this question or look at the product tag for the answer? Is it the first thing on their minds? Or perhaps it’s simply a variable, an element in the mix of considerations weighing on whether or not a consumer decides to make a purchase. And what part does the promotion of price play in the give and take between buyers and sellers?

In the midst of a corporate crisis, knowing is not enough. It is the doing, and relying on what has been done, that are the first steps to recovery and redemption.