Discussions

BUS 499

Reference/Textbook: Strategic Management: Concept and Cases: Competitiveness and Globalization (10th Edition)

Author/s: Hitt, M. A., Ireland, R. D., & Hoskisson, R. E. (2013) â Mason, OH; South-Western Centage Learning.

WEEK 1

Discussion 1

"Strategic Competitiveness" Please respond to the following:

• From the first e-Activity, determine which of the two primary drivers of the competitive landscape is more influential. Explain your rationale.
• Explain which model (I / O model or resource-based model) you believe will best help a firm in the industry you researched earn above-average returns.

Discussion 2

"Managementâs Responsibility" Please respond to the following:

• From the second e-Activity, determine the level of responsibility management had for the business failure you researched. Provide specific examples to support your response.
• Create a list of three best practices that not only would have helped the company you researched from failure, but would also apply to the rest of the industry your company was part of. Explain your rationale for selecting these best practices.

eActivities

• Use the Internet to research an industry with a significant impact on your local economy (e.g., autos in Michigan or oil in Louisiana). Be prepared to discuss.
• Use the Internet to research a business failure. Be prepared to discuss.

WEEK 2

Discussion 1

"Union Pacific Corporation" Please respond to the following:

• Perform an analysis of the social / demographic, technological, economic, environmental / geographic, and political/legal / governmental segments to understand the general environment facing Union Pacific.
• Describe how Union Pacific will be affected by each of these external factors.

Discussion 2

"Five Forces of Competition Model" Please respond to the following:

• From the e-Activity, analyze the industry you selected using the Five Forces of Competition Model to determine the impact of each of the five forces.
• Based on your analysis, determine if the industry is attractive or unattractive. Explain your rationale.

eActivity

• Use the Internet to research the industry of your choice in light of the Five Forces of Competition Model. Be prepared to discuss.

WEEK 3

Discussion 1

"Strong Brands" Please respond to the following:

• Several companies use their brand as a competitive advantage. Given your knowledge about the global economy, identify three brands you believe have the strongest likelihood of remaining a source of advantage in the 21st Century and explain why.
• Explain the effects you believe the Internetâs capabilities will have on the brands you identified in the previous discussion and what the owner of the brand should do in light of them.

Discussion 2

"Internal Environment" Please respond to the following:

• From the e-Activity, analyze the internal environment of the company you researched to determine that companyâs strengths and weaknesses.
• Based on the strengths and weaknesses you discovered, determine what steps the company could take to positively impact the companyâs competitiveness. Explain your rationale.

eActivity

Use the Internet to research a company of your choice with a focus on the companyâs internal environment. Be prepared to discuss.

BUS 340

Reference/Textbook: Secret of Power Negotiating (3rd Edition)

Author/s: Dawson, R. (2011) â Franklin Lakes, NJ: The Career Press.

WEEK 1

Discussion 1

"Creating a Deadlock" Please respond to the following:

• Specify the importance of creating deadlock, sometimes, in the negotiation process. Compare two (2) techniques that a negotiator can use in order to establish a deadlock, and specify whether or not you believe that these techniques are ethical. Provide a rationale for your response.
• Suppose you are part of a negotiation team. Explain how to make a counteroffer that could negate the other sideâs attempt to create a deadlock.

Discussion 2

"Flinching" Please respond to the following:

• Specify the importance of flinching when the opposition makes an initial offer in a negotiation process. Specify two (2) risks you take by not flinching at all. Provide two (2) examples of negotiations where flinching played a key role in the final outcome.
• Suppose you are a part of a negotiations team working on obtaining a government contract, and you have been tasked with researching strategies that your team could use in the negotiations process. Determine whether or not you believe an excess of pride may impede the flinching and the negotiation process. Provide two (2) examples such effects of prideâor the lack thereofâto support your rationale.

WEEK 2

Discussion 1

"Split the Difference" Please respond to the following:

• Examine two (2) possible results of allowing opposing negotiators provide the offer to split any monetary differences with the government contracting officer. Provide possible examples of the results that you have examined to support your rationale.
• From the e-Activity, examine two (2) key benefits of using the vice technique in the negotiation process. Explain the process of allowing the opposing side to make an offer to, in the vernacular, âsplit the differenceâ in a negotiation where you want to sell for a lot more than the government is willing to spend. Provide specific examples of potential uses of this approach to support your response.

Discussion 2

"Handling Stalemates" Please respond to the following:

• Choose two (2) key benefits you believe result from reorganizing or changing the members on a negotiating team. Examine the major effect that the substitution of members could have when teams are at a stalemate during in the negotiation process.
• Determine the main reasons why changing the location of the negotiation talks can end a stalemate that has occurred during the negotiation process, as described in Chapter 11 of the text. Provide at least two (2) examples of stalemate resolution through location change to support your rationale.

eActivity

• Watch the video titled, âSecrets of Negotiating â Roger Dawsonâ (4m 41s). Be prepared to discuss. Video Source: NightingaleConant1. (2007, November 2). Secrets of Negotiating â Roger Dawson [Video file]. Retrieved from http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E7pNOzQadE8 This video can be viewed from within your online course shell.

WEEK 3

Discussion 1

"Good Dictator / Bad General" Please respond to the following:

• From both of the e-Activities, determine two (2) factors that make the âGood Guy/Bad Guyâ technique in negotiating highly effective. Explain why they are effective.
• Suppose you are looking to purchase a home or a vehicle at a government sale, and you want to receive the best possible offer from the seller. Explain fundamental reasons why the early establishment of the role that âGood Guy Bad Guyâ negotiating will play in obtaining the best possible offer on the home or vehicle you want to purchase is important. Provide at least two (2) examples of the early establishment of this role to support your rationale.

Discussion 2

"Never Mind" Please respond to the following:

• Suppose you are a negotiator in a high profile government contract deal. Assess the power of your position if you were to remove an offer that you current have on the table. Explain the strength of this gambit, and provide at least two (2) examples of the gambit in action to support your rationale.
• You are experiencing a stalemate in a negotiation with a client on a price for services that your company is offering to the U.S. government. Specify the main reasons why you would use a fictitious âbad guyâ gambit in withdrawing an offer from a negotiation. Next, examine the potential effect(s) that the withdrawal would have on the outcome of the negotiation. Provide two (2) examples of the potential effects to support your rationale.

e-Activity

• Watch the video titled, âGood Guy Bad Guyâ (3m 35s). Be prepared to discuss.Video Source: RogDawson. (2010, August 29). Good Guy Bad Guy [Video file]. Retrieved from http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JpGjScOFLtc This video can be viewed from within your online course shell.
• Watch the video titled, âConflict Resolutionâ (10m 06s). Be prepared to discuss.Video Source: RogDawson. (2010, August 27). Conflict Resolution [Video file]. Retrieved from http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iVZaIp69Fss This video can be viewed from within your online course shell.

MKT 320

Reference/Textbook: Global Marketing (9th Edition)

Author/s: Keegan, W. J., & Green, M. C. (2016) â Boston, MA: Pearson Education.

WEEK 1

Note: The discussions in this course build upon one another beginning with the selection of a company of your choice. You will walk through several global marketing situations that pertain to your chosen company. You will eventually assume the role of owning a shoe manufacturing firm tasked with global strategies to develop. Be sure to follow along each week to build your global knowledge.

Please respond to the following:

• Go to https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/ and review the countries located there. Select one (1) country to base your discussion posts and written assignments upon throughout the course. It should be one that has special meaning for you and / or one that you are interested in learning more about. Once you choose a country, you will not be able to change it so give it some careful consideration. Only one (1) student per country!
• Explain why you chose this particular country. Why is it important to you (e.g., nationality, origin, and travel experience). Paraphrasing the CIA World Factbook or other reference, describe your country by giving a brief background of its location, a demographic profile that includes population and age structure, and a brief economic overview from 2013 to today.

This weekâs videos:

• Top 10 International Marketing Blunders (3:07)
• 7 Hilarious International Marketing Fails (2:05)
• International Business - Mistakes Americans Make with World Cultures (1:08)
• The growing global economy (3:28)

https://youtu.be/cWd6L37mUc

http://www.lynda.com/Marketing-Content-Marketing-t...

WEEK 2

Please respond to the following:

• The economic systems section of Chapter 2 (after Figure 2-1) discusses seven (7) criteria to categorize an economic system. Using your chosen country from Week 1, describe its economic system based on these seven (7) criteria.

This weekâs videos:

• Looking to 2060: A Global Vision of Long-term Growth (3:27)
• Better understanding global trade flows (2:38)
• Barriers and Benefits in Free Trade Agreements (7:46)
• Thinking of foreign markets like portfolio options (2:45)
• The impact of protectionism on international marketing (4:19)

https://youtu.be/PtelCyQzbQ

https://www.lynda.com/Marketing-Content-Marketing-...

http://www.lynda.com/Marketing-Content-Marketing-t...

WEEK 3

Please respond to the following:

• Identify whether your chosen country is a low-context or high-context culture. Support your response with examples.
• Choose a country that is the opposite context of your chosen country, and support your reasoning with examples.

This weekâs videos:

• Understanding global cultures (6:32)
• The rise of the global consumer (3:50)
• The importance of your companyâs culture and values (3:08)
• Learning about customers in foreign markets (2:45)
• International Business - Cross-Cultural Communication (6:21)
• International Law Explained (4:36)
• International regulatory bodies: ACER, ICER and CEER by Lord Mogg | FSR Monthly Interview (6:56)

http://www.lynda.com/Business-Business-Skills-tuto...

http://www.lynda.com/Marketing-Content-Marketing-t...

http://www.lynda.com/Marketing-Content-Marketing-t...

http://www.lynda.com/Marketing-Content-Marketing-t...