Topic: Business and the Economy

• What do you think are the transformative technologies that will transform the next decade?
• What events or conditions do you see as creating challenges and opportunities?
• What do you think business needs to do to better adapt to these challenges and opportunities?

Topic: Inside the firm; a focus on marketing and entrepreneurship

• How do you see consumers reacting to current economic and social changes and how do the marketing people gain insight fast enough for meaningful reaction or innovation?
• Can accounting foresee challenges and opportunities?
• Does management information systems contribute to this change?
• How do we build a robust, engaged, and dynamic pool of talent?
• How do firms change direction or new firms arrive with a different direction?

The Formal Structure of Canadian Government

• Does being a constitutional monarchy mean something different from being a republic?
• If this is an accurate description, how long do you think it would take Parliament to make a simple decision?
• Does this representation by a local member of parliament add legitimacy to however decisions are actually made?

Business Lobbying in Canada

• Do you think the Minister of Finance meeting with leading business people means that these people have greater influence than most Canadians?
• Does the Minister of Finance meeting with business people reduce the influence of Parliament?
• Is it more likely that industries facing difficulties will approach government decision makers than industries that may have a bright future?
• Does the Canadian political process reflect the Canadian social consensus?

The Centre Makes Decisions

• Does centralization of power mean more coordination of governmental actions?
• Do you think the centralized decision making of the government produces better, more coordinated technically efficient outcomes?
• Do you think that centralized decision making serves political ambitions more than efficient outcomes?
• What do you think the central government of Canada focuses on doing?

Social Issues

• How do social issues as well as social values impact the operation and outcomes of firms and organizations?
• Does each firm create its own culture independent of where it is ?
• Does this context go beyond the usual conception of stakeholders

Redrawing the Map of the firm and its activities

• Does concern about the environment endanger the profitability of a firm?
• Do you think current managers and future managers, such as the students here, will work with a different mind set? Explain?  Examine your approach based on former and current management theories?
• How does your answer to the question above suggest you present yourself in a job interview

Evaluating the Firm

• Must strategy have a single goal?
• Can stakeholders force managers to produce balanced results?
• Do you think that self-esteem can lead managers to see processes and outcomes in a balance?