Discussion 111

111 Discussion questions 234General Instructions:Your discussions (presentations) should (1) analyze the situation and (2) use analogies and similar cases where possible. You will (1) argue against the case, (2) defense the case and (3) evaluate the arguments and decide the case. Present the forum/group’s proposals and/or conclusions, supported by arguments.

1.Wisdom of the fans? (Please read above General Instructions before you begin): Thousands of soccer fans chipped in via their Web site to buy a British soccer team. They will make management decisions by voting on the Web. How well do you think their team will do (potentially!, Fraud!, Unmanageable!, Bias!, Fair!, Good!, Better!)? (MyFootBallClub.co.uk, Jan. 25, 2008) 2.Abdicating responsibility (Please please above General Instructions before you begin): A trucker in Britain got his truck stuck on a small farm road after ignoring a sign saying the road was not suitable for large vehicles. He was unquestioningly following the directions of a navigation system. (Other examples of navigation system errors abound. One system led a man on a half-hour drive of hairpin turns to a dead-end at a 200-foot drop off a cliff. Another led a man on a three-hour detour on smaller and smaller, rougher and rougher roads. Why are errors in such systems likely? How much responsibility should the user take?) 3.By the end of 2007, the number of Internet users in China was estimated (by a Chinese government organization) at roughly 210 million, almost as many as in the U.S. (Jan. 18, 2008). What do you think 10 – 20 years from now?