Learn More: Get the Big Picture on Strategy
In addition to Fast Company's excellent Web site, other good sources include Many Worlds and Competia. Access one or more of these sites and scan the list of articles to find any relating to concepts from this chapter, such as strategy, strategic planning, synergy, e-commerce, forecasting, scenarios, or change. Choose one that looks interesting to you, read it, and print it out to bring it to class. Then answer the following questions.

1. What new insight about strategic management did you gain from reading this article?
2. Does it agree with or contradict the information in your text?
3. What actions or responses should managers take, based on your article?

Check It Out
In spite of centuries of progress on improved modeling techniques, forecasting remains an inexact science, with many opportunities for errors and misperceptions. However, the need for accurate forecasts remains. One forecast, which was originally made in 1947 and has been updated ever since, is the Doomsday Clock. This hypothetical clock represents symbolically, how close the world is to nuclear war. Visit the Web site of the Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists and read about the clock, how and why it was introduced, and the current "time."

1. Do you agree or disagree with the "time" shown on the clock? Why?
2. What scientific, logical, or analytical method was used in choosing the "time"? Does understanding the methodology convince you of the clock's accuracy, or not? Why?
3. Some people have argued that the existence of the clock is harmful because it makes nuclear war seem inevitable (midnight eventually arrives in the "real" world, after all). Others have argued that the late hour shown on the clock is scary and is therefore good because it acts as a deterrent. In your opinion, which view is correct, and why?