Q 1: Consider the eBook publishing case between Amazon and Apple, as well as the spat between Amazon and Hachette. Research the current state of these disputes and any court rulings.
Is Amazon a monopoly? Does Amazon have too much power and do you think it should be regulated? Is Amazon's pricing ‘predatory' in a way that unfairly disadvantages would-be competitors? Should Amazon be allowed to continue agency pricing without limitations? Do you think publishers were wrong to work with Apple?
What is the current status of this case (note: similar cases in the US and Europe may be at differing stages or have differing outcomes). Are Amazon's actions with respect to Hachette fair? Do you believe they help or hurt consumers? How might this impact Amazon's brand? The firm's relationship with the authors?
Discuss your opinions and your findings.
Q2: What is AWS and what services are provided? Investigate online and report back on the costs associated with key services such as EC2 and S3.
Why did Amazon decide to get into cloud computing? This business is radically different from shipping books and other physical products. Do you think Amazon should continue to keep AWS as part of Amazon.com, or should it spin the firm out as a separate company?
What would be the advantages to either approach? Search online to see if you can find opinions that analysts or journalists may have regarding AWS's growth prospects in Amazon or as a separate firm.