a. Assume you are the manager of a small firm that is dependent on a large manufacturing customer that uses the resource-dependence perspective. Put yourself in the position of the small firm, and describe what actions you would take to survive and succeed. What actions would you take from the perspective of the large firm?
b. Many managers today were trained under assumptions of adversarial relationship with other companies. Do you think operating as adversaries in easier or more difficult than operating as partner with other companies? Discuss.
c. Discuss how the adversarial versus partnership orientations work among students in class. Is there a sense of competition for grades? Is it possible to develop true partnerships in which your work depends on others?
d. The concept of business ecosystems implies that organizations are more interdependent than ever before. From personal experience, do you agree? Explain.