General Discussion Instructions

You are required to post to this discussion THREE TIMES, on THREE DIFFERENT DAYS. Please refer to the Discussion Grading Rubric for details regarding how your performance will be assessed. NOTE: Please be certain to read the entire discussion assignment since in some cases there is more than one question you need to discuss, respond to, or address. Be sure that you have answered the entire question!

Post 1: Initial Post

This posting should be a minimum of one short paragraph and a maximum of two paragraphs. Word totals for this post should be in the 100–200-word range. Whether you agree or disagree, explain why with supporting evidence and concepts from the readings or a related experience. Include a reference, link, or citation when appropriate.

Scenario

According to a recent article in Forbes Magazine, “The demand for additional battery life is so large Pokémon GO is already having an impact on the sales of external batteries and phone cases with extra battery capacity.” Popular portable battery makers told Forbes that the sales of certain products have grown significantly, up to double or triple just in Pokémon GO’s first week in the United States. On a less technological front, coffee prices are up by 13 percent due to increased demand, and the supply of Corvettes is not sufficient to meet the current demand. All of these statements come from headlines from the past three months, indicating that the laws of supply and demand impact everything from your phone to your car to MY coffee. This is the basis for our discussion this week!

For Discussion

1. Choose an article on a topic (product/good/service) that affects your daily life.
   • For example, I found an article in the Chicago Tribune about coffee prices.
2. Briefly tell us what your article is about.
   • My article reported that although coffee prices are high, the price being paid to the coffee producers in Brazil has remained constant.
3. Which aspect of the article’s discussion affects your daily life?
   • Coffee growers are threatening to cut production in order to force the prices higher. This means that my $6 cup of coffee at Starbucks could become even more expensive.
4. What factors do you think are influencing the supply and demand of the product/good/service that is the subject of your article?
   • Americans have been conditioned by marketing to agree to pay $5 for a cup of coffee, so there is no reason for retailers to charge less.
5. Include the URL of the Web site where you found the article, so your classmates can access it.
   • Coffee Prices to Rise Again

Posts 2 and 3: Respond to Classmates’ Posts

Instructions

After you have created your initial post, look over the discussion posts of your classmates and give at least two thoughtful responses to two different classmates (one per classmate) as outlined in the Discussion Grading Rubric.

A response posting should be a minimum of one short paragraph. Word totals for these posts should be in the 75–100-word range. Whether you agree or disagree, explain why with supporting evidence and concepts from the readings or a related experience. Include a reference, link, or citation when appropriate. The goal of your response posts is to extend discussions already taking place or pose new possibilities or opinions not previously voiced. Your goal should be to motivate the group discussion and present a creative approach to the topic.