1. Multiple choice keys and sample short answers for the Sample Final and the Actual Spring 2008 Finals have been posted to the course web site at http://www.buad307.com/exams.html .  Please note that the original Spring 2008 Final did not have a correct answer for question #9.  A revised version now posted on the course web site does have a correct answer. 
2. Podcasts on promotion and pricing will be posted on the course web site by tomorrow evening.
3. Again, please be compassionate to the Bruins this Saturday.  You may want to comfort them after their loss and assure them that they can meaningfully contribute to society since the World does need people to do menial tasks.

1. Hope y’all had a great Thanksgiving!
2. There will be no Wall Street Journal article for this week.
3. This week in lecture, we will finish pricing and begin electronic commerce.  In lecture, we will also do the class evaluations.  We will finish electronic commerce in this week’s discussion sections.
4. A sample final and the actual Spring, 2008 final examination have been posted to the course web site at http://www.buad307.com/exams.html .  Keys and sample short answers will be posted by Friday.
5. If you have not completed your research participation requirement, Dr. Kristin Diehl has informed me that studies have been added to ExperimenTrak for today, Monday, and tomorrow, Tuesday.  If you have further questions, please contact Dr. Diehl.  I have no more information. 
6. Due in part to a family situation, I have not been able to read all the preliminary papers yet.  If you have not received your comments yet, you should finish your final paper and be prepared to turn it in, but you can hold off until a day after you receive your comments in case you might like to make any minor changes to your final paper based on comments.  It is not expected that comments on the preliminary paper would significantly alter your plans for the final paper.  If you have questions about this, please come to my office.
7. The library database sources assignment has NOT yet been graded since I have made it a priority to get the preliminary comments back first.  These will be graded by the end of the coming week-end.
8. Our final examination will be held at the scheduled time (Thursday, December 11 from 2:00-4:00 p.m.) in SAL 101—NOT in the regular classroom.  This situation has come about because we share a twice weekly meeting slot in Edison with another BUAD 307 section that meets on Thursdays.  Each semester, one of the two classes sharing this session is randomly selected to be moved to the other location.
9. This week-end, please treat the Bruins with compassion.  They are doing the best they can even if that isn’t much.  There is no need to “rub-in” their impending humiliating loss!

1. Our Wall Street Journal article for next week is “Wal-Mart Defies Retail Slowdown,” November 14, 2008, p. A1. A “hard” copy of this article will be handed out in lecture on Tuesday.   If you have an online subscription to the WSJ, you can access the article at http://online.wsj.com/public/page/us_in_todays_paper.html?mg=com-wsj .  If you do not have a WSJ online subscription and would like to access the article before receiving the hard copy, please see instructions at the end of this article.  In preparation for our discussion, you should consider the following issues:
   1. What are likely explanations that Wal-Mart is currently doing relatively well?  Do you expect this advantage to last?
   2. What proportion of non-auto U.S. purchases are now made at Wal-Mart?
   3. Two years ago, which problems did Wal-Mart appear to face?
   4. How has Wal-Mart’s current position affected relations with vendors?
   5. What are some threats and complications that Wal-Mart is currently facing?
   6. How have foreign Wal-Mart operations performed in the past, and what are their prospects?
2. A study checklist for the final examination has been posted on the course web site at http://www.buad307.com/PDF/FinalChecklist--F08.pdf .  A hard copy of this checklist will be distributed in lecture on Tuesday.
3. The PowerPoint slides and notes for the remaining topics for the semester have been posted to the course web site at http://www.buad307.com/PPT_notes.html .
4. The updated grade progress report is scheduled to be sent out this evening.  To ensure that the report will display properly, it will be in the form of a PDF file attachment.

To access this week’s article through the Marshall Library:

1. Login to MyMarshall at https://mymarshall.usc.edu
2. Click on “Academics,” then “Marshall Library,” and then “Electronic Resources.”
3. Select the "ABI/Inform through Proquest Direct" link.
4. Click on the “W” link under “Show all publications.”
5. Click on the Wall Street Journal, Eastern Edition link.
6. Click on November 14, 2008.
7. In the list of articles, find the article entitled "Wal-Mart Flourishes As Economy Turns Sour."  If the index structure remains static, this will probably be article #103.  To reach this, you would click on the number screen #10 and then on #11 on the bottom right corner of the screen and then select article number 103.

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A number of individuals have reported problems in uploading assignments through the Turnitin feature of Blackboard.  Technical support has now provided me with a solution that they believe should resolve the problem.  If you still experience problems, please let me know.

I regret the frustration many of you have experienced in trying to upload!