5.1 Discussion: Devotional – Planning

We are asked by our supervisors, peers, and work team to develop plans for success. We invest significant time and energy in finding and reviewing data, and manipulating spreadsheets and charts and graphs to forecast the future so we think we know what will happen. This course and many others train you on how to perform those analyses.
The course author was once managing a sales team and asked a common question to one of its members, How much will you sell next year? The man, an openly devout Christian, quickly responded, Whatever God brings to me. While the author did not disagree that it could happen, he responded back, OK but God expects you to do your part, so how much are you going to try to sell? The salesperson was not prepared for that question and walked away with a strange look on his face.
In this module, you submit the revised final draft of your internal and external marketing environments report. That report will or should include significant analysis of external elements, factors, and pressures that are outside of your clients control but may have a substantial impact on their plans. We say that analysis is art and science, that science is finding the numbers and art is interpreting them. If there is so much that we cannot control, and we believe that God is in control, can we expect our plans to be valid? We see in the Book of Job that Gods faithful servant lost it all through a series of unexpected and unforeseen events including two natural disasters (lightning and wind). In a few hours, these two unpredictable and indefensible calamities and two attacks by enemies erased all of Jobs success after many years of planning and implementation. Then we are told in Jeremiah that God has good plans for us, almost suggesting that since He has plans for us, we dont need any plans, that its already taken care of.
You identified a company or industry of interest to use in your degree program. Consider these questions and post your thoughts on them:
1. How much can and should a company in your industry of interest plan or how much should its management team rely on letting God do it all?
2. What are some unpredictable and indefensible calamities that might affect your industry of interest?
3. How is it our responsibility as a manager or leader in that industry of interest to do everything we can to plan when external events beyond our control can have such a significant negative impact on our plans?

5.2 Discussion: Research-based Peer Alternative Response to 4.3(attached 4.3 Peer Analysis on Car Sharing)

Review the pricing, promotion, and distribution report from your peer as submitted to the .
You will need to do appropriate research on the industry and category so that you understand them in order to make an educated analysis and recommendation for this section of the consultants report. It is important to start out with a thorough understanding of the category and industry. You should not rely on the original writers research and description of the industry.
You will provide a 250- to 350-word review to your peer as a post in the discussion forum. Your review must provide a different or alternative perspective, interpretation, conclusion, and/or recommendation for at least one (1) of the six (6) elements noted in the assignment (these should be the 6 titled sections from the ), based on your personal objective analysis of the category using credible sources. You do not need to have an alternative for all six elements of the assignment, but your alternative may involve more than one element since many of them are related.
You will not discuss the original writers analysis or recommendation; all of your comments must be focused on your objective interpretation and analysis. You must have a distinctly different perspective and/or recommendation in your alternative response. In other words, you are looking at the same scenario in the same industry and/or category, but you are coming to a different conclusion such that any form of I agree in your review is not an option.
You must cite at least two credible sources that were not used by the original writer to support your interpretation and recommendation.
Cite your work per current APA standards, however, indenting of the references is not required due to the discussion board format. (See )

5.3 Assignment: Research-based Marketing Plan Revised Final Proposal – Internal and External Marketing Environments(Attached docs to review 5.3)

This is your revised final draft of the internal and external marketing environments section of your consultants report. It is based on what you posted in 3.3 and on your peers comments and response posted in 4.2.
Your revised final report must integrate your peers alternative analysis or recommendation as an alternative perspective as part of your final report. You must either accept your peers perspective as a replacement to your initial proposal based on adequate credible theory and current marketing practice to accept it or you must provide adequate credible theory and current marketing practice to reject it. If you accept it as the correct analysis or recommendation, then the peer alternative will become the primary focus of your final paper, and your original analysis and/or recommendation will be noted as an alternative perspective that you have rebutted through cited research. If you do not accept the alternative, then you only need to discuss it as an alternative and provide objective and qualified reasons to reject it.
Use the titles from the to create four sections for this part of the consultants report:
1. Porters five forces model
2. Other macroenvironmental external factors
3. Required Internal Resources and Competencies to Compete in the Market
4. Required Licenses, Patents, and Rulings or Legal Requirements to Compete in the Market
The body of your paper (i.e. excluding title page, graphics, appendices, and references page) must be 1300 words (+/- 50 words). In the event that your peer did not provide feedback, your length must be 1000 words (+/- 0 words) and you will not be penalized for not including the missing feedback.
You must use, cite, and reference at least five credible sources not provided in the course documents, plus at least one source provided in the course documents.