Reference no: EM132653645

The first of four (4) essential debates in Strategy is Strategic Determinism vs. Strategic Choice. The case for Choice is easy to make - we experience all of our decision-making as choice behavior. The case for Determinism is much more complex. Determinism suggests that our experiences have more to do with the environment in which we operate than our active selection of options.

The best way to demonstrate this to you is to ask you to watch a presentation of the idea of determinism (at the most macro level) by Jared Diamond in his work Guns, Germs and Steel.

For your reference, this is the first episode of the series. If you'd like to watch this with better video quality or to watch the whole series, it is also available through Amazon Prime. You can also read the material, but the video is particularly good.

Watch the video, then reflect on what you learn from watching in this Discussion Thread.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i885hopsw6E

Consider what this perspective has to offer us in thinking about our comparisons of cultures based on their "competitiveness" or "comparative advantage" (one over another). How does this film challenge your beliefs about the degree to which our macro environment is governed by choice?