Good negotiator have the keen ability to identify and evaluate potential outside options.  Among other things, a negotiator should be able to identify outside options that are sufficiently similar, although not identical. To evaluate two non-identical outside options, the negotiator must be able to identify the material differences between the outside options, and the costs and benefits associated with each of those material differences.  With this in mind please evaluate the following bargaining scenario and questions.  

• ABZ TV is a national news network with 1,000 reporters in the field.  ABZ TV needs to provide its reporters with devices that allow them to take notes, write news copy, access the internet, and quickly transmit text and video to ABZ's headquarters  in New York City.
• ABZ TV is currently bargaining with Computers, Inc. for the purchase of 750 laptops.

Questions:

• Please identify at least 3 non-laptop outside options available to ABZ TV in this bargaining scenario.
• For each of these 3 outside options, identify any material differences between the laptops and the outside option.