Minutes 04/16/12

Prepared by: Remington Drake

Present: Carmen, Jacqueline, Brooke, Jordan, Leah, Casey, Remington, Robert

Robert presented minutes from last class.


Topic
Suzanne gave us background on what formal reports are, and how they should be used. They are typically written documents or verbal statements that are used in business situations. There are multiple uses for formal reports:

• Proposal
• Useful for offering a suggestion to solve a problem
• Two types:
• Internal
• Often a persuasive pitch
• Example: bringing in a speaker
• External
• Solicited proposal
• Someone asks for you to send them a proposal
• RFP: Request for Proposal
• Example: Boeing would like to buy airplane parts you make
• Unsolicited proposal
• You propose something the party did not ask for
• Example: sales pitch
• Feasibility report:
• It demonstrates how successful a project may be
• Usually more technical than other types of reports
• Can be a document, video or oral presentation
• Must present evidence for the practicality of a project within the organization
• Examples: manufacturing a new product, creating a new division
• Progress report:
• It provides a picture of the current state of a project or venture
• Example: how many units have been made out of a quota
• Travel report:
• It provides information about the activities of traveling employees
• Useful for monitoring productivity or disseminating information the traveler needs or has learned
• Example: business trip to convention in New York

Suzanne then provided the general format for a formal report:

• Intro
• Body
• It will often have headers for all major points
• Recommendations
• Consequences/Implications
• Conclusion

The formal report also contains elements called the front matter and the back matter:

• Front matter:
• Title page
• Abstract
• Table of contents
• List of figures
• Back matter:
• Bibliography
• Appendix
• Glossary

Remember, the report should state the intended purpose, the scope of the issue, the methods of finding information or conducting the plan, and the actual findings/recommendations. These are critical if you want to have an effective message.


Suzanne then introduced us to the concept of an executive summary, which is an encapsulated version of a formal report. It is typically no more than 10% of the actual report, and it does not have additional information.


Exercise
We listened to a podcast on the Note-taker, a device for legally blind students. The class took notes on an executive summary sheet provided by Suzanne. Afterwards, we watched a video on the product. Using the information we recorded on our worksheets, we came up in front of the class to construct a brief summary similar to what an executive summary would have.


The main points we noted:

• Introduction:
• We described the invention and its purpose
• Listed the core goals
• Mentioned it was invented by David Hayden, and we included his affiliations and accomplishments
• Body
• Described the current situation and possible alternatives to the product
• Made mention of all their downsides, showing the need for the proposed product
• Briefly described the unique benefits of the Note-taker
• Mentioned technicalities of the Note-taker
• Included terms that would need to be defined
• Conclusion
• Described future opportunities for the product and its potential to access the market

Suzanne posted this document to the blog for reference


Assignment
We will write executive summaries on one of two investment funds belonging to Goldman Sachs:

• 10,000 Women Fund
• Invests and gives seed money to women internationally to start businesses
• 10,000 Businesses Fund
• Provides seed money to start businesses in distressed areas in the United States

Everything we need to know will be on the respective websites. Suzanne told us to treat the websites as formal reports, and that our information should summarize them. This assignment is due Wednesday, April 18th.

Note Taker Executive Summary Outline

Executive Summary

Team NoteTaker

Introduction

Notetaker is an invention that helps low vision students take notes in class. It addresses the main problems that low visions students encounter, which are portability, ability to hand written notes, and the “board-note-board” problem. With this invention, low vision students can independently take notes.

Inventing Group

David Hayden is the lead student in the group Team NoteTaker at the University of Arizona, Tempe. He is working in a division called the Center for Cognitive Ubiquitous Computing. He won the Microsoft Inventor’s Cup Award. David Hayden is himself a sight impaired student.

Body

Current Alternatives on Market

Current situation is universities have smartboards or camera-based systems and archiving methods for note taking. These require support personal and are not portable.

NoteTaker Advantages

NoteTaker is portable, you don’t need to change the zoom constantly due to its split screen, you can see board and notes simultaneously. Audio and video are attached so you may go back to see what notes you may have missed.

Description of NoteTaker

NoteTaker consists of a custom designed, gesture controlled zoom camera, that attaches through USB to a tablet PC with a split screen interface. Its features include taking pen input, 3D printing with digitizing video, and sub-pixel inking.

Technical Terms:

· Board-Note-Board:

· Sub-pixel inking:

· Digitizing video:

· Servo motors:

Future Opportunities

Currently in the third generation prototype, the fourth generation will have injection molding for the camera. The team is also working on cost reduction and the product will be on the market either through a spin-off company or through licensing to a tech vendor

Minutes 04/11/12

Prepared by: Robert Yu

Present: Carmen, Jordan, Leah, Casey, Jacqueline, Brooke, Remington, Robert

Topic: We started class by making paper cranes, looking at very poorly written instructions. Then we looked at a video that illustrated a profit and loss sheet with an explanation about depreciation and amortization, before moving on to the topic of the day, which is technical writing.

Definition: Technical writing – communicating instructions using simple words and visuals; focus on accuracy and simplicity

Characteristics of good technical writing

• Accurate
• Explain difficult concepts in an elegant manner
• Address problems that the users actually experience
• Uses clear language
• Avoids jargon
• Considers what users already know and picks up where the knowledge leads off
• Organized in a way that quickly allow users to find specific information
• Balances task based information with reference information
• Allows users to find it quickly
• Uses images instead of text, when user can find images more efficiently
• Provide clear warning and puts user safety first
• Consistent formatting and text
• Anticipates users’ questions and answers those questions
• Follows standard format to avoid reader confusion

Examples of technical writing

• FAQ – essentially a piece of technical writing; public health technical writing about how to avoid transmitting diseases are available everywhere
• Discharge orders or post-op care; how to claim a refund
• Suzanne gave an example of how they wrote technical information for dispensing Kaldi’s coffee; she also gave an example of how in a restaurant there are technical instructions to follow when you cut yourself, such as using a fluorescent bandage.
• Historical example of technical writing – Wilder about how to live on the prairie without anything but your resourceful paw and an ax

Case Study: Open source ecology – utopian source of information; he open sourced how to make five or six basic pieces of farm equipment with ready to use materials; the spread of information revolutionized people and how they can change their lives, even without a source of money.He uses drawing, writing, and diagrams to explain how to create these machines.

Activity: To practice technical writing, we broke into two groups and practiced the French braid, with which many individuals were not familiar. After learning the braid, each group had to write a set of instructions for a potentially new hair braider to follow.

Profit and Loss Assignment

Please analyze the Kaldi's profit and loss statement I handed out in class Monday (4/11), titled "Kaldi's Coffee House Profit and Loss by Class February 2006." Use the concepts we discussed in class and from the handout ("How to Read Financial Statements.") Write a memo, from you to me, stating 5 observations and 3 recommendations you can make from analyzing the P&L. State any assumptions you make. Don't make any outrageous assumptions.) Follow the standard memo format outlined in BWC and in class. Remember to use good grammar, punctuation, concise, clear and sharp business writing. 350-500 words, printed out, due 4/16.

Schedule for last week of class

April 18 - Final groups assigned. First group meeting during class.

April 23 - In class working group day

April 25 - Final presentations

Minutes 4/2/12

Minutes 4/2

Prepared by: Jordan Peters

Present: Remington, Robert, Jordan, Casey, Brooke, Jacqueline, Carmen
Absent: Leah

Topic: We began by watching a video posted to the blog by Remington called "Steve Ballmer Going Crazy". It was of Steve Ballmer jumping around almost too enthusiastically during a Microsoft company members convention.

Discussion: Company Culture. We started off by briefly touching on the two main components of company culture, which include a mission statement and core values. Company culture establishes a context for business communication and the work environment within a company or organization. 

Topic: Videos. We next watched two videos that gave us a better idea of company culture for Apple and Google. The first video we watched was "1984 Apple's Macintosh Video", and it established the advanced technology feel that we all know and understand as a guiding principle for Apple. In addition, we watched the video called "google culture", which showed us that Google's culture tends to entail collaboration and innovation, while fostering individualism and creativity within all employees. Their goal is to have their employees enjoy their work and the work place. Often times the company's meeting spaces are lounges or even bowling alleys. These are very casual atmospheres that allow the employees to be comfortable while also being productive. To further research Google culture you can follow this link: http://www.google.com/about/company/facts/culture/

Discussion: Company Culture Throughout the Decades. Suzanne talked about how especially since the 70s, each decade has codified many concepts that are a part of business culture. In the 70s, the idea of loyalty was a huge part of company culture. This is the idea that you do what you can for the company, and the company will in return do what they can for you. In the 80s, customer service was key. This was codified and the values were hashed out during this time. Lastly, in the 90s innovation was huge. The goal was to get every employee to feel innovative on a day to day basis as well as on a larger scale.  These concepts already existed, but they were discussed and explored with great depth during these decades. 

Discussion: Definition of Company Culture. We compiled a list of what we should have learned about company culture through our readings and what Suzanne thought that we should know. Culture is generally the feel of a company and why they work "this way or that way". It is the articulated personality of the company/organization, the people, the atmosphere of the workplace, and the "rules". It includes the Mission Statement, which is a statement of guiding principles, and core values, which a means to implement your goals and a list of the company's beliefs. Often times a company holds these things so closely that they make important decisions, such as hiring, based on whether or not an applicant can be molded into that culture. We discussed the Kaldi's example of whether or not uniforms should be worn. Typically Kaldi's does not believe in employees wearing uniforms because they are impersonal. However, if Kaldi's is on a college campus or in a store such as Schnuck's, the uniform policy is in accordance with the company that is "hosting" Kaldi's. Another example of company culture changing that comes from Kaldi's, is from when the new owners took over. They changed the tip policy, from distributing the money at the end of the day to including it in the pay check which would also be taxed. They also established the employee of the week who would win a giftcard to Cheesecake Factory. This somewhat devalued the significance of why some acquired this position in the first place. This slightly changed the company culture.

Reminder: Wednesday we need to talk about when we will be presenting our final group projects. A definite date needs to be decided. 

Topic: We were let out of class early and will finish the discussion of company culture with examples from the book next class.

Minutes 3/28

Minutes: March 28, 2012

Prepared by: Leah Sutton

Present: Leah Sutton, Brooke Hamroff, Casey Weiss, Carmen Ferraro, Robert Yu, Remington Drake, Jordan Peters, Jacqueline Pfeiffer, Suzanne Langlois

Presentation: Jacqueline went over the minutes from last time.

Today’s Topic:

Suzanne handed out an excerpt from Malcolm Gladwell’s book, “What the Dog Saw." As a class, we read a chapter entitled “The New-Boy Network.” Gladwell tells the story of Nolan Myers, with whom he had a 90 minute conversation at Harvard, to exemplify how job interviews rely on the Fundamental Attribution Error. This error, a fundamental theory of social psychology, accounts for the natural human failure to take situation into account. This led into our discussion of job interviews.

Job Interviews:

When we prepare for job interviews, Suzanne told us, we should arm ourselves with anecdotes that SHOW and don’t TELL these traits that they are looking for. What Myers says in the article, according to Suzanne, is important: smiling, the handshake, etc. is EVERYTHING. The impressions that you give come from some basic and primitive perception on the part of the interviewer. They rely on the Fundamental Attribution Error to try to understand you as a person, when in reality you are in a highly structured context and thus abide by certain behavioral rules that may not truly reflect your personality or tendencies.

Past Assignments: Suzanne graded our press releases: it’s out of 3 points, one of which being content, the second being format, and the third being the visual aspect. She collected our discussion questions about Delivering Happiness and handed them out so we could discuss them.

DISCUSSION:

Is an entrepreneur born or made?

He managed to game the system completely, never attending class at Harvard and always having the drive to make money. We discussed the fact that a lot of what he did was related to boredom. He quit his well-paying job at Oracle because of how little he had accomplished there, despite the amount of money he was making.

Syntax & Tone

The book is extremely personal, raw, honest, and succinct. The book is full of personal anecdotes in which he tells the part of the story that is enough to demonstrate the point he wants to make.

Robert commented that Hsieh told us about enough of his failures to make the story more real and make him seem more human.