Innovation: The Creative Pursuit of Ideas
1) The biggest surprise with this reading was that terrorism ignites innovation. Before reading this, I never thought much more of terrorism than religion and violence. After reading this, the innovation aspect of post-terrorism makes sense. Companies desire to increase security measures and may make products that provide extra protection. Although terrorism is not at all desired, innovators can take advantage of the situation.
2) One part of the reading that was confusing to me was about the types of innovation. One of the types is extension. In table 5.6 there are examples of the extension type of innovation. I do not understand how McDonald's and Facebook are able to be considered extension.
3) One question I would ask the author is: Why do you not use sources when mentioning that adults use 2 to 10 percent of their creative potential? I ask this because I do not like "facts" when there aren't any sources given. Another question I have is: You mention the either/or thinking; would you apply this concept to things other than creativity, such as religion? I ask this question because I am curious about the author's perspective.
4) I disagree with the author's decision to include an analogy from venture capitalists: process needs in the marketplace is "pain" and innovative solutions to these needs are "painkillers." Painkillers are like a band-aid, they are a temporary fix to the problem. Painkillers should be replaced with something more permanent. You wouldn't put duct tape to cover holes in the road.
Sunday, January 31, 2016
Wednesday, January 27, 2016
Top 5 World Problems
World's Biggest Problems: Ranked from most serious to least serious.
1) World Hunger - It is no secret that children go to bed hungry around the world. with a great deal of the world in poverty, there are families that are lucky to eat once a day. Access to food and clean drinking water are issues for families in some countries as well.
2) Climate Change (formerly known as global warming) - Climate change is a phrase that some of us know too well, and some politicians don't know it well enough. The gasses and fossil fuels that factories and homes exert into the atmosphere cause tears in the ozone layer. This ozone layer is unable then incapable of fully maintaining a normal temperature. As the temperatures in the world gradually rise, the melting ice from both poles raise the sea level. The unstable weather also causes dramatic changes int he weather (from heat wave to a blizzard).
3) Overpopulation - It is more than quite obvious that our world is
overpopulated. Humans over-exhaust the resources that the earth still
has left. Families that have over one dozen children are major
contributors to the inevitable death of our planet.
4) Health Care - Not every country suffers from lack of health care, but the fact that there are countries without proper health care means that it is a problem. The lack of attention to diseases, such as HIV/AIDS, and mental illnesses, such as schizophrenia, leads to improper treatment. The people who are suffering from these illnesses end up becoming more ill or even die.
5) Education - Every child should have the opportunity to go to school. The problem with education ranges from a poorly formed system to the lack of schools. Schools should be available all around the world and not just in the richest of countries.
The Solutions: Ranked in order from most-possible to implement to least-possible to implement.
1) Education - A solution to the education problem would have to start with creating schools where they are needed. Also, each school system around the country should follow after one country's good example, Finland. They receive proper education and are more advanced than other countries.
2) Health Care -A solution for health care relies within government once again. If every country had a health care system set up like Canada's, then everyone would have equal access to the doctor's office and the hospital.
3) World Hunger - A solution for world hunger would entail a hint of socialism. The government sets taxes to pay for certain programs and have a budget for each year. If each country had a government that taxed the citizens a minuscule percentage extra to put aside to providing food to the malnourished; it would be similar to a soup kitchen, but more accessible.
4) Overpopulation - A solution to overpopulation is very tricky. One part of me says to have the government regulate the amount of children born to a family via birth control, but that sounds like an excerpt from a dystopian novel. A less invasive approach would to add an extra tax to those that have more than five children. This system is not controlling and would encourage families to stay small. Why is five the limit and not two? I would be a hypocrite; ideally, I want five children, but no more than that.
5) Climate Change - A solution to the world's problem starts with a small step of change. Humans could stop burning as many fossil fuels as they do now; this could aid in slowing down the problem. Other than that, scientists could find another planet to take refuge on. The climate change problem that we as humans created is irreversible; the best we could do is buy more time.
Reflection:
I chose world hunger as the most serious problem because it is relevant everywhere around the world. People are dying from starvation and children are going to bed hungry on a daily basis. Basic human needs include water, shelter, and food; if someone does not have access to one of these, I consider it a major problem. I considered education to be the least serious of the five because unlike the others, education is technically not necessary for survival.
I chose education as the most-implementable solution because I know that it can happen. Several countries, including Finland, have a well-functioning education system in place. It's not a difficult task to improve education; Finland is leading in education and it's because of they teach their students. Other countries should make adjustments where it is necessary. I chose climate change as the least-implementable solution because it involves finding another planet, in which we are probably centuries away from implementing. A dystopian setting for the overpopulation solution came in a close second to the climate one.
1) World Hunger - It is no secret that children go to bed hungry around the world. with a great deal of the world in poverty, there are families that are lucky to eat once a day. Access to food and clean drinking water are issues for families in some countries as well.
2) Climate Change (formerly known as global warming) - Climate change is a phrase that some of us know too well, and some politicians don't know it well enough. The gasses and fossil fuels that factories and homes exert into the atmosphere cause tears in the ozone layer. This ozone layer is unable then incapable of fully maintaining a normal temperature. As the temperatures in the world gradually rise, the melting ice from both poles raise the sea level. The unstable weather also causes dramatic changes int he weather (from heat wave to a blizzard).
4) Health Care - Not every country suffers from lack of health care, but the fact that there are countries without proper health care means that it is a problem. The lack of attention to diseases, such as HIV/AIDS, and mental illnesses, such as schizophrenia, leads to improper treatment. The people who are suffering from these illnesses end up becoming more ill or even die.
5) Education - Every child should have the opportunity to go to school. The problem with education ranges from a poorly formed system to the lack of schools. Schools should be available all around the world and not just in the richest of countries.
The Solutions: Ranked in order from most-possible to implement to least-possible to implement.
1) Education - A solution to the education problem would have to start with creating schools where they are needed. Also, each school system around the country should follow after one country's good example, Finland. They receive proper education and are more advanced than other countries.
2) Health Care -A solution for health care relies within government once again. If every country had a health care system set up like Canada's, then everyone would have equal access to the doctor's office and the hospital.
3) World Hunger - A solution for world hunger would entail a hint of socialism. The government sets taxes to pay for certain programs and have a budget for each year. If each country had a government that taxed the citizens a minuscule percentage extra to put aside to providing food to the malnourished; it would be similar to a soup kitchen, but more accessible.
4) Overpopulation - A solution to overpopulation is very tricky. One part of me says to have the government regulate the amount of children born to a family via birth control, but that sounds like an excerpt from a dystopian novel. A less invasive approach would to add an extra tax to those that have more than five children. This system is not controlling and would encourage families to stay small. Why is five the limit and not two? I would be a hypocrite; ideally, I want five children, but no more than that.
5) Climate Change - A solution to the world's problem starts with a small step of change. Humans could stop burning as many fossil fuels as they do now; this could aid in slowing down the problem. Other than that, scientists could find another planet to take refuge on. The climate change problem that we as humans created is irreversible; the best we could do is buy more time.
Reflection:
I chose world hunger as the most serious problem because it is relevant everywhere around the world. People are dying from starvation and children are going to bed hungry on a daily basis. Basic human needs include water, shelter, and food; if someone does not have access to one of these, I consider it a major problem. I considered education to be the least serious of the five because unlike the others, education is technically not necessary for survival.
I chose education as the most-implementable solution because I know that it can happen. Several countries, including Finland, have a well-functioning education system in place. It's not a difficult task to improve education; Finland is leading in education and it's because of they teach their students. Other countries should make adjustments where it is necessary. I chose climate change as the least-implementable solution because it involves finding another planet, in which we are probably centuries away from implementing. A dystopian setting for the overpopulation solution came in a close second to the climate one.
Sunday, January 24, 2016
Week 3 Reading Reflection
The Entrepreneurial Mind-Set in Individuals Reading Reflection
1) The part of the reading that stood out to me the most was within the global perspective section. I have always admired Oprah Winfrey for her personality and other achievements; however, I did not realize that she was the first woman in history to own and produce her own talk show (started in 1986).
2) The most confusing part of the reading was about a theoretical formula for entrepreneurship, E = f(e). Entrepreneurship is caused by entrepreneur. Within mathematics, this is equivalent to y = f(x), or y = x. This would create an infinite horizontal line. Entrepreneurs need factors in order to improve, such as E = e +c (y = x + c); if that was part of the theory, then it was unclear.
3) The characteristics describing entrepreneurs were described vaguely; you said most entrepreneurs are "a" and some are "b". If you could go back and edit this textbook, would you take the time to survey entrepreneurs and get real statistics rather than guesses?
You mentioned how entrepreneurs that fail deal with stress and loneliness, along with other things. I may not be a professional, but I expect that despite the optimism of entrepreneurs, some become overwhelmed with depression and maybe even take their own life. Why do you not put a small section devoted to the risk of depression and other possible outcomes?
4) One part of the textbook that I disagree with is about calculated risk taking. The author says that successful entrepreneurs are calculated risk takers, not gamblers. I disagree with this statement; unsuccessful entrepreneurs should not be held to a different standard. They are calculated risk takers as well; even though success is more likely, there is still a risk. The difference between the two categories is that the successful beat the risk, while unsuccessful fell prey to the risk.
1) The part of the reading that stood out to me the most was within the global perspective section. I have always admired Oprah Winfrey for her personality and other achievements; however, I did not realize that she was the first woman in history to own and produce her own talk show (started in 1986).
2) The most confusing part of the reading was about a theoretical formula for entrepreneurship, E = f(e). Entrepreneurship is caused by entrepreneur. Within mathematics, this is equivalent to y = f(x), or y = x. This would create an infinite horizontal line. Entrepreneurs need factors in order to improve, such as E = e +c (y = x + c); if that was part of the theory, then it was unclear.
3) The characteristics describing entrepreneurs were described vaguely; you said most entrepreneurs are "a" and some are "b". If you could go back and edit this textbook, would you take the time to survey entrepreneurs and get real statistics rather than guesses?
You mentioned how entrepreneurs that fail deal with stress and loneliness, along with other things. I may not be a professional, but I expect that despite the optimism of entrepreneurs, some become overwhelmed with depression and maybe even take their own life. Why do you not put a small section devoted to the risk of depression and other possible outcomes?
4) One part of the textbook that I disagree with is about calculated risk taking. The author says that successful entrepreneurs are calculated risk takers, not gamblers. I disagree with this statement; unsuccessful entrepreneurs should not be held to a different standard. They are calculated risk takers as well; even though success is more likely, there is still a risk. The difference between the two categories is that the successful beat the risk, while unsuccessful fell prey to the risk.
Identifying Local Opportunities
The following five articles are all local opportunities. They are from the Orlando Sentinel.
1) Seminole residents push for a new cellphone tour
http://infoweb.newsbank.com.lp.hscl.ufl.edu/resources/doc/nb/news/15A7EB551206CAB8?p=AWNB
In Seminole County, FL, residents are frustrated with the poor cellphone service. They live in a neighborhood near Wekiwa Springs State Park and are asking the county board for a cellphone tour to be built at a nearby Baptist Church.
The problem is that the cellphone service near Wekiwa Springs State Park is very poor; many of the residents have to spend $250 to purchase a "signal booster" for their home.
The residents in the neighborhood near Wekiwa Springs State Park are the ones who have the problem.
2) THE NEXT STEP - Higher-paying jobs come to Orlando, but challenges remain
http://infoweb.newsbank.com.lp.hscl.ufl.edu/resources/doc/nb/news/15A7459B0F922520?p=AWNB
There are many higher-paying jobs coming to Orlando, such as those within the health industry. Construction jobs are opening up in 2016 as well; these jobs pay better than those of retail. Education is introduced to those of Orlando and neighboring areas; students are being trained to have better jobs, such as a career in computer simulation. There are potential gaps in jobs this year, such as a lack of people looking to work in retail.
The growth in higher-paying jobs leads to a decline in people willing to work in hospitality and retail. People strive to get an education and relocate themselves before they get sucked into the lower-wage job market of Orlando.
The tourist spots of Orlando are affected by this decline in lower-wage jobs; if they are understaffed, they are unable to give tourists the best experience possible.
3) Skate park demands on a roll - Advocates press issue in Apopka, Casselberry
http://infoweb.newsbank.com.lp.hscl.ufl.edu/resources/doc/nb/news/15A5469683B93770?p=AWNB
In both Apopka and Casselberry adolescents are pushing officials to build a skate park. In Apopka, the Instagram page consistently gets comments about wanting a skate park. Kids are attempting to get this awareness due to the lack of local skate parks.
There are not any local skate parks in Apopka or Casselberry.
Adolescents of Apopka and Casselberry who enjoy skateboarding are the ones who have this problem.
4) Downtown UCF plan needs funds
http://infoweb.newsbank.com.lp.hscl.ufl.edu/resources/doc/nb/news/15A3F629B34D6858?p=AWNB
UCF is attempting to raise $20 million on a tight deadline so that they could have a Downtown Orlando campus. They have asked for funding from the governor but he vetoed the plan. They plan to raise the $20 million by fundraising, get $20 million out of the school budget, and propose $20 million as a possibility from the state government. UCF has only raised $8 million out of the $20 million. If they can get the money in time, the downtown campus could be open in Fall 2018.
UCF needs $12 million in fundraising in order to make a start to build a downtown campus.
The ones with the problem are the people on UCF's Board of Governors.
5) Monkeys continue to explore beyond Silver Springs Park
http://infoweb.newsbank.com.lp.hscl.ufl.edu/resources/doc/nb/news/15A05A4280796238?p=AWNB
It is estimated by University of Florida biologists that there are over 200 rhesus macaques in silver Springs State Park in Ocala, FL. They have been there for 75 years and are native to Central and East Asia. There have been recent sightings in Lady Lake and The Villages. One of the sighting was at The Villages Elementary in Lady Lake; one monkey was on the roof as children were being dismissed from school. These monkeys possible carry the herpes-B virus and are known to be hostile.
The issue is that the monkeys are potentially dangerous to humans and have been wandering far from their ingrained habitat of Silver Springs State Park.
The residents of Lady Lake and The Villages are the ones with the problem.
1) Seminole residents push for a new cellphone tour
http://infoweb.newsbank.com.lp.hscl.ufl.edu/resources/doc/nb/news/15A7EB551206CAB8?p=AWNB
In Seminole County, FL, residents are frustrated with the poor cellphone service. They live in a neighborhood near Wekiwa Springs State Park and are asking the county board for a cellphone tour to be built at a nearby Baptist Church.
The problem is that the cellphone service near Wekiwa Springs State Park is very poor; many of the residents have to spend $250 to purchase a "signal booster" for their home.
The residents in the neighborhood near Wekiwa Springs State Park are the ones who have the problem.
2) THE NEXT STEP - Higher-paying jobs come to Orlando, but challenges remain
http://infoweb.newsbank.com.lp.hscl.ufl.edu/resources/doc/nb/news/15A7459B0F922520?p=AWNB
There are many higher-paying jobs coming to Orlando, such as those within the health industry. Construction jobs are opening up in 2016 as well; these jobs pay better than those of retail. Education is introduced to those of Orlando and neighboring areas; students are being trained to have better jobs, such as a career in computer simulation. There are potential gaps in jobs this year, such as a lack of people looking to work in retail.
The growth in higher-paying jobs leads to a decline in people willing to work in hospitality and retail. People strive to get an education and relocate themselves before they get sucked into the lower-wage job market of Orlando.
The tourist spots of Orlando are affected by this decline in lower-wage jobs; if they are understaffed, they are unable to give tourists the best experience possible.
3) Skate park demands on a roll - Advocates press issue in Apopka, Casselberry
http://infoweb.newsbank.com.lp.hscl.ufl.edu/resources/doc/nb/news/15A5469683B93770?p=AWNB
In both Apopka and Casselberry adolescents are pushing officials to build a skate park. In Apopka, the Instagram page consistently gets comments about wanting a skate park. Kids are attempting to get this awareness due to the lack of local skate parks.
There are not any local skate parks in Apopka or Casselberry.
Adolescents of Apopka and Casselberry who enjoy skateboarding are the ones who have this problem.
4) Downtown UCF plan needs funds
http://infoweb.newsbank.com.lp.hscl.ufl.edu/resources/doc/nb/news/15A3F629B34D6858?p=AWNB
UCF is attempting to raise $20 million on a tight deadline so that they could have a Downtown Orlando campus. They have asked for funding from the governor but he vetoed the plan. They plan to raise the $20 million by fundraising, get $20 million out of the school budget, and propose $20 million as a possibility from the state government. UCF has only raised $8 million out of the $20 million. If they can get the money in time, the downtown campus could be open in Fall 2018.
UCF needs $12 million in fundraising in order to make a start to build a downtown campus.
The ones with the problem are the people on UCF's Board of Governors.
5) Monkeys continue to explore beyond Silver Springs Park
http://infoweb.newsbank.com.lp.hscl.ufl.edu/resources/doc/nb/news/15A05A4280796238?p=AWNB
It is estimated by University of Florida biologists that there are over 200 rhesus macaques in silver Springs State Park in Ocala, FL. They have been there for 75 years and are native to Central and East Asia. There have been recent sightings in Lady Lake and The Villages. One of the sighting was at The Villages Elementary in Lady Lake; one monkey was on the roof as children were being dismissed from school. These monkeys possible carry the herpes-B virus and are known to be hostile.
The issue is that the monkeys are potentially dangerous to humans and have been wandering far from their ingrained habitat of Silver Springs State Park.
The residents of Lady Lake and The Villages are the ones with the problem.
Friday, January 22, 2016
Very Short Interview No. 1
I interviewed David Haslam, the owner of Campus Scooters in Gainesville, Fla. He has been an entrepreneur for over a decade and has owned another business beforehand, a tow-truck business.. Below is transcribed interview.
Kristine: What does it mean to be an entrepreneur, to you?
David: What does it mean to be? There’s so many different ways and
opinions of what it means to be an entrepreneur. For me, I – the tow truck thing
was never what I was passionate about, I just knew it was a profitable business.
The end result needs to be profit or you’ll go out of business. So I knew we
could make money doing that so that’s where I started out. I immediately did
not like anything about it. My whole life and working career have been involved
in the automotive industry in some way or fashion. And I really like the
automotive industry. So I want to get myself a job where I can make more than
just the normal mechanic position here in Gainesville, frankly. I like being a mechanic.
I like what I do a whole lot, but as an entrepreneur I am able to raise the bar
of what I can provide for my family. So instead of being the lower income
spectrum that a mechanic makes, I’m able to make a much more comfortable middle
class income. That’s what it boils down to. So that’s what it is for me; it’s
the fact that I can do what I want and make the money I enjoy. With the skill
set I have, I’m never going to make doctor pay or actor pay with the skills
that I have. So I used the skills that I had to improve upon my situation. I
own my business that way.
Kristine: What do you think I should learn in an entrepreneurship course?
David: What to learn? I have taken several different business and
entrepreneur classes myself. And some of them I don’t agree with what they said
and some I agreed with everything they said. Some of them are very specific. If
you’re going to be an entrepreneur, you need to be happy about what you are
doing. Now, there are certain entrepreneurs that their whole goal is to launch
a business, sell that business and making money selling that business. If you
can have fun doing that and appreciate your situation, then that would be
great. You need to know the joy, the concept of owning a business. You need to
be able to enjoy entrepreneurship. Enjoy it more than you would than just a
regular job though. I’ll enjoy being a mechanic regardless, but I enjoy it more
with my own shop. Because “A”, its
exactly what I want, “B”, like I said, the financial gains of owning your own
business can be there, they don’t have to be. You can run yourself right into
the ground. I have friends that are business owners. And there’s a couple small,
small entrepreneurs out there. That’s something you maybe should learn from an
entrepreneur course. What it seems like is that with a lot of the small guys,
either they have all the money in their pocket or the business has all the
money. You got to be careful with that. So that’s one thing you should hopefully
learn from an entrepreneur class, is the proper cash flow. Don’t think your business
is your piggy bank, it’s not. There’s often times it has much more times than
you personally. Doesn’t mean I should or can just go there and take money out
though. If there’s $100,000, it doesn’t mean it’s yours.
Kristine: What do you wish you had been taught in school before setting out on your own path as an entrepreneur?
David: For me personally, probably the financial side as far as-
there’s so many- there’s no one stop shop on how to learn to do taxes for your
business; there’s no one stop shop on payroll roll and sales tax, all this sort
of stuff. When you learn it in school, it doesn’t specifically fit your
business necessarily. So for me, the financial side – when I say the financial
side, not how to control the money, but taxes, the payroll. I would have
understood better sooner, I would have been better off. I ended up paying some
companies to help with that. Some of it was a waste, some of them told me what I
needed, some of it was just badness altogether. So, the financial side, control
of the financial side would have been much more important for me.
Reflection: I found the interview to be very interesting. Haslam's concept of entrepreneur was simple, yet intriguing. As a child, we dream to be the best in what we love to do. In college, it is not always about what we love, but what we are good at. Entrepreneurs get to say that they make decent to amazing salaries, and they get to say that they love what they do (most do). I am aspriring to be an entrepreneur like Haslam and do what I love for a living.
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