Week 4 Reading Reflection

1) What was the biggest surprise for you in the reading? In other words, what did you read that stood out the most as different from your expectations? 

I thought the opportunity trends were really interesting and surprising. The different types of trends are so interesting. I would never know what cocooning and fantasy adventure is. It is really cool.

2) Identify at least one part of the reading that was confusing to you.

I am kind of confused on the four major types of innovation and examples of each. I would like to have specific examples of each and the difference between the four types.

3) If you were able to ask two questions to the author, what would you ask? Why?

I would like to ask about the Nature of the Creative Process and about the different phases. I would also like to ask about the difference in recognizing relationships.

4) Was there anything you think the author was wrong about? Where do you disagree with what she or he said? How?

I completely agree on basically all of the authors explanations and topic. It makes a lot of sense about the trends and the process of innovation. 

Top 5 World Problems - Week 4

Top 5 World Problems - From most serious to least serious

1. Amount of increased terrorism: It has come to a point in time that people feel unsafe when they walk outside and feel unsafe to travel.

2. Lack of care for the environment: Many people go throughout their day and waste tons and tons of plastic and paper and don't even think about recycling or the harm that they are doing. The amount of harm we are doing to the environment could leave our great great grandchildren without an Earth to live on.

3. World hunger: It is such a horrible thing that children all over the world are starving and haven't had food in weeks or months when people in America and other 1st world countries order food then throw more than half of it out.

4. Lack of acceptance amongst every community and type of individual: I believe one of the biggest problems this world has is not accepting every individual for who they are. The fact that people still believe that individuals should not be legally allowed to be gay, transgender, lesbian, or bisexual is not something that should be still a problem within the 21st century.

5. Sexism. It is crazy that it is still an issue that women and men get paid different amounts of money for doing the same job. Studies have shown that even if women do a better job they still have a lower wage rate at certain jobs.

Top 5 Solutions - From most possible to implement to least possible to implement

1. Solution: Restaurants should not throw away the food that is left over or was a wrong order. These restaurants and companies that waste so much food should pack it up and bring it to soup kitchens and other places for individuals in need.

2. Solution: It should be illegal to discriminate wages amongst genders for equal job status because it should be an equivalent playing field.

3. Solution: I believe that it should be a law that products should be made from recyclable materials and there could be incentives to recycle such as tax breaks.

4. Solution: I think a practical solution could be to inform the public that these individuals are not harming anyone by their sexual orientation.

5. Solution:There is no practical solution to this issue besides trying to eliminate all the use of negative gun use and contain individuals with harmful intentions.

Why the top problem?

I chose the rise of terrorism to be the biggest world problem because of the amount of harm it is causing to individuals. Shootings, terrorist attacks, and more are causing so many deaths around the world to innocent human beings.

Why the top solution?

I chose the top solution to be world hunger because there is in fact more than enough food in the world but the main issue we have is what we do with all of it. If we actually figured out a way to reallocate all left over food from restaurants and other stores by the end of the day to countries and individuals in need around the world we could slowly decrease the amount of individuals going hungry.

Identifying Local Opportunities

ALL ARTICLES FROM THE INDEPENDENT FLORIDA ALLIGATOR

1. Title: Give Womens Sports A Chance

Link: http://infoweb.newsbank.com/resources/doc/nb/news/15A7891355B78A30?p=AWNB

Description of the story: This article focused on peoples perceptions of women's sports and how it is perceived as a joke sport and sports casters only cover it because they "have to".

Description of the problem: Women's sports are not given enough credit and don't get as many views as men sports do even though they are both equally entertaining. The highest ratings for women sports is half the ratings that the recorded highest men sports were.

Description of who has the problem: The problem lies within women athletes that aren't getting enough credit for their skills and aren't having equal recognition to male athletes.

2. Title: UF, Santa Fe Students Give Back

Link: http://infoweb.newsbank.com/resources/doc/nb/news/15A7891344651F40?p=AWNB

Description of the story: Around 200 students from UF and Santa Fe volunteer their day off from school to participate in MLK community service opportunities over 11 different locations. 

Description of the problem: As it says in the article people should consider MLK day a day on not a day off and should not be sleeping in and should be taking advantage of all the MLK did for this world and should give back to the community and many people don't. 

Description of who has the problem: The problem lies within students and individuals around the world that don't understand the importance of giving back to the community.

3. Title: Gainesville Can Do More Recycling

Link: http://infoweb.newsbank.com/resources/doc/nb/news/15A7891384D37170?p=AWNB

Description of the story: The story bases on the author explaining how important it is to recycle even if its just putting one water bottle in a recycling bin, it can make a difference.

Description of the problem: The author describes the main problem being our town lacks the infrastructure to recycle and the lack of significance deemed to recycling as well. 

Description of who has the problem: The problem lies within the community and town that does go the extra mile to put out recycling bins instead of trash bins as well as many other ways to create a more eco-friendly community. 

4. Title: Cold Weather Shelter Houses Homeless

Link: http://infoweb.newsbank.com/resources/doc/nb/news/15A6288B597D1DB0?p=AWNB

Description of the story: The article explains that the St. Francis House opens itself up to the homeless and shelters them when the temperatures are below 45 degrees and allows for them to warm up and have a place for them to stay.

Description of the problem: The main problem is that there are so many homeless people around the town of Gainesville that when temperatures go below a certain degree are laying on the street so cold.

Description of who has the problem: The problem lies within the homeless people who from this article have been homeless for around 7-15 years!

5. Title: Hands works with Miami hospital to aid in liver transplants

Link: http://infoweb.newsbank.com/resources/doc/nb/news/15A6288B4D76BF30?p=AWNB

Description of the story: The UF Shands Children Hospital is starting to work with Miami hospitals to transfer patients to provide children with the ability to get liver transplants because the center had to stop offering transplants. 

Description of the problem: The problem is that the UF Shands Hospital cannot provide patients in need of liver transplants, the necessary surgeries. Families of these patients have to drive from Gainesville to Miami or Jacksonville to Miami to get the treatments. 

Description of who has the problem: The problem lies within patients that don't have the ability to get the surgery they need at the hospital most convenient to them. 

Week 3 Reading Reflection

1) What was the biggest surprise for you in the reading? In other words, what did you read that stood out the most as different from your expectations? 

Right off the bat, I thought it was extremely surprising that Generation X is called that because they feel "X-ed" out of traditional opportunities. I had no idea that this was the meaning behind the name and I thought that was extremely interesting and something that I have never known before. 

2) Identify at least one part of the reading that was confusing to you.

I was confused on the source of stress that the author refers to as people problems. Yes it makes sense that entrepreneurs who under a lot of stress have conflict and partnerships can be at harm because of it, but one of the most important characteristics for an entrepreneur is being a people person and being able to work with individuals of all different personalities. 

3) If you were able to ask two questions to the author, what would you ask? Why?

Have there been cognitive studies and research on students who come out of school and go into the MBAs Without Borders program to get a point of view of individuals that don't necessarily join the business world for financial gain?

How do entrepreneurs like that of Schulze, the CEO and chairman of Best Buy Company, INc., come back from $271 million in debt and passing 72% of equity to becoming profitable again? How do little changes like "no money down, no monthly payment, no interest" policy create a profitable business again?

4) Was there anything you think the author was wrong about? Where do you disagree with what she or he said? How?

The author was talking about how they will soon gain enough research to develop a set list of qualities and characteristics of entrepreneurs, but I feel like there will always be more characteristics that research can not discover. There are so many ways to describe an individual, especially an individual that contains entrepreneurial spirits. 

Very Short Interview No. 1 - Week 3

Interview with Mark Genoa – Entrepreneur

He started his own business, which he designs, creates and manufactures genetorial supplies including vacuums and other cleaning supplies.

What does it mean to you to be an entrepreneur?

“Being an entrepreneur is hard work, calculated decisions, willing to take a risk, and trusting yourself.... successful entrepreneurs have a busy but terrific lifestyle.  You’re well rewarded for the correct decisions”

What has been the hardest thing you’ve had to encounter throughout your entrepreneurial journey?

“International business all over the world brings different work styles and sometimes difficult situations where you cannot agree with the terms of a contract”

What do you wish you had been taught in school before setting out on your won path as an entrepreneur?

“What I wished I learned in school would be multiple languages.  Communication with a client in their language is a major plus for a working relationship and mutual respect”

My Reflection: I thought it was extremely interesting to hear the definition of what it means to be an entrepreneur from an actual entrepreneur. His definition relates to his experiences, which makes it such an interesting point of view. I also like that he added trusting yourself into the definition. It is important to trust yourself with every decision you make especially when taking risks. I was also surprised that an entrepreneur who ventured into international business did not have a background filled with multiple language proficiency. This makes it even clearer that you can be build into an entrepreneur at any point in your life and can still be successful with a lack of specific knowledge but teach yourself along the way.

World's Biggest Problems - Week 3

World's BIGGEST Problems

1. Lack of acceptance amongst every community and type of individual: I believe one of the biggest problems this world has is not accepting every individual for who they are. The fact that people still believe that individuals should not be legally allowed to be gay, transgender, lesbian, or bisexual is not something that should be still a problem within the 21st century.
Solution: I think a practical solution could be to inform the public that these individuals are not harming anyone by their sexual orientation.

2. Lack of care for the environment: Many people go throughout their day and waste tons and tons of plastic and paper and don't even think about recycling or the harm that they are doing. The amount of harm we are doing to the environment could leave our great great grandchildren without an Earth to live on.
Solution: I believe that it should be a law that products should be made from recyclable materials and there could be incentives to recycle such as tax breaks.

3. Amount of increased terrorism: It has come to a point in time that people feel unsafe when they walk outside and feel unsafe to travel.
Solution:There is no practical solution to this issue besides trying to eliminate all the use of negative gun use and contain individuals with harmful intentions.

4. World hunger: It is such a horrible thing that children all over the world are starving and haven't had food in weeks or months when people in America and other 1st world countries order food then throw more than half of it out.
Solution: Restaurants should not throw away the food that is left over or was a wrong order. These restaurants and companies that waste so much food should pack it up and bring it to soup kitchens and other places for individuals in need.

5. Lack of a rising economy. The economy has been at a downfall since the beginning of the recession and has been hurting mostly 1st world countries. Countries like the US are in unbelievable debt.
Solution: We need to create more jobs and lower unemployment to continue the cycle in which individuals get money then spend money.

6. Political instability. Especially in the United States, it has been said throughout this political campaign that none of the candidates can be seen has phenomenal presidents which is what we need to get the country on its way to a country without problems.
Solution: A new, qualified candidate should run for office, which is not that practical at this point but should be the easiest solution. We need a leader who appreciates its individuals and its country and leads the country with everyone's best interest in mind.

7. Water crisis. There have been so many states in the US and countries around the world that have been suffering from droughts. Water is becoming a scarce resource in certain areas.
Solution:In places there are droughts, water within showers and faucets that are wasting water should be automatically turned off. For example, there should be a technological advancement that can tell when an individual is using water if their toothbrush is under the faucet and when it is not under the faucet the water should be turned off.

8. Sexism. It is crazy that it is still an issue that women and men get paid different amounts of money for doing the same job. Studies have shown that even if women do a better job they still have a lower wage rate at certain jobs.
Solution: It should be illegal to discriminate wages amongst genders for equal job status because it should be an equivalent playing field.

9. Reverse discrimination with college acceptances. Colleges have begun to do the opposite of discriminate when it comes to acceptances. If an applicant states that they are of native american background or come from a broken home with a disabled parent, they are automatically a better candidate.
Solution: I believe to solve this problem, your family background and origin and should be anonymous the admissions process is solely based on qualifications.

10. Bullying. There have been countless amount of teens in middle schools and high schools that have committed suicide because of unwatched bullying and issues within the school systems.
Solution: Teachers and guardians should be more hands on when it comes to watching over children within school or outside of school grounds. If a child comes home from school in a bad mood or avoids a certain topic of conversation, action should be taken. The main issue is unacknowledged issues.

Bug List - Week 2

1. When people blow their nose and make a whole commotion and have it sound like they are sneezing out flem and make it sound wet.
-WHY? it makes me feel uncomfortable
2. It annoys me when people have high expectations for you and don't appreciate when you try and work your hardest and maybe don't reach their expectations.
-WHY? it makes me feel like they don't appreciate me
3. When you are walking somewhere far and it starts pouring and you get wet and then you are uncomfortable while walking and once you get to your destination.
-WHY? I feel uncomfortable while walking
4. Not being able to see people you love the most all the time when you want to.
-WHY? because even though I want to see certain people, I physically cant because they are far away or are busy
5. When people are slow walking and I have to be somewhere and they don't allow you to pass them.
-WHY? because people are selfish and don't pay attention to their surroundings
6. When you're in a bad mood and it ruins your day but you don't know why or how to fix your mood.
-WHY? because I want to make myself feel better but i don't know how
7. When people don't answer their phone and you need to contact them.
-WHY? because I want to talk to someone and it frustrates me that I'm not able to
8. It's frustrating when you want to purchase something and they don't have any left in the store, in your size or it is too expensive.
-WHY? because you are so close yet so far to getting something you were excited about
9. It bugs me so much when someone wakes me up or bothers me while I'm sleeping.
-WHY? because I was taking the time out of my day to relax and rest and some people are so inconsiderate that they interrupt you while you are having "me" time
10. It frustrates me when you have plans with someone and they cancel on you right before.
-WHY? because I had a certain plan to meet with the person and set aside time in my day for them and might have said no to plans with other people
11. When someone lies to you and you know they are lying.
-WHY? because it is inconsiderate and a waste of time to lie
12. When you have to grow up and move on but you're too scared to get older.
-WHY? because I don't like when things change
13. When you are trying to be healthy and lose weight but your most tempting dessert or food gets placed in front of you.
-WHY? because you are trying so hard to be good and healthy and some things are just really tempting
14. Having a flight in the way of going home and seeing your family.
-WHY? because even when I want to see my family i first need to buy a plane ticket and the have a whole day of travel to new york
15. Not being able to be home for an extended amount of time before having to return to school.
-WHY? because I want to have enough time at home with my family and friends and not have a limited amount of days home
16. Having to make decisions for thing so far in advance that might change.
-WHY? because the circumstances might change that this decision is made around
17. Not being able to know if you're doing something right or making the right decision.
-WHY? because I want to know if I'm doing what I'm meant to do
18. It bugs me that losing weight is so hard while gaining weight is easy and fun because you get to eat anything you want.
-WHY? because I am trying to lose weight and its extremely difficult and I have to be always on my game but gaining weight is so easy
19. When people don't understand what you're going through or feeling
-WHY? because it is frustrating and hard to explain my feelings when others don't understand
20. Having to think about everything that bugs and make this list reminding me of all the stuff that annoys me.
-WHY? because it made me think of everything that annoys me and made me annoyed!

I thought this was very difficult! I talked to a lot of my friends and tried to get their help and ask them what they thought bugged me but I realized it all came from me. It was also annoying thinking of what annoys me which got me anxious and reminded me of what annoys me. It was a good exercise though, digging deep down inside you to figure out what truly annoys you.

Week 2 Reading Reflection

1) What was the biggest surprise for you in the reading? In other words, what did you read that stood out the most as different from your expectations? 

I thought it was extremely interesting that the word entrepreneur means to undertake which really makes you think about the tasks and roles of an entrepreneur. I expected the meaning to relate to a word that more correlates to the meaning of innovation combined with a businessman. 

2) Identify at least one part of the reading that was confusing to you.

I am confused on the differences between the school of thoughts for the macro view as contrasted to the schools of thought for the micro view. 

3) If you were able to ask two questions to the author, what would you ask? Why?

I found the "hot trends to watch" section of this chapter extremely interesting. Did you use a trend forecaster or market research to determine these? Why did you chose to base the whole theme on the discipline of entrepreneurial management and what makes you believe that each part of entrepreneurship is based on this discipline. 

4) Was there anything you think the author was wrong about? Where do you disagree with what she or he said? How?

I feel like some of the myths the author explained are very outdated from my perspective and from how he explains later in the chapter that we have undergone an entrepreneurial revolution. I don't believe that a lot of individuals still believe entrepreneurs are just doers. Entrepreneurship has been extremely popular recently and has been socially accepted as individuals that are innovative and deep thinkers that are businessmen who encompass professional skills and original ideas. News releases, articles, and even television shows portraying entrepreneurs display a large range of characteristics and go against the myth the author explains as entrepreneurs must fit a certain profile. 

My Entrepreneurship Story - Week 2

My brother, who went to Duke University, participated in an entrepreneur contest where he had to come up with his own innovative idea and create prototypes and a business plan for his idea. I was always on the phone with him while he was going through each step as well as helping him create a product that met consumers unknown needs. It was very interesting watching him as he went through this journey and understanding what hardships he encountered like that of trademarks and money allocation. 

I enrolled in ENT 3003 because I've always thought that every businessman or woman should maintain an entrepreneurial spirit. It is so important to have a creative mindset while working in the business world, for example to create easier and more unique problem solving techniques. I also love the fact that it is more of a hands on experience type class. Because of this class structure, I believe I will be able to gain more valuable knowledge and be able to remember what I learn that if I memorize material for an exam. I am very excited for this class to begin and to start becoming the entrepreneur I already am. 

Below is a picture of my brother and I at his Duke graduation.

Introduction - Week 2

Hi! My name is Alyssa Freeberg and I am sophomore marketing major minoring in retailing and entrepreneurship. I was born and raised in Long Island, New York but recently moved to Manhattan. My family consists of me, my older brother, my mom and my dad. I am extremely interested in the fashion industry and the business world behind that industry. My dream job is to become a buyer for a department store or its vendor. I have traveled to Paris, London, Denmark, and Norway, which I loved. Next spring semester, I hoping to study abroad in Barcelona. This course seems extremely interesting and I am excited to gain experience throughout the semester. 

Below is a picture of my family and I! 

Entrepreneur's Mantra - Week 2

Introduction

Hi,

My name is Alyssa Freeberg. I am a sophomore marketing major at the University of Florida.