Current Event 12/17/2014

Victoria Grasso December 17, 2014Mrs. Wood Business Communications

After Starting 4 Businesses, College Entrepreneur Decides on Degree

John Grossman

December 10, 2014

This article is about Daniel Fine, a 21 year old student at the University of Pennsylvania Wharton School of Business. Fine’s primary business are foldable plastic sunglasses, called Glass-U, that bear the licensed brand of Universities, fraternities, musical festivals, and this years 2014 FIFA World Cup. Fine’s other businesses include NexTutors, which he started right out of highschool and funded the start of his other businesses, Dosed, an app to help diabetics track their insulin, and Fine Prints, a printing company. Besides these businesses, however, Daniel Fine also has a non-for-profit business which he started when he was 11 years old, called “Team Brotherly Love”, which at this point has raised about $1.9 million dollars. Although he was selected for the second round of the Thiel Scholarship, a $100,000 scholarship for students who take off from college to pursue their businesses, Fine decided that a degree was important, so he is staying at UPenn to finish his degree.  This is happening in the United States at University of Pennsylvania.

I found this article so interesting because I am at the point in my life where I choosing a major and a college, and it was inspired to see that there was someone not that much older than me do so much. About business, I learned that how you present yourself goes a long way. Daniel Fine is only 21 years old, yet he was able to convince the CEO of a company, whom he had never met, over the phone, to give him licensing rights to print the FIFA World Cup 2014 on his merchandise. When we had guest speakers, they told us that how you command an interview and answer questions says more about you than a resume ever could. Also, the fact that Fine was able to use the few resources he had to create four successful businesses shows that all you need to start a business is strong entrepreneurial senses.

http://www.nytimes.com/2014/12/11/business/smallbusiness/daniel-fine-of-glass-u-decides-that-the-degree-matters.html?module=Search&mabReward=relbias%3Aw%2C%7B%222%22%3A%22RI%3A14%22%7D

12/2/2014 Current Event

Victoria Grasso December 2,2014

Mrs. Wood Period: 5

Online Sales for Girl Scout Cookies Are Approved

Elizabeth Olsen

December 1, 2014

This article is about Girl Scouts allowing online sales for the first time every. The article says that the Girls Scouts of the U.S.A. have been working for three years to develop a website that will be safe and convenient for scouts to sell their cookies on. The site includes provisions such as anonymous accounts for those under 13 and parental approval of material. Additionally, people can only access the page if a girl scout has sent them the link. The website will be launched this month in certain areas that have already started sales, and then across the United States starting in January. In the past, girls scouts have been prohibited from selling or soliciting online. There is much controversy over the online sales, however, because the tradition of having to sell cookies in person teaches girls the importance of hard work and helps them build people skills, which selling online will take away from. To make up for this, the Girl Scouts of the U.S.A. have incorporated lessons on e-commerce, online marketing, and entrepreneurship.

Having been a girl scout up until 8th grade, I know the ins and outs of selling Girl Scout cookies. I do not think that online sales is a good thing because it takes away from the tradition of going door to door to sell cookies. I was also the girl that always forgot to sell cookies and made my mom buy 10 boxes the day the order forms were due. I have never thought of Girl Scouts as a business, but I guess that it is, and just like any other business, it has to adapt to the changing technology. This article does show, however, that online sales is becoming more prominent, and will eventually surpass brick and mortar. It will be interesting to see by how much the website will increase the sales of Girl Scout cookies. I think it will increase sales dramatically, especially because you can now pay with a credit card, which makes it so much easier.

http://www.nytimes.com/2014/12/01/technology/online-sales-for-girl-scout-cookies-are-approved.html?module=Search&mabReward=relbias%3As%2C%7B%222%22%3A%22RI%3A16%22%7D&_r=0

11/19/2014 Journal Question

My favorite subject this year is probably English, by my all time favorite is either Physics or United States History. Physics was nice because once it clicked, I could do almost any problem and I actually liked doing the harder problem. Also, it was an exact science, but you could get partial credit too, which is nice. I could see myself being a physics teacher in the future, but I don't see myself working in a lab or for NASA or something like that. I also really liked United States History. When I was younger I would love those books that were set during the Civil War, but fake stories.

11/17/14 Journal Question

I think what Taylor Swift did was so dumb. She claims she is all about her fans and her fans are the greatest, yet she is restricting their access to her music. I do think that music is art, but wouldn't it be better for art to be free and enjoyed by everyone? I love Taylor Swift's new song, "Blank Space" (I have been listening to it non-stop on repeat for the past week!), but her comment really put me off. Taylor Swift's image is changing; she is no longer a country singer, and now she is a Diva as well. I have never used Spotify, I am more of a Pandora person, but maybe I will start using it. I really don't like Taylor Swift for this comment.

11/13/2014 Journal Question

It is crazy to think that there were $9 Billion dollars of sales in just 24 hours. That is like every person in Chine buying $9 worth of goods, which when you think about it is insane. I think it is hard to compare this to Black Friday, however, because it is characterized by going to the store and buying, and the brick-and-mortar black Friday made more than six times that amount, at $57.4 billion dollars. Another thing to consider is how the United States would profit from an online shopping day with a Chinese company. Maybe Ebay or Amazon should do something like this to try and increase sales, and because they are US companies it will boost our economy. I do think that online shopping has become easier and a lot more people prefer to shop from home, but I do not think online shopping will ever be more popular than physically going to a store.

11/10/2014 Journal Question

I actually didn't do anything for Veteran's day this year, which is out of the ordinary. We were traveling to see my sister so we weren't able to go to any parades or celebrate with my grandpas, both of whom are veterans. I think this goes to show, though, that there isn't as much appreciation for Veteran's day anymore. To many people, it is just a day off. I regret not doing anything to honor those who fought and fight for my freedom, and I hope there can be a resurgence of pride in our nation.

11/12/2014 Current Event

This article is about internet freedom, and who controls the information on the internet. President Obama suggested that the telephone service and or the company that delivers electricity be classified as a public utility, therefore giving the F.C.C. grounds to regulate the price and content. There is hesitation to do this, however, because the internet is the nations fastest growing service and very profitable. Companies such as Netflix have accused broadband providers of slowing their service on purpose, thus breaching net neutrality. There can also be political motives behind internet advertising, another reason the government wants to regulate content. Overall, however, the internet needs to be regulated to protect the "smart kid with the clever new idea" from "the zippy websites of established players in the fast lane". The net neutrality debate has been a hot topic in the United States because of the demand for technology.

I chose this article because I had done an article on net neutrality before and the follow up is very interesting to me. I think that being in a communications class, the use of the internet is vital to discuss. I think that the government regulating the internet, however, would take away the freedom of it. From a business standpoint, I learned that the bottom line for most things come from profit. In this case, business do not want the internet regulated because they can’t make as much money and they cannot advertise what they want. I also found this article interesting because it mentions that T-Mobile offers free music streaming to it's customers, which is one of the reasons my family just switched providers, so their advertising and internet manipulation does work.

http://www.nytimes.com/2014/11/12/business/net-neutrality-debate-access-and-costs-are-top-issues.html?module=Search&mabReward=relbias%3Aw%2C%7B%222%22%3A%22RI%3A15%22%7D&_r=0

11/3/2014 Journal Question

I cannot believe that this is my last first quarter of high school. I feel like I go through waves of sadness that this will all be over before I know it and excited for what is to come ahead. This week I got my first college acceptance letter and it is such an awesome feeling to have a piece of paper in front of me that proves working hard all this time was worth it. I think I am most proud of my grades, but also of all the opportunities I took advantage of throughout high school. I am glad I wasn't afraid to try something new, such as interning at Citibank or volunteering at the homeless shelter or playing basketball this summer for the first time, because all of these experiences have made me a better person. I have been opened up to the world around me, which is pretty hard living in Smithtown considering my biggest day to day struggle is that I don't have service in E Caf. so I can't check Instagram while eating lunch. At the same time, reflecting on the last four years has made me realize I have also overcome some real challenges: my grandma passing away in ninth grade, traveling on Quizbowl trips on my own, having a real job, joining GirlsFLI without my friends or anyone I know. I hope I can continue to see the good in all the situations and people that I encounter in the next four years of my life, and the next four after that and the next four after that.

11/7/2014 Journal Question

Differences:

1. This article says to reword what you are trying to say to make it nicer, but the note packet said to be direct with what you are saying. 
2. This Slideshare emphasizes verbal communication as the most important aspect, however, we discussed that non-verbal communication have an even greater effect on our message.
3. You have to adjust how you say things depending on who you are addressing. 

Similarities:

1. Both presentations say that communication will be on different levels (meetings, interviews, phone calls) and to different audiences (foreign, younger, older).
2. Think before you speak.
3. A smile is the most direct form of communication and is an international symbol. 

10/29/2014 Journal Question

I can't believe that Hurricane Sandy was two years ago. I remember being so mad because I couldn't go trick or treating with my friends on Halloween because they lived across town and my mom didn't want to drive that far at night because there were no street lights. I was without power for 9 days, but my grandparents had power, so we would go there to charge our laptops and phones. My favorite part about Hurricane Sandy was no school for two weeks, during which I finished three books I actually wanted to read. I remember walking to Great Hollow with my brother every day to play soccer, having to dodge down power lines and tree branches. I remember walking through my neighborhood, seeing huge trees uprooted, taking people's entire front lawns with them. I remember anticipating the power going out, sitting in my living room watching the news until the TV suddenly went black. I remember eating ice cream sodas for dinner, because we needed to get everything out of the freezer before it went bad.

For the most part, I have good memories of Hurricane Sandy. Besides having to rake up leaves and branches that fell and the inconvenience of no power, I wasn't that greatly affected by it. I know, however, that there are still people cleaning up from the damage Hurricane Sandy caused to their homes.

10/29/2014 Current Event

This article is about the role of Public Relations in today's society, and how PR has been essentially taken over by marketing departments across the board. The annual conference of the Council of Public Relations is scheduled to meet this Thursday to discuss the changes that have affected the PR industry. The rise of social media, such as Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram, have given PR representatives greater opportunities to show their skills, because these sights are connecting a client base directly to the company, and are therefore part of "public relations". The downside to this is that people want an "honest and spin-free" campaign, so it makes it difficult for "an industry that wants to influence the directions of conversations and, ultimately, consumer behavior." The conference is being held in the United States, but the PR firms that will be attending, such as Edelman and Fleishman Hillard, serve companies internationally.

I thought this article was interesting because I think business communications has a lot to do with PR. I again learned the magnitude of effect social media has had on all industry. In essence, social media has changed the way everyone does business. When I thought of PR rep, I think of someone who comes out to hold press conferences and make statements when there has been a major scandal in a company. Also, I used to think that PR and Marketing were one in the same, and this article both confirmed and denied my notion. They are the same in that they both want to persuade a customer, but this article taught me it was more so the responsibility of the PR representatives to form a bond between customer and company. 

http://www.nytimes.com/2014/10/22/business/media/pr-groups-soul-searching-leads-to-shifts-in-strategy-.html?module=Search&mabReward=relbias%3Ar%2C%7B%222%22%3A%22RI%3A15%22%7D

10/27/2014 Journal Question

Fall is my absolute favorite season, probably because it is the best outfit weather. It's just cold enough to layer clothes and wear boots, but not too cold where your outfit is ruined by a bulky coat. In fall there is Halloween, and best of all Thanksgiving (Turkey and sweet potatoes all day long, baby!). Fall is the best transition season. It's not like spring where you are sick of school and just want it to be summer, but instead it's an exciting and gradual lead up to Christmas and New Years. When I think of Fall, I think of City trips to Central Park with the leaves changing and everything a blur of orange, yellow, and red. I love going with my family to Stony Brook Village to look at the Scarecrows, and walk through the labyrinth. The air feels so good; it is cold enough to feel refreshing, but it's not uncomfortable. Even though everything is dying, it feels so new at the same time.

10/23/2014 Journal Question

I am running the Italian Honor Society booth for Safe Halloween, and we are doing World Cup Soccer which is going to be fun because "calcio" is a big thing in Italy. I can't remember being to any Safe Halloweens when I was younger, but I my mom swears I have been to them. I am glad that it is not on Halloween this year because when it is on the actual day, a lot of kids don't come because they would rather go trick-or-treating.

10/22/2014 Journal Question

Since I am already applying to 13 colleges, I wasn't really interested in researching new colleges. My goal was to network with the representative who would be reading my essay, so they could get a better sense of who I was and recognize my name even before they saw my application. I talked to the representative from the Scranton booth, using the people skills I had learned from Citibank this summer. I introduced myself, shook her hand, and asked her a few questions about her experience at Scranton as well as about the application process. I also mentioned my visit and meeting at the campus, and the full ride scholarship, so she would I know I was seriously interested in the school. Since all early action applicants are considered for the Presidential Scholarship, I hope mentioning it to her will make her give me greater consideration for it.

10/21/2014 Journal Question

I think that the idea of creating different tracks is a good idea because not every student is a "student", so to speak. Some people just do not test well, and therefore struggle and resent school. Besides this, the jobs of the future are largely based in Technology and Business, so this will give students a greater advantage when they get to the workplace. This switch, however, means that schools should start to offer a broader range or class options, and the CTE department should get more funding and be regarded as just as important as the core subject areas. I would love to see more engineering classes or even healthcare classes offered in the high school, because those are the career paths of the future.

On another note, I do not think that the Board of Regents should be making the existing tests easier. For example, there is a vote to make the global history regents on only the second year of the course. I do not think it is right, or fair, to make the test less challenging in order to get more children to perform better. Instead, the time and energy spent making a new test should be allocated to developing new ways to help kids learn and understand this material. New York State is the only school to have regents exams, and even though I hate taking them every June, we do have high literacy rates as a State, so maybe the testing is necessary.

10/20/2014 Journal Question

I think that this is a progressive and effective campaign for McDonald's. With everyone becoming more food conscious, it is the only way that they will be able to retain customers. Personally, I have always wondered what was in a chicken nugget, or why Big Macs taste so good. Although there is always going to be backlash from disclosing so much information, I think that it is the only way to protect the future of the company. I do not know, however, if people want to be sitting in their living rooms and all of a sudden a commercial pops up showing the processing of beef patties, so they are going to have to find a way to censor the information so people aren't disgusted or offended. McDonald's is probably the first company to disclose so much information about all of their food comes from. A lot of time, companies like Wendy's advertise their fresh salads with farm grown berries, but they never say anything about their cooking oil or where their burger buns came from. All in all, I think this is a step in the right direction for McDonald's.

10/15/2014 Journal Question

Find a video that shows similar issues as yesterday's videos but from the male perspective.  If you can't find any state so and state why there aren't any.

Not that I was surprised by this, but there were no ads campaigning male empowerment. I think this is because we have a notion that males are already dominant, and that we as a society don't need to build their self esteem. To some extent I think this is true because throughout history, males have been the dominant power figures, however, I do think that there are issues plaguing the confidence of teenage males, just like their are for girls. For example, I know that boys feel pressured to be good at sports or act tough in front of girls. In this way, there are double standards for both genders.

Journal Question: Shine Strong Campaign

10/14/14

This campaign really made me think. Two seconds after watching it, I bumped into someone with my chair and said sorry. Apologizing for something has become the social norm, particularly for women who feel that they don't have a right to interrupt men. Women apologize because they are too self conscious. An apology is for when you do something wrong, not for everything you do. Now I am going to be conscious of how many times I say I'm sorry.