Business Ethics:

Local Edition.

Story 1
Story 2
Story 3

After reading all the stories answer the following two questions:

• Was the developers' behavior ethical?
• How can this be avoided in the future?

Finding a job online.

Using the most well-known site www.monster.com you are to search for three different job descriptions in two different industries. Simply copy and paste the job descriptions on your blog. In total you will have six different jobs on the blog.

Next you are to write a cover letter asking to be considered for employment to ONE of the employers. This will be a separate post.

Go through the tour of this site:

https://www.buxfer.com/tour.php

Write a review. Is it a good idea or not? Would you use it or not?

Answer on your blog.

Business plans due before 10pm tonight.

DF

Steps to adding all the student blogs from this class to your Google Reader:

1. Go to http://www.google.com/reader
2. Click on "Manage Subscriptions" on the bottom.
3. Click on "Import/Export".
4. Browse your H: drive and select googlereader.opml
5. Click upload.
   

The Internet has revolutionized the entertainment industry. Now everyone can be a published, world-renowned movie critic.

Today you will write a critique of either (1) your favorite movie or (2) the last movie you've seen.

Today's site is http://www.imdb.com.

After you visit the site put a link to the movie main page.

Here's an example, based on a movie I saw yesterday, written by me. This is just for reference as to the length I'm looking for, I really don't care what movie you write about.

Click, by Adam Sandler and starring the familiar cast of characters from all his movies, seems to reflect Sandler's personal transformation into a devoted family man from a wild egotistical comedian. The film's lesson is simple: family before money and career. Though Sandler's character toils endlessly, he's stuck on the corporate treadmill watching others provide all the materialistic comforts he cannot yet afford (even bicycles for his young children, in fantasy movie-land junior architects make less than janitors).

At his breaking point, he finds himself drawn to a Bed, Bath, and Beyond (beware the product-placement, I found myself drawn to the store the next day) where he encounters a mad-scientist played by Christopher Walken. Walken's character gives him a remote control over every aspect of his life for free with the caveat that it can never be returned. Too bad the remote couldn't control for overly-sentimental movies.

But the message is positive and you'll feel for our collective sorry position as we forsake everything else that counts for the comforts of "Bed, Bath, and Beyond". Sandler says to embrace family, faith and fun. I loved the message and the obviously nonsensical plot moved the theme adequately. For a movie that was totally panned by the critics, however, it was a memorable film.

Final Business plan due Monday at 10pm.

A somewhat ignorant discussion of the FCAT on the Herald message board. Check it out.

This man inspired the Matrix. He died.

These are the categories to explain in your business plan:

1.0 Executive Summary

2.0 Company Summary

3.0 Products

4.0 Market Analysis Summary

5.0 Strategy and Implementation Summary

6.0 Management Summary

7.0 Financial Plan

Taken from a student response:

You know those kids that you see, who dont seem to care?
Those students who just fail all the time and say they dont care.
People just are'nt born that way, they have experiences which result in their current behavior.
My proposal is to change the elementary school system first. The whole school is system is horrible, for lack of a better word. The fundamental to eduction is the wanting and craving to learn. To have the student have fun and enjoy learning. You cant make a person learn, they are going to want to. The grading system deserves ridicule, the reward system in elementary schools is disgusting, and all this creates the environment before you. This here, this forcibly creates in schools what you call the smart kids, dumb kids, and those kids who dont care. The smart kids get praise from their teahcers and the others are shuned. They give up, what do you expect?
There should be a system where kids in the early grades not follow a curriculumn but follow their curosity, and their teachers leading the way. It is important the individal drive be initiated at thier early ages.

http://plantsfromparadise.blogspot.com/

One suggestions to make class more conducive to learning.

How can a system be designed so students care more for learning?

China has blocked LiveJournal. It's like a Giant X-Stop!

In order to help better understand what a business plan should have, you are to read through the following business plans.

What do you notice about all the business plans?

Read through the following sections on this website:

1. Basic Company Information
2. Thinking Strategically About Your Company
3. Establishing Baseline Numbers For Start-up Companies
4. Describe Your Product or Service
5. Competitive Comparison

Now you need to start evaluating your business (service or product) according to the five categories above. Below what you wrote yesterday, you will need to explain your business and add me as a collaborator on Google Documents.

The Miami Herald Business Challenge.

You will be entering this.

A sensitive racial issue relating to business.

Cool way to add sounds to your Flash!

Click here.

Search for .wav sounds.

It's important to get in the habit of reading the news. There are a number of great online resources.

Divide your blog post today into three sections. Separate each section with -- as I did. Also most of you don't need to leave comments anymore.

There are many companies working to make renewable energy possible. Of course there are profit motivations, perhaps there are ethical concerns as well. Read this article and summarize it on your blog in your own words.

--

Companies state their earnings every quarter. In this case an international company is not making as much as expected: http://www.nytimes.com/2007/03/02/technology/02dell.html?_r=1&oref=slogin

Why aren't they as profitable now? Answer this question with information from the article and your own personal insights.

--

How much should environmental concerns play into business? What are the states doing here?
Is it a good idea? Read the second page. How does Maine deal with recycling electronics?

My cat.

Do you have a facebook?

Kinda spooky.

Gator chomp.

The next Flash animation is either going to be of

Your favorite animal at the zoo

or...

A sporting event

The Flash needs A.) Full color B.) Animation C.) Smooth motion.

After finishing your flash, you need to put the Flash animation online at http://50megs.com within an HTML page. Then put your link on your blog.

Due tomorrow!

http://funwithflash.50megs.com/smiley.swf

1. First go to http://50megs.com
2. Sign up for a free account and free sub domain.
3. Go to File Manager and upload 1 SWF file.
4. To access the SWF file you need to publish the Flash first.
5. Then click on the SWF file and post a link on your blog.
   

My first animation online!

Another great article on what people actually read online.

Perhaps this post can help us all. Concise is the important word.

HTML is still important and we will learn it in here.

By now you have created one or two Flash animations using a motion tween and different colors. Today I'll collect your first Flash through the network but first you need to put your name at the end of the animation.

Next you are going to create a Flash animation for a business. The business you create the Flash for will be based on your last name. For instance, if your last name begins with the letter F you could create a Flash for a "Fashion Designer" or a "Football player" or ...?

We are going to put the Flash animations online. http://50megs.com offers free hosting without any ads.

An article from someone who thinks our schools are totally outdated.

We are all going to put our Flash files online eventually. Look at this cool Flash from my first period:

http://img47.imageshack.us/my.php?image=piecu6.swf

What are your first impressions of Flash? Do you enjoy it?

This guy is actually suing his school because he feels discriminated against because he is a slow typist.

I have two words for him: Micro Type.

Go to http://google.com/reader

Sign up for http://killianbusiness.blogspot.com
and three other blog feeds (at minimum).

Today we are going to start with the debate over the merger with XM and Sirius.

Start by reading the article and the opposing viewpoints.


Answer the following questions ON YOUR BLOG: Is satellite radio going to make it? Will the merger hurt or help the industry? Will the merger hurt or help consumers?

Leave your comment here only if I don't have you as part of my Google Reader.
------------------------------------------------------


Next we are going to be experimenting with Google Sketch-Up. Everyone get it started and experiment with making a house!

Later you will write me a letter about your experiences using Google Documents (http://docs.google.com).

The "Game of the Week". I hope X-Stop allows it. What a neat Flash game!!

If you are at all interested in philosophy here is a good summary.

1. On your blog write about something interesting you do online.

2. Write a summary of this article using Google Documents and add me as a collaborator (david.freer@gmail.com):

http://www.medialoper.com/hot-topics/google/how-would-you-deal-with-a-global-bandwidth-shortage/

docs.google.com

Write a paper: Which would you invest 100 million dollars in, Google and Yahoo?

Add me as a collaborator: david.freer@gmail.com

There are perhaps 5% of the population that simply *can’t* think.

There are another 5% who *can*, and *do*.

The remaining 90% *can* think, but *don’t*.

-- I find this true of my students as well.

Try out a fun game made by a student in my computer class!

You can make 100K per year blogging.

Fourth Period Leave a comment here.

Third period post your 3 links and ultra brief summaries here.

Now you are going to compare Google.com vs. Yahoo.com data can be found at : http://finance.google.com/finance?q=google

http://finance.google.com/finance?q=yahoo.

Copy Total Revenue, Gross Profit, Total Operating Expenses, Net Income from the Income Statement. Copy Total Current Assets,

Total Assets, Total Current Liabilities, Total Liabilities, Total Equity from the Balance sheet of both companies. Students will copy Net Income/Starting Line, Cash from Operating, Cash from Investing, and Cash from Financing. Then you will create a bar graph to compare the two companies for each of the italicized categories. Use information from the fourth quarter of 2006.

Students are to put the URLs to three articles from http://news.google.com and post summaries on their blogs. Explain how news.google.com will provide suggestions.

How did someone this stupid even accumulate the money in the first place?

http://www.wtsp.com/news/local/article.aspx?storyid=48715

Pretty good site to practice for the SAT.

Fourth Period leave a comment.

Third period leave a comment here.

For your edification and pleasure:

Web 2.0

Really funny and true graph.

Silent reading today.

Read this.

1. "When it is more important to be seen than to be talented, it is hardly surprising that the less gifted among us are willing to fart our way into the spotlight." - Lakshmi Chaudhry. What is your reaction?
2. What would you do if someone took a compromising picture of you and posted it on the Internet? Should people have a right to say if they don't want a picture online?
3. Is the "truly private life" an illusion? Why or why not?
   
4. What does the author mean by the "Creolization of media"?
5. “Things that were not silly. I tried to make my posts highly stylized and short, about things I would imagine people would want to read or comment on.”- I've wondered this about websites like reddit.com. Could the same be said for newspapers?
6. "When she worked at American Apparel, management posted encouraging remarks on employee MySpace pages." Personally, I find this weird. What do you think?
   
7. Iamfacingforeclosure.com is a site written by an idiot. Acknowledge he is an idiot for getting in so much trouble with money.
   
8. What is your reaction to the article? Did you enjoy it?

Title this post: Online Life.

Maybe we are becoming more illiterate?

Three posts today.

I posted this:

We are witnessing the rise of the articulate and the marginalization of the inarticulate, whether in our political and business leaders or in our leading brands and most favored Internet sites.


http://ben.casnocha.com/


earlier in the week but the budgets consumed all of our class time.



1. You need to post the definition of "marginalization", "inarticulate" and "political" on your blog post.

2. What does this mean? Post your answer on your blog.

3. Next give your opinion. Is it true or not?

Then you need to do the posts below:
http://killianbusiness.blogspot.com/2007/02/after-you-finish-with-spreadsheet.html

After you finish with the spreadsheet, answer the following questions :

First read this:

The Internet is undergoing a profound and much needed shift. In its earliest days it was an instrument of individuals, but quickly evolved into a sphere dominated by corporate interests. It got a whole lot fancier and prettier when that happened, but it also got boring. The recent explosion of the read/write (and view/record) Web is putting the Internet back into the creative hands of individuals and the communities they form.

As those of us who are content creators and knowledge managers strive to surf the crest of this rapid change, our most important move may be to simply get out of the way by providing playgrounds where free and freewheeling exchanges of information can take place.

http://toshen.com/work-design.htm

First post. Title it "Internet History":

1. To what does "Web 2.0" refer?
2. How do you personally produce content for the web?
3. What does the "Dot Com" bubble mean? When did it occur?
   

Second post. Title it "County Information Online"

1. How does knowing that property information is completely accessible online http://www.miamidade.gov/pa/property_search.asp make you feel about personal information being too accessible?
2. What are the drawbacks of having such info that can be found at the clerk of courts website available online? http://www.miami-dadeclerk.com/dadecoc/
   
3. Find the link to pay for parking tickets in Miami. Post it here.
   

The budgets are coming along nicely.

Today you are going to compare your salary with what the government says is the average salary.

First, click here.

Find Miami. Do you make more than the average or less than the average in 2005? Put this in your Excel worksheet below your total salary.

You will be graded for the following:

1. Calculating your salary correctly and finding the average salary for Miami.
2. Including links for automobiles or bus passes, furniture, housing, communication, and gas (MPG).
3. Color coding your worksheet and applying the proper formatting. If the numbers are hard to read and in a sloppy fashion I will take off points from this grade.
4. Dividing everything correctly (pay for the larger purchases over the proper amount of time - autos 36 months and furniture and TVs 12 months) and summing everything up correctly.
   

This is a four grade assignment. Due at the end of class.

Save your Excel worksheet as "MyBudget.xls".

Today you need to add a television in your housing costs. You may try to find the best deal you can.

Although I hate to promote buying "on time" for the purposes of this simulation we will just divide the television and furniture over 1 year as opposed to the 3 year plan for the automobile.

Today you are going to divide your spreadsheet into the following categories:

Transportation
Housing
Clothing
Food
Entertainment
Misc/Total Saved

Add to your budget the following. Do you want the following?

Cell phone? If so, which plan? Provide the monthly price and a link.
Internet connection? If so, which plan? Give the monthly price and a link.
Cable television or DSL?

Also you need to add the average cost for gasoline each month. First find out the miles per gallon for your car or truck or SUV. Pretend you will drive 1000 miles per month (the average) and calculate the cost per month based on $2.10 per gallon. This is really simple math.

Look at these two points of view:

She doesn't mind living on 12000 per year.

She's scared about it.

Living on 12000 per year would be quite a challenge!!!

Today you are going to create an average meal when eating at home for breakfast, lunch, and dinner. Make a new section in your "Cool" budget Excel worksheet below the "Entertainment" section and title it "Food". Find the links to each of the foods and leave them below the foods.

Multiply the number of dinners by 30, multiply the number of lunches by 30, and multiply the number of breakfasts by 30. That is, if you never eat out. If you prefer to eat out, and most Americans do, indicate that in your cell by adding the appropriate amount for your meal out. Then subtract the number of dinners or lunches or breakfasts you would

You can buy your furniture used or new. Put the links next to the price.

Now you are going to add a new section to your worksheet which you will title "Clothing". Find one professional outfit online, add the price and the link. Next find a casual outfit and add the price and the link. You can't avoid buying clothes or you'll look like a high school teacher. It isn't pretty.

Now that the budget is taking shape it is time to find out the monthly payments on the vehicle you selected.

Assume a 3.5% interest rate on a new car and a 7.5% interest rate on a used car.

http://www.edmunds.com/apps/calc/CalculatorController

Give yourself 3 years to pay off the car if you are buying it outright. A lease is up to you, but note the fine print when you are comparing leases. Some leases have a high price when you are finished.

Add $108 per month for insurance if your car is not a sports car and $150 per month if it is. This number was a rough calculation based a general group of young drivers and is merely for the sake of the simulation. I figured having everyone contact insurance companies might have been beyond the scope of the class. But it still might've had pedagogical value.

Once you have all this information total up your monthly spending and compare it to the fictional salary. Are you in the red or the black? Can you splurge on a nicer car or are you in over your head?

You will need a cell with your total expenses. Below this cell you will subtract your total monthly salary from your total expenses, this is your total amount saved per month. You'll need savings for your life, notably retirement and the inevitable downturns.

...

On another note, EVERYONE will need a google account for the new blogger. We are going to be using their spreadsheet program, their reader program, and Google Groups. I gave my computer students google accounts at the beginning of the year and now it's your turn.

...
I've been too terse with this blog. Instead of merely saying everything in class, I will try to out it out more completely.

It's just funny. No need to comment.

What to say, really?

We are witnessing the rise of the articulate and the marginalization of the inarticulate, whether in our political and business leaders or in our leading brands and most favored Internet sites.


http://ben.casnocha.com/


What does this mean? Post your answer on your blog.

Today's site is www.reddit.com

1. Who decides what articles are at the top?
2. Compare reddit with cnn.com.
3. Who started reddit?
4. What articles are most interesting to you?

This is going to be the Spreadsheet we use. We'll go over it in class.

Today's web site is related to SATIRE.

On your own blog,

1. Pick the three funniest headlines.
2. Provide a definition of satire.
3. Think of another example of a satirical publication or movie.
4. Make up a satirical headline for something around Killian.
   

Look at the relationship between income and life expectancy.

Fourth Period leave your comment about Craigslist.org here.

Third period.

Today's Web site is Craigslist.org.

Do you think you'll use it?

What's the best thing about it?

Could it be improved?

Some of you did not understand the assignment last class or you did not leave a comment. Refer to the posts below and comment there if you have not yet done so. Not having a password is no excuse. Make a new blog if you forgot your password!

First assignment today:
#1 Pick four of the "big questions" and summarize the answers.

#2 Finish page 94, 96, 101 out of the book!

Comment here when you are finished.

Assignment 3 & 4 for a grade:

Read the following article.

1.) Are you interested in the movie?
2.) Do you agree with the premise of the movie (according to the reviewer)?
3.) Are "we" getting dumber?


Read the following article.

1.) Did you watch the State of the Union address?
2.) What was the hardest part of the job for the writers?
3.) When did Bush propose sending humans to Mars?

Friday (assignment #1 & #2- for a grade. Don't spend more than 30 minutes on this, you'll need the time for the "Business Mistakes assignment.")

Assignment #1
Read the following article:
Cyber-bullying.

Answer the following questions on your blog:

1. What is cyber-bullying?
2. What has Myspace done about it?
3. Has a bully ever demanded you send them money via Paypal? All kidding aside, have you ever known anyone as the victim of cyber-bullying?
4. Toward the end of the article, various plans are mentioned. What's the best approach in your opinion?
   
5. Read through the comments on slashdot. Should schools be worried about cyber-bullying at all?
   

Friday Assignment #2

Read this.

1. What is it all about?
   
2. Do you agree with the direction this technology is taking?

When you are finished leave your comment here.

What a show-off!

Once you finish with your letters d0 Page 94, 96, 101 out of the book!

Data for the table.

Salesmen and saleswomen:
Smith sold 4 cars
Jones sold 5 cars
Freer sold 5 cars
Bartlett sold 11 cars
McMandon sold 3 cars

Of course add the salesman from your previous letter and the number of cars he sold. Save this as Table.doc.

Write a letter commending a co-worker for his amazing month of car sales. Specify in the letter that the co-worker will receive a raise and promotion. Save as “Promotion.doc”.

You will need to save all your work in a folder on your H: drive known as WPWork. Create the new folder on your network drive by right clicking, going to "New" and then "Folder".

Move page 81, 83, 85 into the folder along with the mini paper and the letter to the company.

What speed are you getting?

We will be doing a research paper based on whatever you choose. Leave a comment on your blog in one sentence WHAT INTERESTS YOU THE MOST RIGHT NOW!

• Center align the title with a larger font.
• Offset text copied and pasted from someone else by a half an inch.
  
• Add a footnote with the URL where you found the information.
• Leave a 'user comment.'
  
• On the third page of text make it three columns and continue adding information.
• Add a picture and experiment with the alignment of the text.
• Add a hyperlink.
  

First period leave a comment here:

Look what football can do to your brain!

You purchased a trial offer online and you called to cancel but you notice a bill from the company on your credit card. Compose a letter to the company using Microsoft Word with a minimum of five sentences.

Here are the details on which you are to compose your letter:

• You signed up on 11/13/06
• You cancelled on 11/15/06
• The three day trial offer was for $3.95
• Your Visa was billed for November and December with the amount of $15.95.
• The $15.95 was billed as "Computer Associates Inc."
• The agent who canceled your account was Marcia Ramirez.
  

Save your letter as "Unfair bill".

Print out pages 33, 35, p. 39, p. 41, p. 43, p. 46, p. 48, p. 50, p.52, p. 54, p. 56

Looks like typing won't be gone for a while!

Seems like a cool way to learn Word 2003. Sponsored by HP!

You will need these for many years to come!

We will have a test on these later. Start reading and using them NOW!

Word Processing Assignments:

Pay attention to the page before the work for the name to save the work.

page 48, 50, 52, 54, 56.

After every assignment is finished, we will print them out.

Too many distractions.

January 9, 2007

Assignments:

p. 39 - Use 36 font, arial black
p. 41
p. 43
p. 46

http://www.theclayman.com/dancing_chicken_v1.html

use your keys to move the chicken!
....

Look at how much time this guy has on his hands...

Newest Linerider!

I wish I was that tall.

Does thinking faster make you happier?

Check to see how many words you have here.

Midterm Essay
350 word answer (a little less than a page typed).

How do you think computers will most change life in the next decade?

As there is no knowable answer, I want creative and thoughtful answers. There can be no copying and pasting on an assignment such as this.

You can write out your answer by hand or type it up, but the paper must be typed out and printed in class.