Assignments for Class #5

Congratulations to Alex Broadwater, Emily, Patrick, and Todd Carter on winning last week's My Favorite Entrepreneur Essay Writing Contest. Prizes for winning will be announced at the next class.

Note on Linking: All assignments this week are due 5PM Monday, February 23rd. They MUST be linked to this blog in the comments area below using the Shane Style of links as discussed in class last Monday.

1) Read Part Three of HTWFAIP: "How to Win People to Your Way of Thinking " if you haven't already.

2) Read Crossing the Chasm Part II pp. 103-161

3) Create a Product Description slide using 20 words or less or a chart or picture to describe your Whole Product or service.

4) Create a Product Component List slide that numbers and describes the components necessary to fulfill your product or service. Use the concept of the Whole Product as defined in Crossing the Chasm on pp. 108 to 110.

5) Create a slide using a spreadsheet that provides real or estimated Product Component Costs for each of the components of your Whole Product.

6) Create an Organizational Chart of not more than 10 people necessary for the delivery of your Whole Product. Place the chart in a slide along with estimated annual salaries and/or hourly costs per each headcount per year.

Link all four (4) slides to the comments area below.

7) Apply all SIX (6) principles of Part Two of HTWFAIP in five (5) social interactions this week. At least two (2) of the five (5) should be people who are NOT friends, retail employees or service agents. For example, at least two (2) of your five (5) social interactions could be a Professor (not including myself), an assistant coach, an assistant manager or manager at your job, or a relative NOT including your parents. Ask at least one (1) of these two (2) about their cel phone make, model, service and usage and identify this person along the Technology Adoption Life Cycle. Write a brief summary of each interaction and the TALC identification sequence in your blog and link this back to this course blog.

8) Review your Enterprise Value calculation of last week and, if needed, re-calculate. Calculate the current Enterprise Value for Microsoft and Apple as of this week, detailing the inputs used for outstanding shares, value of each share and indicate the time, date and source of that share price, and include the current comparative percentage. Enter all calculations and information in a post on your blog and link this entry to this blog.

9) Review this website on Search Engine Optimization

Assignments for Class #4

1) Read Crossing the Chasm up to page 103 if you haven’t already

2) Apply the first 3 principles of HTWFAIP in three (3) social interactions this week with a retail employee or public service agent. Note the time, date, place and type of interaction as an entry on your personal blog by 7PM Monday. If you can, try to do this with one of the people upon whom you applied the principles last week. USE common sense—do NOT pursue any social interactions with anyone who begins to make you nervous. Be prepared to discuss in class.

3) Revise your slide using the specific comments of the Professor, if any, and the class discussion. Create a link to the revised slide in the comments area below by 7PM Monday.

4) Revise your favorite entrepreneur essay again by midnight Friday. Please note in the comments area below whether you have done this since this will be the essay that will be used in the Revised Essay Poll.

5) Read your classmates' Revised Favorite Entrepreneur’s Essay.

6) Vote for your favorite four (4) Essays using the online Revised Essay Poll that will be posted by the Professor by midnight Friday. Voting will be permitted through 7PM Monday.

7) Read the important sections of the Apple Computer IPO and the Microsoft IPO. Links to these documents are to be found in the Important Links area on the home page of this blog.

Calculate the enterprise value of Apple Computer on its IPO date and the enterprise value of Microsoft on its IPO date. Which was the greater value? By what percentage?

Post your answers on your blog and create a link to these answers in the comment area below by 7PM Monday.

8) Approach one (1) friend and ask them about the type of cellular phone they have. This friend can NOT be a member of this class. Note the brand name of the manufacturer of the phone and model number, the cell phone carrier, and their level of usage (voice, text, web browsing, emails, IM, other). For example, I have a Nokia N95 with T-Mobile service which I use for voice calls, text messages, web browsing, gmails, calendar and schedule reminders, photo and video capture, mp3 playback, radio reception, and as an alarm clock.

Using their cell phone as a guide, identify this individual as a consumer type along the Technology Adoption Life Cycle. Use only the first name and last name initial. Note these results in your personal blog and create a link to these notes in the comment area below by 7PM Monday. Then, ask the same person what cell phone they would buy if money was not an issue. "I don't know" is an acceptable response, but only after you ask them to think about it. Note this result as well. Does that change your opinion of their consumer type?

Assignments for Class #3

1) Watch Tucker and the Alexander Graham Bell Story if you haven't already. Be prepared to discuss at the beginning of next class. The AGB Story is currently with Brian Bell (any relation?). Brian can you put your email address in a comment and let folks know how they can view the film and for how much?

2) Read Crossing the Chasm pp. 63 to 103. You should have already read the preface and up to page 63. Remember to use a highliter on important ideas and to make notes in the margins if there are questions or concepts you would like to discuss in class.

3) Read the Starbucks IPO which will be posted as a link to this blog within 48 hours. Be prepared to discuss the initial target market for Starbucks.

4) Read the Under Armour IPO if you haven't already and be prepared to discuss the "Enterprise Value" of Under Armour at the time of its IPO. For Extra Credit be prepared to discuss the current "Enterprise Value" of Under Armour.

5) Apply the first 3 Principles from Part 2 of "How to Win Friends and Influence People" in a social interaction with a retail employee or public agent. A retail employee, you may recall from class discussion, can be any food services worker or an employee at a bookstore or clothing shop. A public agent may be a bus driver, postal clerk, or security guard. Be prepared to discuss the results of the application of the Principles. Please note the time, date, place, and type of interaction--an entry on your personal blog is a good way of archiving this information.

6) Write a new version of your essay from Assignment #1
This new version should be a revision of the first submission, incorporating comments, if any, from the Professor and your fellow students. An additional paragraph will now be added discussing an element from either "Chasm" or "How to Win" that can be identified within the life of the person profiled in your essay. A further paragraph will identify the initial target market of the person profiled in your essay from their successful business. The description of this initial target market will use concepts from Chasm and identify the aspects of the target market that relate to terminology used in Chasm. Post this new version of your essay as a hotlink back to your blog in a comment area on this blog by 12 midnight on the Saturday preceding the class--watch for the Professor's post that indicates where to post, and remember to make your post a "hotlink". Make sure that the new paragraphs are incorporated into the essay--do NOT simply tack on words. Rewrite, refine and remember to cite sources.

7) Create a Powerpoint slide that identifies an initial target market for a product or service you would like to launch. Remember the Rules of Powerpoint discussed in class. Post the slide (as a hotlink back to your blog if possible) by 12 midnight on Sunday prior to class. Use specific information from sources such as the US Census. Remember to cite the sources.

8) Read the selected sections from the Apple IPO. This should be posted as a link by the Friday of this week.