Week 4 Reading Reflection

I found the "Most Common Idea Killers" to be surprising, but it was very interesting to see how much these phrases really do affect your creativity process. I did not really find any part of the chapter confusing, but I suppose if the author could elaborate on one idea it should be the critical thinking chart. If i could ask the author two questions they would be:

1. Which "Common Idea Killer" do you struggle with the most?

2. Do you think you use more left hemisphere or right hemisphere skills?

I would ask these questions because they were the things I asked myself when reading this chapter. The only thing in the chapter that I disagreed with was with the major innovation myths. I agreed with most of what they were, but there were a few that I thought were true more often than not. 

Customer Interviews No. 1

The opportunity I chose was satisfaction with sorority/fraternity meals plans. The people with the potential unmet need are all those involved in greek life. I had two main questions that I asked each person that I interviewed. Honestly approaching each person and talking to them was a little awkward at first, but the more interviews I did the less weird I felt. I did, however,  have to do more than one take for some of the people I interviewed. After completing my interviews I learned how people are more than willing to answer a few questions, and for the most part people are satisfied.

Top 5 World Problems

Top 5 Problems:

1. Poverty
• There are many people who still live without electricity or running water. this is such a crazy idea to grasp because of how even some of the poorest live in the United States and other developed countries. 
2. Hunger
• A study done by the UN has estimated there to be around 842 million people that are undernourished, so around one in nine people remain hungry each day. Hunger is such a big problem because it results in death. Feeding America states that, "hunger exists in every community of our country. 1 in 6 people struggle to get enough to eat”.
3. Education
• A lack of quality education or education at all, for those of all genders and socials classes, is a problem faced many many today. 
4. Economy
• Close to half of the world's wealth is owned by the top one percent of the population. This leaves most of the worlds population underrepresented in many spheres, like in politics for example.
5. Conflicts over Religion
• Religion has constantly been a cause of war and conflict from the crusades to the Spanish inquisition. Lately the conflict over religion has been surrounding Islam and its relation, whether valid or not, to terrorism. This conflict has made many people targets of unwarranted cruelty. 

I chose education as my top problem because it seems as if the root of many of my other problems is lack of knowledge of the issue which leads to lack of response and problem solving regarding said issues. 

Top 5 Solutions:

1. Poverty
• This problem is daunting when trying to think of a practical solution, however, simply spreading the word and educating people could have a profound effect. 
2. Hunger
• A practical solution to this would be developing ways to easily and sustainably grow food in developing countries, and then teaching the citizens how to maintain the growth of the food. 
3. Education
• A practical way solution for this could simply be providing more opportunities for quality education by better supporting teachers and the importance of education as a whole. 
4. Economy
• A potential way to combat this problem could be creating more jobs in order to bridge the unemployment gap.
5. Conflicts over Religion
• A practical solution to this would simply be educating the public about different religions and teaching tolerance for all people of different faiths.

I chose education as my top solution as well because it seems as if the solution to many of the worlds top problems can be solved or at least helped creating by spreading valid information on the issue to people. This spread of knowledge could help the rate at which these problems are addressed and helped. I believe this is the most implementable because it is something that all people seem to agree upon, specifically the fact that education is one of the most important things because of the effect it has on the success of future generations. 

Week 3 Reading Reflection

This chapter discussed the idea of corporate entrepreneurship. corporate entrepreneurship, by definition, is the process of successfully and profitably creating an innovation in an organized setting. The biggest surprise to me, while reading this chapter, was the increasing number of people who are moving from corporations to small businesses. If I could ask the author two questions the would be:

1. Do you think this transition from corporate to small business has to do with the economy, more specifically bettering the economy by supporting the small business owner? 
2. Do you think this trend is related to the emerging desire, of certain demographics, to have things that are "trendy" or "unique"?

I would ask these two questions because they are things that make sense to me as the reason for this new trend. I did not really see anything that I thought was "wrong" per se with what the author said. In fact I agree with the things he said and his evidence backing up his statements. 

Identifying Local Opportunities

1. Robert Knight: Law preserves status quo for polluters
• http://infoweb.newsbank.com.lp.hscl.ufl.edu/resources/doc/nb/news/15A9388BE6DE2E18?p=AWNB
• This article discusses the increasing pollution of Florida's waterways. It talks about how the excess discharge of trace metals and organic compounds are harmful to aquatic life. This past month Florida legislature passed the 2016 Florida Springs and Aquifer Protection Act, which is intended to help preserve the current status quo.
• The problem presented in this article in pollution in our local waterways.
• The citizens of Florida who utilize the waterways as a means for entertainment or livelihood. 
2. Sarah McIntosh: Changing misconceptions about mental illness
• http://infoweb.newsbank.com.lp.hscl.ufl.edu/resources/doc/nb/news/15A861FAF0F0CF00?p=AWNB
• This article discusses the hope to change the misconceptions surrounding mental illness. Those with mental illness are seen as people to be avoided, and even the slightest mention of the issue is seen as plague-like, or something to be hidden away. 
• The problem addressed in this article is the misconceptions associated with mental illness.
• The people who face this problem are all those with a mental illness. 
3. UF event tackles Islamophobia
• http://infoweb.newsbank.com.lp.hscl.ufl.edu/resources/doc/nb/news/15A7E65B2D116250?p=AWNB
• This article discusses the issue of Islamophobia and how the director of the Center for Global Islamic Studies at the University of Florida has lead a team that hopes to change the "conversation" about the Islamic faith. 
• The problem discussed in the article is Islamophobia.
• The people who ace this problem are those of the Islamic faith.
4. Larry Reimer: Use pause to reconsider capital punishment
• http://infoweb.newsbank.com.lp.hscl.ufl.edu/resources/doc/nb/news/15A791D9AF335FC0?p=AWNB
• This article discusses the Sepreme Court's ruling to outlaw capital punishment in Florida. It also discusses what the intended effect of capital punishment, discouraging people from killing, was not exactly effective. It also brings up hoe this is not the best way to give the affected family a sense of "closure". 
• The problem discussed in this article is whether or not capital punishment should be outlawed. 
• The people who face this problem are those on death row.
5. 1,000 people march for justice and equality
• http://infoweb.newsbank.com.lp.hscl.ufl.edu/resources/doc/nb/news/15A791D970CE52E0?p=AWNB
• This article talks about a march held in honor or MLK and his vision or equality. it also talks about although there has been significant progress, there is still much more that needs to be done in order to truly have quality of the races. 
• The problem discussed in this article is equality amongst races, specifically the progress MLK worked for. 
• Those who face this problem are people who are discriminated against based of race. 

Very Short Interview No. 1

...

World's Biggest Problems

1. Poverty
• There are many people who still live without electricity or running water. this is such a crazy idea to grasp because of how even some of the poorest live in the United States and other developed countries. This problem is daunting when trying to think of a practical solution, however, simply spreading the word and educating people could have a profound effect. 
2. Hunger
• A study done by the UN has estimated there to be around 842 million people that are undernourished, so around one in nine people remain hungry each day. Hunger is such a big problem because it results in death. Feeding America states that, "hunger exists in every community of our country. 1 in 6 people struggle to get enough to eat". A practical solution to this would be developing ways to easily and sustainably grow food in developing countries, and then teaching the citizens how to maintain the growth of the food. 
3. Education
• A lack of quality education or education at all, for those of all genders and socials classes, is a problem faced many many today. A practical way solution for this could simply be providing more opportunities for quality education by better supporting teachers and the importance of education as a whole. 
4. Economy
• Close to half of the world's wealth is owned by the top one percent of the population. This leaves most of the worlds population underrepresented in many spheres, like in politics for example. A potential way to combat this problem could be creating more jobs in order to bridge the unemployment gap.
5. Conflicts over Religion
• Religion has constantly been a cause of war and conflict from the crusades to the Spanish inquisition. Lately the conflict over religion has been surrounding Islam and its relation, whether valid or not, to terrorism. This conflict has made many people targets of unwarranted cruelty. A practical solution to this would simply be educating the public about different religions and teaching tolerance for all people of different faiths.
6. Terrorism
• The war on terrorism has been an ongoing problem in the world. I feel like there has been much talon ways to combat this, however, I am not sure there is one "right" way to tackle this. The only thing I can think that would help the response and prevention of this is banding together with other cooperating nations to come up with a plan of attack, no pun intended, and a come up with a prevention plan. 
7. Global Warming
• This problem has been one talked about heavily in the past decade or so. This is a problem that my generation really grew up hearing about, and I feel like it is one we have been able to witness first hand. There is not really a solution to this problem, but we could all try to reduce our carbon footprint in order to help maintain the world we live in today. I am not sure if this is a problem that can be fixed, but we could all put forth effort to keep it from getting worse.
8. Government Corruption
• This is a problem that can be seen in one way, shape, or form in most countries across the world. Although the type of corruption differs amongst countries, it is a problem none the less. One way this problem could be combatted is by the UN overseeing, to a certain extent, the facilitating of countries in order to maintain the rights of the citizens. 
9. Inequality (based on gender, religion, etc.)
• This problem is seen in many different capacities around the world. There are places where you are persecuted fro practicing certain religions, and in some countries women still have little to no rights. Education is one great way to combat this.
10. Armed Violence
• This issue has many different fronts, and there are many different stances that one can take on this issue. This is a big issue in most countries across the world, and more than 747,000 people that are killed due to armed violence each year. I will admit I completely believe that as a citizen of the United States I have the right to bear arms, however, I believe a way that this could be solved is a better screening system when people buy and sell guns to anyone in any country. 

Week 2 Reflection Reading

In reading chapter one of our text book I found the multiple approaches to entrepreneurship to be the most surprising part of this chapter. it wasn't so much the actual approaches as it was the number of approaches. However one part of the reading I found rather confusing was the part about the difference between an entrepreneur and a small business owner. I do understand the differences discussed in the reading, but i still feel as if they are extremely similar. if i were able to ask the author two questions they would be:
   1. Why is the name for for leaders in innovation "Gazelles"?
   2. Which perspective do you use when examining each approach (schools of thought or process)
There was not anything i thought the author was really wrong about in this particular reading.

Bug List

1. During the week, getting a table at the Starbucks on 13^th is nearly impossible.
•  This bugs me because when I have driven to Starbucks, parked, and bought a drink, I am forced to get back into my car and go somewhere else to study which is wasted time I could have used to study.
2. During midterms and finals, the number of open spots in the on campus libraries is few and far between.
• This bugs me because during these two time periods I really need a quiet place to study without distractions, and when I cannot use the library, a perfect combination of quiet and few distractions, I find it extremely annoying.
3. Coming home from a holiday break is only made more sad when you find out a light was left on in your apartment all break.
• This bugs me because I generally want to keep my utility bill low, and when one of my roommates has left a light on, increasing our bill during a time when no one is home, I get a tad annoyed.
4. Trying to find street parking in my neighborhood around dinnertime is an impossible task.
• This is something that bugs me because I have to have my car and I have to have street parking, yet there never seems to be enough street parking for everyone who has bought a decal.
5. Waking up to dishes, which are not mine, strewn about my apartment is not a fun way to start my day
• It bugs me when my roommates do not clean up after themselves because I make a point of putting my dishes in the sink immediately after I use them.
6. When I wake up to sunlight seeping in through the gap between my window and blinds I am instantly annoyed.
• When I moved into my apartment I realized that in renovating it the management company had failed to order the correct size blinds, but they still installed the way to large blinds rendering them partially ineffective.
7. It is always a very unwelcomed surprise when the shower suddenly turns icy cold as the kitchen sink is in use.
• It bugs me that I am not able to have the sink and shower running at the same time. This seems like a silly thing to annoy someone, but you would be surprised the amount of times I have had to wait to use on or the other.
8. When my nails aren’t painted I feel incomplete.
• I think this bugs me because I do not like the way my nails look when they are not painted, but also it reflects the way someone feel about their personal appearance.
9. Trying to complete assignments for an online class while in my apartment is one of the most frustrating tasks.
• For some reason the Wi-Fi in my apartment works on everyone’s laptops except mine. Considering the work for this class amongst other things, this proves to be extremely annoying.
10. My least favorite part of going out is doing my eye makeup because it never fails that it will never turn out the same on both eyes.
• This bugs me because even though no one else will really notice, I know it is not even.
11. Taking something out of the dryer and realizing that it has shrunken is the bane of my existence.
• This bugs me because I have spent money on something then proceeded to ruin it in a way that was completely avoidable.
12. It took three months for my apartment’s management company to fix things that were supposed to be done before we moved in.
• This bugged me because it was the management company’s job to make sure this was done before we moved in, but it turned into me repeatedly calling them just to have them say, “that wasn’t done yet?”.
13. Waking up to the realization that my phone was in fact not charging even though I plugged it in.
• This bugs me because I use my phone as my alarm and throughout the day, so why did I not check it to make sure it was actually charging before I went to bed.
14. The worst thing that could happen when I’m driving somewhere is the person driving in front of me going below the speed limit and refusing to move to the right-hand lane.
• Admittedly, I am not a particularly patient person, but when I am trying to get somewhere and the person driving in front of me is going below the speed limit I get extremely annoyed.
15. It is the worst when people do not use their turn signal when coming into a lane or turning off onto another street.
• This is something that really bugs me because we have turn signals for a reason and I do not understand why people cannot seem to just follow the rules of the road.
16. A pet peeve of mine is when professors or people in professional settings make grammatical errors.
• This bugs me mostly because if you have made it through a certain level of education you should not be making grammatical errors.
17. When things are slightly askew or unsymmetrical it drives me insane. 
• I think this is partly because I am a little OCD about how the things around me look. One way I am able to feel like I have control over what happens in my life is by making sure the things I can control are as organized as possible.
18.  I find it extremely annoying how I paid a lot of money for my laptop, and yet it still freezes and doesn’t work right every once and a while.  
• This bugs me because I spent more money on my laptop because I thought it came with the promise of eliminating said problem, but apparently it did not.
19. Not finding the pair to my sock is extremely frustrating.
• This really bugs me because I washed them together so why is it that one is always missing.
20. I hate when I go to use my bathroom and someone else’s toothbrush is touching mine.
• This bugs me for pretty obvious reasons I think. From a purely hygienic standpoint I do not understand how someone else could put their toothbrush back and not fix it when it touches another toothbrush.

In creating this list of things that bug me I found out that quite a few things do in fact bother me. I found it difficult to find a variety of types of things that bother me, but the explanations for why they bother me came pretty easily. After finishing my list it was clear that the things that bother are the things that I am conscious about doing myself. 

Introduction

Hi! My name is Grace Withers, and I am a sophomore marketing major from Tampa, Fl. I am the oldest of three children. I have two little brothers, Michael (17) and Ben (8). One fun fact about me is that I attended an all girl high school. Admittedly this is not a "fun" fact per-se, but it is something unique about me. At this point I honestly have no idea what exactly I want to do with my life, but I'm very interested in creative things like potentially branding for companies. I love to travel, but I have not had too many chances to do so. I would love to do a study abroad at some point in my college career!

My Entrepreneurship Story

 The first time I was truly exposed to entrepreneurship was in high school. During my freshman year my friend Sarah asked me if I would be interested in coming to hear about a mission trip her youth group took to St. Suzanne, Haiti. Sarah is a good friend of mine so I thought, "Sure, why not?" After the presentation, Sarah announced that she and her fellow youth group member, Rachel, were going to try to raise money to replace the village's two broken generators. This collective desire to raise money for the two generators soon formed an organization called Teens for Haiti. I helped start this group, and in doing this helped come up with the idea for how we would raise this money. We collectively decided that we would create and sell different forms of art. We painted canvases and made stained glass pieces, and we sold them wherever we could. We started out selling them at local markets, but we soon moved on to start a store on Easy. This allowed us to reach a bigger audience, and as a result make significantly more money. We raised over $15,000 in our first year allowing us to buy the two new generators and have money left over to start our next project, building a chicken coop. This experience showed me how it takes more than a good idea to get a business started, but it also taught me that when you put your mind to something you can achieve it. 

I enrolled in this course because I want to gain a better understanding of what is involved with being an entrepreneur, and more specifically how to succeed as an entrepreneur. I hope that throughout this semester I learn the tools I will need to be successful in creating a business.

http://www.teensforhaiti.com

Entrepreneur's Mantra

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