Week 3 Reading Reflection

Chapter 2 reading reflection

1. Something that surprised me and stood out the most during the reading is the Entrepreneurial Ego. This was a very bold title and made me want to read into it more. It surprised me that the author chose to describe the inflated egos of entrepreneurs as a destructive implication. In my opinion, entrepreneurs must have an ego and certain confidence about themselves in order to be successful. This is what sets them apart from others and gives them the ability succeed at running a business. I figured the author would have written this part in more of a positive sense that if entrepreneur's are not confident and do not have an ego, they will probably not succeed.

2. One part of the reading that was confusing to me was the fact that the importance of "fostering positive relationships in all areas of life" was a concept that just began to transpire when the number of female entrepreneurs grew. The text made it seem as if females hadn't begun to emerge as entrepreneurs, there would be less of a focus on the importance of strong relationships in entrepreneurial businesses. I am confused because I feel that this should be a core value of entrepreneurship despite the growing emergence of females and their "caring" nature.

3. The first question I would ask the author is why they wrote this chapter in a way that makes entrepreneurship seem negative. Seeing the title "The Dark Side of Entrepreneurship" doesn't really make me want to read more and definitely doesn't make me want to become an entrepreneur. The author used the term "destructive" to describe the dark side of entrepreneurship. Much of the chapter was devoted to all of the negatives that go along with being an entrepreneur such as risks and stress, and the entrepreneurial ego.

The second question I would ask the author is why all of the key terms contain the word entrepreneurial. It doesn't seem that any of them are specific to entrepreneurship, such as motivation, or cognition. These are all general terms that do not seem specific to the realm of entrepreneurship. I understand that these terms are in the context of the entrepreneurial world but I think the terms could be more specific to entrepreneurship instead.

4. I disagree with the fact that the author made it seem like being an entrepreneur and able to succeed at starting your own business is something that is a natural and innate ability. The entrepreneurial mind-set and all of the cognition theories made it seem like you are born an entrepreneur and are unable to develop these skills. I disagree because I believe someone can develop these characteristics based on the environment they grow up in or the workplaces that they are exposed to from a young age.

Identifying Local Opportunities- Gainesville Sun

1. Mayoral candidate Shepherd accused of stealing old pick up truck

http://infoweb.newsbank.com.lp.hscl.ufl.edu/resources/doc/nb/news/15A66963CFABB800?p=AWNB

This article explains the story of potential Gainesville mayoral candidate Donald E. Shepherd Sr. who has been arrested on a grand theft auto charge.  A woman reported that he stole a truck without permission. Shepherd and his wife both claim he did not steal the vehicle. The woman declined an interview about the incident but the truck was gone from the woman's house and coincidentally was photographed in Shepherd's driveway days later. Shepherd helped the woman's family out frequently by cleaning the apartment and washing the supposedly stolen truck many times in the past. It is unclear whether the truck was stolen and investigation will continue in the coming weeks.

The problem here is that even though Shepherd may not have stolen the truck, his image will still be tarnished in his running for Mayor of Gainesville. People are probably going to view him differently after the incident. He will be ineligible to run for mayor if the charges of grand theft auto stand.

Donald Shepherd is the person facing the problem, as well as the woman who owns the truck.


2. Editorial: seeking clarity in hospital costs

http://infoweb.newsbank.com.lp.hscl.ufl.edu/resources/doc/nb/news/15A7E65B56EA5158?p=AWNB

This article discusses the confusing and costly nature of hospital bills and how this effects patients. Legislation is attempting to give patients more information about hospital costs when they receive their bill. The proposal would require online pricing information on procedures that hospitals and surgical centers provide. As opposed to seeking funding for the issue, Governor Rick Scott is pushing to spend budget surplus. Instead of politically attacking nonprofit hospitals, the author of the article posed that Scott should work together with hospitals to ensure that enough information is being provided to patients.

The main problem here is that patients of hospitals are not provided with enough information on their hospital bill and end up paying the bill without fully understanding where all the costs are coming from. Legislation is hoping to pass a new bill that would provide patients with more detailed information, requiring hospitals to provide online pricing information.

The patients are the ones experiencing this problem.


3. Alachua County Commission votes to move toward civil citation for pot

http://infoweb.newsbank.com.lp.hscl.ufl.edu/resources/doc/nb/news/15A9388B22ABFA00?p=AWNB

This article explains the Alachua County Commission's decision to allow police officers to issue a civil citation instead of arresting people for possession of small amounts of marijuana. Currently, if someone is charged with possession of marijuana could face up to a year in prison and a $1000 fine. The issuance of civil citations instead would keep those charged from having a criminal record. Many were in support of this change during a meeting on Tuesday. Sargeant Brandon Kutner explains that the provisions would give deputies another tool in dealing with marijuana possessions. Commissioners must still approve the ordinance after it has been drafted.

The problem here is that although commissioners may pass this provision to help police officers as well as young kids who may not deserve a criminal record, there are many adults in the community that are going to be angered by this decision. If marijuana possession becomes less of a criminal act, this probably means more people are going to use it. This would create even more issues especially with lack of police involvement.

This problem is going to affect parents of young kids who may decide to use marijuana if possession becomes less of an offense.

4. Bill would tighten rules for some abortion clinics

http://infoweb.newsbank.com.lp.hscl.ufl.edu/resources/doc/nb/news/15A7E65B137F9B90?p=AWNB

A bill which may be passed in Florida would require abortion clinics to meet the same standards as surgical centers. Surgical centers have strict building code, equipment, and staffing requirementsAlthough the bill has not officially been passed, it cleared the Florida House committee on Tuesday. There are many critics of the bill passing who believe this will shut down some clinics. Others think it will make abortions safer. Texas imposed this same bill. Before passing, the state had 40 abortion clinics. Texas currently has only 19 clinics after the passing of the bill.

The problem here is that abortion clinics may be more difficult to access if currently operated clinics do not meet the standards and have to close down.

This problem will affect any women in Florida who becomes pregnant and wishes to get an abortion.


5. Environmental groups want water-bill veto

http://infoweb.newsbank.com.lp.hscl.ufl.edu/resources/doc/nb/news/15A69329CED42C50?p=AWNB

This article discusses the disagreement several Florida environmental groups have towards the passing of a water policy. The policy will be signed by Governor Rick Scott next week. The bill will establish water-flow levels for springs as well as set guidelines for the water-supply planning effort. This bill will hopefully aid the expected growth in demand of water in the next 15 years.

The problem is that environmental groups want to veto this bill. They claim the bill will take away from independence of water management districts due to the required permit approvals. Environmental groups are pushing for 17 amendments on the bill.

Those affected by the problem are the environmentalists and workers at the water management districts throughout Florida who will now have much more strict guidelines.

Very Short Interview No. 1

My father grew up with Mark Kurkoski, whose parents abandoned him and his two younger brothers. At age 14 he was forced to live on his own and take care of his siblings. From a very young age, Mark was an entrepreneur. However, in 1987, he decided to start his own used car dealership called Crestwood Auto Sales in Swansea, MA. Mark is an extremely driven, hardworking individual. He decided to enter the car business because he was well spoken, a strong communicator and strong ability to persuade. The car business was something that Mark felt was stable and gave him to best opportunity to succeed, although he knew it would be tough at first. 29 years later, Mark has started and maintained a 5 star rated used car business. After discussing the background of Mark's business, I asked him 3 general questions that would hopefully assist me in this course and help me gain a better understanding about what it takes to be a successful entrepreneur. Since Mark's business is run in Massachusetts, I was obviously not able to do a face-to-face interview. We both had very busy weeks so we managed a short phone call interview on Wednesday Night. As we talked, I wrote down Mark's responses to the best of my ability.

Amy: What does it mean to you to be an entrepreneur?
Mark: Being an entrepreneur to me is working through adversity and creating a lot out of a little. I never set out to become an entrepreneur. The events that occurred in my life led me to become motivated to achieve something greater and to set a better example for my children than my parents did for me. After attending college, I wasn't sure what I wanted to do. Further down the road, I decided to start my own business. The various obstacles I had faced in my life pushed me towards this decision. Ever since I was a teenager forced to provide for myself, I have always been highly motivated to lead a successful and fulfilled life.

Amy: What is the most important thing you believe I should learn from an entrepreneurship course?
Mark: An entrepreneurship course should attempt to educate students on the character traits necessary to be successful as an entrepreneur. Being an entrepreneur is about being honest and personable. You must be able to relate to many different types of people. Like any job, if there's someone you don't get a long with you have to learn to deal with them. You are going to be put in a situation or dilemma that you won't know how to fix; you have to figure out a way to change it or make the most out of the issue.

Amy: What is the most valuable lesson you have learned in your years as an entrepreneur?
Mark: The most valuable lesson I have learned is that you do not start a business overnight. Crestwood started as an idea, a belief, a desire to succeed. I worked long hours, made valuable connections with people who would help me down the road, and most of all believed in myself throughout the process. There are going to be days where you think you may have made a mistake in wanting to start a business. It takes an immense amount of time.


                                                                          Reflection
While I knew Mark and had spent time with him prior to this interview, I never knew about his work or how he got started as an entrepreneur. After hearing his story, and previously knowing his personality, it all makes sense why he has been such a successful entrepreneur over the years. The most surprising thing was that Mark was able to be so successful and gain so much respect from the community. Most people in his situation, being left by his parents, would be steered down a much more negative path of life. Mark chose to make something out of nothing and all of his hard work has paid off. This interview has showed me just how important perseverance is as an entrepreneur. Not everything you try is necessarily going to be successful right off the bat.

World's Biggest Problems

1. Problem:  Climate Change. This has caused seasons to shift, overall temperatures and sea levels to rise, and stronger storms. Many species of animals are threatened because of the extreme change in weather patterns.
Solution: Decrease the human carbon footprint by turning off lights and unplugging appliances when you leave home. Walk or ride a bike to class instead of driving a car or scooter.

2. Problem:  Terrorism. This has become a major issue not just within the U.S but globally as well. The rise of ISIS has caused international fear as well as deaths. Since the 9/11 attacks, this has been a rising issue. The attacks on Paris was the most recent.
Solution: Universal agreement on laws. There needs to be a strong governing force in each country that is going to control and find ISIS members and other terrorist groups.

3. Problem:  Social Media and Privacy. There are many features to social media sites that allow access user's information in terms of their specific use of the site. After finding this out, many users feel that their privacy is being invading because of the amount of information that can be extracted from their accounts.
Solution: Force people to read the terms and conditions by requiring a quiz on after signing up for a social media site. When terms and conditions change, existing users must retake the quiz.

4. Problem:  Racism. While racism has diminished over the years, it is still prominent in our society whether society admits it or not. There is a lot of discrimination occurring in secret that most people don't even know about.
Solution: People who feel they are victims of racism need to have a stronger voice and need to be heard/listened to instead of others shutting them down and acting like these problems do not exist. Everyone must be more comfortable talking about the issue of racism.

5. Problem:  Gender pay gap. Across almost all professions, men are paid than women for the same job. This is not going to change anytime soon and grows further apart with age. On average, women are paid 79% of what men are paid for the same job.
Solution: To start, women should be more comfortable discussing their pay with co-workers and colleagues. If they feel strongly about the issue they should confront their bosses to negotiate pay. The minimum wage could also be raised in order to help the pay gap.

6. Problem:  Unemployment. This is an economic problem in the U.S as well as internationally. There are simply not enough jobs for the amount of people that need work. Much of the time, workers do not have the proper skills needed to fill a certain position.
Solution: Create more jobs and teach skills, especially at the youth level so that they are able to learns skills necessary to fill job spots later in life.

7. Problem:  Unrealistic portrayal of women in the media. The beauty standard has become more and more skewed over the years. Models and female figures are shown with impossibly skinny bodies and perfect faces because of photoshop and other online technology. This is causing females of all ages to question their looks and even pay thousands of dollars to surgically fix things about their body to look the way females are shown in the media.
Solution: Censor advertisements more so that magazines are not able to use certain technology to alter photos of models. Also, create advertisements with "bigger" or normal sized women to show that the beauty standard should not be so extreme.

8. Problem:  Lack of human interaction due to technology. Relationships and social skills can be greatly altered by the lack of face to face conversations. It seems that everyone is always on their phones and never take the time to actually talk in person.
Solution: This problem starts with youth, so elementary schools and parents need to promote face to face interactions. Teachers should promote old school learning that allows young students to connect with each other instead of learning through technological means.

9. Problem:  Expensive costs of treatment for deadly illnesses (specifically cancer). Cancerous deaths are continuing to rise and it seems that current treatments are so expensive that families are often unable to afford it. There may be lack of access to treatments because of outdated technology or the cancer may be found too late to be treated.
Solution: Make cancer treatments more accessible, cheaper, or completely covered by insurance.

10. Problem:  Abuse of drugs and alcohol in youth. This is the leading cause of teen suicide as well as the leading cause of crime. It also has effects on mental health such as depression and anxiety.
Solution: Encourage treatment and make it more affordable and accessible. Encourage parents to confront their children about it. Require drug abuse prevention courses in areas where crime/drugs are more prominent.