Each chapter within Introduction to Business has a
Real-World Application. The Real-World Application is a four-part
photo essay. Go beyond the photo essay by picking an activity
below. Be resourceful and introspective.
Chapter 1 What
the Public Wants
People want solid news coverage, clean air, good education,
and a strong workforce. Write a report about an environmental
issue that interests you. Decide how it will influence
businesses and the decisions they make.
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Chapter 2 How
the Hearth Saved You Money
American Energy Systems, Inc., found an inexpensive solution
on how to stay warm in the winter—use a corn pellet hearth.
Invent
a product that makes your life easier. Creativity and practicality
are encouraged.
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Chapter 3 Eras
That Changed the Economy
Look around, you might find farmers plowing wheat fields,
companies displaying futuristic vehicles, and people telecommuting
from cyber cafés. Take an invention from an era and
write an American
history timeline based upon events that occurred around
the same time. How does one invention influence other aspects
of the world?
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Chapter 4 Off
the Beaten Path
Want to climb the Himalayas? Or hike the jungles of Borneo?
Adventure travel to remote areas of the world is becoming
big, big business. Find your ultimate travel
destination. Consult reputable sources, organizations, and
federations before becoming whisked away by a sketchy travel
agency that promises the world… and then runs off with
your money and your dream.
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Chapter 5 The
Biz Behind Bozart
Larry Mangel, the art dealer and founder of Bozart toys,
learned all the parts and pieces to making a toy company come
to life. Pretend you started your own Web consulting company.
Mangel has hired you to analyze the
Bozart Web site. Create a presentation, with visual aids,
about why the Web site works or doesn't work. Present it to
your class.
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Chapter 6 Caution:
Low-Flying Fish
This summer you want to make a documentary film about the
fish-flinging fellas at Pike Place Market in Seattle. The
only problem is you're not sure what's required to make a
film.
Put together a budget of exactly what you'll need to complete
your project before you head to Seattle to film the fellas.
Include filming, cutting it, and sending it off to your favorite
film festival.
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Chapter 7 The
Unmanagement Style of Gore
W.L. Gore & Associates, Inc., prides itself on the lattice
style of organization. It's a company that uses teamwork to
build reputable products. Find examples of sports
teams that work well together and a team that doesn't.
Create a chart that compares and contrasts your sports teams.
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Chapter 8 Leading
the Pack
You're not born a leader; you become one. Now is your chance
to learn more about a leader that you admire. Perhaps it's
someone in your family or someone famous. Imagine you have
to write a feature story about this person for Time
magazine. Read a few of its profiles to get a sense of how
you might write your article.
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Chapter 9 A Stake
in a Steak
Omaha Steaks, Inc., a multi-channel retailer, guarantees
it'll send juicy steaks to its customers no matter where you
place your order. Find
another multi-channel retailer and decide which method you
prefer using to place orders. Explain why in a brief report.
Be sure to include personal testimony in your answer.
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Chapter 10 Cultural
Cuisine
Pretty soon soy sauce might become a mainstay condiment on
your dinner table just like salt and pepper. Find out how
one international
company is helping to season food everywhere. Write a
report about this manufacturer of soy sauce and seasonings.
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Chapter 11 Government
in Your Daily Life
Each time a new president enters the White House, citizens
of the United States have a position on how this new president
will balance the budget and spend money. Visit the Office
Management and Budget organization of the White House
to get acquainted with issues at the forefront of this organization.
Share with the class a few things you learned while browsing
the Web site.
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Chapter 12 How
Banks Create Money
Can you imagine heading up the Fed and having the ability
to increase the amount of money being circulated? You're responsible
for observing the economy and supervising the supply of paper
currency. Stressful? Write a profile on the chairperson of
the Fed.
You might also be able to find lots of interesting tidbits
about this person in online newspapers and magazines.
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Chapter 13 Beyond
Street-Skaters
You've always wanted to market a product—a movie, a
concert T-shirt, a magazine cover, perfume, cosmetics, shoes,
and so on. Team up with a classmate and create a marketing
campaign. Present it to your class. You might want to research
current trends in your market, and look around for ideas.
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Chapter 14 Bathed
in Blue
All the time, people are finding new homes or fixing their
homes. More than ever, the home furnishing industry is in
stable shape. Depending on how ambitious your decorating or
construction ideas are, Bed Bath & Beyond, Haverty Furniture,
Home Depot, Linens n' Things, Lowe's, Restoration Hardware,
and Williams-Sonoma want your business. Choose one of the
companies listed, locate its
Web site, and browse its online catalog. Analyze and decide
how the Web site's design caters to certain audiences. Share
your opinions with your class.
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Chapter 15 Hunter
Heads Headhunters
Whether you decide on a job or a career, it's never too late
to assess your work style and talents. During your lifetime
you'll continually be asked: "What do you do?" And
you'll need a good answer. Think about your future
– does it entail the military, a trade school, a
community college, some college, or a lot of college? Take
a look around a Web site dedicated to career evaluation. Tell
a parent, guardian, or friend about what your future might
look like.
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Chapter 16 Digging
for Knowledge
Working well with a diverse group of people means being able
to understand their points of view. If they come from different
cultures, then it's important to understand their customs.
Use the Web to research an anthropologist
who studied primitive cultures or endangered cultures. How
does his or her findings influence you? Use your journal to
create a personal collage on how a different culture's ideas
may influence you.
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Chapter 17 A
Solid Foundation
It's never too late to take control of your financial future.
Find out how much to invest for a college fund or a home you'd
like to buy someday. Read a few financial articles about investing
and inform a parent or guardian how you'd like to take control
of your future finances.
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Chapter 18 Engineering
Solutions
What does your perfect workday look like? Are you an early
riser who works best in the morning? Perhaps you're someone
who likes to sleep in and then works well into the night?
You might decide on a career that "fits" your kind
of schedule. Research various types of career
opportunities if you don't already have one in mind. Then
create a specific outline of how you'll spend each hour of
your day. It's your life, anyway. How will you spend it?
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Chapter 19 Weaving
a Network
Before you graduate from high school more than likely you'll
have to take and pass an office technology course. Get ahead
of the game and start investing in your future by learning
how to use computer software commonly used by businesses.
Ask a parent or guardian to help you look into investing
in a computer . It's important to do research before buying
a computer. If buying a new computer isn't possible, then
conduct your own national computer recycling investigation.
Where could you find a recycled computer that someone doesn't
want anymore? Remember, every office is looking for the computer-savvy
person.
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Chapter 20 The
Write Business
It's hard to sell yourself in an interview if you haven't
even figured out yourself. Deconstruct your personality
by taking a self-assessment quiz. When you receive the results,
discuss them with a friend or family member. How are you like
or different than your friends or family members?
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Chapter 21 An
Illustrative Visionary
The workplace needs to allow all workers the ability to do
their job right in an appropriate environment. Research how
the government is helping or hurting employee
rights by the laws it passes. Write a report with your
findings.
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Chapter 22 How
Are You Swayed?
On nearly every music rack you might find a music CD that
has a black-and-white warning label saying that you must be
17 years old or accompanied by a guardian to purchase it.
Do you think this is needless censorship or is it necessary?
Take a stance. Use the Internet to research the history behind
warning
labels on music. Then write a paper on your position.
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Chapter 23 Guide
to Better Living
Earth
Day is coming soon and a local non-profit business just
put you in charge of organizing its daylong celebration. Together
with a classmate, create the agenda for planning the day.
What kind of activities might be involved? Who might attend?
How will you raise awareness for this important event? Present
your agenda to the class.
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Chapter 24 The
Truth About French Fries
Before you decide on your next meal, do a little nutritional
study on your own. Consider your body as the vehicle that
moves you through the day. As that saying goes, "Garbage
in, garbage out." Read up on a few wellness
tips and try to incorporate them into your daily life.
Create a journal with your progress for a few weeks to see
how you're doing. Hopefully by then, you'll have found one
healthy solution to living an active lifestyle.
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Chapter 25 Before
You Say Yes, Compute It!
Is it ever appropriate to go in debt? What are you willing
to go into debt for? Are you willing to work a decade to pay
off a credit card bill? Or are you willing to work a few years
to pay off a brand new car? Start thinking about how you might
manage
your money in the future. Start a discussion, with a parent
or guardian, about all the expenses you'll need to take into
consideration once you're "on your own."
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Chapter 26 Road
Trip to Marfa
Before you try credit cards and get carried away with their
power, it's best to know what you're getting into since credit
reports follow you for the rest of your life. Use Introduction
to Business and research on the Internet to find out the
pros and cons of having and using a credit card. Then create
a graphic organizer with the information you found.
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Chapter 27 Identity
Crisis: Protect Yourself
Before you ever get tangled up in the cyber web of a hacker's
delight, educate yourself on the common ways a hacker
might steal important personal information. Use the Internet
to create a profile of a wanted hacker. Once you've found
this information, use posterboard to create a "wanted"
poster.
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Chapter 28 The
Striving Artists
Who are the people like you? How do you define people—their
culture, race, social class, gender, etc? Write a profile
about a life you'd like to live that's different than your
own. This could be the life of someone famous, someone imaginary,
or someone you know. Pretend that you are this person, so
you'll write it in the first person voice. Use the Internet
to search for ideas
if you're stumped.
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Chapter 29 Where
Does That Check Go?
In Washington, D.C., politicians are working to keep the
country moving ahead in a positive financial direction. Research
a time in history when the government passed
a bill to make it easier for financial companies to share
consumer information. By doing this, how does it benefit everyone?
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Chapter 30 How
Long Is a CD's Life?
What is something that follows you no matter where you go?
If you answered debt then you're right, but what else follows
you around every day? Answer: your health. You take it with
you no matter where you're at in life. Research the benefits
of creating and saving your own medical
records. Talk with relatives
and family members about your genetic history. By taking an
active interest in your health, you're looking out for your
future.
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Chapter 31 Typical
Day on the Floor
There was the dot-com boom, and there was the dot-com crash.
What happened to tech stocks being the source of fast cash
that was propelling the economy? Write a report on the rise
and fall of the dot-com
industry in the 1990s.
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Chapter 32 Hunting
for a Home
Perhaps one home just isn't enough for you? You imagine owning
multiple homes around the world. Take a peek inside a family
dynasty to get the feel of big money, real estate, and
business ventures. The Rockefellers and the Carnegies are
two families you might have heard of before. Discuss with
your class how these money moguls became powerful names in
the country.
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Chapter 33 Beware
of the Combinations
What questions have you been dying to know about vehicles?
Like why does your car move slowly when it's cold or why does
it clank at every stoplight? The hosts of Car
Talk probably know. Find your local NPR
station to see when Tom and Ray are on the air. Tune in, listen,
and you just might learn something!
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Chapter 34 Tidal
Wave in an Apartment
Imagine you live in a geographical
area where inclement weather threatens your home. Where
you live determines what kind of property insurance you might
want to have. Research the various kinds of property insurance
you might have if you lived on the North Carolina coastline,
in California, or in Texas or Florida.
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Chapter 35 Inside
the ER
How good is your health care? Take a moment to track down
all the important players in the health
care industry. Who's paying for your care?
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