Week 8: Excel Workbook Structure (Clear)

If you don't know a thing about Microsoft Excel, well then you've come to the right place. Prepare to learn a little more about Excel, think of this an introduction or a refresher if you want to learn a few new things.

To begin, please know that Excel is filled with rows and columns and is a spreadsheet that can be transformed to hold numerous information: info to be entered, formulas, data to analyze, etc.

Here's a simple way to think about Excel:

• Columns are labeled with letters. They are listed A to Z then begin again with AA, AB, AC and so on. Please note that Excel 2003 supports up to 263 columns ending at IZ and Excel 2007 supports up to 16,384 columns ending at XFD.
• Rows are numbered, starting with 1. In Excel 2003, we can go up to 65, 536 rows and in Excel 2007 we can reach up to 1,048,576 rows (basically a mega row).
• Each individual cell has an address that defines it uniquely. It is composed of a letter plus a row number. Some examples are B2, C14 and DE144.

So you want to know how to move about in Excel? There are several ways you can navigate through. Below are a few suggestions and a few short cuts that can make your time in the program more valuable:

• You can move your mouse. Clicking a cell causes you to immediately move to that cell. In the top left corner, Excel provides us with the address you just clicked on.
• You may use the scroll bar on the right side of the spreadsheet to move rapidly down rows and also use the horizontal scroll at the bottom to move through columns.
• Here are the shortcuts (I told you there were a few):
• Up, down, left, right arrows move you one cell at a time.
• Hold the control key plus an arrow, this will move as far as possible in that direction until it runs out of data a space (a boundary -- between nothingness and data).
• The same thing may be accomplished by holding the end key plus arrows.
• Hold the control key and press home, you will go back to the top-left corner of data
• Hold the control key and press the end key, you will go to the bottom-right corner of the data rectangle.

Think of Excel as a three-dimensional system because it is comprised of multiple sheets stacked on top of each other creating a workbook. Note that you can have as many sheets as you want, as long as it's in the confines of your system's memory. You can also hit control plus page up to go up through the layers.

Your last question is how to rename the sheets? Don't worry, that's an easy one to fix. By double-clicking on the sheet (let's say sheet3), you can rename it.

Knowing shortcuts and how to operate this system will definitely be valuable in the business environment. Businesses can (and will) use this product for a variety of things including: financials, tracking employees, etc. The range is so wide and transferable to so many different things, it's hard to pin-point all the functions businesses can use Excel for.

In searching to better understand the basic functions of Excel, I found the YouTube video below to help me. I found the video more useful than an article because it can show rather than describe (which I've just described in my post already).

The man teaching says similar things to what I have outlined, but also goes into a little more detail by showing what he is talking about. Hopefully this will help you expand your knowledge!

Source link.

Hopefully these taught you a few shortcuts or gave an overview of the program. 

Presentation

In creating the project presentation, I struggled a lot. I tried a lot of different interfaces to upload my video, but none worked with my software and what I was looking for. I tried the YouTube video at first, then Prezi, then four other suggestions from the presentation. Eventually, Windows Media Player worked and was how I was able to complete the presentation.

This may have been one of the hardest projects I've ever done since I have no knowledge in creating presentations and don't believe my computer had compatibility with the sources I tried to use. 

Below is a self-critique of what I believe my strengths and weaknesses. 

	Missing or lacking	Meets the minimum but could be improved	Excellent
Is there a logical flow and sequence of content? How could it be improved?		It could be improved by using a different interface to present the information.
Does the presenter anticipate questions and answer them in the right place? At what points did you have questions that were not answered?			I think the presenter gave information throughout when it was presented
Did the presenter grab your attention in the first 30-60 seconds?			Yes. Giving an introduction to the organization helped me understand the cause
Did the presenter ask questions and spark your curiosity?			I wanted to know about the organization and that was explained followed by
Did the presenter set the context with a concise explanation? Is it clear what the presenter is trying to share?			Yes.
Did the presenter validate any claims?			Yes, sources were cited at the end
Did the presenter avoid inconsistencies and errors, typos and unbelievable claims?			Yes.
How well did the presenter avoid clutter?			Clean presentation
What did the presenter do to ensure readability?			Made the font size large enough to read
Did the presenter say it, and then show it or did he/she read the slides?			Yes, read what was on the slide then ellaborated

Here is the link to my presentation:

What I've learned from the whole experience in my work and in editing a classmate's is that there is an art to creating things digitally. It's not as easy as it seems, I've learned that. Some classmates had an easier time with it and it seemed to come naturally, they were able to get very creative with their presentations. From what I saw, most of the presentations were done through YouTube, where a few were completed using Prezi.

Overall, I take away this presentation was a learning experience and definitely something I can continue to learn from for future projects.

Week 7: What is Open Source? (Clear)

In my journey through my class, I've learned a lot of things. This week Open Source was a new topic to me and may be to you as well.

Let me start off by saying it's not as complex as it may seem, and can actually be very beneficial to yourself and/or your company.

Once you've set-up, software has zero marginal costs. This means that is minimal to duplicate a copy, but this is once you've already paid for the costs of putting it together. Here are a few things you should think about regarding software:

• Network effects mean as more and more people use the program, the program becomes more valuable. Think about Facebook or Linkedin. As more people are using it or become your friends/connections, it has more value to you. If you go from 300 friends on Facebook to 700 friends, you can touch more people. Another example is Microsoft Office. For an employer, because of how widely-used the product is, it is more beneficial when looking to hire someone since they may already have knowledge of it. This will lower company training costs.
• Switching costs are incurred when you need to think about switching from one company or product to another. You may be using Microsoft Word when another product is introduced to the market and is 50% cheaper to purchase, but will not be compatible with the Word documents you already have. If you've been using Word since it was first introduced, it may be too high of a cost to switch to the new product. You have years and years of data on Word and you would need to replicate the information which will take thousands of hours to come to the same result, the only difference would be a cheaper product. This doesn't mean the cost for your employees to change it all over is worth it.

Open Source is a type of software that has a number of interesting characteristics, which are listed below:

1. Free redistribution: you can download the source and sell or give it away as part of a package
2. Source code: you want to give access to this
3. Derived works: you can go in and change things
4. Integrity of author's source code: tells you who wrote what
5. No discrimination against persons or groups: can't be only for a certain religion
6. No discrimination against fields of endeavor
7. Distribution of license
8. License must not be specific to a product
9. License must not restrict other software
10. License must be technology-neutral: can't require a particular interface (an example is Windows)

Benefits are that multiple people are looking at and editing the code, it's better quality, higher reliability, more flexibility, lower cost and end to predatory vendor locket. 

Some essentials you need to consider are:

• No license fee. You get the product for free, but that doesn't mean you get the maintenance and other things for free. Think about if you get a free puppy. Sure, the dog was given to you at no cost, but it will need to eat, have a leash, go to the vet and other things that will require you spending money.
• You need access to the source code. You'll be able to fix bugs yourself, modify behaviors and add features. This will make your life a lot easier by having this access rather than waiting around for someone else to take care of an issue.
• Community-not just code. You'll be able to collaborate on development, support resources and contribute your own input.
• The University of Florida is involved in contribution. We are working on Sakai to make it better for mobile devices.
• There is also rapid development
• Spirit of Open Source. Think about this quote from Apache, "Collaborative, consensus-based development process, an open and pragmatic software license and a desire to create high quality software that leads the way in its field." The two most crucial parts are collaborative and consensus-based. The other parts are important, but for the Spirit of Open Source, the focus should be these two parts.

Let's tie this up by saying who is Open Source? There are many different products which are, but a few I list may surprise you. Firefox, Apache (leading web server, they also owned 60% of the market in 2011), Ubuntu (more popular on the desktop side), Linux, My SQL (database), Openoffice.org, Clam AV (anti-virus), Audacity (audio recording and editing). Another thing to note is LAMP is referred to as a powerful platform to create web applications comprised of Linux, Apache, My SQL and PHP.

Knowing what you can use for yourself and/or your business is important because of all the benefits you can receive (reduced cost, less time, better product, etc.). If you're a small business, you can cut costs by using Open Source, which will also help if you don't have that many employees and do not want to hire someone to specialize in the IT area. Having an understanding of the products offered to you or at least the benefits if you try to compare products in the future, will help your business.

A very easy explanation of Open Source is found here. It provides the definition that Open Source is any program whose source code is mad available for use or modification as users or other developers see fit. The site goes into a little more detail, but also explains other key terms that are associated with Open Source such as LAMP, Linux, Samba, distribution, etc.

I hope you've enjoyed learning a little more about Open Source, I've liked sharing my new-found knowledge. Until next week...

Week 6: Software Introduction (Clear)

Every week, I enjoy learning things I haven't known before and this week is no different. Some things are foreign to me, software is one of those items I wish I knew more about (and now I do). Hopefully in reading this post you can learn a little more about software, if you don't know already, or find some entertainment in my explanation and view of the product.

Software is so important to everything you do technology-wise, definitely computer-wise. Without software, you can't do anything (well almost anything). Something you may enjoy is how the textbook puts it, "it's software that makes the magic of computing happen." Now, reflect on this for a minute. Did your life change a little?

What I definitely can tell you is I didn't realize the vital importance software plays in my everyday life until I sat and thought about it. Doesn't this make you want to know more about it?

Let's dive in.

Think of software as a layer cake, yes a delicious and warm cake just out of the oven (hungry yet?). For this sake, I'll even provide a picture from Hungeree below.

The easiest way of explaining this is by numbering.

1. Top of the cake: the user. 
2. Next layer down: application
3. Third layer down: operating system
4. Bottom layer: hardware

Everything works going through each layer so the user doesn't speak directly to the hardware, but goes through the application then the operating system and finally the hardware. This simplifies the development process and is a benefit because each layer is independent.

This communicating between layers is called API (application programming interface). Basically, the layer doesn't have to know about the inner workings of the other layer, we let the API help us and do the work because it is an interface for the different layers to "talk" to one another.

What you should note, there are two types of software: operating system and application. 

The operating system is the collection of programs that are needed for the smooth functioning of a computer and its peripheral devices. It controls the hardware, other programs and allows users to interact with the hardware. There are also utility programs that perform functions for you to better use hardware (examples include firewall, backup and fire managers).

The application helps you accomplish a specific task.

Here are a few examples so you can further understand the difference between the two types of software:

• Microsoft Windows 7: system
• Microsoft Word: application
• Quickbooks: application
• McAfee Antivirus: system

Understanding software is very important to business so that you know what is going on. You'll have a greater respect and understanding of the IT staff and may be able to give advice/offer help to your company! Every company uses some type of software: cell phones, computers, etc.

One video I found to better introduce you to software and services is from YouTube and is below. The video shows you want software does and how services are involved. It really gave me a picture of what goes on and a better understanding as a whole.

I hope this helped and gave a glimpse into what software is and taught you a few things you may not have known! Until next time...

Week 5: Death By Powerpoint (Clear)

Now I know that all of us have sat through the absolute MOST boring presentations before, commonly referred to as "death by Powerpoint." My first question: is there a cure? The answer is yes. Whether or not presenters will take suggestions is another thing.

Let's start off by saying: stop. Take a minute and breath. Realize you may be boring your audience to sleep during your presentation. Remember that first impressions are everything and you can never get a first impression back. This being said, do you really want to be that boring person people dread listening to or are so confused by your presentation they're exhausted just looking at the screen?

Here are some pointers:

1. Do not put every word you are planning to say on a slide. Powerpoints are to highlight your speech, not put everything you will say. This will detract from your message and make your audience dislike you very much. Who wants to be overwhelmed with information (let me add in especially if you're just going to say what's on the slide). Resolution: bullet point (but don't be excessive).
2. Font size matters. If your font size is too small, then your audience can't read it, but if it's too big then it's annoying. Solution: practice before presenting and look at the slide in your side view, if you can read it there chances are your audience can read it during your presentation.
3. It's important to pick your font sizes carefully. You want something mature, easy to read and not boring. My suggestion? Consider a sans-serif font like Arial. If you want a longer list of other suggestions, click here.
4. Don't bullet point too much. The point is to have a brief part of your presentation there to make sure you make those points. Simple = best.
5. People love animations, but don't overly animate. Do not, I repeat, do not make your entire presentation using the Powerpoint effects. I know they are catchy, but stop yourself, I mean please refrain. Sure, the tools are cool but for someone with A.D.D., it can be a big turn-off for you as a speaker to them. Solution: animate only really important information (maybe a YouTube video).
6. Include bar graphs to illustrate information over putting text on the page. Your audience will thank you, believe me on this one.

These are just a few pointers and ways that you may avoid "death by Powerpoint," there are others. Make sure you do what your audience will be most receptive to. Whether you're trying to sell a business, completing a class presentation or anything else, make sure you stand out and make people want to listen to what you're saying and want to watch your presentations in the future.

In the business world, presentations are vital. If you mess one up, you may be done. Your reputation, along with your company's, are on the line and you may be trying to impress a new client or retain an old one. Make sure you are on-point for your presentations because they are huge in business.

Other suggestions to avoid death by Powerpoint include using transitions and avoid stock templates. Transitions often distract from the message. Stock templates should not be used. Set yourself apart and create a custom background, this doesn't mean you need to be a graphic designer but does mean do not stick with the standard white background with black font (can you say boring?). Follow these tips and more by referencing some outlined tips here.

To close, have fun with your presentations but make sure you follow these suggestions. Enjoy!

Week 4: Porter's Five Forces that Shape Strategy (Clear)

The Five Forces of Strategy have been around for a long time. Michael Porter, a Harvard professor, compiled the strategy more than 30 years ago, but they existed before then.

Here's a diagram to understand the strategy from this image source:

As you can see, there are many things that affect strategy, it's not just as easy as trying to think ahead and hoping that it will work out.

The four outstanding factors that directly can affect the rivalry among existing competitors are: threat of substitute products or services (meaning your customer may switch to a competitor if your products change), bargaining power of buyers (your customer has too much power and your competitor offers a lower price for the same product you have), threat of new entrants (new companies may come in a affect the economy, cost of supplies, etc.) and bargaining power of suppliers (they may drive up the cost which will drive down your profit).

There are some industries, like airlines, who have high tension due to a number of factors including: its one of the least profitable sources to man, constant stream of new airlines (think about the little jets that may be a big problem for your large company trying to fill seats on the plane), low barrier entry (a lot of businesses can get into the area without being held back) and labor (pilots can literally shut you down because of their expense). With all these being considered, there are also industries that don't have as many problems and are low tension like soft drinks. Basically, all forces are attractive for them.

Another two important points to note are zero-sum competition and positive-sum competition. Zero-sum means the consumer is the winner, they get a low price but don't have a choice on the product. Positive-sum competition is where companies compete on different products/things in order to meet the needs of different segments of customers.

Before jumping into the strategy, you need to analyze. Look at how the industry is changing and the five forces will provide you with the tools to understand dynamics. In stepping back, people understand by looking at the industry broadly (try not to look so closely at things and it should help).

Lastly, the number one strategy is alignment which is making good choices and reinforcing others' good choices.

The points of strategy are important to understand because they are vital to the business' success or demise. If you don't know what will positively and negatively impact your company (product supply, customers, etc.) then you won't be able to correctly grasp how to run your business. By the point you realize, if you do, of how you're conducting business wrongly, it may be too late.

In all aspects of business the Five Forces are important. From running a Fortune 500 company to a little clothing boutique in Gainesville, knowing as many aspects of the business and people will help you succeed in times when your competitor may not understand how you are doing so well.

To better understand Porter's Five Forces, I looked at another website to cross-reference what information they had and compared it to what we learned in lecture. At Quick MBA, they explain how important each part of the strategy is. One thing I found interesting was the in-depth analysis explaining to have a competitiveness over rivals you should: change prices, improve product differentiation, creatively use channels of distribution and exploit relationships with suppliers. I believe all of these outlined are good points to make and will be valuable to a business who doesn't know what to do next to become the top company/brand/firm.