Wednesday May, 2013 - Last Class

In class we will discuss:

1. Final Grades - You need to calculate your own Final Grade. You have the Learnboost grades and the syllabus. Use algebra to calculate your final grade. Then add the Extra Credit where you wanted it placed. - The Fusion Table grades will be updated over the weekend, so check learnboost for that new grade. I will send an email/text blast once Fusion Table grades are updated.- If you have any issues with the reported grades in Learnboost, email me proof of my mistake to os3@aol.com and I will correct it and email you back.
2. Homework #10 - Macros is discussed in more detail below.
3. Final Exam - This Exam will open Thursday May 2, 2013 at Noon and Close on Sunday May 12, 2013 at midnight. Any graduating Seniors need to complete the exam by Saturday morning May 4, 2013 at noon. This exam will be on classmarker.com and will have 20 random questions from previous Excel Exams #1, #2, #3, #4, #5, #6 (new), #7 and #8. HW#9 and #10 will not be included in the final.
4. Homework #9 - Due to the problems with add-ons for Apple, I am going to reactivate HW #9 and give students until Sunday May 5, 2013 at midnight to find a PC with the add-on to complete this exam. In order to do this, everyone will have a chance to retake this exam, if case you want to improve your grade. You can find some of the computers in the second Floor lab and Douglas that have Exam with the add-on. You will have to find by trial and error (check Excel menu or try to add it). You may want to ask an Economics Professor or Decision Science Professor which computers their students use, because they use Multiple Regression in their class. The best option maybe to ask a friend to use their PC. The Business Computer Lab on the second floor of the Leadership Center has the add-ins. They have Excel 2007. Watch this video or this video to add it in.
5. Google Place Assignment - I will not grade this assignment until Wednesday May 8, 2013. This is to give some students more time to get their code. Once I get this assignment graded, I will send a blast email/text to everyone.
6. Blog ebook - I will be converting this blog into an ebook and placing it in the cloud. You will get a blast email/text once that is done. I suggest you download and save the ebook on your own cloud drive for future reference. This blog will remain active for a few more months maybe years. The new address is http://misspring2013.blogspot.com/. the old address will go away soon www.hba322.info.

It will take me a day or two to get back to you, because of the last minute volume I may get from students.

If you would like to meet with me, I will be available by phone and join.me starting on Wednesday May 8, 2013. You need to text me first to make an appointment.

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Homework #10 - Macros

I want you to create two different macros using any data you want. You can create your own, use data from a previous homework or find some data on the web. Then email me a copy of your excel file to osistrunk@gmail.com. This assignment is due Sunday May 5, 2013 at midnight. I will grade your spreadsheet based on both macros working.

Review some of the videos below:

http://youtu.be/zyGVfUZl5fo

http://youtu.be/ABXa6X18nyo

http://youtu.be/nvWpFdo7EO0

Pros and Cons on Defense Spending

BY: Russell Richey

Recently there has been a huge uproar in the American Economy around the issue of decreasing federal spending. It was intended to serve as incentive for the Joint Select Committee on Deficit Reduction (aka the “Supercommittee”) to come to a deal to cut $1.5 trillion over 10 years. If the committee had done so, and Congress had passed it by Dec. 23, 2011, then the sequester would have been averted. However both the Democratic and Republican Parties have shown that they are on different agendas. Republicans have sentiment towards Defense spending and Democrats want to protect domestic spending.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_detailpage&v=Ww8OMKyQBP0

In total the Sequester has accounted to cut more than 8% of the nation’s total defense spending. Most of the programs being cut are in the area of future weapons systems. Weapons used to finance the United States most recent military operations have not seen much shrinking. However, some of the military’s top secret programs have been put on hold due to the issues in Washington DC.

As illustrated in the picture below, many programs are losing money to enhance current conditions of military equipment. Some of the videos will help you understand how the cuts will affect the economy. One should consider how the overall economy will be affected and what kinds of stocks will outperform or underperform due to this action taking place on Capitol Hill. 

  Defense cuts could delay or cancel programs to modernize aircraft. Technicians here work on a Boeing AH-64D Apache Longbow helicopter flown by the Army.

 

This video will help you better understand the bigger picture of what is going on behind the cuts.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tOIYaycCwSw

iPhone 5 vs. the World: How Apple’s Device Stacks Up?

BY: Denzel Butler

Apple’s iPhone 5 features a larger display, more powerful processor and 4G LTE connectivity, but does that mean it’s also the most advanced smart phone ever? I do not think so, according to the specs  the iPhone 5's Retina Display is  one of the sharpest screens on the smart phone market. However, it falls short of the Nokia Lumia 920, which features a 4.5-inch 1280 x 768 display, and as well as the Motorola Droid RAZR HD Maxx. The video below shows an in depth comparison between the Nokia Lumia 920 and the iPhone 5.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_detailpage&v=4SaEQ2xzl4I

From this video I believe the Nokia Lumia is a better phone. Another debate is between the Samsung Galaxy S3 and the iPhone 5, personally I believe the S3 is superior but this video will give incite to let you be the judge.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_detailpage&v=e8qdhq3BrEY

I do not believe that the iPhone 5 is the most advanced smart phone on the market, I believe there are at least 3 other phones, at least spec wise, that are better. I am in no way saying that the iPhone 5 is a bad product it is a great product, it is just not the greatest.  

I Heard it Through the VINE

BY:  Martavius Leonard

Social media has proven to be a stakeholder within today’s society. With such platforms as Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Tumblr, and YouTube, one would think that this generation has reached the peak of the social media phenomenon. Think again! Take a look at the new form of social media that has emerged on the scene.

http://youtu.be/H4xJ6_ghJ9E

In January 2013, Twitter released Vine video, its free video-sharing application that enables brands, businesses and consumers to shoot and upload six-second snippets to blogs, presentations, e-mails and social media sites. Vine is Twitter’s six-second video. The idea is to create quick, easy and interesting short films to share with friends and network on Facebook and Twitter. It is an app, currently only for iOS, that records six seconds of video and posts it on an endless loop to your Twitter account. The video below shows a more in-depth depiction of how the Vine works.

http://youtu.be/QlJPROAvahQ

This new and innovative application is extremely attractive to consumers and businesses alike. More specifically, businesses can use the vine app to create unique marketing strategies to appeal to consumers and to restructure the way that people, brands, government agencies, and celebrities interact with one another. Businesses can use the Vine app to showcase its brand, send messages to fans, encourage fans or customers to contribute or donate to a particular cause, or to leverage existing video content. Below are some examples of how users are utilizing the Vine app.

Another advantage of using the vine app is the ability to share these videos with other consumers. Most individuals will share videos that they like with others, thus causing such user-generated marketing to spread significantly. According to the IAB Mobile Marketing Center of Excellence, 92% of mobile video viewers share mobile phone videos with their friends and social networks, with ‘tweeting’ accounting for 12% of all shares. That figure could rise if Vine turns video into a more prominent part of the Twitter service. 

Thus, if implemented correctly, Vine could become the next prominent marketing tool. This application is not yet available for Android users; however, its implementation on such devices could be the key to Vine becoming an household name and an international phenomenon. 

Monday April 29, 2013 - Extra Credit

Today we will go over Google Fusion tables. Those who did not get a good grade can redo their assignment in class and have it regraded.



Those received a good grade can help their classmates and receive extra credit to be used on another assignment.

Finally, there will be a quiz in class. The points from this quiz can be used to boost an older completed assignment.

Atlanta Street Vendors: A Nuisance or Free Commerce at its Best?

BY: Alexander Terry

Anyone who has ever been to a Braves, Falcons, or Hawks game is familiar with traversing the maze of vendors outside the games in order to attend. Stalls jammed the sidewalks to the point that use of them was nearly impossible unless single file. The vendors constantly pushing their wares and trying to out compete their neighbors. Sometimes the tactics used to persuade purchasing was not the nicest around. It was a lively hood for many though. And Atlanta has not only restricted this commerce but it has given control of all policies on vending to a single company.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1XDLN14yDUg

Atlanta, in the heart of conservative state with very lax marriage laws, boasts one of the most restrictive sets of laws regarding vending in the country. This type of economic chokehold not only hurts the vendors but the city as well. Atlanta is growing and attracting many companies to set up shop but it is the small businesses and the local entrepreneurs that really determine how well economically a city is doing. They are the backbone of commerce and this restrictive climate extends not only to vendors but anyone trying to do mobile food trucks as well. The city of Atlanta has made it illegal to vend on any public property. The Atlanta Street Food Coalition (ASFC) as well as the Atlanta Vendors Association (AVA) are continuously fighting for new legislation to alleviate such rigid measures against free commerce.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NR3xuRXYz3w

The question is what kind of message does Atlanta really want to send to the world. Most Fortune 500 companies were incorporated in Delaware because of their lax code on incorporation yet Atlanta says they want to attract this type of commerce while restricting its own people and its own sources of tax revenue. This economic hodgepodge of rules gives very mixed messages and could scare away potential companies from moving to Atlanta. Then a little over a year ago Atlanta gained a monopoly on public property vending which is sure to halt this commerce. And just in time for the Final Four and Braves Opening Weekend, that company made a huge push to eradicate vendors in front of Braves Stadium and the Georgia Dome. The vendors are in an uproar and rightfully should be as many of the vendors have been doing this for 20+ years, putting kids through college on the income from their operations.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hC2BsDhaVjE&feature=youtu.be

Does Atlanta want to attract business or discourage it? Many of their practices say yes but the climate they are creating around these types of small businesses speaks volumes on their true intentions. 

Technology and Sports

BY: Justin Rhim

 

Technology has become very relevant within the world of sports. In fact, there have been many groundbreaking inventions within the sports medicine and rehab world that have helped reduce the length of time an individual is injured for. Companies such as Under Armour have began to create new technology that prevents injury and enhances training abilities through wearable tech. Under Armour recently put out a commercial revealing a sports suit that has the ability to control temperature as well as monitor their activity during performance.

In the commercial entitled, “I Will”, Under Armour revealed its Armour39 performance suit in which a monitor fits around their torso to measure activity. The touch screen tracker that is inputted into the suit gives it a very futuristic look which seems to come right out of a movie. What makes Under Armour’s ad interesting is the fact that these futuristic suits will probably be available in the near future.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=oYCvIr0fWnM

In terms of marketing strategies, I believe this a brilliant and innovative advertising scheme. This is the first commercial that I have seen involving futuristic technology from any of the sport brand companies such as Nike, Adidas, or Under Armour to name a few. Also, Under Armour decided to use fresh, new players from major sports such as young Bryce Harper of the Washington Nationals and Kemba Walker of the Charlotte Bobcats. Under Armour seems to be making a strategic move to surpass Nike if their #iWill campaign proves successful.

http://blogs-images.forbes.com/monteburke/files/2013/02/I-WILL-Campaign_Bryce-Harper.jpg