Issue #12 (part 2)

Dear Burrus Inc. Employees,

I am writing this message to restate the company's policies regarding written communication with customers. Although text messaging and the style used in text messages has become ever popular lately, please refrain yourself from sending customers informal text messages. We strive to look professional to our customers, and as easy as text messaging is, it is not appropriate for the style of communication we wish to use. As always, watch what you say to customers so as to not anger or disappoint them. If you have any questions regarding this or any other issue, feel free to contact me.

Thanks,
Mark Burrus

Issue 12

I think Mr Busicks story is very unique. He sold an already successful software company to enter an industry he was not guaranteed to give him the same amount of success. Also, initially his new business was not going as planned, just like most new bossinesses, but he stuck with it and made improvements to his business and it eventually became a successful one. This story is prime example of how the being a successful entrepreneur doesn't just happen over night.

I myself would probably never be an entrepreneur unless i had disposable income to do so. I feel there are too many risks involved and statistics show that you are probably headed for failure. I is a profession that would be too stressful for my liking.

Issue #12

I found the article about Brian Busick's story about starting up the private schools meal program very interesting. It was awesome to see how all his experienced from schooling, jobs, and experiences all came together to make him a succesful entrepreneur. I also found it impressive how his early career had very little to do with the company he would eventually create. Entrepreneur a strong desire to do something and be willing to take risks, which were qualities that Busick obviously had. He took many risks in his story, including becoming the owner of a succesful software company and selling it to enter the restaruant market, which eventually evolved into him starting his own business making meals for public schools. During the early years of his company, he made less than $40,000 anually, but after improving his business plan and quality of product, he earned upwards of $1,000,000 anually. I personally would never become an entrepreneur because I am not a big risk taker, but anyone interested in starting a business would learn a lot from Busick's story.

Issue # 10

McDonalds is a well known brand and will always be. Putting healthy options on the menu would not change what Mcdonalds is known for. What it comes down to is the patrons at mcdonalds. They want their burgers and french fries. People that enjoy mcdonalds and made it what it is today because of what is on the the menu. Now adding televisions and lounge chairs will make it more of a hang out spot but they will still be eating a big mac while watching CNN and relaxing in a comfortable chair. McDonalds will never take the things that make them successful off the menu.

Resume

The job I chose to create a resume and cover letter for was a position at the Kansas Humane Society. That is not what I want to do in the future but it is something that is important to me. I am an animal lover and enjoy going to the Humane Society to see the rescued animals there. I found the job posting on craigslist while searching for something to make a cover letter for. The Humane Society seemed interesting so that is why I chose it. I am going to school for Accounting and who knows, maybe I'll be working for an animal shelter as an accountant.

Issue # 12

To Employees of Dunder Mifflin,

The use of written communication in the business setting has not been up to par in this company. We will not tolerate abbreviating words when spelling it out is much more business effective. We need clients to take us seriously and not perceive us as high school students who do not have time enough for them to write a full sentence. Clients are our main priority and we have all the time in the world. If you cannot seem to grasp this concept, your phone has another function other than texting. Dial their number and talk to them, it is much more personal and lets them know that Dunder Mifflin is there for them.

If you have any questions feel free to call anytime.

Last Post (12-7-2010)

1) I think this is a great story to read, and I have nothing but respect for someone who has this kind of work ethis. I also have some entrepreneurial aspirations. I am trying to get into law schol and would love to be a practicin lawyer someday. I also work as hard as I possibly can, and I truely believe hard work and dedication breads success.

2) Some of the skills that Mr. Busick needed to have to accomplish what he has in his life might include the skills to see an area that needed to upgraded and then to provide that need. However he would not be a success if he didn't do this in a way to make both sides very happy and satisfied.

3) I have actually worked in a restaurant before and know that verbal communication is a vital part to being successful, as is the case with many companies. The writing aspect may factor in if/when the person who is in charge needs to address their employees in any type of written communication.

4) I think that giving children healthier options is a huge key in solving this nations problem with obesity. The children in America have been facing obesity at much younger ages and it seems to only be getting worse. The only way to stop this problem is to give them healthy alternatives, as well as teach them about nutrition.

5) I feel that it is important for everyone to try to use the English language to the best of their abilities at all times. It is unfortunate that not everyone shares this same feeling. The best way to show our customers that we have the ability to help them is to show them that we are able to communicate with them very effectively. This goes for anyone who has the chance to come into contact with a customer or potential cdustomer. It is crucial to the company to treat every customer with the respect and dignity that they deserve. I trust that everyone has the ability to do this and will try to do this in the future.

Company Communication

I would like to take this opportunity to briefly remind all of you about the type of communication that we at Dunder Mifflin is appropriate and the type of communication that generates the greatestamount of positive customer feedback. That is communication based on the "you" approach. Instead of focusing on yourself in written messages or even that of presentations be sure to be other centered in your organization and your language. Doing so will allow you to become a better employee but will also generate even more success for Dunder Mifflin. I would appreiciate it if everyone would adopt this style in fomal communications between our clients. Thank you for your cooperation on this matter, and lets end this year strong our sales.

Future Career

The job that I chose to do my resume on was that of a law office runner. The position includes duties from washing dishes to running to the court house to file new litigation. I chose this job because it is in the field that I would like to pursue in the future and that is of law. It is a field that I have been interested in and have continued to be since working at a law firm here in Wichita. I want to go to law school in the future and believe that a position that would expose me to the ins and outs of the career field would be a great and rewarding experience opportunity.

Privacy and Politics

Many of my fellow colleagues that are going through our four years here at WSU trying to get to the ultimate goal of receiving a degree don't stop to think what they are putting on facebook. Especially those that are thinking of trying to obtain a job in the future where personal integrity is important. One of these jobs is politics and I believe that anyone thinking about getting involved in the realm of politics they should think twice about things that they do now and if their actions would lead them to upholding the values that their future constituents would have.

Issue #10

I have to agree there is a need for a change. The need for change is necessary because of the unhealthy content of the food. McDonald's can take a proactive approach to changing the content of their food and actively advertising charts of the change in improved quality. When something is rumored to be unhealthy chances are people will mistrust it. This applies directly to McDonald's food and can be remedied to an extent by labeling nutrition facts on the food wrappers/boxes. A good example of an advertisement would be posters boasting of the use of 100% ground beef to less artificial and more natural.

Topic #13

Dear employees of Gazenya Industry,

I would like to take the time to reiterate the importance of electronic communication with clients. We cannot make use of text messages to relay any information with our clients but instead our policy clearly states the usefulness of communication via email. It is fine to communicate with co-workers by text messaging but please limit it only to important work related issues. In our line of work we must keep a professional appearance and atmosphere in order to keep our current clients. Let us get use to the idea of professional communication as it will be our success.

issue#8

Regarding my resume and cover letter assignment, I chose the accounting assistant because I found this job open from my blackboard announcement. This is a perfect inter ship opportunity that I can work in the field I am studying now. I have friend graduated in summer 2010, he is still seeking for a job. He sent out more than 50 resumes to different companies around the United States, but he never heard from any of them. He has a very good GPA, and he also has two years working experiences during his college. The reason behind his current situation is that he is lack of to expand his net working. Since I realized that, he spends most of his time at home after graduate, he relies too much on the internet. He should go out to attend some activities to expand his net working. According to the survey, networking is the most common way that employees find jobs. Net working is about people help each other, not just other people help you.

Issue#8

I would like to describe myself as a man who loves numbers. This does not mean that am some sort of a genius of mathematics and statistical values. I am just a regular average student with an average life, but a not so average will to find a solution to every numerical problem put forward in front of me. I love to do anything related to numbers, and that explains why I chose to pursue a bachelors degree in mathematics and accounting. I was not at all good in mathematics at a young age, but I developed in me some form of a stubbornness to tackle all the questions that my teacher asked me as a student in high school, since I was embarrassed before for not being able to do anything related to that subject. It made me feel dumb and useless, but now I feel more content with myself. I had picked an assistant accountant job designation for my cover letter and resume assignment. The profession used in this assignment is a part of what I want to do in the future, but it is not limited to it. I want to see myself in the future as a chief finance officer at a multinational organization. I personally hate the 8 to 5 job routines, and do not want to see myself making that my schedule for the rest of my life. Although after graduation I have to start small to make it big in my life, and so I will accept a position as an assistant accountant for sometime. The job market is full of opportunities for everyone. Therefore the only advise I would like to give to a potential job seeker is that he or she should try networking with each and everyone around him or her, as this creates awareness of what is and is not available outside the school campus, and will enable one to shape oneself accordingly. The only obstacle I faced while applying for the job that I applied for was that I lacked experience in that job. I have the required skills for it but just lack the know how of working in an accounting firm. This does not mean I have given up, it just gave me an urge to better myself in other aspects that I have been good at, like my academics. I am still trying hard in searching for a job that will give me experience that is relevant to my job description in the future. All in all, I would like to tell everyone to develop in themselves the urge to be stubborn, for this skill if used positively can make one succeed in anything.

Blog #8 (Issue #8)

I geared my cover letter and resume toward a corrections job in Kansas. This is definitely not the job that I would want after graduation. My dream job is to be an investigator for sex crimes or homicide. I want to eventually earn a masters in Psychology so I can further study the sex offenders and their motives, also research them along with their past.

The reason I gearn my cover letter and resumes toward a corrections job is because I am not 21, which is one of the first requirements for most criminal justice careers. Another requirement is experience. After graduation, I will not be able to just jump into investigations. I will have to becom a police officer, working in the field and then work my way up to an investigator.

One thing I can do to help with my lack of experience is attend the Police Academy in Wichita, which occurs once a year. Another thing I can do is apply for a job within the Co-op to gain experience. Something else that I can do and that I have done is go on "ride-alongs" with current police officers during their shifts to lean about their daily tasks as well as getting an inside look of what police officers actually do. Job shadowing is another way for me to gain experience.

The problem is this, I know what I want to do as a career, but I don't really know what the job title is and if I'll ever be able to reach my goal. I would love to work for the FBI, but that is one of the most challenging careers to get, let alone do. I would settle for working as an investigator for KBI though.

-Ashley Grubb

Issue #10

The idea that change is bad only work for Hershey's so I applaud McDonald's effort to become a better with the 21st century. I believe that change is important for any powerful brand that wants to continue doing business in today rapidly changing economy. One reason i believe change for McDonald's is so drastic is their brand power has made them relatively exempt but that is no longer the case. If McDonalds wishes to continue to grow their business and capture a place in the childhoods of todays children they are going to need to incorporate a twenty first century feel. The changes they they are making seem appropriate because they are not changing their core coals of fast cheap service but are just attempting to put a new fresh face on their time tested products. It is important to not that their menu is still undergoing small changes like the addition of salads that we are seeing across the industry as a whole. In my opinion, McDonald's is doing exactly what they need to be doing. Hold true to your core value and just shift the image to something that is more palatable to todays younger generation. One thing I do disagree with is the idea that they are going for a "coffee shop feel". I don't believe this is necessarily appropriate because I don't view McDonalds as a coffee shop and i don't believe that is where they will find success in the future. Never the less, the face lift that they are accomplishing through this pursuit has no reason to be rejected by consumers today. We as consumers have nothing to loose and will likely be rejuvenated by the fresh look with the classic value that we are already familiar with.

Issue #12

The story of Brian Busick is inspiring. He did not ask for help to succeed, he took charge of his life by working his way through college. He aspired to be something better than just a citizen working for a bank. He saw an opportunity and took a chance. It seemed as though he was always looking for new opportunities to make more money. He worked his way up and bought/sold companies. His hard work and ambition paid off. He knew how to keep overhead low, therefore creating a higher margin of profit. He did many things himself such as creating a website for his Schoolhouse Grill business, as well as, preparing and delivering lunches himself. He expanded his business to more and more schools, therefore creating a brand worth millions. It's very inspiring to see people become successful on their own.

Blog #7 (Issue #12)

I think that Brian Busick's story is very originial. You don't hear many stories about the average man making it in the big world. It's usually some poor person, who catches a lucky break and becomes rich. You know, the usual "rags to riches" story. His ambition is what kept his dream alive, and while he may not have his dream job...I'm sure that owning and operating your own company as well as making a fortune off of it can become anyones dream job.

He did the work to make his company a success by pursuing other schools around his area. That shows his hard work and dedication to make his company one of a kind. His work ethic did not go unnoticed and is what made him the entrepreneuer that he is today. He also made a great point to give the customers what they wanted. Day-care children require and want different items than the high schoolers. He catered to his customers and gave them what they wanted. Busick's story may not be the "rags to riches" but it is definitely proof that hard work pays off in the long run.

-Ashley Grubb

Issue #13

Here at Scheer Enterprises, we believe that communication has value in many forms. As such, we applaud the many means in which we can communicate both internally and externally. However, just because a certain mode of communication promotes abbreviated or even coded language, we expect that all exchanges will contain salutations as well as verbiage and content commensurate with more formal written communication. In so doing, expediency will still be achieved, but professionalism will also be preserved.

Issue #12

Brian Busick's entrepreneurial story is great because is isn't the classic and overemphasized rags to riches story of the unrealistically wealthy few, but a more attainable effort for many more. The ability to take risks in business is the prerequisite for success, but not just any risk. Taking calculated risks is key, and that goes beyond following your gut. It takes a good degree of business acumen, whether gained from experience or education. Brian had both. There are only so many Carnegie's, McDonald's, or Winfrey's, but there can be many, many Busicks.

Issue #12

I loved reading the Brian Busick story.I found it truly inspiring how he started just by making lunches for school kids and turned that into a million dollar business I think that is what America is all making your own way.Reading this story made me think of my own dreams of starting a business. My dream is to one day have my own music production company. I have loved music from a very young age and I would like to start producing it myself. The music business is very hard to break into I have thought of other small businesses i could start to help me make it to my ultimate goal I think that is what Brian's story is all about starting small and building your way up to see it takes you.

Issue # 12 (2nd)

Hi, all
I appreciate your efforts for Young Forever Co. in the past few years, and the high sales in hard times. All of you are valuable assets to the company.
After several meeting discussion, we conclude that we need to do some improvements in the manner of the communication within the company as well as with potential customers. The company will adopt the business blogs instead of e-mail. Compare to e-mail, blog is more convenient way to distribute information to customers, and it is much easier to personalize and update than a conventional website and it deliveries new information quickly. As a cosmetic retailer, we would like to hear from our customers’ voice about the thought of our products. Blog is a perfect way to invite former customers to leave products’ comments. They can easily share their story of using Young Forever. From the internal perspective, I encourage all of the employees to use blog as a major communication tool. On another hand, Company can use blogs to keep employees updated about general business matter. Blog also sever as an online communication forums; give each of you opportunity to raise questions. I am looking forward the progressive of the high efficiency in both of the internal and the external communication.

Thanks all for your great performance,

Best Regard,
Ru Fan
CEO

Issue #12

After reading Brain Busick’s story, I admire his ability of the developing of business, the idea of opening new business, and the entrepreneurial ambitions of starting from small business, and make it big eventually. As an entrepreneur, he is not only creative, but also is a hard working person. After work as a branch manager for four franchised sub shop outlets, and paid $115,000 a year, but he worked seven days a week, from 9 a.m. to 11 p.m. each day. This is another personality I need learn from him. In 2005, the opportunities of his new business of Schoolhouse Grill came to him, he realize there is market on the school lunch business, and he takes the advantage of his Jerry’s kitchen, which make the overhead low. I had a idea to open a Chinese Hot Pot restraint in the United States for a long time, but I am dare to start it, because I am afraid of lose. Busick’s story motivates me to seek the opportunity to start my business. I would rather to say that as an entrepreneur, hard working is as important as idea of new business.

Issue #13

Attention Dunder Mifflin employees:

I would like to make a brief announcement of our overall communication with our customers. It is important to be personal and understand what it is our customers use our products for, but it is also important to keep our customer relationships on a professional level. Abbreviations and quick-text style is alright being used in the office with fellow employees, but please keep your writing and language at a formal level with our customers. I expect you to know what proper communication would be considered. Remember, we want our customers to view us as qualified sells men and women in professional business. Thank you for your consideration.


Whitney Corkins
Dunder Mifflin, CEO

Issue #12

Seeing an average person go from investing in minor things that create huge outcomes is very inspiring. It is hard to imagine being able to put such an extreme amount of time and still be able to make time for the family. Not only to have spent so much time working in the business, Busick would have had to spend multiple hours reaching out and researching surrounding schools to offer his service. He would have to do so in a professional manner so schools would understand the seriousness of his business. Busick would have to have a great amount of people skills and being able to communicate with customers on a personal level as well.

Issue #13

Hi everyone:

I would like to thank all of you for your unprecedented support and effort in making this company a success. I appreciate your assistance in all the past and current matters, and looking forward to the same diligence and exceptional future for our company. As we move onto fulfilling our goals for the future, I would like to take this opportunity to bring to your attention some issues that I think need to be addressed for a better channel of communication. Communication is the major aspect of any successful organization, and therefore we ought to be efficient in it to achieve our set forth objectives. I would like to enlighten you all regarding the written part of communication. I believe although time is of a valuable concern to all of us, but when forced to repeat a process at work just adds up to the loss of time and money at times. Such repeats in processes may occur due to an error in understanding a written message, this may not be due to bad handwriting or spelling mistakes, but due to abbreviated writings such "ASAP" for as soon as possible, or "GTG" for good to go. This abbreviations may be misunderstood for something else and may cause a breakdown in the communication process. I would therefore appreciate it if you may all use complete sentences in communicating written messages.

Thank you all for the conducive and efficient environment at work.

Best regards,
Allarakha Nizar
CEO

Issue #12

The article on Brian Busick's story motivates and captivates me as I too have an interest for an entrepreneurial career. I like the idea of Brian Busick to use the profits he earned in the business and bringing them back into the business to use them for growth and expansion of the business. I also got very attracted to the idea of him borrowing the funds to finance his businesses rather than using his own money. He does this to minimize risks associated with opening of new businesses, such as them becoming an utter failure and lead to a total loss of private funds. If Brian's business idea did not work out, he would not be as much effected as the banks would have since he had his liabilities transferred to the financing institutions when borrowing their funds. I would like to look at myself indulging in such small scale businesses in the future too. I am working my way in opening a series of gas stations and hotels all around the country, and Brian's story enriches my motivation to go on with my ideas. Brian started his path in entrepreneurial success with small scale businesses, and eventually made it big. I would also like to see myself doing that in the future.

Issue #12 (Technology)

Attention all TechCorp. employees,

I am well aware of the fact that language use changes over time. The definitions that we employ to delineate the boundary between "standard" and "non-standard" uese of language are constantly in flux, as are the meanings of words and phrases; only 100 years ago, the way we used language was vastly different from the way we use it today.
That said, I want to make it very clear that we must maintain a high level of professionalism in all of our work-related communication. The text message shortcuts that we use to communicate with our friends are not to be used here, for one main reason: they affect customer (and co-workers) perception of our professional standards. The type of communication to which I am referring is often perceived as lazy by clients, primarily because it is lazy. We use it with our friends to affect a casual, carefree tone, which is not what we want to convey to our clients. We must always keep in mind the fact that what we say (and how we say it) matters in the long run. In this day and age, that cliche means a lot more than it did just ten years ago. The right actions are not enough to keep a business afloat; that also requires the right ideas, and the right words to express them.

Joe Ryan
CEO TechCorp.

Issue #12 (Busick)

Overall, I am impressed by both Busick's drive and ambition; each of these qualities requires a set of skills that the author does not fully elaborate on, such as a high degree of skill in mathematics. Many of the most successful entrepreneurs in the world have had high math aptitude. While I'm not certain that Busick's business necessarily requires anything complex, I would not be surprised if he expressed an affinity for mathematics, a skill that is vital in maintaining payrolls and keeping one's accounts in order. Busick would also have to have a high degree of interpersonal ability, as well as an ability to express himself well, in order to communicate his entrepreneurial vision to his employees.
In truth, I could not see myself doing what Busick did. Success in business not only requires interpersonal skill (which I do not possess in spades), but also keen leadership ability, which I do not have. My hat is off to Mr. Busick, but I have no intention of following in his footsteps.

Issue #12

Fellow Apple Employees:

I wanted to address a few points with you all about written communication.

Obviously, Apple is a very technologically advanced company that wants to keep up with all of the needs in the communication world. With such a broad range of written communication nowadays, it may be hard to differentiate which type to use and when. Let me set a few things straight for anyone wondering.

If you are addressing myself or a person of a higher rank in our company than you, please send an email or write a letter. This is the professional way to do things and I feel that it is the best way to make a request or statement to someone in a higher rank than you.

If you are addressing someone at the same level or below yourself, it is a judgment call. Anytime you are in a professional situation, an email is the most suitable form of communication. However, if you simply need to send a quick message or request, we are not at all against shooting them a text or picture message. I simply advise you to use your phones for work purposes while at work.

Thanks,

Steve Jobs

Issue #12 CEO

I fully support the use of blogs for everyday business communication. However, I must state that while using blogs I expect all employees to be courteous and professional. The dialogue used in blogs must pertain only to business activities and disrepectful material will not be tolerated. When communicating with customers feel free to use a more personal tone but always be respectful of them. If you have any questions feel free to contact me as soon as possible.

Thanks,


Ryan
CEO Fedex Ground

Issue #12 Brian Busick Story

I liked the Brian Busick story. I thought that it was awesome that he is making lunches for children. To me a more restaurant style food would have been a lot more appetizing then some of the foods I ate while attending public school, even though is only targeting private schools. The amount of money he is making in this business sounds like its definitely going well. I went to a private school at one point, and definitely would have enjoyed a variety of food outside of the school.
I really do not have any entrepreneurial ambitions, but if i had to think of something that could make some good business, it would probably be a variety store where people could buy everything and anything. I know plenty of these stores that target small towns, and it is actually really nice to have a store that sells nice flat-screen TVs where some would not really think would have such a store.

Issue #12 CEO of a business

I fully support the use of blogs in the everyday course of business. However, I must state that professionalism must be maintained at all times. Disrespect and material not in relation to your assigned duties will not be tolerated. Also, please use your judgement when dealing with material that would be better suited for direct, person-to-person communication. Please feel free to e-mail me if you should have any questions and I will be more than happy to get back to you in a timely manner.

Thanks,

Tara
CEO of Airliners

Issue # 12

Brian Busick seems like a very motivated individual. His story is a good example of a successful small business in America. However, all his new business really did was take away market share from a competitor. The kids were probably already eating lunch before he began supplying the schools with his products. I applaud him for his business skills and his ability to open and operate his own business. I do not have his entrepreneurial spirit and I admire those who do and are willing to follow their dreams.

issue #12

Brian has way too much enthusiasm about making food for day cares and private schools. Although it would appear that he has done his research and had a lot of motivation and intuition to achieve what he has achieved. Brian would have needed to have tons of motivation to work 14 hour days 7 days a week when he owned the fast food restaurants, but also would have needed to have the people skills and capability to communicate with all these different schools administration to set up these lunches. He needs the knowledge of foods to know what different range kids like to eat, daycare kids like finger foods, while high schoolers like pizza.