DOCUMENT RESUME

ED 406 524 CE G73 730

AUTHOR Goins, L. Keith, Ed.TITLE Makin' It Happen with Business & Marketing Education. Annual

Atlantic Coast Business & Marketing Education ConferenceProceedings (13th, Raleigh, North Carolina, February 16-17,1996). Volume 7.

INSTITUTION East Carolina Univ., Greenville, NC. School of Education.PUB DATE Feb 96NOTE 145p.; For the 1997 proceedings, see CE 073 731.PUB TYPE Collected Works Proceedings (021) Reports Research

(143)

EDRS PRICE MF01/PC06 Plus Postage.DESCRIPTORS *Business Education; *Classroom Techniques; Competency Based

Education; Computer Software; Computer Uses in Education;Cooperative Education; Critical Thinking; CulturalPluralism; Demography; Desktop Publishing; DisciplineProblems; Distributive Education; *Education WorkRelationship; Educational Change; *Educational Practices;Educational Quality; Educational Technology; EducationalTrends; Flexible Scheduling; Foreign Countries; GlobalApproach; Higher Education; Information Literacy;Information Networks; Intermediate Grades; InterpersonalCompetence; Keyboarding (Data Entry); *Marketing;Merchandising; Middle Schools; Multimedia Instruction;Office Occupations Education; Problem Solving; ProfessionalDevelopment; Secondary Education; Service Learning; SkillDevelopment; Statewide Planning; Stress Management; StudentEvaluation; Systems Approach; Teacher Education; Tech Prep;Telecommunications; Two Year Colleges

IDENTIFIERS Florida; North Carolina

ABSTRACTThis proceedings includes the following papers: "Dealing

with Discipline Problems in Schools" (Allen); "Developing Global Awareness"(Arnold); "Desktop Publishing Using WordPerfect 6.0 for Windows" (Broughton);"Learn and Earn" (Cauley); "Using the Computer to Teach Merchandising Math"(Clodfelter); "Schoolwide Network Makin' It Happen" (Crews); "ContinuousImprovement Instruction for Business and Marketing Education" (Gaither); "TwoYear Colleges" (Giovannini); "Alternative Scheduling in Marketing Education"(Greaven); "Makin' It Happen Using Portfolios as a Teaching Strategy" (Hall);"Tech-Prep Evaluation Helps Make It Happen for Us in Florida" (Hammons);"Peanut Butter and Jelly Sandwich" (Henson); "Diversity of Cultures in theClassroom" (Holsey, Asselin); "Perceptions by Secondary Lead Business andOffice Education Instructors of the North Carolina Vocational CompetencyAchievement Tracking Systems (VoCATS)" (Jewell); "Managing Your Achilles'Heel" (Jones); "Real-World Telecommunications for Business and MarketingEducation" (Joyner et al.); "Business Education Classroom Demographics andSegmentation" (Klayton); "Improving Interpersonal Skills through CooperativeLearning" (Anderton-Lewis, King); "Making Marketing Happen in the MiddleSchools" (Love-Wilkes); "Creative and Critical Thinking Strategies forParticipating in a Global Economy" (Luckey); "Enhancing the EntrepreneurialSkills of Business Education Students" (Luft); "Jazzy Presentations" (Lush,Alexander); "Successfully Navigating Communication Channels" (Lush,

+++++ ED406524 Has Multi-page SFR--- Level =l +++++Thompson); "North Carolina JobReady System" (Martin); "Makin' Your MarketingPersonality Work for You" (McPherson); "Project AIME: Academies ofInternational Marketing Education" (O'Brien); "Information Overload orInformation Literacy?" (Reaves); "Increase Revenue and Reduce Expenses UsingCross Marketing" (Ricci, Coe); "Trends for Business Education" (Robertson);"EMC Middle School Keyboarding" (Sherron); "Tricks of the Trade" (Skelton,Quesenberry); "Local Area Networks" (Stephens); "How to Do Business inSoutheast Asia" (Swisher); "Making Quality Happen in Business and MarketingEducation" (Swope, Wrisley); "Training and Development" (Truell); "StressManagement" (Truell); "You Can Make It Happen with Voice RecognitionTechnologies" (Wallace); "Makin' It Happen through Service Learning inTeacher Education" (Wells, Fischetti, Dittmer); "Developing and Projecting aProfessional Business Image" (Wheatley); and "Connected in Business Education(Wilson). (MN)

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Makin' It Happenwith

Business & Marketing Education

The 13th Annual Atlantic CoastBusiness & Marketing Education Conference

U.S. DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATIONOffice of Educational Research and Improvement

ED ATIONAL RESOURCES INFORMATIONCENTER (ERIC)

This document has been reproduced asreceived from the person or organizationoriginating it.

0 Minor changes have been made toimprove reproduction quality.

Points of view or opinions stated in thisdocument do not necessarily representofficial OERI position or policy.

E A S TCAROLINAUNIVERSITYsme.

PERMISSION TO REPRODUCE ANDDISSEMINATE THIS MATERIAL

HAS BEEN GRANTED BY

TO THE E IONAL RESOURCESINFOR ON CENTER (ERIC)

Sponsored byDepartment of Business, Vocational, and Technical Education

2 BEST COPY AVAILABLE

Makin' It Happenwith

Business & Marketing Education

Thirteenth AnnualAtlantic Coast

Business & Marketing EducationConference Proceedings

Keith Goins, Ed. D.Volume 7 Editor

February 16 & 17, 1996

The North Raleigh HiltonRaleigh, North Carolina

3

Sponsored by

Department of

Business, Vocational, and Technical Education

East Carolina UniversitySchool of Education

Greenville, North Carolina 27858-4353

Faculty and Staff

Dr. Ivan Wallace, Professor and Chairperson

Dr. Vivian Arnold, Associate ProfessorDr. L. Keith Goins, Assistant Professor

Dr. Li lla Holsey, Associate ProfessorDr. Randy L. Joyner, Associate Professor

Mr. David Parke, LecturerMs. Patricia Stallings, Lecturer

Dr. John Swope, Associate ProfessorDr. Robert Wrisley, Assistant Professor

Ms. Cynthia Smith, Departmental Secretary

Mr. Dac Austin, Graduate AssistantMr. Nikolai Petroukovitch, Graduate Assistant

Ms. Michelle Terry, Graduate Assistant

Ms. Helen De Puy, BVTE Student WorkerMs. Nicole Frazier, BVTE Student Worker

Ms. Chavanda Perkins, BVTE Student Worker

4

EDITORIAL STATEMENT

The Proceedings of the Thirteenth Atlantic Coast Businessand MarketingEducation Conference are published by the Department ofBusiness, Vocational,and Technical Education, School of Education, East Carolina University,Greenville, NC 27858-4353. The 1996 Conference was held on February 16-17,1996 in Raleigh, North Carolina, with the theme of Makin' It Happen withBusiness & Marketing Education.

Proceedings of the 1996 conference were reviewed prior to publication. Sincerethanks is expressed to the members of the review board who generouslycontributed their time and expertise to the review of the abstracts submitted.Without their conscientious review of the abstracts and their dedication,Proceedings of the Thirteenth Annual Atlantic CoastBusiness and MarketingEducation Conference could not be published. The members of the 1996 reviewboard were:

R. JEAN OVERTON, EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR (RETIRED)SMALL BUSINESS CENTER NETWORKNC COMMUNITY COLLEGE SYSTEMRALEIGH, NORTH CAROLINA

LYNDA PERRY, MARKETING EDUCATION TEACHER-COORDINATORNORTHEASTERN HIGH SCHOOL,ELIZABETH CITY, NORTH CAROLINA

IVAN WALLACE, CHAIRBUSINESS, VOCATIONAL, & TECHNICAL EDUCATIONEAST CAROLINA UNIVERSITYGREENVILLE, NC

A special thanks to extended to all of the authors who submitted abstracts to beconsidered for publication.

Special appreciation is due to Mr. Dac Austin, graduate assistant in theDepartment of Business, Vocational, and Technical Education and the EnglishDepartment at East Carolina University, for his invaluable assistance in makingthe Proceedings a reality.

Keith Goins, Editor

THE THIRTEENTH ANNUALATLANTIC COAST BUSINESS & MARKETING EDUCATION

CONFERENCE PROCEEDINGS

VOLUME 7

TABLE OF CONTENTS

Dealing with Discipline Problems in SchoolsThomas R. Allen. Jr. 1

Developing Global AwarenessVivian Arnold 3

Desktop Publishing Using WordPerfect 6.0 for WindowsPhyllis Broughton 8

Learn and Earn: Makin' It Happen Through Cooperative EducationMary Cauley 10

Using the Computer to Teach Merchandising MathematicsRichard Clodfelter 12

A Schoolwide Network Makin' It HappenTena Crews 14

Continuous Improvement Instruction for Business &Marketing Education

J. Martin Gaither 17

Two Year Colleges: College -To Work ProgramsEugene Giovannini 19

Alternative Scheduling in Marketing EducationDan Greaven 23

Makin' It Happen Using Portfolios as a Teaching StrategyShirley Hall 26

TECH-PREP Evaluations Helps Make It Happen in for us in FloridaFrank Hammons 28

Peanut Butter and Jelly Sandwich: Problem SolvingUsing Systems Thinking

Jack Henson 32

Diversity of Culture in the ClassroomLi lla Holsey & Susan Asselin 35

Perceptions by Secondary Lead Business and Office EducationInstructors of the North Carolina VoCAT System

Carolyn Jewell 38

Managing Your Achilles' Heel: Strategies for Meeting theDemands of Software Updates

Dorothy L. Jones 43

Real World Telecommunications for Business & Marketing EducationRandy L. Joyner, Mary Jean Lush,Jerry Kandies, & Robert M. Bacchus 45

Business Education Classroom Demographics and Segmentation:A Research Study

Margaret A. Klayton 49

Improving Interpersonal Skills Through Cooperative LearningLillie Anderton-Lewis & Thelma C. King 52

Making Marketing Happen in the Middle SchoolsRebecca Loves-Wilkes 55

Creative and Critical Thinking Strategies for Participatingin a Global Economy

Sue Y. Luckey 58

Enhancing the Entrepreneurial Skills of Business Education StudentsRoger L. Luft 61

Jazzy Presentations: Multimedia Makes Them HappenMary Jean Lush & Carolyn Alexander 64

Successfully Navigating Communication ChannelsMary Jean Lush & Michael Thompson 68

The North Carolina JOBREADY System: Key ComponentsLoretta Martin 71

Makin' Your Marketing Personality Work for YouWilliam McPherson 73

Project AIME: Academies of International Marketing EducationTerrance P. O'Brien 79

Information Overload or Information Literacy?Ways to Help Students Prepare for 2015

Rita Reaves 84

Increase Revenue and Reduce Expenses Using Cross MarketingJoseph Ricci & Michael Coe 88

Trends for Business EducationHorace Robertson 93

EMC Middle School KeyboardingJo Ann Sherron 96

Tricks of the Trade: Teaching "Hands-On" Applicationsof Software

Bonnie Skelton & Debbie Quesenberry 99

Local Area Networks: Mastery or Mystery?Lorraine G. Stephens 105

Making Quality Happen in Business & Marketing EducationJohn A. Swope & Robert L. Wrisley 109

Training and Development: The Key to Peak PerformanceAllen D. Truell 113

Stress Management: Sources, Symptoms, and CuresAllen D. Truell 116

You Can Make It Happen With Voice Recognition TechnologiesIvan Wallace 119

Makin' It Happen Through Service Learning in Teacher EducationRandall Wells, John Fischetti, & Allen Dittmer 125

Developing and Projecting a Professional Business ImageEdward W. Wheatley 128

Connected in Business EducationPatricia I. Wilson 133

DEALING WITH DISCIPLINEPROBLEMS IN SCHOOLS

Thomas R. Allen, Jr.Appalachian State University

According to teachers who leavethe profession, the number one reasonis too many discipline problems.Since discipline problems areincreasing in number as well asseverity, action needs to be taken toaddress these problems.

Causes of Discipline Problems

There are many causes ofdiscipline problems that originateoutside the school setting. Among themost frequently mentioned causes areviolence in society, effects of themedia, the "me" generation, lack of asecure family environment, ordifferent temperaments today.

Among the many disciplineproblems that originate within theschool setting are student boredom, afeeling of powerlessness, unclearlimits, lack of acceptable outlets forfeelings, or attacks on dignity.Statistics indicate that ninety percentof discipline problems are teachercaused or teacher aggravated.

Rules for students

In order for students to understandand follow rules that teachers set forbehavior, the rules must be written.They must be simple, clear, and fairly

1

applied. Only rules that are necessaryand widely accepted should beestablished.

Consequences for Breaking Rules

If rules are to be enforced, theconsequences for breading them mustbe clear and specific. There must be arange of alternatives, which does notinclude punishments. Theconsequences must be natural andlogical and must be directly related tothe rule itself.

Research Results

Knowledge of the results ofresearch in the area of studentdiscipline can be very beneficial toteachers. Some helpful researchresults for the classroom teacherinclude the following:

1. Higher levels of corporalpunishment lead to worse studentbehavior.

2. Praise for good work leadsto better student behavior

3. Schools and classrooms thatare decorated with posters andpictures generally have better behavedstudent.

4. A willingness to be availablemost of the time was found to beassociated with better studentbehavior.

5. Generally, better behavior isevident when students are not leftunattended.

6. The teacher should assignrelevant home work to be used as apractice exercise with a purpose.

7. The teacher should alwaysbe prepared.

8. The teacher should maintainan even class schedule, starting ontime, pacing the lesson, and ending ontime.

9. Interact with the whole classand not just with individuals.

Rules of Teaching and Learning

If the work students are asked todo does not meet their needs, or ifthey do not care for the teacher, theywill not do well. Also, if teachers donot teach in a satisfying manner, theywill have to resort to some coercion inorder to try to make students learn.

It is most important that teachersexpect quality and expect students tobecome part of a quality world. Fewpeople will expend the effort neededto do high quality work unless there isquality in what they are asked to do.

The reason that many students donot work hard in school is because it isnot part of their quality world.Therefore, if we are to managesuccessfully, we must maintain aquality world for those we manage.

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DEVELOPING GLOBALAWARENESS

Vivian ArnoldEast Carolina University

The importance of globaleducation was stressed by PresidentBush in 1990 when he established sixnational educational goals to be metby the year 2000. One of these goalswas that "every adult must be askilled, literate worker and citizen,able to compete in a global economy."(Tifft, 1990, p. 54). This goal was animportant departure for education inthe United States since the focus ofschools before that time had been onteaching the "American way"(Morrison and Morrison, 1991, p. 140).

Educators in the U.S. need toprepare students for a world that isnow an international society: a worldwhere the position of the United Stateshas changed from that of dominanceto the role of partner. For example,movement toward an internationalsociety is evident in terms ofdependence on international exports,trade among nations, internationalcorporate business ownership andoperations, the number of Americanworkers overseas, and consumablegoods that are produced abroad andpurchased by American consumers.Recently, the impact was felt ineastern North Carolina with thecreation of the Global Trans Park.Impact on industry, the competitiveadvantages offered by the Global

3

Trans Park, and the future of globalcompetition were topics of the October1995 Global Trans Park Conference.The future is here.

Competencies NeededAll students must have a working

knowledge of international issues andan understanding of worldinterdependence, but all students neednot be international experts. ThePolicies Commission for Business andEconomic Education (1989) developedcompetencies needed by students ininternational studies which included:

Gain acceptance of otherculturesGain understandings ofcustoms and values of otherculturesStrengthen communicationskills in international settingsSeek knowledge into howgeography impactsinternational understandings

Various sources (Scott, 1994; Patel,1994 and others) indicate thefollowing important global conceptsand skills that are suitable to beincorporated into the businesseducation curriculum:

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a knowledge of and sensitivityto foreign customs and culturea basic understanding ofinternational economics,geography, and tradea knowledge of foreignbusiness proceduresa familiarity with exportdocuments, finance, and legalprocedurescross-cultural communicationskillsadaptation-to-change skillscritical-thinking skillsdecision-making skillshuman-relations skillsinformation-management skillsleadership skillsproblem-solving skills

Many believe that the businesseducation curricula at all levels arefertile ground for teachinginternational concepts and theories; infact, Scott (1994) suggested thatknowledge, skills, and attitudesconcerning the internationaldimensions of business can be easilyadded to courses related toaccounting, basic business, thekeyboard, language, and marketing.Davis and Redmann (1991), Blockhusand Maxwell (1991) and othersexpanded the list of courses and topicswhere business teachers mayincorporate international concepts andactivities:

CoursesInnovative business educators can

strengthen the relevancy of thecurriculum by developing neededinternational knowledge, skills, andattitudes in all courses. To provide

4

education and training with a globalaspect, business educators need toinfuse international concepts intoaccounting-related courses, basicbusiness-related courses,keyboarding/computer-relatedcourses, marketing-related courses,and communication/language-relatedcourses.

Accounting-related coursesPeople buy, sell, and invest around

the world; therefore, someunderstandings are necessary.Important topics might includebalance sheets and income statements,studying foreign accounting systemsand practices (Scott, 1994), workingwith foreign currency conversions(Bloom, 1990); and creating apartnership with a local businessinvolved in international trade (Pipho,1990; and Phillips, 1994).

Basic business-related coursesBusiness teachers need to relate

global concepts into basic/generalbusiness, business principles andmanagement, business law, finance,entrepreneurship, economics, andgeography. Duff (1991) suggestedsuch global topics as whyinternational trade occurs, howAmerican companies conductinternational trade, how internationaltrade is financed, and how nationsrestrict and encourage internationaltrade. Blockhus and Maxwell (1991)suggested developinginterdisciplinary courses or projects.Dlabay and Scott (1996) added topicson government and politicalinfluences on business, foreignexchange, legal agreements, labor

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unions, and small businessmanagement for high school students.

Keyboarding-computer-related coursesStudents need to possess computer

knowledge and skills, informationretrieval, international businessprocedures, and the skills necessaryto format documents. In addition,students need the ability to adapt tochanges which take place intechnology. Students may learnthrough activities such as creatinginternational documents, creating andaccessing spreadsheets and databases,utilizing desktop publishingcapabilities, and using interconnectiveapplications such as electronic andvoice mail, facsimile machines, andteleconferencing. Practicalapplications might include creating anitinerary for overseas business travel,applying the metric system todocument preparation, accessing aninteractive multimedia encyclopedia,and developing computer networkswith schools in other countries(Jacobson and Huhra 1995).

Marketing-related coursesUnits related to foreign markets,

consumer problems, advertising andpreparation of new advertisingmaterials, salesmanship, andproduct/service distribution areadditional ways to incorporateinternational content into marketing-related courses to make thecurriculum more relevant. Studyguides on global trade and/or touristcenters add to student interest(Bernardi, 1995).

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Communication language-relatedcourses

Teachers can use correspondencefrom foreign countries obtained fromlocal businesses or fromcorrespondence from abroad via e-mail. Pen pals with classes in overseasschools are effective real-life learningexperiences. Non-verbalcommunication and barriers tounderstanding are important skillsand concepts. Interpreting readingassignments and improving listeningskills add to students' knowledge(Hendrick, 1991). Understandinghumor across cultures can often createinterest in the classroom. Therefore,the implementation of classroomexercises that would help to eliminatethe barriers of language and aid instudent awareness are essential.International telephone calling andFAX transmittal as well as a globalgift-giving activities can add tostudents' international awareness(Jacobson and Huhra, 1995).

All business-related coursesExperiencing various cultures

through restaurants, museums,parades, art, music, movies, drama aswell as student exchanges orinternational study tours are someactivities which can be applied to anybusiness-related course (Morrison andMorrison, 1991, and others). Inaddition, Davis and Redmann (1991)added role-playing/culture shockprojects, case studies, criticalincidents, guest speakers, sister-schoolrelationships, electroniccommunication exercises, and audio-visual media presentations asexamples of where international

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content can be infused into all courses.Geography exercises such asinternational airport locations, theinternational date line, flagidentification, map reading, climates,and population of countries also canexpand students' knowledge (Dlabayand Scott, 1996).

SummaryThe intensified competition of the

global marketplace offers greatchallenges and unique opportunitiesfor business educators and students.Pryor (1992, p. 399) summarized thechallenges and opportunities whenshe wrote:

Global education has become increasinglyimportant as the nations of the world haveentered a global marketplace in whichcross-cultural communication is essentialto economic, political, and social survival.

Since business education coursesstress economic understanding, use ofnew technologies, the integration ofcommunication skills in all courses, anunderstanding of systems andprocedures, and preparation for theworkplace of today and tomorrow,"internationalizing" the curriculumseems appropriate. These newdimensions provide additionalincentives to move immediately toincorporate global awareness into thebusiness education classroom.

References

Bernardi, R. D. (1995, February 17).Strategies for Teaching GlobalTopics in Business Education.Unpublished presentation,

Twelfth Annual Atlantic CoastBusiness and MarketingEducation Conference. Raleigh,North Carolina.

Blockhus, W. & Maxwell, G. W.(1991). Marketing theinternational businesseducation program. In LonnieEchternacht (Ed.), A global lookat business education, (pp. 30-42).Reston, Virginia: NationalBusiness EducationAssociation.

Bloom, R. (1990). Motivating studentsin the introductory courses withinternational accounting topics.Journal of Education for Business,61, 154-157.

Davis, B. J. & Redmann, D. H. (1991).Methods of internationalizingbusiness communicationourses. In Lonnie Echternacht(Ed.), A global look at businesseducation, (pp. 53-64). Reston,Virginia: National BusinessEducation Association.

Dlabay, L. & Scott, J. C. (1996).Business in a global economy.Cincinnati, Ohio: South-Western EducationalPublishing, 562 pages.

Duff, T. B. (1991). Methods ofinternationalizing basicbusiness and economic courses.In Lonnie Echternacht (Ed.,), Aglobal look at business education,pp. 43-52). Reston, Virginia:National Business EducationAssociation.

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Esqueda, S., Krueger, N. & Weir, A.(1992). A Status Report on theInternationalizing of BusinessEducation Curricula inWisconsin Secondary Schools.1992 Delta Pi Epsilon NationalResearch Conference Proceedings.Los Angeles, California, 135-146.

Hedrick, R. W. (1991). Methods ofinternationalizing informationprocessing courses. In LonnieEchternacht (Ed.), A global lookat business education, (pp. 65-73).Reston, Virginia: NationalBusiness EducationAssociation.

Jacobson, L. & Huhra, L. (1995, July15). Developing GlobalAwareness with CreativeLearning Activities.Unpublished presentation,ISBE/SIEC Conference, Prague,Czech Republic.

Morrison, J. L. and Morrison, P. P.(1991). The theory ofattribution learning,technology, and interculturalbusiness communication.Journal of Education for Business,66, 140-143.

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Patel, H. (1994, Summer). Thechanging role of businesseducation in the globalmarketplace. Delta Pi EpsilonJournal, 36(3), 129-133.

Phillips, J. (1994). All business isglobal. In Arthur McEntee(ed.), Expanding Horizons inBusiness Education (pp. 35-45).Reston, Virginia: NationalBusiness Education AssociationNo. 32.

Pipho, C. (1990). Coming up: Adecade of businessinvolvement, Phi Delta Kappan,71, 582-583.

Pryor, C. B. (1992). Buildinginternational relations forchildren through sister schools.Phi Delta Kappan, 73, 399-403.

Scott, J. C. (1994, October 28).Creating a World-classInternational BusinessCommunications Course.Unpublished presentation,Southern Business EducationAssociation, Birmingham,Alabama.

Tifft, S. (1990, February 12). Reading,Writing And Rhetoric. Time, Pp. 54-55.

DESKTOP PUBLISHING USINGWORDPERFECT 6.0 FOR

WINDOWSPhyllis Broughton

Pitt Community College

You can never be too thin, too rich,or know too much about WordPerfect.The better you know the program thatyou use every day to createdocuments, the easier your job will beto instruct others as well as yourselfin becoming more proficient inWordPerfect. Whether you have beenusing WordPerfect for two days ortwo years, there is always somethingthat can be learned.

Desktop publishing is a means ofcreating documents that encouragesthe reader to read the information.Because our culture is swamped withso-called information- -news,advertising, sales, and more,--ourdocuments must catch the appeal ofthe reader and allure him or her toread our message. Communication inprint is a complex process, blendingthe verbal with the visual, whichincludes: the intellect (what you aresaying), the interpretation (how youare saying it), and the function (howthe layout guides the viewer throughthe material).

By now you can type a letter or amemo, spell check it, and get it

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printed without much of a problem.But sometimes you want to dosomething a little different usingWordPerfect, but you do not have thetime to fiddle around with themanual. This presentation includes ademonstration using fonts, workingwith columns, drawing lines andboxes, adding illustrations to the text,and developing multiple-pagedocuments. Topics will include thefollowing:

Marketing with CouponsWhen customers see the dashed

border of a coupon, they hear thethree magic selling words: "save,""money," and "free." Everyone loves abargain, and shoppers associate acoupon's dashed line with money intheir pockets. Coupon design is usedfor flyers, as thank-you gifts, anddirect mailing for marketing.

Paper OptionsChoosing paper for your desktop

projects can be a frustrating task. Thevariety of paper colors and texturesnow available for desktop printing isastounding. Your final desktoppublishing projects should consider

16

the following aspects of paper:appearance, surface texture, andweight and size.

Borders and RulesToday's audiences are increasingly

design-conscious. Unless you arestriving for a really conservativeeffect, it is best to avoid dull, overusedborders, such as those created with therounded-corner box drawing tool.Instead, you can appear to be morecreative by using the followingtechniques: thin horizontal rules,single rule under title, verticalborders, bottom borders, virtualframes, and combinations. Once youstart experimenting with rules andboxes, you will find it easy to use acombination of these elements tocreate simple and effective borders.

Choosing TypefacesEven though there are more than

10,000 typefaces available for ourcomputers, finding the perfect font fora particular job still seems to be astressful task. Perhaps it is becausewe have 10,000 fonts to choose fromthat the task often becomes a burden.Characteristics to consider in makingyour selection include features thataffect readability or legibility,emotional impact, how well they printon a page, etc. Typefaces to considerare serif, sans serif, script, anddecorative.

Using DingbatsOnce in a while, you may find

your document needs a little artisticlife--something subtle, somethingdifferent. Why not consider adingbat? Dingbats are also known as

9

ornaments and symbols.

Using Bullets EffectivelyThe bullet is the perfect device for

the fast-paced 90's. Using dots,dingbats, or other pointers makes texteasier to skim, easier to read, andeasier to remember--helping you tocommunicate more effectively.

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LEARN AND EARN: MAKIN' ITHAPPEN THROUGH

COOPERATIVE EDUCATIONMary M. Cauley

East Carolina University

Today, restructuring and re-engineering affect not only thecorporate world, but also currentlyenrolled college students. Becauseof this reality, work experience priorto graduation is becoming more andmore important in today's businessenvironment. Jobs are morecomplex and more competitivetoday. Many jobs have been lostbecause of downsizing, rightsizing,and otherwise reducing the workforce. For new college graduates,having work experience on theirresumes helps to ensure that theywill be hired. A recent surveyconducted by Michigan StateUniversity revealed that the chancesof obtaining a job improved whenthe applicant had career-relatedwork experience. The report furtherindicated that 48 percent of thespring 1995 new hires had workexperience.

Helen Oloroso, speaking forthe Illinois Institute of Technology,noted that the use of co-op byemployers and students is increasingdramatically. Oloroso further statedthat for many companies, co-op isreplacing traditional interviewing on

10

campus. Addressing the attendeesat the Illinois Association forCooperative Education andInternships in January of 1996,Motorola and WMX Technologiesrepresentatives emphasized newrecruiting and hiring initiatives.These companies announced plansto hire directly from their co-opprograms, which will completelyreplace their campus recruitingactivities within the next three years.(H. Oloroso, e-mail, January 26,1996)

Diana Delker, CooperativeEducation Director at RensselaerPolytechnic Institute in New York,stated that employer utilization ofco-op students has resulted in majorincreases inco-op hiring. According to Delker,75 percent of IBM's full-timegraduate hires have co-opexperience. Other companies, suchas GE and Coca-Cola, have greatlyincreased job opportunities for co-ops and intend to use co-op as theirprimary resource for recruiting fromcolleges in the future. Delker alsonoted that over 75 percent of themost recent college hires at

is

Pratt and Whitney in Hanford hadco-op work experience. (D. Delker,e-mail, January 26, 1996)

Students who take advantageof cooperative education will beprepared for the job search followinggraduation. Three marketingeducation students at East CarolinaUniversity who will have acompetitive edge on the job marketnext spring are Chad, Kristi, andTristan. While in college, they havehad a variety of work experiences intheir major fields of study. Forexample, Chad worked in themarketing departments of a majortelecommunications company, agiant poultry producing plant, and abrokerage firm. Kristi refined hermarketing skills as an accountexecutive for a broadcastingcompany, co-op ed for an insurancecompany, and worked in themarketing department of the studentunion at the university. Tristan, asports enthusiast, spent last summerconducting direct sports promotionsfor a minor league baseball team.These experiences were varied anddesigned to meet the individualneeds and interests of each student.

Cooperative education isoften the answer to the questions

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college students ask most frequently:How can I learn about careers andjob opportunities and how will Iearn money for my collegeeducation? Students should notunderestimate the benefits ofgaining career-related workexperience while they are stillenrolled in school. Employerscertainly are aware of the benefits ofcooperative education workexperience not only for students, butalso for their own organizations.That awareness often is reflected inthe fact that co-op students are hiredmore quickly following graduationthan are those not participating in aco-op program. Also, co-opgraduates' paychecks reflect thisexperience.

References

Associated Press. New CollegeGraduate Hiring on the Rise.(1995, December). The DailyReflector. p. 1.

Waggoner, John. (1995, December4). Job Prospects, not Salary,Improve for Grads. USAToday, p. 1.

1i

USING THE COMPUTER TOTEACH MERCHANDISING MATH

Richard ClodfelterUniversity of South Carolina

Planning for a career inretailing requires that studentsdevelop effective merchandisingskills, including merchandiseknowledge, familiarity with marketsand customers, and strong negotiatingskills. Fundamental to their success asa professional, however, will be theirfacility with the computations thatreflect the profit-driven dimension ofbusiness.

Mathematical andcomputational skills are crucial asstudents develop the planningstrategies that will provide adequatequantities of merchandise forcustomers at prices which they arewilling to pay.

Too often students are notcomfortable working with numbers.Many times, the classes they havetaken stressed only rote memorizationof merchandising formulas. But, intoday's workplace, merchandisers andbuyers are working with numbers inentirely different ways. No longer arethey performing tedious andrepetitious calculations. Instead,professionals spend their time readingand interpreting computer printoutsas well as constructing and usingcomputerized spreadsheets that allow

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them to perform repetitivecalculations quickly.

Today, it is almostinconceivable that anyone involved inmerchandising does not have dailycontact with a computer. Computershave become so affordable andessential that they are being used bysmall as well as larger retailers. Byreducing the time needed to performmathematical calculations,merchandisers and buyers are able tospend more time making sounderpurchasing decisions which willfavorably affect the store's operatingefficiency and profitability.

Students must also realize thatcomputers cannot solve all theirproblems. As a planning tool, thecomputer is only as effective as theperson inputting information andinstructions. If incorrect data areinput into the computer, the resultswill be incorrect.

Buyers and merchandisersmust possess a general knowledge ofcomputers and how to manipulatedata, especially through the use ofspreadsheets. Most students probablyhave already taken a computer course,but did they learn specific applicationsrelated to retailing and marketing?

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Too often, the answer is no. The useof computers and merchandising mathconcepts can easily be combined.

For the classroom teacher, thefollowing procedures are suggested:

In classroom lectures review themerchandising concept studentsare to learn.

Present a sample problem for eachconcept and show each of the mathcalculations necessary to find asolution.

Now have students use and designcomputerized spreadsheets tosolve problems related to themerchandising concept. To start,have students use spreadsheettemplates that have already beendesigned so all they have to do isenter data.

Gradually, with othermerchandising concepts, havestudents design all parts of thecomputerized spreadsheet.

By using such an approach,students should have a more genuineunderstanding of the math conceptsused in merchandising, as well asbecoming more familiar withcomputer operations. In addition,students will have available to themspreadsheet templates they can carrywith them into a retailing career.

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A SCHOOLWIDE NETWORKMAKIN' IT HAPPEN

Tena CrewsWalnut Grove Elementary, Suwanee, GA

With the help of funds from a1993 School Bond Referendum,Gwinnett County Schools in Georgiaare working to install schoolwidenetworks across the district. WalnutGrove Elementary School andTrickum Middle School are the twopilot schools for this project. Thefollowing describes the components aswell as the advantages anddisadvantages of the network.

Planning/WiringConduit and cabling were

installed in each location. Thisincludes classrooms, workrooms,additional office installations, andgathering rooms (i.e., gymnasium andcafeteria). Each location received oneor more drops including cablingbetween drops and "smart ports" (walloutlets which contain one or morecable connections).

NovelV1OBASETA Novell 3.12 system is used in

these schoolwide networks. The basiccabling is 10BASET throughout theschool building with fiber opticsconnecting the trailers (mobileclassrooms) and gymnasium. RJ45jacks were installed in each room toallow for connection between theclassroom and lab workstations to thenetwork system.

14

HardwareA mixture of Macintosh Quadra

650s and Macintosh Power Mac1600/60s were purchased for theschoolwide network. In addition, twolabs consists of Macintosh LCIIs andLCIIIs. Four file servers wereinstalled to perform the necessary fileallocation services. The four serversinclude: Mail, Course Ware,Communication, and Administrative.The servers are all IBM and work inconnection with the Macintoshcomputers in the classrooms and labsthrough the use of LAN ServerMacintosh (LSM) and Netware for theMacintosh.

TrainingA variety of topics was

necessary to be included in thetraining of the students, teachers, andadministrators. The first stage intraining was to familiarize teacherswith the new Macintosh Power Macsand System 7.5 software. There wasalso a need for training to introducethe staff and students to the basic ideaof networking and what it can do forthem. Training was completed in avariety of ways such as closed circuittelevision, using a networkedcomputer and an LCD panel, andtraining in a lab setting.

22

PrintersWith the network setup, each

school received nine total printers.They consist of Lex Mark, AppleLaser Writers, and Hewlett Packardprinters. These printers weredistributed throughout the school forteacher and student use. WalnutGrove also purchased, with localmoney, 33 Hewlett Packard 550 Ink Jetprinters to provide every otherclassroom with a printer. Local Pathsoftware is being used to supportthose printers on the network.

E-mailThe electronic mail package

utilized with the schoolwide networkat Walnut Grove Elementary School iscc:Mail which is produced by Lotus.This allows the teachers to keep inclose contact with each other and theadministration and helps create amore paperless communication pathin our school.

A schoolwide network is acomplex undertaking. Many decisionsmust be contemplated and severalaspects must be taken intoconsideration. A plan of action is anecessity before taking on theresponsibility of a schoolwidenetwork. However, this encompassesthe work of many individuals. Schooland district personnel mustcommunicate and evaluate the currenttechnology system before entering intothe idea of a schoolwide network.Simply, planning is essential, butcommunication across the board mustbe present.

The definite advantage of aschoolwide network is easy access for

15

students and teachers to TNT (topnotch technology). Creating a moredisk- and paper-free environment is aresult of a schoolwide network. Theteachers and administrators easilyenvelope the notion of electronic mail.Memos having to be duplicated onpaper are now an ancient idea. Frontoffice personnel also promote this ideato reduce their work of distributingmemos and other paper paraphernaliato each teacher's physical mailbox inthe teacher workroom.

Communication and thesharing of lesson plans and ideasbetween teachers have skyrocketedthrough their use of cc:Mail. In thenear future, each teacher will alsohave an Inter Net address and accessthrough the schoolwide network. Thiswill further enhance the ability tocommunicate with each other andother teachers throughout the county,nation, and world. The students areelated when they can save theircomputer work into their personalfolder and access it from anycomputer in the building. Futureadditions to the schoolwide networkwill allow them to even access datafrom home.

Of course, with anytechnological endeavor, there aredisadvantages to the program.Hardware and software requirementsare continually changing.Consequently, so are the trainingsessions for the teachers and students.However, most of the other problemswith the schoolwide network mayvery well have been alleviatedthrough additional planning and

23

communication on the front side of theproject.

The implementation was slowand technical problems did occur.This is to be expected with any type oftechnological advance, especially ofthis nature. Printing always seems tobe a downside to a network. However,training on the teachers end haseliminated many of the originalproblems that did occur.

Overall, it's great to be a part ofan ever changing technological societywithin a school setting.

16 24.

CONTINUOUS IMPROVEMENTINSTRUCTION FOR BUSINESS AND

MARKETING EDUCATIONJ. Martin Gaither

Pamilco Community College

Throughout their careersprofessional business and marketingeducators desire to consistentlyimprove their instructionalperformance. It is especially importantto be good at what they do and keepgetting better in order to meet theexpectations of demanding outsideconsumers(students) and insidecustomers(supervisors and colleagues)As these groups, business andindustry, and funding sources requireincreasing accountability, businessand marketing instructors at anyeducational level cannot afford toguess how they are performing; theyhave to know!

Learning to benchmark is the keyto tracking improvement. Prior toestablishing individual improvementgoals, instructors must assessthemselves in all areas of instruction.This process in itself is timeconsuming and never ending, becauseas demands of the teaching positionchange, the teacher will called upon toexcel in areas that have not formerlybeen considered part of teaching.

The first step in individualbenchmarking is to make a list ofcharacteristics and determine why

17

each one is important to teachingperformance. Since each school orcollege and its students have differentrequirements this list cannot begeneric, rather it needs to be tailoredto each instructor and subject. Forinstance subject knowledge would beassessed differently for each subjecttaught depending on the type oflearning and/or skill students wereexpected to achieve in the course. Anaccounting instructor, for example,may discover he/she is excellent inpresenting theory, but needs work inleading lab sessions.

Attitude toward teaching as aprofession needs consistentassessment. As each person maturesand changes, it is common for one todiscover that classroom teaching is nolonger the profession where he/sheneeds to spend most waking hours.Since most educators in NorthCarolina are striving to reach thirtyyears of service, it is beneficial tofrequently ask, "Am I doing what Iwant to be doing with the next five,fifteen, or twenty years?"

Technology in education is an areawhich leads to techno-stress ininstructors. Well-meaning teachers

2

often stress themselves out byattempting to use new technologywhich is not needed to accomplishcertain tasks in the classroom.Conversely, there is a lot of newtechnology available for classroom usethat can make the teacher's job morepleasant and effective, but it is notused because the instructor does nottake the initiative to discover it. Thebottom line is that technology that isnot useful in classroom duties shouldbe discarded and technology thatmakes the teacher more effectiveshould be used with zeal, and the onlyway to find out is to investigate.

An instructor's people skills needto be objectively evaluated. Closefriends, peers, and student evaluationsof teachers are important inascertaining if one's personalityattracts or repels people. Usually astudent having problems with acourse will shy away from additionalhelp if he/she perceives that theteacher does not want to be bothered.Note that the perception may beincorrect but marketers know thatwrong perceptions can kill a business.IN this age of intense competition andaccountability, one cannot risk losingstudents with the attitude "I'm a niceperson, but you have to get to knowme!"

The list of important characteristicfor effective instruction is infinite butfor practical reasons the instructorneeds to decide what are the mostimportant traits with which to beginthe benchmarking process. To beginbenchmarking, the teacher willdevelop a benchmark sheet which will

be thoroughly explained in thisseminar. This record will be examinedat least daily and progress in varioustraits will be noted in writing. At theend of the semester/quarter an overallassessment of improvements will bemade and new editions to lists will beadded for the next academic term, andhopefully, some areas on thebenchmark sheet will be deleted.

In conclusion, it must beemphasized that the benchmarkingprocess of continuous improvementinstruction will NOT end during thecareer of the instructor, f instruction isto remain effective. Business as usualand deteriorating quality ofinstruction are the end products of notassessing progress in classroomteaching.

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TWO-YEAR COLLEGES:COLLEGE-TO WORK PROGRAMS

Eugene GiovanniniBurlington County College, Pemberton, NJ

As workplace technology haschanged, a mismatch has developedbetween the kinds of jobs that areavailable and the educationalpreparation needed to fill them. Oftenin our current education system,students who prepare for a collegedegree but do not complete all fouryears have great difficulty findingemployment. And students who comethrough the traditional vocationalsystem often find that their credentialslimit their opportunities for furthereducation and enhanced employment.In essence, most students are expectedto stake their future on a four-yearcollege education, even though theywill have no marketable skills to fallback on if they don't complete all fouryears. At the same time, our systemexcludes other students from furthereducation because their academic andtechnical credentials are notconsidered adequate.

When American students graduatefrom high school, about 50% of themhave definite plans to complete abachelors degree. Twenty-five percententer technical education, and the restenter the world of work with skillsthey have attained during theirsecondary education experience. Butsix years later only about 25% of thosestudents have received a four-year

19

degree, approximately 25% haveearned an associate degree, and theremainder are statisticallyunaccounted for, either because theyleft college or because they entered theworld of work directly out of highschool.

The percentage of people fallingshort of completion of a bachelorsdegree and even completing abachelors degree, as well as thoseterminating their education upon highschool graduation are not consistentwith what the world of work requiresof education attainment for theworkforce in the future. Sixty fivepercent of jobs in the future willrequire some vocational certificationor associate degree , 20% percent ofthe jobs in the future will require abachelors degree and 15 % of the jobsin the future will require a high schooldegree alone. Clearly, a mismatchexists between the educationalrequirements of the world of work inthe future and what is currently beingproduced.

Because of the direct dependencyof the workplace on the need forassociate degree and post-secondaryvocational certificate graduates, it isincumbent upon two-year colleges todevelop and deliver programs that

2?

wholeheartedly embrace a college-to-work philosophy. College-to-workprograms combine school-basedlearning and on-the-job instructioninto a structured learning sequence.Employers reinforce academic lessons,colleges emphasize careerapplications, and students gainexperience in the world. The essenceof college-to-work is combining highacademic standards and learning-by-doing for all students and organizingthe local labor market to connectstudents to the range of potentialemployment opportunities in theircommunity.

There are three basic componentsto the college-to-work program. Theyare work-based learning, college-based learning and various means ofconnecting activities. The work-basedlearning components include: jobtraining, work experience, workplacementoring, instruction in workplacecompetencies and instruction in allaspects of an industry. College-basedlearning components include: careercounseling; selection of a career major;program of study; and the integrationof academics, vocational education,and evaluation. Connecting activitiesinclude matching students withemployers, establishing liaisonsbetween education and work,providing technical assistance tocolleges/students/employers,providing assistance to integratecollege-based learning and work-based learning, encouragingparticipation of employers, providingjob placement/continuing

20

education/further training assistance,and collecting and analyzing of post-program outcomes of participants.

Common elements to successfulcollege-to-work programs include: (1)programs governed by broadcoalitions of community partners; (2)employer structured worksitelearning and paid work experience; (3)college academic and vocationallearning; and (4) coordinated andintegrated college and workplacelearning.

Building a program takes time. Ittakes one to two years of planning tomove from initial stages to the point ofhaving students in structured work-based learning positions. Programplanning requires a long-term visionof what the program seeks to achieveand partners who share that vision.

Recruiting employers is a criticalcomponent of the program.Pioneering programs have discoveredthat employer participation isenhanced when employers areinvolved early in program planning,when they are recruited by businesspeers or intermediary organizations,when costs and benefits ofparticipation are clearly stated, andwhen their responsibilities in studentplacements are clear.

Quality work site learning requiresplanning. Partners should formallyagree on the goals of the work-basedprogram and how to achieve them.Administrative structures should beestablished to coordinate and manage

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the work site component. Theprogram should provide orientation,training, and on-going support towork site and college staff.

Students should receiveworkplace-readiness preparation.Work-based experiences shouldpromote the development of broad,transferable skills.

Student learning at the workplaceshould progress according to astructured plan. College-basedactivities help students distill anddeepen lessons of work experience.Student learning at the work siteshould be assessed. Students shouldreceive ongoing support, monitoring,and counseling. Program quality inmeeting learning objectives should beevaluated and supported.

Integrating learning at multiplework sites and colleges in a structuredway is a logistical and curricularchallenge. Regular meetings betweenfaculty and the employer staff shouldbe held to exchange information aboutstudents' activities and skillsdevelopment.

Students should be grouped in keyclasses using work site examples andskills. Instruction should be adaptedto incorporate the work siteexperiences of students. Teachersshould visit student work sites.Faculty should be given release timefor planning the integration of work-based lessons. Generic aspects ofwork experience across employers toemphasize areas of similarity amongstudents' work site experiences shouldbe encouraged.

21

Curriculum and linkagemechanisms need to be developed.These mechanisms involve thedevelopment of plans for coursecurricula provided by the college andemployer; academic and skillsstandards, integration of subjectmatter, and articulation within thecollege curricula. Current policies andpractices should be reviewed with aview to apply what is learned at thework site and in vocational studies towhat is taught in the colleges.

Redundancy of course workshould be avoided. Comprehensiveoutcome standards for what studentsshould learn in the transition programshould be set. The number of hoursand days students should spendwithin the college and at the work siteshould be determined. The level ofcontact needed between faculty andwork place supervisors should bedetermined.

Program implementation involvesholding orientation meetings withincolleges, businesses, and throughoutthe community to familiarize students,faculty, employers, and othercommunity leaders with details of thecollege-to-work plan; recruitingstudents and employers forparticipation in the program; andinitial training for participating facultyand employee volunteers.

2S

References

Center for Workforce Preparation.(March, 1995). "New centuryworkers, effective school-to-work transition programs." pp.1-7.

Churchill, A, et al. (1994). School-to-work toolkit: An introductionwith lessons fromfrom experience. Boston: Jobsfor the Future.

Jobs for the Future. "Steps to creatinga school-to-work program, ageneral guide forprogram design andimplementation."

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30

ALTERNATIVE SCHEDULING INMARKETING EDUCATION

Dan Greaven

C.E. Jordan High School

The alternative schedule hasproduced fear, anxiety, stress, increasein therapists' incomes and a great dealof questions for the MarketingEducator. It seems schools systemshave leaped, head first, into a modelbefore considering many issues. Thetop ten questions I have been askedwhile researching alternativeschedules:

10. Will this increase my enrollment?9. How do you handle class

differently?8. What about co-op?7. What happens to DECA

membership?6. How many preps will I have?5. How much coordination time will

get?4. Why are they doing this to me?3. Where's the research to support an

alternative schedule?2. Will the English teachers get co-op

students too?

And the number one questionrelative to alternative scheduling is:

Can I retire right now?!!

The alternative schedule doesraise a number of issues for MarketingEducators. Most pressing of these

issues seems to be two-fold: the effecton Cooperative Education and DECA."How will Cooperative Education atmy school be organized? Will I get thetime to coordinate? How many newcourses will I have to offer? Whyshould students join DECA if they areonly in the program for one semester?"

The most important element inthe alternative schedule must be thein-class instruction, the heart of whateducators do. Whether the school isgoing from a six-period day to a sevenperiod, block, A-B, or some variation,there will be differences in the wayteaching is approached. This shouldbe the focus of change - - - how tocapitalize on an alternative schedulewhile the students are in theclassroom. You can't have "IAU"(instruction as usual) with analternative schedule. You can't be atalking head or the king of the lecturecircuit. Instruction must vary. Get theappropriate training; don't go into analternative situation blindly.

Cooperative Education isbecoming increasingly unique toMarketing Education. Our numbershave remained relatively constant,while many other areas have declinedin co-op enrollment. Alternativeschedules, especially the block, willmean more students, and a more

23 31

complicated Cooperative Educationsystem. It's critical to be on the cuttingedge, part of the planning from thebeginning, if going to a block or A-Bschedule, because there is potential forproblems. To name the most common:

1. Allowing students to co-opfirst semester, when theyhaven't had your class yet!Let's recommend studentswe don't even know!

2. Giving two credits for co-op in one year's time, withno increase in time orexpectations of the students.

3. Allowing students to co-opwithout being in your classsecond semester.

4. Tracking and meeting withthose co-op students whoare not enrolled in youractual class at any giventime. It's difficult to getcontinuity with yourstudents for wage and hourreports, training plan work,and problem resolutionwhen you don't regularlysee them in the classroom.

To meet this and relatedproblems, participate in the planningfrom day one, to make sure you aregiven adequate time to coordinatestudents. Additionally, you need topush to have Cooperative Educationstudents in your class all year . . . forquality control purposes. Where thisisn't feasible, it's important to have thestudents in class while or before youwork with them on a co-opexperience. With your last breath,fight allowing students to co-op firstsemester, before they are in your

actual class. It just doesn't work.Remember, it's related instructed, notbelated instruction. Finally, you needto ensure that you don't have 20students first semester and anadditional 20 students secondsemester, unless you are allocatedadditional coordination time. Again,try to avoid this. . . besides, how easyis it to help students get meaningfuljobs after St. Nick has made his run?

DECA causes other conflicts.Many advisors are frustrated thatstudents in the first semester coursessee no benefits in joining theorganization for the first semesteronly, while students second semesterdon't know enough, and aren't readyfor competition. Students who areDECA members are members all yearlong, from the first day of school to thelast day, not just one semester. Theycan participate in conferences,regardless of their class status-- -students enrolled in spring classes canparticipate in the fall, and vice versa.Consider having a competition in thelate fall, as well as mid-winter, butencourage students to join andexperience DECA opportunitiesthroughout the entire year. Asalternative schedules become moreprevalent, states will need to modifydates for competition; the NationalDECA organization will also need toconsider moving the nationalconference to later in the spring.

The last important considerationwith alternative scheduling is thenumber of courses offered. You canonly teach so many preps. Marketing,Fashion Merchandising or StrategicMarketing should be your anchorcourses. Once students take one of

2432

these, they can advance to another.Accordingly, you may want to setyour program offerings this way:

First LevelCourses

Marketingor

FashionMerchandisingorStrategicMarketing

Subsequent LevelCourses

Marketing ManagementSmall Business/

EntrepreneurshipHospitality & TourismAdvertising & Sales

Promotion

To benefit students most, havestudents take only one of the first-levelcourses; there is too much repetition ofcompetencies to take more than one.Make sure your brightest studentstake the Strategic Marketing course.Offer one second level and one thirdlevel course second semester each year

25

(if your third level numbers dictate).You should always be trying to buildenrollment for the coming year.

Particularly frightening to thealternative schedule is the lack ofempirical data showing its benefit tostudents. Teachers, for the most part,like alternative schedules, especiallythe block and the A-B alternate day-- -they mean less preps. For vocational& technical or "workforcedevelopment" educators, we havechallenges. It is critical to make surewe are part of the planning forbeginning to end, to make sure ourstudents get the most benefit!

Take the lead, don't be leftbehind, and don't sacrifice the qualityof your Marketing Education dynasty!

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MAKIN' IT HAPPEN USINGPORTFOLIOS AS A TEACHING

STRATEGYShirley L. Hall

Southern Illinois University &Travis Air Force Base, California

A portfolio is defined as apurposeful, integrated collection ofstudent work that shows studenteffort, progress, and achievement--anorganized collection of evidence.Portfolios can further be definedaccording to the purpose it serves.There are several types of portfolios.One is the "developmental portfolio"which shows a student's growth overa period time, perhaps a semester or ayear. With this type of portfolio,students can assess their own work tosee improvement over time.

The second type of portfolio is a"representational portfolio" whichshows the best work of a student foremployment purposes. This type ofportfolio can represent many coursesor a "capstone" course as described byJones (1995). It often is used to presentwork samples or illustrate desiredqualifications of work such as uniquetalents, leadership ability, motivation,dependability or problem solving.

A third type of portfolio can beused as an "independent study." Anexample of this type of portfoliowould be a special problems course inwhich students complete an

26

independent library research project,distill the information, and then writea formal paper. A contract betweenstudent and instructor could be used,along with periodic meetings betweeninstructor and student to ensure thatthe student keeps on track.

Sormunen (1994) described howportfolios can be used as anassessment tool for school-to-worktransition and (1995) how it can beused as a relevant assessment tool ingeneral. She notes that portfolioassessment can be used to evaluate astudent's performance in a course, toevaluate entire programs, or any of itscomponents. Nweke (1991) reportedthat performance measured using theportfolio strategy is related to theperformance method using traditionalmethods; however, she suggests usingportfolios as a supplement rather thanas a substitute for traditional methods.

Roettger and Syzkczuk (1990)enumerated the characteristics of aportfolio:

It is goal based.

34

It shows reflection between what astudent was assigned and whathe/she actually accomplished

It contains a sampling of astudent's work, projects, as well asanecdotal comments and tests.

It contains evidence of student'sgrowth that has been selectedcollaboratively.

Hill (1994) provides six ways tomake student portfolios moremeaningful and manageable. Theyare (1) defining purpose of theportfolio, (2) teaching students' self-reflection, (structuring portfolio-reviews), (3) making time for peerevaluation, (4) regularly sharingportfolios with family and others, (5)allowing time to learn to useportfolios, and (6) including a"reproducible" to assist students inchoosing work for their portfolio andwriting about their work.

Any strategy using theportfolio, however, must introduce theportfolio assignment at the beginningof the course. Explicit instructionsmust be given to all students. Theinstructor must prepare the studentsand emphasize that portfolios are oneway for students to demonstrate theirown creativeness. Gilman (1995)discussed the growing interest inportfolios and the natural skepticismof teachers about portfolios. Withcreativeness, portfolios may be usedby instructors to add depth and

27

breadth to almost any course in avocational-technical area, includingbusiness education and marketingeducation.

References

Gilman, D. A. (1995). More thanfolders. EducationalAssessment Clearing House 68,(5), 310-312. May-June.

Hill, B. C., et al. (1994). Six ways tomake student portfolios moremeaningful and manageable.Instructor, 104(1), 118-21, July-August.

Jones, C. S. (1995). Portfolios: ARelevant Assessment Tool.Delta Pi Epsilon. InstructionalStrategies: An Research Series,II.

Nweke, W. C. (1991). What type ofevidence is provided throughthe portfolios assessmentmethod. ED 340719.

Roettger, D. & Szymczuk. (1990).Guide for developing studentportfilios. Johnston, IA:Educational Services, HeartlandArea Education Agency 11. ED333966.

Sormunen, C. (1994). Portfolios: Anassessment tool for school-to-work transition. BusinessEducation Forum, 48(4), 8-10.

TECH-PREP EVALUATION HELPSMAKE IT HAPPEN FOR US IN

FLORIDAFrank T. Hammons

Florida International UniversityGoals and Objectives

The overall goal of the Tech Prepevaluation process is to obtain andmaintain the highest possible quality,effectiveness, and goal-attainmentamong the Tech Prep consortia inFlorida. In the center of the evaluationplan stands the Tech Prep studentwho is the customer and ultimateproduct of Florida's Tech Prep effortand will remain the focus of allactivities. Florida's Tech Prepconsortia coordinators developed thedefinition for a Tech Prep student at astatewide meeting in the Fall of 1992,and continues to serve as the criteriafor those students involved inFlorida's Tech Prep activities whichreads as follows:

A student is enrolled in an articulated,sequential program of study including atechnical component, which leads to aminimum of a two-year post-secondarycertificate or degree and/or apprenticeshipprogram.

An overview of the ancillaryobjectives of Florida's evaluationprocess is as follows:

Produce data which aid in theassessment of each Tech Prepconsortium to ensure and documentthe quality, effectiveness, and goal-attainment of the Tech Prep initiative.

Develop a strong internalevaluation plan for each Tech Prepconsortium which, at a minimum,meets and seeks to exceed therequirements of existing national,state, and local evaluationrequirements.

Provide timely information anddata reflective of the quality,effectiveness, and goal-attainment ofeach Tech Prep consortium so thatadministrators of the consortium mayanalyze the results and make decisionsbased on empirical data rather thananecdotal information.

Provide methods to develop actionplans, monitor progress, and collectdata for continuous qualityimprovement of the Tech Prepeducational reform initiative. Thisincludes both formative (ongoingevaluation process) and summative (areflective evaluation) to determine theworth of the effort.

Provide an avenue of comparisonamong Florida's Tech Prep consortiaso that best practices may be sharedand emulated by other consortia tostrengthen and improve the quality oftheir efforts.

CharacteristicsThe design of Florida's Tech Prep

evaluation plan incorporates thefollowing characteristics.

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Simple, understandable andusable: Due to the critical need toinvolve many players in the Tech Prepprocess (i.e. leaders of business,industry, and government; parents;students; policy-makers; schoolpersonnel - administrators andteachers, both academic andvocational; and, counselors) the plan isvoid of techno-talk and educationaljargon so that everyone involved hasan understanding of what the TechPrep initiative is trying to accomplish.

Dynamic: The plan is dynamicenough to examine additional areas ofevaluation foci while allowing forinput and feedback from the programparticipants (stakeholders).

Pro-active: The plan identifies theTech Prep program's expectedoutcomes, goals, and standards andreports the status of these expectationsproviding a "visible" reporting systemthat yields the "truth about our TechPrep effort."

Cost effective: The plan is cost-effective in both time and money.

Quantifiable: Whenever possible,"hard" data/numbers will beproduced denoting a Tech Prepconsortium's program developmentand progress.

Transferable: First, this statewideevaluation plan complements andaugments existing federal and staterequirements and keeps additionalevaluation activities to a minimum.Secondly, the plan provides fortransferability among the statewideconsortia so that a consortium maydraw upon the expertise of those whoare having success in certain areas.

Formative and Summative: In theevaluation vernacular, formative is theon-going evaluation process, and

29

summative evaluation is conducted atthe conclusion of a program todetermine the program's worth. .

The ModelThe intent of the Tech Prep

educational reform initiative is topermanently embed Tech Prep as partof the existing educational structure.With this in mind, Tech Prep must bea "Total Quality Effort" and focus onobtaining the highest and continuousquality possible in a results-drivenmodel Therefore, the evaluationmodel to be used is one that is well-recognized by business and industryand has a proven track record forsuccess in creating a continuum ofquality. The statewide Tech Prepevaluation model incorporates amodified version of a business andindustry-based Total QualityManagement (TQM) continuousquality improvement model (Steeples,1992).

The Florida Tech Prep evaluationmodel is a dynamic, systems designconsisting of three major operationalcomponent areas which stimulates theon-going process for continuousquality improvement. The threecomponent areas are titled:Documentation, Analysis, andImprovement. Each component areashares equal importance; however, theamount of focus and energy expendedon each will be dependent uponwhere each of Florida's Tech Prepconsortia are in their development andimplementation process.

Site Visits to Florida's Tech PrepConsortia

During the Spring of 1993, the site

visit process began, and site visitswere conducted at each of the initialeleven (11) Tech Prep consortia intheir second year of operation. Thesite visit process has evolved intothree distinctive types: Initial, Follow-up, and Continuing consortium visits.

Initial site visits are conducted ateach Tech Prep consortium at the eachof their second year of planning andimplementation. At the conclusion ofthe Spring of 1993 Initial site visits, itbecame apparent that a majority ofconsortia were having difficulty withthe development and implementationof many of the components deemednecessary for Tech Prep success.Therefore, a Follow-up site visit wasdeveloped and implemented in theSpring of 1994. The Follow-up sitevisit was designed to determine theextent to which each consortium hasdealt with and the progress madetoward addressing the cited concernsnoted during the Initial site visit, andto determine the effectiveness of therecommendations provided to addresseach of the cited concerns noted. TheContinuing site visit process wasdeveloped and implemented in theSpring of 1995, to document themovement at those Tech Prepconsortia who have not participated ina site visit within a two year period.To date there have been thirty-eight(38) on-site visits conducted tosupport this evaluation process. Asthe Tech Prep initiative evolves, thecontinuing site visit will eventuallybecome the primary site visit to assistFlorida's Tech Prep consortia in theircontinuous quality improvementprocess.

The Development of A Local TechPrep Internal Evaluation Component

A major component required toassist Florida's Tech Prep initiative isthe development and implementationof a strong internal continuous qualityimprovement process within eachconsortium. A review of the literaturereveals a void in systematic andquality program evaluation efforts atthe local Tech Prep consortium level.This void is confirmed by numerouslocal consortia site visits anddiscussions with national, state, andlocal administrators of Tech Prep. Theconsensus among those trying to fillthis evaluation void is that primaryskills are lacking among thoseresponsible for implementing localTech Prep program evaluation efforts.Therefore, to provide those skillsnecessary for effective evaluationimplementation, professionaldevelopment for key consortiamembers is required.

Statewide Tech Prep EvaluationWorkshops have and will continue tobe provided to aid in theestablishment of this internalevaluation component, and to providethe professional development neededto fully implement this activity withineach of Florida's Tech Prep consortia.To deliver the required professionaldevelopment, consultants, whoseexpertise will be in both Tech Prepand evaluation, have and willcontinue to be contracted to deliver"hands-on" relevant trainingexperiences to Florida's Tech Prepadministrators, coordinators, andstakeholders.

30 3 8

ConclusionThe major key in understanding

the framework and intent of thisevaluation process is that quality inpublic schools and educationalinstitutions is only achievable if aformal, systematic, ongoing evaluationprocess is in place to document thoseactivities deemed necessary to bringabout constant improvement withmeasures in place to ensureprogrammatic outcomes and results.

In Florida, the Tech Prep initiativecan best be described as a "TotalQuality Effort" created by manydedicated and hard-working personsusing a continuous qualityimprovement process to positivelyimpact Florida's citizenry and

31

workforce now and into the 21stCentury.

References

Hammons, F. T. (1994). Florida TechPrep Evaluation Model. FloridaDepartment of Education:Tallahassee, FL.

Steeples, M. M. (1992). The corporateguide to the Malcolm BaldridgeNational Quality Award: Provenstrategies for building quality intoyour organization. ASQC QualityPress: Milwaukee, WI.

39

PEANUT BUTTER AND JELLYSANDWICH: PROBLEM SOLVING

USING SYSTEMS THINKINGJack Henson

Morehead State University

This presentation is designed toassist teachers in their teachingstrategy of encouraging students todevelop and use systems thinkingwhile solving problems. It will helpstudents to first identify the problem,then use eight basic steps to solve theproblem. Systems thinking will beintroduced by sharing a variety ofgeneral rules to be used in developingsystems thinking. Group activitieswill be used during the presentationto enhance systems thinking.

Problem Solving

What is a Problem? In ageneral, academic sense, a problem isconsidered as the difference betweenwhat is (the present condition) andwhat should be (the goal). Or, aproblem may be considered as thedifference between that which is knownand that which is unknown but desired(Keeling, 1996).

Basic steps in Problem SolvingThere are two basic ways of

solving problems. One is the informal,intuitive way without specificallyconsidering sequence of steps taken toachieve the problem. This may be auseful method for people withconsiderable common sense, much

32

work experience and a good feel forthe situation. However, most studentslack these skills and should applywhat is called the formal approach fortheir problem solving. This is anapproach using more of a scientificmethod. This can best be done byusing the eight basic steps in problemsolving:

Recognizing the problemDefining the problemCollecting relevantinformationAnalyzing relevantinformationDeveloping alternatesolutions to the problemChoosing the best solution(making the decision)Implementing the solutionEvaluating the results(Keeling, 1996).

Systems Thinking

What is a System? Anunderstanding of how a system workshas to begin with an idea of what asystem is. A system is a collection ofparts which interact with each other tofunction as a whole. If something ismade up of a number of parts and itdoes not matter how those parts arearranged, then we are dealing with a

40

"heap" and not a system. "Dividing acow in half does not give two smallercows." Pieces of one system acttogether as a single unit and may bepart of other systems. (Kauffman,1980). Another way of defining asystem is that it is more than the sumof its parts (synergism concept). Thestructure of a complex organization isat the heart of systems thinking. It isonly through thinking about andunderstanding the system as afunctioning whole, with interactiveparts, that students can succeed withsystems thinking (RSC Course II,1994).

General Rules for Systems1. Everything is connected to

everything else.2. You can never do just one

thing.3. There is no "away."4. TANSTAAFL: There Ain't No

Such Thing As A Free Lunch5. Nature knows best.6. It ain't what you don't know

that hurts you; it's what youDO know that ain't so

7. "Obvious solutions" do moreharm than good.

8. Look for high leverage points.9. Nothing grows forever.

10. Don't fight positive feedback;support negative feedbackinstead.

11. Don't try to control the players,just change the rules.

12. Don't make rules that can't beenforced.

13. There are no simple solutions.14. Good intentions are not enough.

15. High morality depends onaccurate prophecy.

16. If you can't make people self-sufficient, your aid does moreharm than good.

17. There are no final answers.18. Every solution creates new

problems.19. Loose systems are often better.20. Don't be fooled by system

cycles.21. Remember the Golden Mean.22. Beware the empty compromise.23. Don't be a boiled frog.24. Watch out for thresholds.25. Competition is often

cooperation in disguise.26. Bad boundaries make bad

governments.27. Beware the Tragedy of the

Commons.28. Foresight always wins in the

long run (Kauffman, 1980).

In Peter Senge's book, The FifthDiscipline, the focus on SystemsThinking relates to building a schoolsystem that embodies all aspects of the"learning community". This conceptcan apply to students. When studentshave a lack of a systems perspective, itmay create the sense of beingoverwhelmed. Students have adifferent view when dealing withcomplexity and multiple innovations."Systems thinking is an antidote to thissense of helplessness that many feel asthey enter the 'age ofinterdependence."' Systems thinkingis a discipline for seeing the'structures' that underlie complexsituations, and for discerning highfrom low leverage change. Theparadigm shifts listed below continueto be the mainstay of the program and

33

41

are worth looking at as characteristicsto be considered in systems thinking:

Independent to collaborativeLinear to systemicEvent to processContent to performanceReactive to visionaryOne"right" answer to many"right" answersChangePersonal MasteryBuilding Shared Vision:Surfacing Mental Models:Team Learning (RSC AssociateProgram Year Two, 1995 ).Brainstorming (Keeling, 1996 ).

Group Activities to Enhance SystemsThinking for Problem Solving

Examples of games, puzzles,group activities, and brain teasers willbe used as interactive events tostimulate and practice participants'abilities to use a variety of thecharacteristics that have beenmentioned above for problem solving.

ConclusionToday's business environment

mandates that students be able torecognize problems and implementthe basic steps to problem solving. Tofoster the development of this skill,business educators must learn to teachproblem solving using systems

34

thinking. By doing so, they will findthat it is helpful, fun, logical, and easyto use. By recognizing some generalrules for systems and systemcharacteristics teachers and studentswill both be able to incorporatesystems thinking into their problemsolving activities.

References

Kauffman, D. L., Jr. (1980). SystemsOne, An Introduction toSystems Thinking, FutureSystems, Inc.

Keeling, L. B. & Norman, F. K. (1996).Administrative OfficeManagement (11th ed.).Cincinnati: South-WesternPublishing.

Regional Service Center of the State ofKentucky. (1993-94). RegionalService Center AssociateManuals. Frankfort, KY: BobLumsden, AssociateCommissioner.

Department of Education State ofKentucky. (1995). RegionalService Center Associate, YearTwo. Frankfort, KY: Dr.Thomas C. Boysen,Commissioner.

42

DIVERSITY OF CULTURES IN THECLASSROOM

Lilla G. HolseyEast Carolina University

Susan AsselinVirginia Tech

If we consider the context ofclassroom in its broadest sense, thenissues relating to school achievement,success, dropout rate, drugs, poverty,as well as changes in the work forcebecome important factors that impingeupon the classroom. "There are alsoissues relating to equity, a growingawareness that cultural identitiesshould be nourished as a source ofstrength and moral authority, and theincreasing attention given to thedisruption and health threats causedby the impact our technologies andcultural practices have on theenvironment. The list of concerns thatreach into the classroom to affectstudent learning, the connections andquestions teachers might raise duringclass discussion, the student's sense ofwhether the lesson has any relevanceto the world that they understand, andso on" (Bowers & Flinders, 1991, p. 4),suggest that educational processescannot be separated from the cultureexperience. This connection betweenteaching, the relevancy of culture andwhat happens in the classroom to thepriorities of the larger society is asubtle, yet vitally important one tograsp.

35

Regardless of the level offormal schooling, culture permeatesboth the formal and hiddencurriculum. Everyone has culture,and it is important for teachers toremember that in every classroomacross our country, and in everyworkforce development teachereducation program on universitycampuses, every student has culture.This does not refer to the traditionaldefinition of culture as groups ofpeople or individuals who are moreknowledgeable in the areas of history,literature or the fine arts. No longer isculture viewed so narrowly. A moreacceptable, contemporary definitionrelates culture to our way ofperceiving, believing, and behaving(Levine, 1984). Building on thisperception, it is then culture whichprovides the blueprint that influencesthe way that every student thinks.

Parts of the culture are sharedby all of the members of a classroom,including the teacher. Others areshared with only a select few. Thereare common cultural experiences andthere are unique ones that are onlyshared by students of the same family,community, or ethnicity group. Most

43

classroom situations will be based onsimilar cultural experiences sincestudents are in the same age group, allwill live in the same country, state,and community and will sharecommon governed culture; yet otherswill differ as to religion, gender, andbackground (Gollnick & Chinn, 1990).

Workforce developmentteachers are well aware of theincreasing diversity present in theclassroom and in the work place.They are constantly searching for newmethods and techniques for teachingthe wide range of students that areentering their programs. Muchresearch and many articles areavailable describing techniquesappropriate for teaching inmulticultural classrooms; these oftenprove to be "quick fix strategies" thathave short lived consequences.

Rather than these quick-fixsolutions, an overall goal should be tohelp all students develop theirpotential for academic, social, andworkforce success. Yet, teachers mustbe sure that in accomplishing thisobjective, no student's educational,work place, or personal developmentis limited by sex, age, ethnicity, nativelanguage, religion, class, orexceptionally (Gollnick & Chinn,1990).

The ability to recognize theclassroom as a culture medium is animportant competency for today'steacher. To put it another way, theresponsibilities of the teacher aredefined, in part, by the pervasiveinfluence of culture on classroomactivities (Bowers & Flinders, 1991).

36

Gollnick and Chinn (1990) havesuggested nine principles which canhelp teachers in developing culturesensitive programs and classrooms:

Principle 1: Student AchievementEducation must help all studentsincrease their academic achievementlevels, including basic skills, throughtechniques that are sensitive tostudent's backgrounds andexperiences.

Principle 2: VoiceAttention to voice must be a part ofmulticultural instruction. This doesnot refer to voice in the usual sense,but rather to the cultural interaction ofteachers and students and studentsand their peers.

Principle 3: CommunicationsCommunication between individualscan be problematic when there aredifferences in cultural backgrounds.Teachers that are aware and sensitiveto these differences can preventsociolinguistic violations from takingplace.

Principle 4: Learning StyleResearch data prevail in theimportance of learning styleconsiderations in diverse classroomsettings. If the learning styles ofstudents and the teaching styles ofteachers can both be respected andeffectively used, achievement can begreatly increased.

Principle 5: Formal Curriculum"Any theory of education is, in simpleterms, a theory of culture" (Kierstead& Wagner, 1993, p. xiii). Thus, culture

4 4

can and should permeate the formalcurriculum. Cultural education mustbe integrated throughout education.

Principle 6: Hidden CurriculumTeachers must be aware of andconsistently use the hiddencurriculum. Although it is not taughtdirectly, the lessons learned from thehidden curriculum have great culturalimpact on students.

Principle 7: Critical ThinkingCultural sensitive teaching supportscritical thinking. It allows thefreedom to ask questions and the toolsto reason. In this way, students areliberated to promote and appreciatethe diversity they find in theirclassrooms.

Principle 8: Lived Realities"Students must live were they are, andteachers must teach were they live."Teachers must know theircommunities and find ways to teachmulticulturally in the context of thecommunity.

Principle 9: The CommunityResource The community is a vitalresource for working with diversity;however, culture goes much beyondlocal community. Using the world asclassroom, is a demand of our currentsociety. Classroom cultural models

must reflect variety if they are to bevalid.

Teaching in diverse classroomsmeans teaching in the real world -- aworld that includes students withculturally similar and culturallydifferent backgrounds. We mustremember that students receive cuesfrom their classrooms. How studentsread cultural cues can greatlyinfluence their success in theseclassrooms, their personal lives, andthe future work place.

References

Bowers, C. A. & Flinders, D. J. (1991).Culturally responsive teaching andsupervision. New York:Teachers College Press.

Gollnick, D. G. & Chinn, T. C. (1990).Multicultural education in apluralistic society. New York:Macmillian.

Kierstead, F. D. & Wagner, P. A.(1993). The ethical, legal, andmulticultural foundations ofteaching. Madison, WI: Brown& Benchmark.

37 4 5

PERCEPTIONS BY SECONDARY LEADBUSINESS AND OFFICE EDUCATION

INSTRUCTORS OF THENORTH CAROLINA VOCATIONAL

COMPETENCY ACHIEVEMENTTRACKING SYSTEM (VoCATS)

Carolyn S. Jewell, Fayetteville State University

The population for this studyincluded the secondary school LeadBusiness and Office EducationInstructors in North Carolina (N =320) during the 1995-96 academicyear. A random sample (n= 175) ofInstructors was selected by a computergenerated random selection process.

Objective of the StudyThe major objective of this

study was to determine theperceptions of secondary schoolLead Business and Office EducationInstructors toward the VocationalCompetency Achievement TrackingSystem (VoCATS) component of thevocational and technical educationprogram in North Carolina. Theobjective was addressed byexamining the following researchquestions:

1. Do secondary school LeadBusiness and Office EducationInstructors in North Carolinaperceive a need to continue theVoCAT system?

2. Do secondary school LeadBusiness and Office EducationInstructors in North Carolinaperceive a need to train allteachers on the utilization of theVoCAT system?

3. Do secondary school LeadBusiness and Office EducationInstructors in North Carolinaperceive the need to make thetechnology utilized with theVoCAT system more available tovocational and technicaleducation teachers and students?

4. Do secondary school LeadBusiness and Office EducationInstructors in North Carolinaperceive that it would beappropriate to utilize theVoCATS pre/post assessments asofficial evaluation instrumentsfor students enrolled invocational and technicaleducation courses?

38 46

5. Do secondary school LeadBusiness and Office EducationInstructors in North Carolinaperceive that VoCATS is anappropriate tool to assist with theintegration of core academic andvocational and technicaleducation courses?

6. How do secondary school LeadBusiness and Office EducationInstructors in North Carolinaperceive the development ofVoCATS materials?

7. Who do secondary school LeadBusiness and Office EducationInstructors in North Carolinaperceive should be providing theleadership for development ofVoCATS materials?

8. Do secondary school LeadBusiness and Office EducationInstructors in North Carolinaperceive that the implementationof VoCATS has resulted in animprovement in the instructionalprogram of vocational andtechnical education classes?

InstrumentationA data collection instrument

was developed for this study todetermine the perceptions of NorthCarolina secondary school LeadBusiness and Office EducationInstructors toward the VocationalCompetency Achievement TrackingSystem (VoCATS) component oftheir instructional programs. Thequestions included in the instrumentwere based on the recommendationsfrom the state-level VoCATS Long

Range Planning Task Force. Contentvalidity of the instrument wasassessed by a committee of experts.The instrument for this study wassent to 20 randomly selected schoolLead Business and Office EducationInstructors in North Carolina whowere not selected to participate inthe research study sample as a fieldtest, and they were asked to reviewthe instrument and to makenecessary comments or suggestionsto improve the clarity of theinstrument. Minor changes in theinstrument were made on therecommendation of the field testrespondents.

Data CollectionThe data were collected by a

mail survey with a follow-upmailing to nonrespondents. Thesurveys returned by the laterespondents (follow-up mailing)were kept separate from thosereceived after the first mailing. Atotal of 64 responses were receivedfrom the Lead Business and OfficeEducation Instructors with the firstmailing and 30 additional responseswere received from the non-responding Lead Business andOffice Education Instructors afterreceiving the follow-up mailing.The responses from the follow-upmailing were statistically comparedon all variables with the initialresponses using Hotelling-LawleyTrace statistics to compared to theresponses received from the firstmailing and no significantdifferences were found (F_ = 0.877,= 0.662). Therefore, since nostatistically significant differences

3947

5. Do secondary school LeadBusiness and Office EducationInstructors in North Carolinaperceive that VoCATS is anappropriate tool to assist with theintegration of core academic andvocational and technicaleducation courses?

6. How do secondary school LeadBusiness and Office EducationInstructors in North Carolinaperceive the development ofVoCATS materials?

7. Who do secondary school LeadBusiness and Office EducationInstructors in North Carolinaperceive should be providing theleadership for development ofVoCATS materials?

8. Do secondary school LeadBusiness and Office EducationInstructors in North Carolinaperceive that the implementationof VoCATS has resulted in animprovement in the instructionalprogram of vocational andtechnical education classes?

InstrumentationA data collection instrument

was developed for this study todetermine the perceptions of NorthCarolina secondary school LeadBusiness and Office EducationInstructors toward the VocationalCompetency Achievement TrackingSystem (VoCATS) component oftheir instructional programs. Thequestions included in the instrumentwere based on the recommendationsfrom the state-level VoCATS Long

39

Range Planning Task Force. Contentvalidity of the instrument wasassessed by a committee of experts.The instrument for this study wassent to 20 randomly selected schoolLead Business and Office EducationInstructors in North Carolina whowere not selected to participate inthe research study sample as a fieldtest, and they were asked to reviewthe instrument and to makenecessary comments or suggestionsto improve the clarity of theinstrument. Minor changes in theinstrument were made on therecommendation of the field testrespondents.

Data CollectionThe data were collected by a

mail survey with a follow-upmailing to nonrespondents. Thesurveys returned by the laterespondents (follow-up mailing)were kept separate from thosereceived after the first mailing. Atotal of 64 responses were receivedfrom the Lead Business and OfficeEducation Instructors with the firstmailing and 30 additional responseswere received from the non-responding Lead Business andOffice Education Instructors afterreceiving the follow-up mailing.The responses from the follow-upmailing were statistically comparedon all variables with the initialresponses using Hotelling-LawleyTrace statistics to compared to theresponses received from the firstmailing and no significantdifferences were found (I: = 0.877, p= 0.662). Therefore, since nostatistically significant differences

43

between early and late respondentswere found, the data sets werecombined for statistical purposesand were assumed to berepresentative of the population ofLead Business and Office EducationInstructors who had vocational andtechnical education programs attheir schools during the 1995-96academic year. The combined totalusable response from the LeadBusiness and Office EducationInstructors was 94 or 53.7%.

The data for this study wereanalyzed by descriptive andinferential statistical procedures.Descriptive statistics were utilizedfor all items in the study andfrequencies, means and standarddeviations were reported.

ConclusionsThe following conclusions

were formulated as a result of thefindings of this study:

1. Secondary school Lead Businessand Office Education Instructorsin North Carolina support theVocational CompetencyAchievement Tracking System(VoCATS), but they do not feelits full development andimplementation should continueto be the number one priority ofvocational and technicaleducation personnel in NorthCarolina.

2. Lead Business and OfficeEducation Instructors support theaddition of a "technicalassistance" person at the statelevel and feel that every LEA

should employ at least oneVoCATS coordinator.

3. North Carolina secondary schoolLead Business and OfficeEducation Instructors feel thatvocational and technicaleducation personnel at the statelevel should arrange for grouppurchase prices with softwareand hardware vendors for thevarious VoCATS products.

4. Lead Business and OfficeEducation Instructors in NorthCarolina feel the VoCATScommunication network shouldbe expanded to includeprincipals, superintendents, andschool board members at thesecondary level and appropriatepersonnel at the post-secondarylevel.

5. Lead Business and OfficeEducation Instructors in NorthCarolina perceive a need to trainall vocational and technicaleducation teachers on theutilization of the VoCAT system.They feel that vocational teachereducators should continue toassume responsibility forproviding preservice training onVoCATS.

6. North Carolina secondary schoolLead Business and OfficeEducation Instructors agree thatthe technology utilized with theVoCAT system should be madereadily available to vocationaland technical education teachersand students, including special

40

49

hardware and software, whenneeded, for special populationsstudents.

7. Secondary school Lead Businessand Office Education Instructorsin North Carolina do not supportutilizing the VoCATS pre/postassessments as official evaluationinstruments for students enrolledin vocational and technicaleducation courses.

8. North Carolina secondary LeadBusiness and Office EducationInstructors support utilizingportfolios and portfolioassessments as part of theVoCATS process.

9. Lead Business and OfficeEducation Instructors onlyslightly agree that there is a needto expand the VoCATS test-itembanks to include additionalperformance items.

10. North Carolina secondary schoolLead Business and OfficeEducation Instructors do not feelcoordinated planning effortshave improved betweenacademic and vocational andtechnical education teachers withthe implementation of VoCATS.

11. Lead Business and OfficeEducation Instructors feel thatthe development of VoCATSmaterials should be an on-goingprocess and that, when feasible,the materials should be alignedwith state-adopted textbooks and

41

vocational student organizationactivities.

12. The Lead Business and OfficeEducation Instructors supportusing the most current and cost-effective technology availableincluding electronicdownloading and the use of theInformation Highway to developand disseminate VoCATSmaterials.

13. Lead Business and OfficeEducation Instructors see a needfor updating the Vocational andTechnical Education Program ofStudies annually or ascurriculum packages aredelivered.

14. The Lead Business and OfficeEducation Instructors feel thedevelopment of VoCATSmaterials should involve a broadbase of individuals in addition tovocational and technicaleducation personnel from theState Department of PublicInstruction and Local EducationAgencies.

15. Lead Business and OfficeEducation Instructors perceivethat their instructional programsand the level of studentachievement have improved intheir classes since VoCATS wasimplemented.

50

RecommendationsBased on the findings and

conclusions, the followingrecommendations are suggested:

1. Educational leadership withinthe State Department of PublicInstruction should take thenecessary steps to employ a state-level consultant to serve as atechnical assistance person forlocal education agencies whohave problems or concerns aboutVoCATS.

2. State level personnel shouldarrange for group purchaseprices with software andhardware vendors for the variousVoCATS products.

3. The VoCATS communicationnetwork should be expanded toinclude secondary levelprincipals, superintendents, andschool board members andappropriate personnel at thepost-secondary level.

4. Vocational teacher educators shouldprovide preservice training onVoCATS for their students,by respective program area, toensure their initial competencefor using the system prior to theirinitial appointment as avocational and technicaleducation teacher.

5. Efforts should continue byvocational and technicaleducation leaders to secure thenecessary funds to establishcomputerized learning stations inevery vocational and technicaleducation classroom to be usedwith VoCATS.

6. State-of-the-art technology andsoftware, including voiceactivation, voice response, touchscreen response, large print,interactive video, and virtualreality should be made availablefor on-line teaching and testingof special population students inevery North Carolina localeducation agency.

7. Vocational and technicaleducation leaders shouldproceed with the development ofstandards for implementingVoCATS 2001 or a similarprogram utilizing portfolios soportfolio assessment can be aviable part of the VoCATSprocess.

8. When feasible, individualsinvolved with the developmentof VoCATS materials shouldattempt to align the materialswith state-adopted textbooks andvocational student organizationactivities.

9. Effort should be made to utilizethe most current and cost-effective technology, includingelectronic downloading and theInformation Highway to developand disseminate the materials.

10. Vocational and technicaleducation personnel within theState Department of PublicInstruction should make an effortto update the Vocational andTechnical Education Program ofStudies annually or ascurriculum packages aredelivered in order to increase theusability of the document.

42 51

MANAGING YOUR ACHILLES' HEEL:STRATEGIES FOR MEETING THE

CHANGINGDEMANDS OF SOFTWARE UPDATES

Dorothy JonesNorfolk State University

IntroductionYou have just been informed by

your department chairperson thatyour school will be switching toWordPerfect 6.1 for Windows for yourOffice Systems class and MicrosoftOffice Version 4.2 for your AdvancedComputer Applications during thenext grading period. It is the end ofthe semester; you are in the midst ofcompleting all those end of thesemester tasks, and Christmasvacation is approaching. You think toyourself: "How is this possible? Ihave been preparing to upgrade toWordPerfect 6.0 for DOS, not 6.1 forWindows. Now, not only must I learna new version of a word processingprogram, but I must also learn adifferent type of word processingprogram as well as a new spreadsheet,database, and presentation program."

In essence, you think that youmust learn five new softwareprograms. Yes, this is true; however,it is not as terrible as it seems. Do notlet these constant updates becomeyour "Achilles' Hee l;" for softwareupdates are going to occur often.Frequent installations of new softwareprograms have become a way of life.

43

It has been said that the softwareindustry is infected with the BabbageDisease, named after a 19th centuryinventor and mathematician CharlesBabbage, who died a failure aftercontinuously abandoning projects topursue greater challenges. (Rothke,1994) The constant upgrade cycle ofsoftware applications may be causinggreater harm than benefits.Nevertheless, it is our responsibility astraining professionals to make surethat our students are prepared to meetthe demands of the "information age."

StrategiesAs training professionals, we

must remember that althoughsoftware vendors are caught in themaze of constantly updating to staycompetitive, these updates, especiallywith the event of Windows, aregradually developing a cross-platformstandard. There are more similaritiesamong programs today, regardless ofthe type of applications, than everbefore. These similarities must betaught regardless of the availability ofthe software. In essence, we must dothe following.

Provide sample windows from

52

a variety of softwareapplications. (See Table 1, page3.)

Emphasize the fundamentalconcepts that are essential to allsoftware programs.

MaximizeMinimizeRestoreTitle BarMenu BarScroll BarsControl Menu Box

Focus on the fundamentalsskills to prepare students forthe world of work and to helpthem use their softwareprograms effectively andefficiently.Use student-directed learning.Become the facilitator; thereby,enhancing the student'svisibility and allowing thestudent the opportunity torecognize the importance of hisor her involvement.Be flexible and willing to be apart of the endless learningcycle.Minimize technical difficultiesand provide technical supportby using problem-solvingtechniques.Allow students the opportunityto become the experts theindividuals to resolve problemsand develop solutions.Develop partnerships with

teachers in other disciplines.Incorporate techniques thatallow students to workcollaboratively versusautonomously. (cooperativelearning)

Summanj

Computer training willcontinue to be a top priority. Even asthe number of experienced usersincreases, teaching computer courseswill remain a priority. Vendors willcontinue to offer new softwarepackages and upgrades, and thedemand for software training willcontinue. As a result, there will be theneed for highly qualified candidateswho are not intimidated by theconstant upgrades and who arewilling to be innovative to meet thisdemand.

In essence, there is no way totrain each student in every softwareprogram that is available. However,as business educators, our charge is tofirst make sure that our students aretrained very well in the basics. If thisis done correctly, managing softwareupdates will not be an "Achilles'Heel" for us, nor our students.

References

Rothke, Ben. (1994, July). Freezeupgrades to unleash users,Computerworld, 28(30), 37.

44 53

REAL-WORLDTELECOMMUNCATIONS FORBUSINESS AND MARKETING

EDUCATIONRandy L. Joyner, East Carolina University

Mary Jean Lush, Delta State UniversityJerry Kandies, Delta State University

Robert M. Bacchus, Florida

The mismatch that existsbetween education and r eal-liferequirements has surfaced as a majorconcern related to economic growthand quality of life in the United Statesof America. This mismatch hasemerged from a curriculum designedfor a world long past--a world whereworkers performed menial repetitivetasks under the direction of autocraticmanagement. In this type ofworkplace, the only "thinkers" neededwere management (Drucker, 1989).Workers in this environment neededonly to concern themselves with a fewtasks, and those tasks often remainedconstant throughout a worker's career.Indeed, according to Mod lin (1990), itwas possible for workers to retirewithout seeing any changes in theworkplace. Most education practicesprepared workers very well for thistype of environment, whereinnovation was secondary toobedience. Yet, advances intechnology, shifts in the labor force,and accelerated demands for up-to-date information presented indifferent formats have resulted in an

emerging need for workers to be ableto think and solve problems, i.e. makedecisions--not the typical workerdescribed by Drucker. Thus, theability to think creatively and solveproblems has emerged as a toolneeded by almost every Americanworker in all types of organizationsand at every level in the hierarchy ofthese organizations (Carnevale,Gainer, & Meltzer, 1990; SCANS,1991). Educated workers who arethinkers, problem-solvers,communicators, and decision makerswill be in demand, and employeeswho know how to apply theirworkforce preparedness skills andknowledge in unpredictablecircumstances will fare better (Hall &Hicks, 1995). Consequently, businesseducators as well as other workforcepreparedness educators are beingchallenged to provide instruction thatadequately prepares entry-levelworkers for today's workenvironment.

Not only are business andworkforce preparedness educatorsbeing challenged by business and

45 5 4

industry, but also they are beingchallenged by today's students.Students, today, want a relevant,practical curriculum that preparesthem for entry into the workplace(Treichel, 1991). Thus, businesseducators need to incorporatepractical examples of real-worldactivities in their educationalprograms to teach students to solveproblems and make decisions. Oneapproach that has been suggested toprovide this relevant, practical, andreal-world like training for developingproblem solving and decision makingskills is telecommunicating viaelectronic communication (E-mail).Conducting class projects usingelectronic communication (E-mail)allows students to cooperate withothers of similar interests around theglobe to answer important questionsand solve real-world problem(Beasley, 1993). According to Beasley(1995), the electronic communication(E-mail) allows diverse groups withdiffering cognitive abilities, skilllevels, ideas, and beliefs to worktogether to reach a common goal--tocomplete a project that requiressimulating a typical real-world likesituation where students develop asolution. Therefore, it is likely that theuse of the electronic communication(E-mail) in classroom instruction mayprovide realistic, practical learningexercises for today's students.

The ProblemInstructional strategies for

today's students must be perceived asbeing relevant and practical as well aspreparing them for the workplace.Moreover, business education is a

46

likely discipline to provideeducational activities to develop theability to solve problems and makedecisions that students perceive asrelevant and practical. Therefore, thisstudy was designed to evaluatestudents' perceptions of the use oftelecommunications in selectedbusiness classes toward its relevancein providing them a practical learningenvironment for the world of work.Specifically, the research addressed:Do students perceive electronictelecommunications as a relevantteaching/learning tool in preparingthem for the workplace?

MethodologyAn attitude scale which asked

participants rate themselves on anumber of positive and negativeattitudes toward the relevance andpracticality of using the electroniccommunication (E-mail) and a real-world type problem was used tocollect data for this study. Kinzie andDelcourt's scale (1991), designed tomeasure individual attitudes towardcomputer technologies (ACT) whichsynthesizes and augments the researchthat has been done in this area overthe last 15 years (Kinzie, Delcourt, &Powers, 1993; Steinfield, 1983), wasrefined for this study. Factoranalysis was performed on theattitude items to determine if factorswould load similarly to the factorloadings on the instrument.Participants completed the attitudescale as a posttest following thecompletion of the electroniccommunication (E-mail) project at theend of the semester. A pre-test wasnot administered due to technology

problems encountered by Delta StateUniversity in accessingtelecommunications capability.Appropriate approvals were obtainedfrom human subject committees ateach institution involved prior to theexecution of the study.

ProceduresParticipants were

undergraduate students from eitherEast Carolina University (ECU),Greenville, North Carolina, or DeltaState University (DSU), Cleveland,Mississippi. ECU participants wereenrolled in an administrativeprocedures course, and DSUparticipants were enrolled in abusiness communications course.Since employment activities werecomponents of both courses at bothuniversities and both universitiesprovided electronic communication(E-mail) connection capability to theirstudents, the researchers directed ECUstudents to prepare a Position VacancyAnnouncement (PVA) and forward,via the electronic communication (E-mail), the PVA to DSU participants.Upon receipt of the PVA, DSUparticipants were asked to prepareand forward via the electroniccommunication (E-mail) to ECUparticipants resumes and letters ofapplication. To ensure familiaritywith the use of the electroniccommunication (E-mail) and email,ECU and DSU participants receivedinstruction regarding the use of theelectronic communication (E-mail).

Upon receipt of the resumesand application letters, ECUparticipants were directed to write

and to forward via email applicationacknowledgment letters to DSUparticipants. Then, ECU participantsevaluated the resumes and letters ofapplication according to the criteriaadvertised in the PVA. Afterscreening and evaluating the resumesand application letters using EEO-AAguidelines, ECU participants notifiedDSU participants via email their statusin the employment selection process.DSU participants, who were beingconsidering for the advertised positionwere told by the ECU participants thatthey, the DSU participants, would beinterviewed via email.

The DSU participants, whowere not being considered, weredirected to write and email theirperceptions of the project to theirinstructor. In addition, the non-finalists were also requested to emailECU participants and ask why theywere eliminated.

DSU participants beinginterviewed received questions andresponded to questions from ECUparticipants. Upon receipt of the DSUresponses, ECU participants evaluatedthe responses and selected acandidate. DSU finalists who werenot selected as the final candidatewere notified by ECU participants.The DSU finalist selected for theadvertised PVA position was emailedan offer of employment. The offer ofemployed requested that the selectedfinalist email either an acceptance or arejection of the offer.

ResultsPreliminary results indicate

that both ECU and DSU participants

5 647

liked the use of the electroniccommunication (E-mail), and that theparticipants feel that this type ofactivity was relevant and practical asit prepared them for the world ofwork--it was not perceived as beingbusy work! Therefore, the use of theElectronic Communication (E-mail)does appear to be a viable alternativeto provide relevant and practicallearning situations that studentsperceive as relevant and preparingthem for the world of work.

References

Beasley, R. E. (1993). My name isdifferent project: Final report.Unpublished manuscript.University of Illinois, Urbana,IL.

Beasley, R. E. (1995). Conductingsuccessful class projects over theInternet. Proceedings of theTwelfth Annual Atlantic CoastBusiness and MarketingEducation Conference, Raleigh,NC.

Carnevale, A. P., Gainer, L. J., &Meltzer, A. S. (1990).Workplace Basics, The EssentialSkills Employers Want. SanFrancisco: Jossey-BassPublishers.

Drucker, P. F. (1989). The NewRealities. New York: Harper &Row Publishers.

Kinzie, M. B. & Delcourt, M. A. B.(1991). Computer technologiesin teacher education: Themeasurement of attitudes and

48

self-efficacy. Paper presentedat the 1991 Annual Meeting ofthe American EducationalResearch Association, Chicago,IL.

Kinzie M. B., Delcourt, M. A. B., &Powers, S. M. (1993). computertechnology: Attitudes and self-efficacy. Paper presented at the1993 Annual Meeting of theAmerican Educational ResearchAssociation, Atlanta, GA.

Mod lin, G. (1990). Education forChange. Paper presented at theSeventh Annual Atlantic CoastBusiness and MarketingEducation Conference, Raleigh,NC.

Steinfield, C. W. (1983).Communication via Electronic-Mail: Patterns and predictionsof use in organizations.University of SouthernCalifornia, DoctoralDissertation.

Treichel, J. M. (1991). Trends and issuesin business education for the 90s.Proceedings of the EighthAnnual Atlantic Coast Businessand Marketing EducationConference, Raleigh, NC.

U.S. Department of Labor. (1991).What work requires of schools:A SCANS report for America2000 (Publication No. 1991 -306-024). Washington, DC: U.S.Government Printing Office.

57

BUSINESS EDUCATIONCLASSROOM DEMOGRAPHICS

AND SEGMENTATION:A RESEARCH STUDY

Margaret A. KlaytonMary Washington College, Fredericksburg, VA

IntroductionLearning by application has long

been recognized as a preferable way ofteaching students business concepts.Traditionally, application courses in themarketing curriculum have been theexclusive domain of advanced (upper-level or senior-status) and graduatecourses. In particular, marketingresearch and marketing case studycourses lend themselves to clientinteraction. Clients benefit by receivingtimely and cost-efficient information,and students, in turn, get hands-onexperience in a real-world environmentStudents who are permitted to interactwith business clients generally have metadvanced marketing courseprerequisites and have enoughbackground in theory to make them feelconfident in performing client projects.

Application assignments used inbeginning marketing courses areusually brief and performedindividually. These exercises canenhance the learning experience but arelimited in scope. For instance, retailingand advertising are frequently used asresearch assignments in introductory

49

courses because these concepts arereadily available and familiar to moststudents. A typical assignment mightrequire students to identify and developtopologies of stores or print ads. Rarelyare introductory course studentsinvolved in group competition. Thefollowing discussion presents anapplication exercise in an introductorymarketing course of 100 students.Students were surveyed and segmentedaccording to the resulting demographicinformation supplied from the surveyinstrument

Experiment RationaleThe purpose of the exercise was

threefold. The first goal was to providestudents with a working experiencewith the concept of segmentation. Thesteps leading to segmentation are oftenelusive for first-time marketingstudents. McCarthy and Perreault(1993) suggest seven steps that beginwith forming homogeneoussubmarkets, then, determiningdimensions, naming markets, and lastly,evaluating market segments (pp. 98-99).This course experiment was designed tohave students participate in the steps in

5S

a personal and meaningful way toclarify and enhance the concept ofsegmentation. These steps areconsidered a tool that would lead todevelopment of a product to fit theneeds of these aggregated markets.

The second goal was todetermine the demographic andpsychographic composition of the classfor segmentation purposes and forfuture comparisons. It was anticipatedthat this quasi-experiment would becontinued with subsequent large,lecture courses. Challenging andholding the attention of these largeclasses sometimes can be taxing forinstructors. This exercise was designedto involve students by integratingpersonal information provided byindividual members of the class into anartificially-created clustering process.Determining dimensions were collectedthrough a brief survey that containedbasic questions about interests andacademic classifications.

The third goal was to gaugewhether homogeneous groups wouldbecome cohesive and competitive withother teams for superior gradeperformance. Teams were aggregatedaccording to the homogeneous criteriaidentified from the class surveys andcreated team names (labels) based onthis criteria. Eight segments wereformed through Cluster Analysis. Eachcluster contained 14-16 students. Eachteam segment was paired with teamshaving opposite team characteristics foranalysis.

50

The paired segment names were:

Juniors -Almost DonePenguins SunshineGrand Band - SocialablesA-Students Tigers

Classification became a divisionfor the first paired team with juniorspitted against seniors. A determiningdimension, weather, segmented coldand warm weather students in thesecond paired team. The third pairedteam contained band members in onesegment and "party-loving" students inanother. The final paired teamchallenged academic superiority overathletic involvement.

To reinforce the clusteringconcept, team members were requiredto sit together in assigned seats so theywould get to know each other. Thisclustering process was visible from theteaching podium and created a"graphic" representation of the teamsegments for the instructor. Asanticipated, student segments becameincreasingly cohesive and competitiveas team performance on tests andqiii77es were presented, compared, andanalyzed. Performance figures werepresented as team grade averages.

Survey Instrument and MethodologyThe survey instrument contained

six questions and was distributed thefirst day the class met. In addition toidentifying the student by name, thequestionnaire contained threedemographic and two psychographic(life-style) questions. Questionsdenoting the student's classification(freshman, etc.) and major were closed-

59

ended. Open-ended questions requiredstudents to write-in the name of theirhometown, interests or hobbies, andwork experience.

Frequency distributions of thedata revealed that the majority of thestudents were classified as sophomoreswho were majoring in marketing, hadlittle work experience, and had adiverse set of hobbies. No hometowndomination was discovered.

FindingsAs anticipated, the teams became

cohesive and competitive for gradesover the college term. In one case, theteams, Juniors and Almost Done(seniors) were highly competitive intheir efforts to perform better than theother team. There was no significantdifference between scores for the twogroups, except for one test grade. Thesetwo teams were the most competitive inthe class.

Alternately, the "A"-Studentteam appeared to lack the competitivespirit because their competitor, theathletic Tigers, consistentlyoutperformed them academically.Though the "A"-Student team may haveperceived themselves as beingacademically superior, the Tigers hadsignificantly higher scores on exams andquizzes.

Another interesting findinginvolved the teams paired by weatherpreference. The Sunshine teamoutperformed their cold weathercounterparts on over half the exams andquizzes. Perhaps, this is attributable totheir approximate (Sunny) disposition.

51

The last paired team, whichincluded the Grand Band andSocialable, varied in their performancefrom one testing period to another. Noteam dominated the other in superiorgrade performance over the term. Oneinteresting discovery about these twoteams is the significantly different scoreson major exam grade averages, but noton quizzes. Not one team consistentlyperformed better than the other over theterm.

ConclusionsIn reviewing the goals

established before the experimentbegan, the first purpose of providingstudents with a working experiencewith the concept of segmentationproved successful. Success wasmeasured through testing students onthe concept in on a quiz, exam, and thecomprehensive finals. Thedemographic and psychographiccomposition of the class was compiledvia survey and stored in a data base forfurther course comparisons. In oneinstance the third purpose was fullyrealized. Students became cohesive andsupportive toward a common goal, i.e. -superior grade performance, but onlyone team, the Tigers, were able toconsistently maintain superiority overtheir paired team throughout thesemester. The Tigers also were superiorover all teams on one exam and on onequiz.

Overall, team grades did notincrease during the length of theexperiment, in fact, most of the teamgrade averages declined over time.Another experiment is needed to revealthe reasons for this decline.

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IMPROVING INTERPERSONALSKILLS THROUGH COOPERATIVE

LEARNINGLillie Anderton-Lewis

Thelma C. KingNorth Carolina A&T State University

The cooperative learningmethodology has received manyaccolades from educators andeducational researchers. These specialmerits have been given becauseresearch results show that this methodis a catalyst for improvinginterpersonal and negotiation skills.Interpersonal and negotiation skillsare requirements in career activities asstudents leave the classroom setting.Szul (1995) stated, "The heart of mostjobs is teamwork, which involvesgetting others to cooperate, leadingothers, coping with complex powerand influence issues, and helpingsolve people's problems in workingwith each other" (p. 25).

Carnevale, Gainer, and Meltzer(1988) in an article entitled "GroupEffectiveness: Interpersonal Skills,Negotiation, and Teamwork," saidthat "interpersonal and negotiationskills are the cornerstones ofsuccessful teamwork" (p. 14). Theyalso stated:

Interpersonal skills training is directedtoward assisting the employee to recognizeand improve the ability to judge andbalance appropriate behavior,cope with undesirable behavior in others,absorb stress, deal with ambiguity,

listen, inspire confidence in others,structure social interaction, share respon-sibility, and interact easily with others (p.14).

A survey conducted by theCollege Placement CouncilIncorporated, revealed that employersshowed more interest in students whopossessed good interpersonal skillsand students who were team players(Collins and Oberman, 1994). Inanother study that examined ninecategories of skills needed by highschool graduates, Volk and Peel (1994)found that employers identified thegroup interaction skills area as mostimportant. They stated, "This categoryincluded such skills as working wellwith colleagues and supervisors,working as a team member, andrespecting others' opinions" (p. 66).

Description of the StudyTo further validate research

findings, undergraduate students inselect business classes participated incooperative learning tasks such as casestudies and collaborative writingassignments. They were asked torespond to questions in the Likertformat about their perceptions of theeffectiveness of the cooperative

52 6 1

learning method, as it relates to theimprovement of interpersonal skills.The questionnaire included ademographic section and an openquestion component. Facultymembers involved in continuousresearch and in the teaching ofstatistics courses examined thequestionnaire for clarity andmodifications. It was also field testedin a business class of twenty-fourstudents.

FindingsThe following responses

provided insight into how therespondents perceived theeffectiveness of team work activities inthe development of positiveinterpersonal skills. The resultsrevealed that most students felt verypositive about the outcomes. Forexample, 87% said that they had abetter understanding of how othersthink and feel. Certo (1994) said thatin effective groups, "each groupmember influences and is influencedby all other group members" (p. 402).

Sixty-four percent of therespondents believed that theirabilities to effectively perform workroles were enhanced (See Question10). Dumaine (1994) states, "Whenteams work, there is nothing like themfor turbocharging productivity" (p.86).

Table 1Questions: Cooperative learningActivities ave: (A=agree; N=neutral; D=disagree)

1. Enhanced skills in managing conflicts

2. Assisted in the understanding of

roles of each team member

3. Assisted in the understanding of

how others think and feel

4. Enabled me to work more

effectively with others

A N D65% 20% 14%

83% 13% 5%

87% 11% 2%

78% 19% 2%

5. Allowed me to recognize that

teams work only if each

member brings knowledge

and skill to the activity

6. Provided opportunities to learn

from and imitate the most skilled

member of the team

7. Encouraged constructive criticism

and support from members

8. Fostered a genuine concern for

each other

9. Fostered a spirit of cooperation

10. Encouraged and stimulated

productivity and creativity

83% 13% 4%

59% 28% 13%

74% 19% 7%

62% 24% 14%

76% 18% 1%

64% 18% 19%

(A=agree; N=neutral; D=disagree)

The ability to work moreeffectively with others was highlysupported by 78% of the respondents.Smith (1989) concurs, when he saidthat graduates who have worked inteams can talk through materials withpeers, listen with real skill, build trustin a relationship and provideleadership to group efforts.

The response to questions (6)six and (9) nine were supported byJohnson, Johnson and Smith (1991);wherein, they indicated that learningis a social process that occurs throughinterpersonal interaction within acooperative context. Students becomedeeply involved in the learningprocess when engaged in thecooperative learning environment;thus, strong interpersonal bonds areformed because participants feelsecure and confident (Jackson 1994).

Recommendations and ConclusionsPositive outcomes are not

always the norms. Conflicts do arise;and thereby, inhibit teamworksuccess. The following statementdescribes negative and positiveobservations, and recommendationsmade by a team member.

This [experience] is a good indication ofhow it could be in the workforce. Of

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course, we'll have to deal with people(laziness, attitudes); but the group workthen, will be more than likely our mainfocus. Now we have otherclasses, jobs and other groups to deal with.I have never really had a problem with thepeople in a group not cooperating; it hasjust been finding time to get done whatneeds to be done. Since the [School] seemsto want to stress [its] . . importance, . . . Ithink there should be one required course .

. . A good point, . . . [about] group workis (it] sometimes pushes individuals to becreative and, it gives us a chance to inputideas.

To ensure that students have apositive experience, thefacilitator/teacher must be willing todevote quality time in structuring,guiding and monitoring groupactivities. In addition, students mustbe introduced to, and have anunderstanding of, the dynamics ofgroup processes before engaging inthe assignment.

References

Carnevale, A. P., Gainer, L. J. &Meltzer, A. S. (1988). Groupeffectiveness: Interpersonal

skills, negotiation, andteamwork. Workplace Basics:The Skills Employers Want(Research Grant No. 99-6 -0705-75- 079 -02). American Society ofTraining and Development andthe US Department of Labor.

Certo, S. C. (1994). Modernmanagement: Diversity,quality, ethics, and the global

54

environment. Boston: Allynand Bacon.

Collins, M. S. & Oberman, D. (1994).What's the job outlook for '94?Journal of Career Planning andEmployment, 50(1), 25-27.

Dumaine, B. (1994, September). Thetrouble with teams. Fortune, p.86.

Jackson, B. (1994). Cooperativelearning: A case study of auniversity course in systemsanalysis. Educational andTraining TechnologyInternational, 31(3), 166-179.

Johnson, D. W., Johnson, R. T., &Smith, K A. (1991). Activelearning: Cooperation in thecollege classroom. Minnesota:Interaction Book Company.

Smith, K. A. (1989). The craft ofteaching cooperative learning:An active learning strategy.Proceedings of the 1989Frontiers in EducationConference.

Szul, L. F. (1995). Working as part ofa team. Business EducationForum, 50(1), 25.

Volk, K. & Peel, H. (1995). Skillsemployers really need fromtheir high-school graduatedemployees [Summary].Proceedings of the TenthAnnual Meeting of the NorthCarolina Council of VocationalTeacher Educators. pp. 58-68.

6,3

MAKING MARKETING HAPPEN INTHE MIDDLE SCHOOLS

Rebecca Loves-WilkesMississippi State University

Mississippi's Tech PrepInitiative prepares young people forcareers of tomorrow. This Initiativecombines innovative teachingmethods and high-tech equipment toproduce challenging, excitingclassrooms. It is built on a three-yearprogram of preparatory courses whichintroduce all students to high-techcomputer and technological skills.

Career Discovery at the seventhgrade level introduces students tocareer opportunities and the skillsneeded for various career paths.

Computer Discovery at the eighthgrade level exposes students to amultimedia environment andfundamental computer skills.

Technology Discovery at the ninthgrade level enables students toexplore technology resources,processes, and systems and selectpaths leading to careerdevelopment and advancededucation.

Career exploration andeducational planning, applications oftechnology, problem solving anddecision making, human relations andteamwork, integration of academicskills, and school-to-work transitionare emphasized throughout eachcourse. Students apply skills in fouroccupational clusters:

Business and Marketing Technology,Agriculture and Natural ResourcesTechnology, Engineering andIndustrial Technology, and Healthand Human Services Technology.

A strong counseling componentis part of the Initiative's foundation; itis designed to assist students inmaking realistic career plans.Discovery courses are designed toenable students to make wise andmeaningful occupational andeducational choices for their future.With this foundation, students canmove into Mississippi's cuffing-edgesecondary occupational or academicprograms and advance from there topost-secondary education or toemployment.

Career DiscoveryCareer Discovery uses an

experiential hands-on approach tomake learning more fun for students.This courses is designed to provide avariety of experiences and activitieswhich promote self-awareness, careerexploration, and educational planningrelated to students' future educationaland occupational plans. This course isnot intended to force a prematurecareer decision; rather, it focuses onthe awareness of career choices andpathways to achieve individual careergoals. As hands-on opportunities areprovided for students to explore thefour career cluster areas, studentsbecome aware of career alternatives

6455

and transferability of skills within acluster and between clusters. Fieldtrips and other educationalenhancements will be used whenappropriate. As students becomemore aware of their own talents,abilities, and interests, they willdevelop portfolios to outline theirfuture educational and careerplanning endeavors.

Typical activities in Career Discoverythat tie in Marketing and Businessinclude:

Participating in a simulation ofwork and passenger roles on boarda cruise ship, to include: Ship'sCaptain, First Mate, Doctor,Recreation Director, AssistantRecreation Director, Stewards,Tour Guides, and Passengers;

Determining feed and costrequired to bring livestock tomarket weight;

Plotting the concert tour bus routefor a band to include maps, tourschedule, and miles traveled;

Creating a video or printedadvertisement;

Demonstrating proper use of thetelephone; and

Designing a package, productdisplay, cork board, bulletin board,or display window to market aproduct.

Computer DiscoveryComputer Discovery uses an

innovative multimedia environment to

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make subject matter come alive. Thiscourse is designed to providefundamental skills in the operation ofmicrocomputers, including anintroduction to computers,keyboarding skills, and the operatingsystem using Windows. Real-worldapplications in word processing,graphics, databases,telecommunications, spreadsheets,and desktop publishing make thecourse exciting, relevant, andchallenging. Each student compiles aComputer Discovery portfolio ofcomputer projects based on the fourcluster areas. This course integratescommunication and mathematicsskills. It also includes expandedbasics in problem solving, decisionmaking, critical thinking, humanrelations, career exploration, planning,and organization skills to preparestudents for future careers.

Typical activities in ComputerDiscovery that tie in Marketing andBusiness include:

Applying uses and benefits ofword processing applications inthe four career cluster areas;

Applying data management inthe four career cluster areas;

Graphing spreadsheet data;

Performingtelecommunicationsactivities such as searchingthe World Wide Web; and

Creating a desktoppublishing document.

Technology DiscoveryTechnology Discovery uses a

85

modular instruction approach to allowstudents to experience differentworkplace technologies. Working intwo-person teams, students rotatethrough a series of thirteen self-contained instructional modules. Ineach module, students applycommunications skills, exploreoperating principles, mathematicaland scientific concepts, and theuniversal systems concept as related tothe selected technology. Studentsidentify applications of technology inthe four occupational cluster areas.Students conduct hands-on activitiesin each module which demonstratepractical applications of thetechnology. Students also have theopportunity to explore emergingtechnologies and conduct researchthrough the use of an EmergingTechnology Research Center.Typical activities in TechnologyDiscovery that tie in Marketing andBusiness include:

Describe/diagram an aspect ofair transportation and aerospacetechnology using the universalsystems model;

Time a news broadcast andcalculate "time-use" in programproductions;

Produce a commercial; Conduct avideo interview;

Capture, alter, and print imagesusing the digital camera;

Analyze the relationship betweensurrounding community, plantcapacity, information control,material handling, and level ofautomation in relationship toproduct, direct cost, overhead

57

cost, manual jobs, and technicaljobs; and analyze the impact ofvariables such as cost of rawmaterials, end products, marketand refining; market demand;and environmental impact, inrelation to their impact on oilsupply, refining policies, energypolicies, and time.

Career Counseling CentersThe Counseling Component is

designed to organize and expandcompetency-based careerdevelopment strategies, activities, andexperiences that will assist all studentsin making realistic career plans. Itsmission is to ensure that each studentenrolled in the state's system of publiceducation is provided withappropriate educational opportunitiesto prepare for constructiveparticipation in society, immediateemployment, and/or furthereducation; and that theseopportunities are made available toevery student regardless of economicstatus, ethnic group, gender,geographic location, ormental/physical handicap.

66

CREATIVE AND CRITICALTHINKING STRATEGIESFOR PARTICIPATING IN

A GLOBAL ECONOMYSue Y. Luckey

Morehead State University

One of the most significantchanges for the United States has beenadapting to a world view ofinterrelatedness. Cultural diversity andintercultural communications arebeginning to have profoundramifications on the Americanworkplace. Business teachers need toprepare students for participation in thisglobal economy by helping themunderstand cultural differencesincluding customs, values, politics,attitudes, social mores, and economics.

The review of the literaturesuggests that the United States is beingchallenged in the worldwidemarketplace today. During the pastdecade, the United States economy hasbecome more dependent on othernations (Kindsvatter, Wilen, and Ish ler,1992). The United States is no longer thedominating power in the global market,just a major player among many majorplayers. Finally, the United States needsto improve their economic standing inworldwide markets (Philpot, 1994).This new dependency, changing role,and need for improvement will forceAmerican businesses to be more flexibleand understanding of different culturalcontexts if the United States is to be

58

competitive in global markets (Inman,Ownby, Perreault, and Rhea, 1991).

Exploding technology and achanging workforce are affecting howeducators prepare students fortomorrow's world of work. Advancesin telecommunications are reshapinghow business works; therefore, studentswill need training in the latesttechnologies. Since technology hasmade international business a reality,students will need to acquire aninternational business perspective andspecific international skills to competefor jobs in tomorrow's workforce.Besides a vast knowledge base,tomorrow's worker will need to beflexible, tolerant, and respectful of allcultures to be successful in internationalbusiness (Behymer, 1991).

This presentation considersteaching strategies to help bridge thegap between classrooms and theinternational business workplace.Specifically, creative and criticalthinking teaching strategies will bepresented to: (1) develop internationalcommunication concepts, (2) enhanceappreciation of cultural differences, and(3) expand economic and geographic

87

awareness. Redmann and Davis(January, 1993) offer many of thesestrategies for teaching internationalconcepts in business courses.

International CommunicationsConcepts

To develop internationalcommunication concepts, ask eachstudent to interview an internationalperson to find out positive and negativeimpressions of the US, culturaldifferences encountered, andcommunication barriers experienced.Have students write letters for bothnational and international purposes.Using the AT&T Toll-Free 800 directory,each student can telephone a companywith International in its name andinterview a person whose job includescontacts with others located outside theUS. Some topics for discussion are thenumber of countries with which thecompany does business, qualificationssought for international positions, anddescription of training provided forinternational work. Group project ideason preparing for international travelcould include developing an itinerary,consulting a travel agent for airlineschedules and fares as well as hotel andcar rental costs, contacting a bank tolearn how to obtain foreign currencyand preparing a currency conversiontable, and determining need forvaccinations, inoculations, and visas.

Appreciation Of Cultural DifferencesTo enhance appreciation of

cultural differences, have students roleplay an international business meeting.Prepare written and oral reports onsome of these topics: negotiation skills,status of women, bribes and gifts,

59

organization of the school system, andwork attitudes.

Economic And Geographic AwarenessTo help students develop an

awareness of the internationalization ofthe market place, ask students to visitclothing, grocery, and appliance storesand make lists of origination of theseitems. To expand economic andgeographic awareness, help studentslearn about foreign currencies byreading The Dollar section of USA Today.For each of the 23 currencies, the rateper dollar is given for Monday, Friday,six months ago, and a year ago.

In conclusion, the explosion ofbusiness to worldwide markets,changing technology, and the need forinnovation in conducting business willrequire educators, specifically businesseducators, to make changes incurriculum. Frederick G. Nichols, thefather of business education, stated twogoals in 1933: education for businessand education about business. Thegoals of business education have notchanged over the years; rather thechange has been the globalization ofbusiness (Blockhus, 1990).Consequently, the time has come forbusiness educators to internationalizethe curriculum.

References

Behymer, J. (1991). Internationalizingthe business educationcurriculum. A Global Look atBusiness Education. Reston, VA:National Business EducationAssociation. pp. 8-18.

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Blockhus, W. (1990). Internationalizingeducation for and aboutbusiness. NBEA Yearbook 1990,Strategic Planning for the 1990's.Editor: Sharon Lund O'Neil.Reston, VA: NBEA. pp. 105-115.

Carlock, L. L. (1991). Internationalizingthe business educationcurriculum. A Global Look atBusiness Education. Reston, VA:National Business EducationAssociation. pp. 1- 7.

Inman, T., Ownby, A., Perreault, H.,and Rhea, J. (1991, December).Internationalizing the businesscommunication curriculum.Business Education Forum. 46(2),pp. 19-22.

Jaderstrom, S., White, B., and Ellison, S.,(1992). The Changing OfficeSupport Curriculum: PreparingStudents for the Future. Balance

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Sheet. Vol. 74, No. 1:September/October, pp. 5-8.

Kindsvatter, R., Wilen, W., and Ishler,M. (1992). Planning for teaching.Dynamics of Effective Teaching.White Plains, NY: LongmanPublishing Company. pp. 93-98.

Philpot, M. (1994, February). Businessbeyond our borders: anintegrated approach. BusinessEducation Forum. 48(3), pp. 21-

25.

Redmann, D. H. & Davis, B. J. (1993,January). Strategies for TeachingInternational Concepts inbusiness Courses. (PartI)Instructional Strategies: AnApplied Research Series, Delta PiEpsilon, Publishers, Vol. 9, No. 1.

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ENHANCING THEENTREPRENEURIAL SKILLSOF BUSINESS EDUCATION

STUDENTSRoger L. Luft

Eastern Illinois University

All business teachers areinvolved with teaching the skills thatare needed to be a successfulentrepreneur. Many of the skills,whether they be the human skillsneeded to deal with people, or thetechnical skills needed to successfullyoperate an enterprise, are included incourses like general business,economics, accounting, computerapplications, marketing, businesscommunications, office procedures,and the list goes on. It is oftendifficult for business teachers todelineate the skills needed by theentrepreneur from typical classcontent because little thought is givento entrepreneurship while teaching theother subjects. If teachers are notaware of the entrepreneurial conceptsthey are teaching, students won'trecognize them either. It is fortunate,however, that entrepreneurship isoften taught without a conscious effortby unsuspecting teachers who willclaim to know little about businessownership.

Entrepreneurship TopicsDrs. Roger Luft and Cheryl

Noll (1994) completed a review of the

literature and determined that elevengeneral entrepreneurial topics areprevalent which could be included inthe business curricula. Theresearchers further identified 63subtopics within the generalcategories which are recommendedfor inclusion as entrepreneurshipinstruction. The general topics with abrief description of the subtopicsincluded:

Entrepreneurial characteristics -including risk taking and self-confidence.Purposes of the Business -uniqueness of business, goals,and business plan.Legalities of BusinessOwnership - forms ofownership and governmentregulations.Management - skills needed tosurvive.Personnel - selecting andleading employees.Products and Services -selecting products, pricing, andoffering services.Customers - understanding theconsumer.

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Market Area - physical needs ofthe business.Competitive Analysis -understanding the competition.Marketing Strategy -advertising, promotion, andcredit policiesFinancial Information -personal and business financialneeds

Teachers should become awareof the entrepreneurial concepts thatare being taught in business classes,often integrated as a part ofinstruction, so they can emphasizethem with students who have specialinterests in becoming an entrepreneur.The topics identified above, and thesubtopics within each general area,were further delineated in theconference session.

Applying Experiential TeachingStrategies to Entrepreneurship

Entrepreneurship is excitingand dynamic and so should beentrepreneurial instruction. Theteacher can be the driving influence tocreate a student's thirst for furtherknowledge of, and a desire to becomean entrepreneur. Lecturing on thetheoretical propositions of owning abusiness will not provide theinducements for further investigation.Students should have an opportunityto experience as realistically aspossible the excitement, the rewards,the frustrations, and the despairs ofbusiness ownership. This charge callsfor experiential methods of instructionto be applied to teachingentrepreneurship. Assume that anentrepreneurship curriculum has been

62

determined, and the next step is todeliver the instruction, eitherintegrated within existing classes or asa stand-alone course. Someexperiential methods to consider foruse while teaching entrepreneurshipare summarized below.

The School Sponsored BusinessMany business education

curriculums include school sponsoredactivities that are quasi-entrepreneurial ventures. Some officeoccupations or office proceduresclasses complete real life projects forother departments in the school.Many small business or marketingclasses operate stores between classesand during lunch, or perhapsthroughout the school day. Manystudents are involved in fund raisingactivities for the business studentorganizations. All of these activitiesteach the skills needed byentrepreneurs.

Role PlaysThere are several less risky

ways for students to learnentrepreneurial skills, one being roleplays. This strategy is often used inbusiness training situations, especiallyto teach human interaction. Roleplaying is a spontaneous humaninteraction that involves realisticbehavior under contrived or imaginedconditions. Role playing is a securestrategy for students to experimentwith in order to learn new skills orenhance skills that have already beendeveloped. They can fail in theclassroom and have the opportunity totry again, where in a business venture,failures can be very costly.

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Simulations/GamesBusiness educators have used

simulations for years in accounting,record keeping, office procedures, andother classes. Simulations/games arejust what the name implies, aninstructional strategy that simulatesreal life situations. As with otherstrategies, students are allowed tomake decisions and test their decisionswithout much risk of loss except adamaged ego or perhaps a lowergrade. But, students also have theopportunity to gain confidence in theirabilities as correct decisions are made.

Case StudiesAnother safe harbor for

learning entrepreneurship andunderstanding decision making is thecase study method of instruction.There are different types of casesincluding a) individual problems, b)critical incidents, c) organizationalsituations, and d) combinations of theothers. Case studies are used fordiagnostic purposes since they presentpertinent data and facts aboutsomething that has happened in thepast. There are no prescribed answersbecause those are left to be determinedby the students who are completingthe case problems. Case studies arewritten as a story without an end. Thestory flows logically presenting all theinformation that the students need tobe able to arrive at solutions. Casescan be of varied lengths, ranging froma few paragraphs to many pages.Cases can be as complex as needed inorder to achieve instructionalobjectives.Summary

The ideas presented here are by

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no means close to exhaustive, but arepresented as stimulation for theinstructor who has a desire to teachentrepreneurial skills. Some of theideas may seem to be outside of therealm of what can be done with thetime available, or with limitedresources, but it is OK to dream. . .thatis one sign of an entrepreneur. Whatthe researcher encourages is anexperiential approach, getting thestudents involved with doing ratherthan just sitting and listening. There isa great deal of merit in havingexperience be an assistant teacher, andthere are many, many "real-lifeentrepreneurs" who are willing toprovide experiential opportunities forstudents. The creative instructor doesnot hesitate to ask business owners toassist with the instruction and willfind that one small seed of an idea,which is cultivated, will grow andflourish well beyond initialexpectations.

References

Luft, R. L. & Noll, C. L. (1994).Entrepreneurship in businesseducation. The Ohio

Business Teacher, LIV(November), 5-15.

For other ideas on integratingentrepreneurship into business subjects,please refer to:

Luft, R. L. (in press at this writing).An integrated approach toteaching entrepreneurship.Delta Pi Epsilon InstructionalStrategies

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JAZZY PRESENTATIONS:MULTIMEDIA MAKES THEM

HAPPENMary Jean Lush

Delta State University, MSCarolyn Alexander

Phillips County Community College, AR

Multimedia is not a newconcept. Its value was confirmedwhen individuals began to make theirpoints and increase understanding byadding reinforcing gestures andvarious media types to one-dimensional presentations. Over time,presentations moved from static, one-dimensional formats tomultidimensional, interactiveconfigurations by combiningmultimedia components, such astechnology-generated text, color,graphics, sound, animation, andvideo.

Business and industry havebeen selling products for yearsthrough technologically generatedmultimedia. A short look at televisionbombards the viewer with sound, text,animation, graphic images, dissolves,wipes, etc. Further, "most businessesof any size provide their officepersonnel with the most moderntechnology available--perhaps if onlyas a subliminal message to society thatthey are on the 'cutting edge'(Douglas, 1994, p. 24). Becauseeducators recognize that they arepreparing students to functionsuccessfully in today's highlytechnological environment, they arebecoming more convinced of the

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benefits of using technology moreextensively in their classrooms.

Course lecture depth, as well asstudent attention and retention, can beaugmented by using presentationsoftware applications, such as LotusFreelance, Podium, MicrosoftPowerPoint, and others (Richards,1995). Why, then, do some still cringeat the thought of technology-generated multimedia in theclassroom?

"Business teachers areintrigued and enthusiastic aboutcomputer technology as well asfrustrated with its fast-paced changes.They learn one application wellenough to teach it to their studentsonly to find they must abandon it foranother. They plead for hardware orupgrades and try to remain patientuntil funds become available. Whenthese requests are finally granted inthe financially beleaguered schoolsystems, teachers spend their eveningsporing over documentation seekingsolutions to the many new situationswith which their students need help.Just when they begin to feelcomfortable teaching the newapplication, they find the hardwareand software to be obsolete, and thecycle must be repeated" (Douglas,

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1994, pp. 23-24).

Getting past traditionalmethods and attitudes is often difficultas well. Concerns over change and theresultant adjustments in deliverymethod and time expended to learnsomething new usually generateadverse attitudes about the value oftechnology, especially for teacherswho are comfortable with theircurrent, tried-and-true methods. Thisattitude can be difficult to overcome.Further, Dyrli and Kinnaman (1995)confirm that multimedia "suffers froma beleaguered past . . . . Many timescrowned the savior of education, it hastoo often amounted to more hype thanhelp; more fluff than substance; morepromise than product. For educatorsalready intimidated by technology, ithas been easy to dismiss multimediaas an ill-defined and expensivehodgepodge of bells and whistlesoffering little more than a distractionfrom the business of education" (p.46).

Traditionally, teachers havecombined rudimentary media typessuch as item displays, demonstrations,slide shows, lectures, and hardcopyhandouts to enhance their students'level of educational experience.Fortunately for educators andstudents, the benefits of multimediaare being accepted more todaybecause of the dramaticmanufacturing advances intechnology. "Nothing engages ateacher's interest in technology morethan seeing previously unmotivatedand underachieving students becomeenthusiastic about learning andsuccessful in achieving importanteducational goals" (Marino, 1995, p.21).

One of the most efficient waysto generate acceptance of change is to

prove its relevance to the user. Thissession provides advantages of usingmultimedia to enhance educationalexperiences and workplaceproductivity; demonstrations ofmultimedia projects created by facultyand students; and suggested futureuses of multimedia-enhancedcurriculum projects as the technologycontinues to advance.

Advantages of Using MultimediaMultimedia provides the user

with many advantages. Twoexamples include interactive learningenvironments, as well as the ability tocustomize presentations and deliverymethods to meet the needs of botheducators and students.

Interactive learningenvironment. The situated cognitionconcept implies "learning andthinking are always "situated," [inother words,] the context in whichlearning occurs and the activitiesthrough which it occurs . . . have adirect and significant influence onwhat is learned" (Dyrli & Kinnaman,1995, p. 49). Because multimediaprovides the advantage of aninteractive learning environmentwhere relevance of context andcontent are merged, multimedia-enhanced learning is valuable becauseit is based upon combining authenticactivities incorporating links betweenknowledge and application. This typeof interactive multimedia instructionallows students the convenience ofreceiving training when and wherethey need it, as well as interruptingand reinstituting training as necessary.Further, it is grounded in basic"principles of individualized learning,and both the training and the testingare objectively and efficientlymeasured and tracked" (Halal &Liebowitz, 1994, p. 21).

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Customized presentations. AsDoucette (1994) states, "usingmultimedia in presentations willenhance the level of communicationwith a generation of students weanedon highly visual media, such astelevision and video games" (p. 21).Further, "multimedia technology isalso at the base of many simulationsthat are another powerful teachingtool" (Doucette, 1994, p. 21) used indisciplines as such nursing,engineering, history, etc.

Suggested Projects Using MultimediaEducators can author their own

jazzy presentations, of course; but tointensify the level of relevance forstudents, it is wise to have studentsauthor some jazzy multimediapresentations themselves. Projectscreated with software applicationssuch as Podium, Authorware, Compel,etc., reinforce students' learning ofcurriculum concepts throughapplication; and having studentspresent these self-authoredpresentations provides a wealth ofexperience in communicating beforegroups. Further, students' self-esteemand technological expertise arebolstered through successfullycreating and giving multimediapresentations. Examples of projectsauthored by undergraduate andgraduate students, as well as teachers,will be demonstrated in this session.

Future Uses of MultimediaPerceptions about multimedia

in general and its educational uses arebeginning to broaden. In 1993, Davispurposed the idea that multimedia hasmoved from consideration as aperipheral technology to the status ofa field where an exponential growthpattern is generated by productionand organization of applications in thefield. Future user needs will also

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mandate international cooperationand collaboration of business andeducators as new and innovativemultimedia applications aredeveloped. This cohesion will makeunderstanding multimedia conceptsand using multimedia authoringsoftware much easier for teachers andstudents alike.

Therefore, multimedia use will not belimited to on-site curriculum delivery.For instance, the concept of the"virtual college" has been espoused byJacobson (1995) as "breakthroughs inthe use of digital video for academicpurposes is [being implementedthrough a pilot program at] New YorkUniversity and the homes of about 20students. NYU's InformationTechnologies Institute is preparing tooffer a 16-credit graduate programentirely through an interactivenetwork that can transmit video filesand other multimedia elements intostudents' homes over high-speedtelephone lines" (p. A21).

If initiatives such as these and manyothers are to succeed, educators must:

learn to efficiently authormultimedia components to beincluded in the delivery of suchprograms

include projects into thecurriculum where students mayassociate context andapplication by creating andpresenting jazzy multimediapresentations.

remove the thought thatmultimedia is only "somethingextra " or "bells and whistles"

accept the concept that, liketextbooks, multimedia should

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be considered a legitimatemedium (Shields, 1995)

References

Doucette, D. (1994). Transformingteaching and learning usinginformation technology: Areport from the field. TheCommunity College Journal,65(2), 18-24.

Douglas, A. M. (1994). How to keepthe hunger for computertechnology manageable:Taming the electronic papertiger. Business Education Forum,49(2), 23-25.

Dyrli, 0. E., & Kinnaman, D. E.(1995). Moving aheadeducationally with multimedia.Technology & Education, 15(7),46-52.

Halal, W. E., & Liebowitz, J. (1994).Tele learning: The multimediarevolution in education. TheFuturist, 21-27.

Marino, P. Real-world learningthrough technology-basedinstruction: Making the powerconnection. Business EducationForum, 49(3), 21-23.

Richards, K. (1995). Integratingtechnology in the businesscurriculum. In Eisch, M. A.(Reporter), International Reviewfor Business Education, 126, 53-55.

Shields, J. (1995). Do-it-yourselfmultimedia. Technology andLearning, 15(4), 26-32.

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73

SUCCESSFULLY NAVIGATINGCOMMUNICATION CHANNELS

Mary Jean Lush

Michael ThompsonDelta State University

Getting the message across isthe most important thing that happensbetween an educator and student, andcommunication is the facilitator.Educators sometimes become soinvolved in trying to "cover the entirebook" that an important component inthe educational process,communication, gets lost along theway. Quality education evolves fromcommunication that leads tounderstanding. This presentationfocuses on various components of thecommunication process; suggests thevalue of perceiving students ascustomers rather than products; andprovides strategies to improvelistening skill, enhance "customer-service" ratings, and achievecommunication success.

Communication Process ComponentsCommunication may be

facilitated through gaining a thoroughunderstanding of the communicationprocess, barriers to that process, valueof cooperation and collaboration, andbenefits derived when business andmarketing educators apply acustomer-service philosophy towardstudents.

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Communication process.Components of the communicationprocess include a sender, a receiver, amessage, a channel, and feedback.The sender encodes an idea/messageto be sent to a receiver. The sendermust use audience analysis andempathy to determine the mostappropriate channel to deliver themessage. The receiver must thendecode the message, encode afeedback message, and select anappropriate channel to forward thefeedback to the sender. The senderdecodes the feedback message andcan, thereby, determine if the receiverunderstood the intended message.Without understanding no realcommunication occurs. Certainfactors (barriers) can impede the levelof understanding by the receiver.

Communication barriers. Manybarriers exist to disrupt thecommunication process (i.e., faultyaudience analysis, inappropriatechannel selection, and semanticdifficulties, to name a few).Nonverbal communication may alsohinder the process. This session willthoroughly discuss communicationbarriers, ways they may be overcome,

and benefits gained from identifyingand circumventing the barriers (i.e.,cross-discipline collaboration).

Cross-discipline cooperation.Faculty in vocational education'sseven disciplines work diligently toachieve a level of expertise in theirfield and to provide their studentswith the highest-quality educationalexperience possible. The problem isthat they tend to be myopic--focusingintently on the discipline content anddiminish the importance of thecommunication process. Rarely dothey consider similarities in thevarious disciplines; and even morerarely do they consider the value ofactually participating in cooperativecross-discipline delivery. Whenindividuals feel secure in their contentknowledge, communication isfacilitated. As an example, Marketingfaculty might wish to have a colleaguefrom Business Education speak tostudents about the communicationprocess model or the career search.Other examples of cross-disciplinecooperation will be provided duringthis session.

Customer-service philosophy.In today's market, you either developa customer-service strategy; or you say"Goodbye" to your business. Ifeducators thought of their professionas a "business," they would have toconsider their customer-service ratingfrom the students' perception.Educators consider students as theproduct, neglecting the value-addeddimension of the educational process..They provide all the technologicaltools students need for career successbut often omit the essential ingredient

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of communication skills. Teachersdeliver the lectures, demonstrations,and training then evaluate theirsuccess by the level of understandingexhibited by student performance on atest. However, educators sometimesoverlook the fact that the student isalso a customer. Educators should,therefore, think carefully about theways they communicate with student"customers," as well as the waysstudents communicate with them.What is customer service?

Customer-Service PhilosophyFacilitates Communication

Customer service is often thedifference between success andfailure, yet it is the one "job" whereminimal training is provided.Customer service is everyone's job.Each time a customer has contact withyour "company," he or she will leavewith one of two impressions--eithersatisfaction or dissatisfaction. Thesame can be said of student"customers." Students providefeedback on their level of customersatisfaction through oral discussionsand student evaluations of teaching.

Customer service is a philosophy, notan organizational department. Fromthe president to the mail room,everyone who has contact with acustomer is a customer-servicerepresentative. Customer service is atop-down, inside-out, full-contactsport. Are you in the game or on theside line?

Listening for UnderstandingCustomer service involves all

the components of the communication

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model--including listening skill.People spend about one-third of theirwaking hours involved in personal orprofessional listening activities;however, minimal time is devoted todelivering listening instruction(Winter, J. K., et al., 1992). This seemsan alarming contradiction. Further,research suggests that effectiveindividual performance is linked tolistening ability or the perception ofeffective listening (Haas & Arnold,1995; Cooper & Husband, 1993; Go len,1990; Seibert, 1990). Does listeningguarantee understanding?

When you present yourlectures, do students listen? Do youask for verbal feedback? Do youactually hear what they are saying?Without understanding, successfulcommunication has not been achieved.Particularly, in oral communicationinvolving both a speaker and listener,listening skill is essential to achievetotal understanding. On the otherhand, students cannot be forced tograsp what is being said. Rather, theymust be provided with tools whichwill facilitate not only listening, butalso active communication. Thissession will offer suggestions forimproving listening skill.

The result will be an improvedunderstanding of ways to successfullynavigate communication channels inorder to maximize understanding.The benefit from this enhanced levelof communication between educatorsand students will be an increase in theamount of information successfullytransmitted during the educationalprocess.

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References

Cooper, L., & Husband, R. (1993).Developing a model oforganizational listeningcompetency. Journal of theInternational ListeningAssociation, 7, 6-34.

Golan, S. (1990). A factor analysis ofbarriers to effective listening.The Journal of BusinessCommunication, 27, 25-36.

Hass, J. W., & Arnold, C. L. (1995).An examination of the role oflistening in judgments ofcommunication competence inco-workers. The Journal ofBusiness Communication, 32(2),123-139.

Seibert, J. (1990). Listening in theorganizational context. In R.Bostrom (Ed.), Listening behavior(pp. 119-127). New York:Guilford.

Winter, J. K., Waner, K. K., & Neal, J.C. (1992). The physicalactivities of the active listener.In T. W. Clipson, (Ed.),Proceedings of the 1992Association for BusinessCommunication Conference, 20-24.

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THE NORTH CAROLINA JOBREADYSYSTEM: KEY COMPONENTS

Loretta MartinNorth Carolina Governor's Workforce Commission

Many students graduate fromhigh school today without a clearpicture of their opportunities orwithout the skills necessary to succeedin the workplace or in furthereducation. Job Ready, providing anexus between workforcedevelopment, economic developmentand education reform, attempts toremedy this situation.

Job Ready is North Carolina'ssystem for ensuring that all studentshave a clearly identifiable, accessibleand attractive career pathway into theworkplace. Based on the concept oflocal partnerships of educators,employers, economic developmentrepresentatives, students, parents andothers, Job Ready provides aframework for local communities toaddress the needs of their studentsand their businesses. This frameworkincludes a number of keycomponents, which are addressedbelow.

All Students 4Job Ready is a system which

includes many programs and keycomponents to serve ALL students,from kindergarten throughpostsecondary education.

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Rigor/Higher Academic StandardsClasses are rigorous, regardless

of subject or career major. Studentsmust demonstrate competenciesthrough performance-basedassessments.

Work-based Learning ExperienceEach student, before graduation

from high school, will haveparticipated in at least one work-basedlearning experience. Teachers andcounselors will have participated inindustry internships as well.

Relevance/Integration of Academic &Vocational Curricula

Students see the relevance ofwhat they learn in school to the worldof work. Curriculum is integrated andlearning is applied.

Employer InvolvementEmployers are equal partners

with educators in developing andimplementing the JobReady system.Employers help to developcurriculum, provide work-basedlearning experiences for students andteachers, and recruit other employersto participate in JobReady activities.

Career Counseling/GuidanceAll students, beginning in

elementary school, receive information

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explaining to them the many optionsthey have when they leave highschool. Job Ready provides them withthe guidance necessary to prepare forfurther education and for a career.

Career Majors #All students must choose a

"career major" from a list of broadcareer clusters before the completionof the tenth grade.

Skill Standards *Certification of basic academic

skillsCertification of industry-related

skills

Professional DevelopmentProfessional development is a

critical "connecting activity" inJob Ready. Educators, employers andothers involved in Job Ready activitiesmust understand the system and theirroles in it. This includes givingteachers and counselors industryexperience and helping employers towork with students.

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Local PartnershipsOne of the most important

aspects of Job Ready is that it requiresa collaborative effort amongemployers, educators, economicdevelopment representatives, parents,students and others. Unlike manyother grants, Job Ready grants aregiven to Local Job Ready Partnerships,not to individual entities. Thegeographic boundaries of LocalJob Ready Partnerships are no smallerthan a county.

Post-secondary Education/LifelongLearning #

All students should have sometype of post-secondary education ortraining and should be prepared tolearn new skills throughout their lives.Job Ready helps students tounderstand that they have a variety ofpost-secondary options including aone-year certificate, a registeredapprenticeship, a two-year degree,and a four-year degree.

( Denotes components commonwith Standards and AccountabilityCommission)

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MAKIN' YOUR MARKETINGPERSONALITY WORK FOR YOU

William McPherson,Indiana University Of Pennsylvania

OverviewWithin recent years numerous studies

using Jung's type theory and the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator (MBTI) have beenconducted with teachers within variouseducational settings (Bowman, 1990; Ligon,1985; Luh, 1990; Miner, 1987; and Thompson,1984). Recently, many marketing educatorshave used the MBTI to determine personalitytypes among their populations (Elias & Elias,1990; and Plessman, 1985). Research withthe MBTI shows that most occupations havecharacteristic type patterns. Teachers ondifferent levels and different subjects tend toexhibit similar type preferences (Hammer,1987). A review of personality type researchstudies in marketing has discovered someinteresting and valuable information for thefield of marketing education. Anunderstanding and knowledge of marketingeducators' personality types will be the firststart in making your marketing personalitywork for you in business or in education.

The Myers-Briggs Type IndicatorThe MBTI is an appropriate tool to

measure marketing educators personalitytypes (Plessman, 1985; McPherson, 1994; andWaver & Echternacht, 1993). Myers andBriggs' purpose for the MBTI was not tomeasure people, but to sort them into groupsto which, in theory, they already belonged(Hammer, 1987, p. 76). Inasmuch as Jungtheorized that people's preferences are achoice between opposites, or dichotomies,

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and because the MBTI is based on Jung'stheories, all questions in the MBTI require aforced choice between poles of the samedimensions, Extroversion (E) or Introversion(I (I), Sensing (S) or Intuition (N), Thinking(T) or Feeling (F), and Judgment (J) orPerception (P). The MBTI, a psychometricquestionnaire, is the simplest and mostreliable method of determining a person'sJungian Type (Myers and Myers, 1990; andSoliday, 1992).

The Dominant Personality Types InMarketing Education

The two dominant MBTIpersonality types found amongmarketing educators are: Extroverted,Sensing, Feeling, and Judging (ESFJ)& Extroverted, Sensing, Thinking, andJudging (ESTJ). Myers andMcCaulley (1989) found the followingdescription of each personality type.

ESFJPeople with ESFJ preferences

radiate sympathy and fellowship.They concern themselves chiefly withthe people around them and place ahigh value on harmonious humancontacts. They are friendly, tactful,and sympathetic. They arepersevering, conscientious, orderlyeven in small matters, and inclined toexpect others to be the same. They areparticularly warmed by approval and

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sensitive to indifference. Much oftheir pleasure and satisfaction comesfrom the warmth of feeling of peoplearound them. ESFJs tend toconcentrate on the admirable qualitiesof other people and are loyal torespected persons, institutions, orcauses, sometimes to the point ofidealizing whatever they admire.

They have the gift of findingvalue in other people's opinions. Evenwhen these opinions are in conflict,they have faith that harmony cansomehow be achieved and they oftenmanage to bring it about. To achieveharmony, they are ready to agree withothers' opinions within reasonablelimits. They need to be careful,however, that they don't concentrateso much on the viewpoints of othersthat they lose sight of their own.

They are mainly interested inthe realities perceived by their fivesenses, so they become practical,realistic, and down-to-earth. Theytake great interest in the uniquedifferences in each experience. ESFJsappreciate and enjoy their possessions.They enjoy variety but can adapt wellto routine.

ESFJs are at their best in jobsthat deal with people and in situationswhere cooperation can be broughtabout through good will. They arefound in jobs such as teaching,preaching, and selling. Theircompassion and awareness of physicalconditions often attracts them tohealth professions where they canprovide warmth, comfort, and patientcaring. They are less likely to be

happy in work demanding mastery ofabstract ideas or impersonal analysis.They think best when talking withpeople, and enjoy communicating.They have to make a special effort tobe brief and businesslike and not letsociability slow them down on the job.

They like to base their plansand decisions upon known facts andon their personal values. While likingto have matters decided or settled,they do not necessarily want to makeall the decisions themselves. They runsome risk of jumping to conclusionsbefore they understand a situation. Ifthey have not taken time to gain first-hand knowledge about a person orsituation, their actions may not havethe helpful results they intended. Forexample, ESFJs beginning a newproject or job may do things theyassume should be done, instead oftaking the time to find out what isreally wanted or needed. They havemany definite "shoulds" and "shouldnots," and may express these freely.

ESFJs find it especially hard toadmit the truth about problems withpeople or things they care about. Ifthey fail to face disagreeable facts, orrefuse to look at criticism that hurts,they will try to ignore their problemsinstead of searching for solutions.

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ESTJESTJ people use their thinking

to run as much of the world as may betheirs to run. They like to organizeprojects and then act to get thingsdone. Reliance on thinking makesthem logical, analytical, objectivelycritical, and not likely to be convincedby anything but reasoning. They tendto focus on the job, not the peoplebehind the job.

ESTJs like to organize facts,situations, and operations related to aproject, and make a systematic effortto reach their objectives on schedule.They have little patience withconfusion or inefficiency, and can betough when the situation calls fortoughness.

ESTJs think conduct should beruled by logic, and govern their ownbehavior accordingly. They live by adefinite set of rules that embody theirbasic judgments about the world. Anychange in their ways requires adeliberate change in their rules.

ESTJs are more interested inseeing present realities than futurepossibilities. This makes them matter-of-fact, practical, realistic, andconcerned with the here-and-now.They use past experience to help themsolve problems and want to be surethat ideas, plans, and decisions arebased on solid fact.

ESTJs like jobs where theresults of their work are immediate,visible, and tangible. They have anatural bent for business, industry,production, and construction. They

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enjoy administration, where they canset goals, make decisions, and give thenecessary orders. Getting things doneis their strong suit.

Like the other decisive types,ESTJs run the risk of deciding tooquickly before they have fullyexamined the situation. They need tostop and listen to the other person'sviewpoint, especially with people whoare not in a position to talk back. Thisis seldom easy for them, but if they donot take time to understand, they mayjudge too quickly, without enoughfacts or enough regard for what otherpeople think or feel.

ESTJs may need to work attaking feeling values into account.They may rely so much on theirlogical approach that they overlookfeeling values-those which they careabout and those which others careabout. If feeling values are ignoredtoo much, they may build up pressureand find expression in inappropriateways. Although ESTJs are naturallygood at seeing what is illogical andinconsistent, they may need to exercisetheir feeling to appreciate otherpeople's merits and ideas. ESTJs whomake it a rule to mention what theylike, not merely what needscorrecting, find the results worthwhileboth in their work and in their privatelive.

SummaryMany studies (Little, 1972;

Olson, 1967; and Plessman, 1985) gavesupport to the uniqueness of theSMETC position and SMETCpersonality. The marketing educator

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personality type has undergoneconsiderable investigation. Elias &Elias (1990), McPherson (1994) andPlessman (1985) found the marketingeducation personnel they studied tohave a higher proportion of the ESTJand ESFJ personality types. Theseresearchers found that marketingeducators are different from othersecondary classroom instructors andexhibit some common personalitycharacteristics among themselves.

One must keep in mind that noparticular personality type is betterthan another type; however somepreferences and personality types arebetter suited for some careers (Wanerand Echternacht, 1993). Renewedinterest in teachers and personalitytypes is occurring on a national leveland has reminded us that the "historyof education has been concerned withwho teachers are and what they do"(Ligon, 1985, p. 7). As Damisch (1990)reminds us,

Teaching is an art and a science.The research indicates that bothwhat and how you teach makes adifference. The person, and his orher style and personalcharacteristics, must be effectivelycombined with methods andstrategies (p. 24).

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References

Bowman, A. M. (1990). The effect ofthe similarity between teacherpersonality type and studentpersonality type of students'achievement in a communitycollege setting. Unpublisheddoctoral dissertation, GeorgePeabody College for Teachersof Vanderbilt University.

Damisch, J. L. (1990). Teachingtechniques of outstandingteachers. Unpublished doctoraldissertation, Northern IllinoisUniversity, Dekalb, Illinois.

Elias, J. and Elias, J. (1990). Acomparison of personalitycharacteristics of University ofMissouri-Columbia marketingteacher education majors tosecondary school teachers,marketing education teachers,marketing personnel, and salespersonnel. The MarketingEducators Journal. 16, 23-34.

Hammer, L. E. (1987). Therelationship among teacherpreferences in teacherevaluation processes, subjectand grade levels taught, andteacher personality types.Unpublished doctoraldissertation, University ofNebraska, Lincoln, NE.

Ligon, J. (1985). Personality, subjectarea, time in service, andinstructional methods: A test ofHolland's theory. Unpublished

doctoral dissertation, ArizonaState University, Tempe, AZ.

Little, W. G. (1972). Relationshipsbetween certain personalitycharacteristics of post-secondary distributiveeducation personnel and jobsatisfaction. Unpublisheddoctoral dissertation,University of Minnesota,Minneapolis, MN.

Luh, S. P. (1990). A study of learningstyles, personality types, andbrain hemispheric preferencesof teacher education programs.Unpublished doctoraldissertation, Drake University.

McPherson, W. C. (1994). An analysisof personality types amongsecondary marketing educationteacher-coordinators and theirpreferences toward selectedinstructional methods.Unpublished doctoraldissertation, New YorkUniversity, NY, NY.

Miner, M. G. (1987). The relationshipbetween the Myers-Briggspreferences of secondaryteachers and their ratings of theseriousness of studentmisbehavior. Unpublisheddoctoral dissertation, TempleUniversity, Philadelphia, PA.

Myers, I. B. (1962). Myers-BriggsType Indicator manual. PaloAlto, CA: ConsultingPsychologists Press.

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. (1975). Manual: Myers-Briggs Type Indicator. PaloAlto, CA: ConsultingPsychologists Press.

. (1987). Introduction toType. Palo Alto, CA:Consulting Psychologists Press.

, and McCaulley, M. H.(1989). Manual: A guide to thedevelopment and use of theMyers-Briggs Type Indicator,15th ed. Palo Alto: CA:Consulting Psychologists Press.

, and Myers, P. B. (1990).Gifts Differing. Palo Alto, CA:Consulting Psychologists Press.

Olson, H. Jr. (1967). Relationshipsbetween certain personalitycharacteristics of distributiveeducation teacher-coordinatorsand job satisfaction.Unpublished doctoraldissertation, University ofMinnesota, Minneapolis, MN.

Plessman, C. K. (1985). Therelationship betweenpersonality characteristics andjob satisfaction of secondarymarketing education teachers.Unpublished doctoraldissertation, University ofNebraska-Lincoln.

Soliday, S. F. L. (1992). A study ofpersonality types/learningstyles of secondary vocationaltechnical education students.Unpublished doctoraldissertation, Oklahoma StateUniversity, Stillwater, OK.

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Thompson, L. L. (1984). Aninvestigation of the relationshipof the personality theory of CarlG. Jung and teachers' self-reported perceptions anddecisions. Unpublisheddoctoral dissertation, The OhioState University, Columbus,OH.

Waner, K., and Echternacht, L. (1993).Using the Myers-Briggs TypeIndicator to comparepersonality types of businessteachers who teach officeoccupations with personalitytypes of office professionals.The Delta Pi Epsilon Journal.Volume 35, 2, 53-68.

'7Q

PROJECT AIMEACADEMIES OF

INTERNATIONAL MARKETINGEDUCATION

Terrance P. O'BrienNorth Carolina State University

PurposeThe purpose of Project AIME is

to develop and implement three two-year high school academies whichfocus on international marketing,specifically on trade between smalland medium size U. S. businesses andPacific Rim countries including Japan,China, Malaysia, Singapore,Indonesia, and Taiwan. The academieswill be designed to integratevocational and academic learning inthe areas of marketing, English, socialstudies, and foreign language andculture, utilizing the overarchingtheme of international marketing andthe global economy. Educationaltechnology will play an essential rolein learning activities within theacademies. Academy programs willalso be articulated with communitycolleges and institutions of highereducation. In addition to improvingthe education of students enrolled inthese academies through holistic andtechnological strategies, the AIME

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schools will serve as demonstrationsites for other schools and schoolsystems interested in the academymodel, innovative uses of educationaltechnology, and internationalmarketing education. When fullydeveloped, these schools will providemodels which could be used toestablish academies focusing on otherareas of significant trade andeconomic importance to the U.S., suchas Latin America.

Project Objectives1. Establishment of an

Academy of International MarketingEducation at Jordan High School inDurham, South Granville High Schoolin Granville County, and Apex HighSchool in Wake County.

2. Integration of vocational andacademic instruction in the areas ofmarketing, English, social studies, andforeign language and culture.

3. Professional development oftwelve high school teachers, four per

school, to teach holistically inacademy environments, to increasetheir understanding of the globaleconomy, to utilize the Internet andWorld Wide Web for instructionalpurposes, and to serve as models forother professional educators.

4. Preparation of high schoolstudents with the knowledge,attitudes, and skills necessary tofurther their education and ultimatelycompete in a global economy andexercise the rights and responsibilitiesof citizenship (National EducationGoal 2000).

5. Establishment of anAdvisory Board for InternationalMarketing Education comprised ofrepresentatives from business,industry, and governmental agenciesengaged in or affected by internationaltrade, to provide direction andsupport for the academies.

6. Development of meaningfulworking relationships amongacademies, businesses and industries,and" governmental agencies toimprove the education of high schoolstudents.

7. Development of integratedcourse blueprints, curriculum guides,instructional resource materials, andtest banks, all in electronic formats, inthe area of international marketingeducation.

8. Provide academy studentswith opportunities to developknowledge and appreciation of othercultures through planned learningexperiences within the academies,

communication via the World WideWeb, and opportunities for advancedstudents to travel to Asia to enhanceand reinforce their understanding.

9. Development of articulationagreements between academies,community colleges, and institutionsof higher education whereby academygraduates receive college credit oradvanced standing in businesssubjects and foreign languages, orhave the opportunity to enroll incollege business courses during theirsenior year.

10. Encouragement andreinforcement of collaboration,teamwork, and technology utilizationto improve education and to preparestudents for Workforce 2000.

11. Provide a centralclearinghouse and resource repositoryfor the integration of efforts by variousacademic, governmental, and businessentities in North Carolina engaged inwork toward similar goals, in order tomaximize effectiveness andcooperation, and minimizeduplication of effort.

Student Learning OutcomesBy participating in an Academy

of International Marketing Education,students will develop understandingof the principles of strategic andinternational marketing; knowledge ofproducts and services; understandingof the nature of the global economy;insights into the relationships amonghistory, politics, culture, andeconomics; appreciation for the

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interdependence of all peoples andcountries in the world; effectivepersonal and business communicationskills; advanced knowledge ofinformation technology; advancedcritical thinking and problem solvingskills; understanding and appreciationof cultural differences; knowledge andunderstanding of Asian language andculture; a global perspectiveprerequisite to responsible globalcitizenship, and an understanding ofthe skills required to compete in themodern, global workplace. ThroughProject AIME and subsequentparticipation in planned andarticulated higher education, studentswill truly possess the knowledge andskills necessary to compete in a globaleconomy and exercise the rights andresponsibilities of citizenship.

Academy StructureThe academy at each of the

designated high schools will consist ofteams of four teachers from thedisciplines of English, social studies,foreign languages, and marketingeducation, with the latter serving aslead teacher for the academy team.The two-year academy will enrollgroups of 25 students in their junioryear of high school who will continuein the academy with the same teachersthrough both their junior and senioryears. The cohort group will be blockscheduled each year in the four coresubjects which comprise the academy.An illustration of an academycurriculum is provided in Figure 1.

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Figure 1. Sample Curriculum Modelfor a Project AIME Academy

Junior Year

Marketing Course: Strategic MarketingEnglish Course: General English IIISocial Studies Course: United States HistoryLanguage Course: Chinese I or Japanese I

Senior Year

Marketing Course: International MarketingEnglish Course: General English IVSocial Studies Course: World GeographyLanguage Course: Chinese II or Japanese II

The teachers in each academywill have a common planning periodand meet regularly to develop andarticulate curriculums, studentlearning activities, student evaluationstrategies, and to discuss the progressof individual students. Academieswill be sponsored by businesses andgovernmental agencies involved ininternational trade and members ofthe Advisory Board for Project AIME.These businesses and agencies willprovide mentors for individualstudents, class speakers, shadowingopportunities, internships,instructional resources, site visits, andother forms of support.

Educational TechnologyThe vision of Project AIME is to

provide academy teachers andstudents full access to computertechnology consisting of a local areanetwork (LAN) with dedicated file

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server space, full desktop publishingcapabilities, and connection to theInternet and World Wide Web(WWW) via Netscape interface.Netscape and the WWW will enablestudents to explore an enormous,rapidly expanding universe ofinformation and provide them withpowerful capabilities for interactingwith information and people aroundthe world. This technology will alsoallow students to participate incooperative learning activities withstudents in Asian schools, and couldpotentially be used to develop actualstudent enterprises on the Internet.Commercial uses of the WWW areincreasing exponentially and it wouldbe a relatively simple process forstudents to establish their ownbusinesses to market products andservices internationally by creatingtheir own home pages on the Web.

Partnership Schools in the PacificRim

An important part of the ProjectAIME vision is the establishment of aformal partnership between eachacademy and a counterpart schoollocated in a Pacific Rim country.Academy students and faculty willdevelop and maintain regularcommunications with students andteachers in their partner school via theWWW and other media. Together,academy and partner school teacherswill design cooperative educationalactivities which integrate academicand vocational learning, focus on

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international marketing and globaleconomics, foster critical thinking andproblem solving, improvecommunication skills, and increasestudent understanding of culturaldiversity. These activities makeextensive use of desktop publishingand the WWW.

Computer-Based Senior ProjectsDuring their senior year,

students will be required to completesenior projects to develop self-directedlearning, critical thinking, andproblem solving skills. The seniorprojects will require students to applythe marketing and academic skillsthey have learned through theacademy experience to address asignificant aspect of internationalmarketing and the global economy.Final projects will be in the form ofelectronic presentations, withsupplemental verbal explanations, toall academy students and faculty,subsequently published on WWWhome pages for internationaldistribution. The computerpresentations will incorporate text,graphic, audio, and videocomponents.

Advisony BoardAn Advisory Board will be

established for Project AIME toprovide guidance and support for allof the Academies of InternationalMarketing Education. Primaryresponsibilities of the Advisory Boardwill be to advise project participants in

matters relating to curriculum,professional development of academyteachers, design of learning activities,identification of instructionalresources, financial resources, andcollaboration with businesses andgovernmental agencies. The Boardwill play a significant role inarranging mentor relationships, classspeakers, shadowing experiences,internships, and site visits, as well asadvising academy teachers andstudents with advice and insight intothe practical applications of theircurriculum in the business world. TheBoard will also be instrumental inhelping academy staff develop plansfor obtaining financial support forequipment, training, and travel.Organizations that have expressedinterest in serving on the AdvisoryBoard include: North CarolinaDepartment of Commerce, NorthCarolina Department of PublicInstruction, World Trade Center NorthCarolina, North Carolina World TradeAssociation, Central CarolinaConsortium, Aeroglide Corporation,McNair & Sanford Attorneys at Law,The Sirchie Group, TriangleLaboratories, and IBM.

Senior Trip AbroadDuring the latter part of their

senior year, academy students will beprovided the opportunity toparticipate in a one or two week tripto an Asian country, visiting citiessuch as Tokyo, Singapore, Hong Kong,

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or Kuala Lumpur. The purpose of theeducational trip is to provide aculminating experience in whichstudents are actually immersed in aculture very different from their ownso that they can develop genuinepersonal appreciation for thecomplexity of coping with profoundsocietal differences.

ConclusionRecognition of the significance

of the global economy has sparkedmany important new initiatives ineducation and industry. Approachinginstruction with a more globalperspective is critical if we want ourstudents to start thinking outsidetypical United States parameters.Such instructional approaches areessential if students are to understandand truly value the vast world marketavailable to small and medium sizeAmerican businesses. Project AIMEaddresses not only the necessity tointroduce students to internationalconcepts, it also addresses some vitaltrends in education. The integrationof curriculum, vertically as well ashorizontally, development of holisticapproaches to instruction, and greaterutilization of technology are allmovements that will undoubtedlyimprove the education of our students.

02

INFORMATION OVERLOAD ORINFORMATION LITERACY? WAYS

TO HELP STUDENTSPREPARE FOR 2015

Rita ReavesEast Carolina University

The Commission for aCompetitive North Carolina, chairedby Governor Hunt, has been workingfor the last few years to focus on onequestion: Where do we want NorthCarolina to be by the year 2015? Theseleaders from business, government,and academia are gathering responsesfrom people throughout the state to aplan that identifies eight goals for thestate. One goal is to prepare "a highperformance workforce" described asfollows:

Technological advances willcontinue to transform business andindustry, forcing workers to performincreasingly complex tasks, no matterwhat their position. In thisenvironment, employees will have tothink critically, learn continuously,work in teams, and make importantdecisions.

The world of work will not bewhat it was for our parents. . . nolonger will employment assurepermanent job security. . . no longerwill workers be able to get by withoutbasic computing and other technicalskills. Something will have to change.

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Our responsibility as educatorsis to provide leadership to bring aboutsome of those changes. We must beginto make a better connection betweenwhat we teach and what studentsneed to work effectively in a rapidly,radically changing world. "As theindustrial system of the 1900sdisappears and a new global economyemerges, North Carolina will prosperonly if our people can compete withany workforce in the world, "concludes the governor's taskforce.

The change I propose here isthat we sharpen our focus on what Ithink of as "information literacy;"- -that is, helping students learn to usewhat they read and what they hear, tobecome communicators who achieveresults, and to use technology tocommunicate. Here I offer five links toinformation literacy, five ways tobuild the skills students mustdemonstrate in the new workplace.

1. Develop assignments requiring"technical reading." Students in allfields will need to be able to readfor information, to read technicalmaterials, and to apply what they

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read. Willard Daggert, Director ofthe International Center forLeadership Education, calls thisskill "technical reading " -- one hesees as "critical for 21st centuryworkers," yet "nowhere do we teachit" (Executive Educator, 1994). Is heright? Think about how seldom werequire students to read withoutproviding them our interpretationof what they are assigned, hownon-technical many of our texts are,and the few ways in which we askstudents to use what they read--notto report what they read or use it topass a test -- but literally to use theinformation to do something. Thenew workforce will receive most oftheir information on-line. Workerswill read, interpret, and respond toinformation, and the result will beintegrated instantaneously into thework of other groups. How well canour students do that today?"Something has to change."

2. Use writing assignments to helpstudents "plug in" to information.According to the HarvardAssessment Seminars (1993), "Therelationship we found between theamount of writing required for acourse and students' level ofengagement with it is stronger thanany other course characteristic."Design assignments to give studentsthe opportunity to explain, describe,persuade, or instruct you aboutvery specific topics; make them the"subject matter experts" who mustprepare information for others touse.

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3. Build in assignments that call forstudents to use technology to locateand communicate information. InNew Work Habits for a RadicallyChanging World, Pritchett (1994)provides some perspective on howcritical technology has become inmanaging information: "In 1991, forthe first time ever, companies spentmore money on computing andcommunications gear than thecombined money spent onindustrial, mining, farm, andconstruction equipment." Few jobstoday call for students tocommunicate without technology.

Where will we be by 2015?Pritchett offers some insight: "Let'ssay you're going to a party, so youpull out some pocket change andbuy a little greeting card that plays"Happy Birthday" when it's opened.After the party, someone casuallytosses the card into the trash,throwing away more computerpower than existed in the entireworld before 1950." Randall Tobias,a former Vice Chairman of AT&T,comments on the pace of change incomputer technology: "If we hadsimilar progress in automotivetechnology, today you could buy aLexus for about $2. It would travelat the speed of sound, and go about600 miles on a thimble of gas."

Are our students usingtechnology to communicate? Weneed to transform this part of ourcurriculum to prepare them for theways in which they willcommunicate. Instead of turning intheir papers, they need to be

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transferring computer files. Insteadof copying assignments from theboard, they need to be readingdaily postings on electronic bulletinboards [See more suggestions inDon Doucette's article"Transforming Teaching andLearning Using InformationTechnology" in the Oct/Nov 1994Community College Journal].

4. Give students experience in havingothers use their writing. In"Remembering Writing,Remembering Reading," awonderful article in the December1994 College Composition andCommunication, Deborah Brandtexplores "literacy learning as it hasoccurred across the twentiethcentury."

From her interviews withparticipants, she concludes thatwriting "is surrounded by privacy,secrecy, and suspicion." Think againabout your students. How many ofthem write only for your eyes(when required to write) or only forthe eyes of a confidante (whenmoved to write). No one else issupposed to SEE what they write,much less DO anything with it! Todevelop this link to informationliteracy, we need to design learningactivities that make writing a publicactivity.

Peer review is a good way forstudents to begin to understandwriting for purposes beyond aninstructor's review. Jan Rehner'snew book, Practical Strategies forCritical Thinking, suggests that

students form "writingpartnerships" where they give oneanother suggestions as READERS:"Here is where you lose me -- howdo you get from A to B?" The goalof this and similar approaches is notto co-author the paper, but to givestudent writers the chance to see theresult of their writing.

5. Look for opportunities to generatecritical thinking and problemsolving. The new workplace willrequire our students tocommunicate what they know andwhat they think they know to othersin an organized way. Has ourcontent been too prescribed? Canwe encourage critical thinking byfocusing more on problem solvingin communications? Think of waysin which we could developinformation literacy by designingspeaking, reading, writing, andthinking activities that call forstudents to describe the following:1) What is the problem? 2) What arethe alternatives? 3) What are theadvantages and disadvantages ofeach alternative? 4) What is thesolution? and 5) How well is thesolution working? (Chaffee, 1988).

To succeed in their careers,students must be able to useinformation. Perhaps these ideas willspark ways you can help yourstudents develop information literacy.2015 is coming fast.

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References

Brandt, D. "Remembering Writing,Remembering Reading."College Composition andCommunication 45 (1994):459-479.

Chaffee, J. Thinking Critically. ThirdEdition, 1991. New York:Houghton Mifflin CollegeDivision. Commission for aCompetitive North Carolina.1994. Creating a CompetitiveNorth Carolina. Raleigh, NC:Author.

Daggert, W. "Today's Students,Yesterday's Schooling."Executive Educator, (1994):18-21.

Doucette, Don. "TransformingTeaching and Learning UsingInformation Technology."Community College Journal(1994): 19-24.

Pritchett, Price. The Employee Handbookof New Work Habits for aRadically Changing World: 13Ground Rules for Job Success inthe Information Age. Dallas:Pritchett, 1994.

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87

INCREASE REVENUE ANDREDUCE EXPENSES USING CROSS

MARKETINGJoseph Ricci

American Society Of Industrial Securities, VAMichael L. Coe,

McKinley Marketing, Inc., MDAs an association professional

you are under growing pressure toincrease revenues and to provide moremember benefits and services withoutincreasing dues. In today's highlycompetitive global marketplace thismeans placing more emphasis on non-dues revenue generators such aseducational programs and materials,special projects, affinity programs andmore. As your organization's offeringsexpand, you are asked to do morewith limited budgets while increasingreturn on investment. Fortunately, ifyour association is like most, it is notmaximizing its marketing resources.This presents you with anopportunity.

Implementing the cost-savingapproach of cross marketing can playa key role in maximizing yourresources and your association's.Cross marketing improves thecoordination of communicationsregarding your association's productsand services, allowing you to increaserevenues while maintaining orreducing expenses.

What is Cross Marketing?Cross marketing can be defined

as the "promotion of multipleproducts, services and benefits ofmembership in single, coordinatedefforts aimed at multiple audiencesthrough multiple vehicles." In simplerterms, this means vehiclestraditionally reserved for one revenuecenter in an association, meetings andexpositions for example might carryinformation for another revenuecenter, perhaps publications, if theaudiences are compatible. This shiftsthe focus of marketing away from theinternal divisions of the associationtoward the external characteristics ofyour membership and potentialcustomers.

Before examining in moredetail the types of cross marketingopportunities that exist for mostassociations, let us first review thesteps for achieving thecommunications and coordinationnecessary to develop an effective crossmarketing plan.

Steps to Identifying and ImplementingCross Marketing Opportunities

For your cross marketingefforts to have maximum impact, it is

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imperative to be systematic in yourapproach. The following five stepswill allow you to develop a completepicture of your association's productsand services and identify thecommunication channels necessary tocreate a comprehensive Crossmarketing plan that best meets therequirements presented by youraudience.

Compile a list of ALL associationproducts and service

This list should include allproducts and services producing,or having the potential to produce,revenue for the association. Eachproduct or service listing shouldinclude information useful indetermining the appropriatevehicle(s) for communicating topotential customers. The list canbe divided by department,functional areas, or any othersegmentation useful fordeveloping internal and externalchannels of communication,coordination and decision-making.

Compile a list of ALL associationcommunicationschannels/vehicles

This list should identify allforms of communication producedby your association and include allapplicable audience informationand timing. Be sure to includenon-traditional marketing channelssuch as renewal statements,invoices, fax cover sheets, on-linenetworks and affinity notices andbills.

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Some of the less traditionalchannels may result in immediatecost savings and increasedexposure of any number ofproducts or services. Thesechannels often provide greatopportunities for promotingannual events, new products orservices or emphasizing particularmembership benefits.

Develop a comprehensiveproduction schedule for thevehicles/channels and a preferredschedule for the delivery ofpromotional materials for thevarious products and services

This process allows you tomatch-up continuous and semi-annual vehicles/channels, such asinvoices, monthly magazines,newsletters, affinity invoices andmailings, with the plannedschedule for delivery materialspertaining to specific programs,such as your annual conference orother educational programs, thedistribution of your publicationscatalog and other promotionalactivities that must reach targetedaudiences at specific plannedintervals or weeks out from events.

Create composites for each productand service including targetaudience, message, goal/objective,delivery schedule and budget

Create composites of eachproduct and service usinginformation from your existingmarketing plan or informationgathered from your colleagues.These composites should includethe intended audience, potential

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new areas for sales growth, themarketing message that should bereflected in the promotionalmaterials, the benefits orcharacteristics that distinguishyour offerings from competitorsand the quantity desired fordistribution.

Integrate the PlanUsing the information gathered

in the steps above, createintegrated profiles of each plannedcommunication with yourmembers and potential customers.These profiles should include apromotional schedule, specificaudience demographics andproducts compatibility withspecific vehicles/channels.

The easiest way to accomplishthis is to array the lists andcomposites in a grid to identify thecommon audiences, productionand delivery schedules. Once youare finished, you will find that youhave developed a completelyintegrated marketing plan,encompassing allproducts/services andvehicles/channels. This integratedplan will allow you to maximizethe marketing resources availableto your organization whilemaintaining or reducing expenses.

"That Might be Great SomewhereElse, but It Won't Work Here!"

Now that you have a fullyintegrated cross marketing plan allthat remains is implementation, right?Maybe not. To gather the informationnecessary to develop an integrated

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plan, specific organizationalcharacteristics or elements must bepresent. And you must overcome theterritorialism and personalidentification individuals haveattached to products and vehicles,including design, content andschedule. These political aspectsrepresent the greatest threat tosuccessful implementation of a crossmarketing effort. For success, thefollowing conditions must exist:

A Cooperative Environment BetweenDepartments

It may seem fundamental, butthe lack of communication andcooperation between departments isthe single biggest barrier indevelopment of cross marketinginitiatives. Before you begin theprocess of gathering information andcompiling lists, it is important torecognize that different departmentshave different goals and often areworking with separate revenue andexpense streams or budgets. Thisgenerally means that little or noincentive exists for interdepartmentalcooperation and joint efforts topromote products and services fromother departments.

To successfully implementcross marketing you must secure thecooperation and understanding of theprocess between all departments. Thismeans identifying specific benefits foreach department director, and/orstaff, as well as the benefits createdbetween departments.

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Formal Communications BetweenDepartments

A formal structure ofcommunication and accountabilitymakes interdepartmental cooperationmuch easier to secure. This meansdesignating an individual(s) todevelop the integrated plan andproviding them with theresponsibility, authority andaccountability necessary to ensure thefull cooperation of individual. Thiscan be a centralized marketingfunction, a hybrid marketing functionor a special working team.

The optimal environment forimplementing cross marketing is anorganization where the marketingfunction has been centralized, where asingle department is responsible andaccountable for coordinating all themarketing efforts of the organization.The benefits of this situation includestandardization of messages anddesign, a dedicated, responsibleprofessional(s) with the skills andtools necessary to facilitate completionof the planning and an element ofcontinuity that will carry over fromyear to year.

Now That You Have an IntegratedPlan, Here Are Some Examples

Cross marketing can take avariety of forms. The simplest isproviding additional check boxes onany response mechanism sent tomembers or prospects for thecustomers to request additionalinformation or to purchase a variety ofrelated products. Other examples:

Use every communication, evenfax cover sheets. You can run a

monthly special on a selected,general interest publication,placing the responsemechanism on association faxcover sheets.

Each time a fax is sent,this offer is presented to aninterested audience withoutincurring additional expense.This wasted space becomes aninstant revenue generator.

Use all mail going out to yourmembers -- even if its not fromyou. Distribute information totargeted customers by insertinginformation in theorganizations affinity creditcard statements or promotionalpackages. This saves postageand reminds the member ofthis additional member benefit.

Place information ortestimonials emphasizingmembership benefits inrenewal statements, againsaving postage and leading tohigher retention rates byreinforcing the individual's orcorporation's value for theirdues dollar. This worksparticularly well if your canplace dollar values on specificbenefits, such as magazinesubscriptions, free publicationsdistributed to members orvalued membership services.

Gang information in mailings.A prospect list being used tomarket a seminar series mightalso be an appropriate target

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for an associationpublication(s).

In most organizations,these products would bepromoted separately, wastingresources. Instead they shouldbe cross marketed. This has adual benefit, saving money byreducing the number ofcampaigns addressed tooverlapping audiences and,perhaps more importantly, itcreates synergy betweencomplementary associationservices where none existedbefore while providing a moreunified overall presentation ofthe association and its productsand services.

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1®J.

TRENDS FORBUSINESS EDUCATION

Horace RobertsonBusiness & Marketing Section

North Carolina Workforce Development

OverviewElectronic information systems

are revolutionizing transactions forworkers and consumers. People mustunderstand how to access, use, andevaluate systems affecting theirpersonal and work life. Businessconcepts are becoming a new basic forall workers. The people who willthrive will view tomorrow'sworkplace as a market. Workerstherefore view their internal andexternal clients the same as we havetraditionally viewed an independentsupplier. Tomorrow's organizationsare going to be linked chains ofsuppliers and customers. Businessgraduates must have the businessskills to serve as suppliers tocustomers.

Virtual OfficeBecause of technology, the

virtual office may allow futureworkers to work at home, on the road,or to stop by a traditional cubicle toplug in their laptop. Non-traditionalworkdays are becoming morecommon with more than a quarter ofthe workforce holding part-time ortemporary jobs.

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The virtual office is changing theenvironment in which workers willwork in the future.Business is "informating" theworkplace. Information technologyinserts"data" in between theworkers and the product. Workersmanipulate the data to achieve thework tasks.

ComputersKeyboards are being used to

input and manipulate data throughoutschools. keyboard are the predominatetool workers use to communicate withcomputers and to control businessprocesses in all workplaces

Keyboarding instruction isbecoming an essential skill forelementary and middle gradestudents.Computers are textbooks, worktools, and leisure tools of todayand tomorrow.Business skills are demanded ofthe majority of workers regardlessof the occupation. Most workersuse a broad array of fundamentalbusiness skills, includingkeyboarding and computer usage.

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International WorkplaceThe international workplace

requires changes in worker, process,and product.

Successful businesses are having topersonalize products and servicesmore.Today's technology allows workersto perform office work anywherein the world yet interact withclients and customers just as if theywere in the same building.

Administrative & ManagementSupport Jobs

Administrative andmanagement support occupations areexpanding and changing withdownsizing.

Management support occupationswill grow from 23% to37% between 1992 and 2005.Administrative supportoccupations will grow from 7% to18% during the same period.Because of downsizing thepercentage of administrativesupport personnel, who are selfemployed, will double.Jobs are being eliminated morerapidly than anytime in history.The average company will becomesmaller, employing fewer people.Businesses with fewer than 100employees are expected to accountfor almost two-thirds of new jobs.

Entrepreneurial OpportunitiesEntrepreneurial opportunities

abound as organizations re-engineerthemselves.

The Small Business Administrationin the first 10 months of fiscal year

'95 granted 46,800 small businessloans, nearly double the 24,200approved for all of FY '92.The percentage of managementsupport personnel who are selfemployed will more than triplebetween 1992 and 2005.

Table 1Implications for Business Education Trends

1. Offer keyboarding as a basic prerequisiteskill for all business education courses.

2. Develop keyboarding and computerliteracy skills in the 6th and 7th grades.

3. Develop a keyboarding exam todetermine students' proficiency.

4. Focus the curriculum, career pathwaysand texts on business principles andskills rather than preparation for one job.

5. Design the curriculum and identifyequipment to prepare students forworking in a virtual office.

6. Focus course work systems thinking,TQM, business processes, timemanagement,and leadership skills.

7. Prepare students for entrepreneurship.

8. Implement international businesscompetencies to focus students on theopportunities of conducting businessacross national boundaries.

9. Integrate world studies with businesscourses.

10. Include management concepts in allcourse blueprints to prepare students forincreasingly more complex projectmanagement.

11. Emphasize the changed role ofsecretaries in exploring Business andMarketing.

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12. Focus instruction on using skills to workin internal or free lance opportunities.

13. Incorporate personal and businessfinance skills students will use in theemerging economy.

14. Develop/revise blueprints andcurriculum guides to include careerinformation searches.

15. Offer a new finance career pathway.

16. Encourage students in the SmallBusiness/Entrepreneurship course todevelop business plans for businesses inemerging opportunity niches.

17. Encourage work-based learningexperiences for all students.

18. Form partnerships with employers toprovide authentic experiences forstudents.

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EMC MIDDLE SCHOOLKEYBOARDING

Jo Ann SherronJ. Sargeant Reynolds Community College

Richmond, VA

What Is Keyboarding?Keyboarding is a complex skill

made up of finely discriminatedmovement patterns that depend uponinterrelated sensory, perceptual, mental,and motor inputs and outputs whichmust occur close together in time.

Keyboarding is a psychomotorskill. Its learning and performanceinvolve mental processes as well asfinely coordinated muscularmovements. Keyboarding consists ofmaking responses to situations orstimuli.

Cumulative skillif studentslearn using one or two fingers, theseincorrect stroking patterns becomehabits. Once these incorrect habits areingrained, they are quite difficult tobreak.

WIT do middle school students needkeyboarding?

Virtually all jobs for today'smiddle school students will requirecomputer skills. A touch keyboarding

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skill will be a definite asset foremployment.

Schools have limited computerlabs. Students need to be proficientkeyboarders to use the equipment moreefficiently. Keyboarding should betaught before or as soon as studentsbegin word processing or othercomputer-based communicationactivities.

Students should use thecomputer to carry out the steps in thewriting process. Without adequatekeyboarding skills, writing usingcomputers is difficult and timeconsuming.

Goals Of Middle School KeyboardingAll students will be able to

keyboard by touch at a minimum rate of20-25 words a minute. For one-yearcoursesa minimum rate of 30-40 wordsa minute is suggested.

Students will demonstrateappropriate techniques while using thetouch method of keyboarding. Students

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will be able to use the computer as awriting tool.

Sununanj Of Related Research AndLiterature

Without keyboarding instruction,students will keyboard at half the rate (5wpm) that they write with a pencil (7-10) (Wetzel). The average keyboardingrate of untrained middle school studentsis 4.5 wpm. (Stoeckner)

Insufficient time allotted tokeyboarding instruction will lead tofailure to achieve automaticity. Fortouch keyboarding to be useful, theprocess must be automatic and studentsmust reach a speed superior to theirhandwriting speed. (Balajthy)

Students can develop a usablekeyboarding skill in approximately 25hours of instruction (Erickson).Students will regress in their touchkeyboarding skills if they do not utilizethis new skill at intervals during the restof the year. Once students reachapproximately 20-25 wpm, they retainmore of their touch keyboarding skills(Wetzel).

Middle school is an ideal time foreffective touch keyboarding instruction.Students at this level can develop atouch skill in a relatively short time andcan transfer this skill to language-basedactivities (Erickson).

Instruction in language-orientedtasks using word processors should

follow basic keyboarding instruction.This instruction should be provided byinstructors who continue to encourageproper keying skills (Balajthy).

Who Should Teach Middle SchoolKeyboarding?

Business educators who havebeen trained in the methodology ofteaching keyboarding. Businesseducators/non-business educators in ateam teaching situation. Businesseducators should provide the training inmethodology.

Non-business educators mustpossess a touch keyboarding skill andreceive instruction in methodology.

Keyboarding Skill Acquisition FactorsFeedback or knowledge of

results is essential for the developmentof psychomotor skills. Quantitativegoals should be individualized. Earlyerrors and awkward techniques shouldbe ignored. Best results are achievedfrom short class periods ofapproximately 45 minutesmeetingdaily.

Two new keys per lesson seem tobe appropriate for this age learner. Textmaterial should allow for early keyingof normal prose in word and sentenceformat

A speed approach tokeyboarding has been shown byresearch to be superior to an accuracyapproach. Accuracy standards should

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be introduced gradually. Primaryemphasis on accuracy should bedelayed until all keys have beenlearned.

Speed and accuracy should bedeveloped separately. Pacing or speedforcing is desirable for developingspeed, improving keying techniques,and decreasing students' dependence onsight

Correct techniques should bedemonstrated and instructors shouldinsist that students use correcttechniques.

Suggested Implementation Model ForMiddle Schools

Less than eighteen weeks oftouch keyboarding on alphabet and top-row number keys at a minimum of 20wpm.

Eighteen weeks include unit on usingthe word processor. Increase straight-copy skill level to 25-30 wpm.Encourage use of word processor inpreparing assignments, reports, termpapers, class assignments, and otheractivities that promote the use of thecomputer as a communication tool.

Thirty-six weeks introduce moresophisticated document formattingincluding reports, business letters, andmemorandums. Continue emphasis oncomputer as a communication tool.Increase straight-copy skill level to 30-40wpm.

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TRICKS OF THE TRADE:TEACHING "HANDS-ON"

APPLICATIONS OF SOFTWAREBonnie Skelton

Radford University, Radford, VADebbie Quesenberry

New River Community College, Dublin, VA

IntroductionIn the past, many business

skills-oriented classes centered aroundthe typewriter and the formatting ofbusiness documents. While changesdid occur in the business skills subjectarea, they were gradual. Over time,the equipment advanced from manualtypewriters to electric and evenmemory-based machines. Documentformats were revised to reflect a moremodern, less formal businessenvironment. Since these changeswere gradual, business educatorswere able to integrate the newtechnology and document formats intotheir teaching materials and courseplans by making modifications to theirexisting course materials.

Many of the business skillsubjects today center around the useof the microcomputer and applicationssoftware. Both microcomputerhardware and software are changingso rapidly that it is a real struggle forbusiness educators to find the time intheir already full schedules to keep upwith the newest technology and makeit available to their students. The

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changes are so diverse that it is oftenno longer possible to modify existingcourse materials. Many changesrequire existing courses to becompletely refocused or new coursesadded.

With the constant introductionof more sophisticated equipment andmore comprehensive software, it hasbecome increasingly important forbusiness educators to help each other.One way that business teachers can dothis is by sharing the knowledge andexperiences that they have developedfrom teaching applications software.Some of the areas in which sharingknowledge and experience, or "tricks-of-the-trade," can be very useful areclassroom design, instructionalergonomics, andgrading/maintenance.

Classroom DesignA well designed classroom can

save the instructor time, make theinstructor more efficient, help studentsbecome more independent, anddevelop a routine for the class. A fewof the items to be considered are listed

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below: instructions at each workstation(Ramondetta & Smith, 1993).

Can every student see thewhiteboard and displays? Ifevery student can see thevisuals, there will be fewerindividual questions.

What is the student/computerratio? Ideally, every studentshould have a computer. If thisis not possible, then how manystudents must share a machine?

If there are only two or threecomputers in the room, thenplacing them close togethermakes it easier for students toask each other questions andlearn from each other(Ramondetta & Smith, 1993). Ifthree or more students mustshare a computer, then perhapsteam exercises would be moreappropriate.

How will the computers bepositioned? The instructor canaccess students by taking fewersteps if the computers are placedon tables with walking spacebetween them rather than in onelong row.

Is there room for referencematerials at each station? Studentsshould be encouraged to search foranswers to their questions inmanuals and reference books.While it is not always possible toprovide a full set of manuals forevery computer, it is helpful toplace laminated copies of referencematerials and basic operating

Where will the instructor'sdemonstration computer belocated? If possible, position theinstructor's workstation at the backof the room so that all computerscreens are visible. This saves theinstructor steps and encouragesstudents to keep focused on theclass material.

Is there a system available for"signaling" for help? Studentsneed a way to let the instructorknow they need help besidesrelying on the "waving" of a hand.A signal, such as a "Help" sign canbe posted at the workstation. Thiscauses less disturbance to the class,and the student in need ofassistance can often continueworking while waiting for theinstructor.

Is there a clearly defined systemfor returning graded assignmentsand collecting incoming work?Valuable class time, and manyinstructor steps, can be spared bydesignating a "return andcollection" area in the classroom.A table placed in an out-of-the-way location works well. Keep thetable supplied with a stapler andpens.

If students must sharemachines, how will time beallotted? To provide studentswith equal computer time, setup a schedule on a magneticsurface.

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Create two columns- -onelabeled "Haven't UsedComputer" and the other "HaveUsed Computer." For eachstudent, glue a cardboard namelabel to a piece of rubberizedmagnet. Place the labels on the"Haven't Used" side and havestudents move their labels asthey finish working (Ramondetta& Smith, 1993).

Instructional ErgonomicsInstructional ergonomics can be

defined as the science relating tostudent performance in the classroomand to the student well-being inrelation to the assignments, theequipment being used, and the overallclassroom environment.

The five elements of goodergonomic job design are variety,identity/importance,autonomy/control,feedback/recognition, and personalgrowth opportunities. Since skillscourses are designed to train studentsfor the job market, a well-plannedcourse should include all of the fiveelements of good job design ( Jillson,1993). How can the five elements berelated to the instructional design of"hands-on" applications of softwarecourses?

Variety of Assignments. Studentsare more motivated to attend classeach day if they can expect varietyin their work. Applicationssoftware provides plenty ofopportunities to add variety toclass. John Steffee, (1995),chairperson in the Business/

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Technical Department at Robert E.Lee High School in Tyler, Texas,recommends that software betaught using a continuousrevolving process. He notes thatmany students become bored usingthe same software package weekafter week. The revolving methodprovides variety and helpsstudents see how applicationssoftware can be integrated to solveproblems.

Other ways of providingvariety include inserting "fun andhumor" features, such as graphicsand cartoons, into regularassignments; adding e-mailapplications; sending the class onan Internet scavenger hunt;creating class newsletters and otherdesktop-publishing applications;spicing up lecture materials withpresentation software; andincorporating multi-media (text,graphics, audio, and video) intothe course if possible.

Identity/Importance. Studentsare more motivated if they cansee their finished product beingput to use.

Useful applications include:Developing apersonal resumeCreating a churchbulletinDesigning andpublishing a homepage for the WordWide WebDesigning a form tobe used by the

instructor or otherschool personnelSetting up aspreadsheet to keeptrack of class gradesDesigning flyers,newsletters, andother materials forstudent organizationsDeveloping aportfolio of materialsthat can be used injob hunting andProviding services tolocal businesses andindustries.

Autonomy/Control. "Hands-on" applications softwarecourses need to be structured ina way that encourages studentsto use the software as a toolrather than memorizecommands.

Ways to give studentsautonomy and control include:

Individualizing thecourse so that eachstudent can work athis/her own paceAllowing students tochoose from a selectionof assignmentsAssigning work thatgives students anoverview of what mustbe done while allowingthe student to makespecific decisionsAllowing the class, as agroup, to helpdetermine the gradingscale and

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If class size permits,allowing students todesign a class projectthat will integrate andreinforce all of thematerial presented inthe course.

Feedback/Recognition. It ishuman nature for students towant to know how they aredoing--and to want to knowimmediately. When learning askill, errors need to be correctedimmediately; therefore, it isimportant to return gradedpapers as soon as possible.Feedback should not onlyindicate that an error wasmade, but it should tell why theerror was made and what thecorrect action should havebeen. Feedback is even morebeneficial if it can be given in a"two-way" discussion with eachstudent. A "two-way"discussion provides anopportunity for the instructor togive a student recognition thatcan't always be communicatedon paper.

Personal Growth Opportunity.The role of the instructor inteaching skills classes is to notonly disseminate informationbut to encourage every studentto think of applicationssoftware as tools that can beused in everyday life. Theinstructor should encouragestudents to explore the manyways in which software can beused to make life easier. Every

students needs the basic skillsbut also should be encouragedto explore beyond the basics.Since students work at differentpaces, instructors should have alist of suggested activities thatallow the more advancedstudents to grow at their ownlevels.

Maintenance/GradingMany business educators are

responsible for reporting and/orrepairing equipment in the classroom.Caring for the equipment can be alearning experience for students andprovide some assistance to theinstructor. Assign one or two studentsas "equipment monitors" and ask themto place "out-of-order" signs onequipment with problems. The signsshould indicate the date and problemsymptoms. The monitors can thenprepare a list of the "out-of-order"machines to give the instructor. Inaddition, the monitors should beresponsible for making sure theprinters are filled with paper and allequipment is ready for the next class.Monitor assignment should be rotatedthroughout the course so that everystudent has an opportunity to serve.

Grading is another extremelytime consuming part of teaching"hands-on" applications softwarecourses. Zane Quible, a professor inthe College of Business at OklahomaState University, lists two alternativesthat are designed to reduce and/oreliminate instructor burnout: (1)simplifying grading and (2) reducingthe amount of grading withoutcompromising the integrity of the

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course (Quible, 1993). One way tosimplify grading is to make it asobjective as possible. The use of acheck list makes grading moreobjective as well as less burdensome.By assigning point values to variouserrors, students are graded moreequitably. Errors can be coded withnumbers so that less time is taken upproviding student feedback. Studentgrades can be maintained on aspreadsheet so that determining thefinal course grade for each studenttakes little time.

The amount of grading can be reducedby allowing students to reviewselected assignments for each other,grading assignments for only a certaingroup of features, selecting randomassignments for grading, choosingfour or five student papers toanonymously place on overheads anddiscuss them with the class, andcollecting and grading onlycomprehensive unit assignmentsrather than daily assignments.

If the classroom is networked,the instructor should take advantageof the networking capabilities todistribute tests and homeworkassignments. There are many goodapplications software textbooks on themarket that include a wide range ofinstructional tools. Many hours ofpreparation time can be saved if theinstructor locates a textbook thatclosely meets the needs of the course.

ConclusionNow is an exciting and

challenging time to be a businesseducator. By sharing the experiences,

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or "tricks-of-the-trade," businessinstructors can help each other keepup with the demands of teaching"hands-on" applications softwarecourses. Trying new ideas and waysof teaching can add "spice" to theclassroom and provide a refreshingchange for both students and teacher.

References

Ramondetta, J. , & Smith, M. (1993August). Learning. Vol. 22. p.37.

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Jillson, J. (1993 February).Instructional Ergonomics.Business Education Forum.pp. 34-35.

Steffee, John. (1995 April). TeachingComputer Applications theRITE Way. Business EducationForum, pp. 28-29.

Quible, Z. K. (1993 December).Grading Techniques That HelpEliminate Instructor Burnout.Business Education Forum. pp. 32-34.

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LOCAL AREA NETWORKSMASTERY OR MYSTERY?

Lorraine G.Stephens Educational

Have you have ever foundyourself confused by all of thediscussions about Local AreaNetworks? Have you wondered whatwas so great about sharing peripheraldevices, or better yet - what does thisreally mean? Do you get confusedwhen someone talks to you about thesystem's memory and your brainsomehow translates that to storagespace? And just when you finally bluffyour way through another response,someone asks if you are using10BaseT, Thick-net, or Thin-net? Themystery of it all is enough to make youfeel inept to say the least.

Fear no more. Local AreaNetworks, Mastery or Mystery is apresentation designed to make theperson who has little or no networkunderstanding far more comfortablewith the topic of local area networks.We will focus on:

understanding some of thenetworking terminologyreviewing the generalhardware and softwarecomponents of a networkshowing some of the optionsfor the ways a network canbe designed or configured

StephensConsultant Group

Even though our focus will beon local area networks, we willmention wide area networks as a pointof discussion.

As we focus on terminology,well discuss such terms as:

workstationsfile serversadapter cardsMAUs

NetWareOperating systemsUpper memoryToken ringEthernet

But we won't stop here. We'llthen examine how to determine yourusage needs, and how to make anetwork function for you.

If you are a teacher who will beconducting training via a network,then you will want an understandingof what installed applications relate toyour area, how to access thoseapplications, how to obtain designatedstudent records, and how to use thenetwork to assist in conducting yourclass (including distributingassignments and exams). You mayalso want to understand how todetermine what teacher productivity

tools are installed and how to usethem.

As a person responsible formanagement of the network yourmajor interest may lie in how tomonitor it, install software, manageusers, and provide user training.

As a member of the committeethat plans for network installation, orthe expansion of existing networks,your interests may include having abasic understanding of networkconfiguration options, understandingthe pros and cons of each option, anda general understanding of relativecost, or how to determine it.Additionally you are challenged withrecommending the configuration of

workstations. There are many factorsthat contribute to that decision. Wewill highlight the main ones.

This presentation will focus onDOS based applications, DOS systems,and Novell networks. Even though wewill not discuss other networkingsystems, many of the fundamentalsapply regardless of the type ofnetwork you are using or planning.

Networks are meant to be a mystery;they are meant to be a tool to help youaccomplish your tasks. Start now todevelop a basic understanding of thatinvaluable tool and begin yourjourney on the road to mastery of localarea networks.

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HOW TO DO BUSINESS INSOUTHEAST ASIA: CULTURAL

DO'S AND DON'TSNancy Swisher

ICN Language Services, Raleigh, NC

Why do US companies expectbusiness to boom in Southeast Asia?What do they need to know about theregion's culture in order to besuccessful?

Beginning in 1993, the UnitedStates Department of Commerceundertook an initiative to identifymarkets holding the greatest potentialfor dramatic increases in US exportsand concluded that the greatestcommercial opportunities for thefuture will be found in ten BigEmerging Markets (BEMs): TheChinese Economic Area (includingHong Kong and Taiwan), India,Indonesia, South Korea, Argentina,Brazil, Mexico, Poland, Turkey andSouth Africa. By 2000, these ten BEMscollectively will be a bigger marketthan the European Union. By 2010,they will be a bigger market than theEU and Japan combined.

In August, 1995, the USSecretary of Commerce announcedthat six Southeast Asian countries arebeing named Big Emerging Markets:Vietnam, Malaysia, Thailand, Brunei,Philippines and Singapore, all

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members of the Association ofSoutheast Asian Nations (ASEAN).Indonesia, another ASEAN country,was included in the original list of tenBEMs. These seven ASEAN nationsrepresent a nearly half-trillion-dollarregional economy that is expected todouble over the next decade.

Increased exports to theSoutheast Asia Big Emerging Marketsare key to US competition in theglobal marketplace and Americaneconomic prosperity. As more andmore businesses attempt to jump onthe BEM bandwagon, some will missit miserably, because their chiefplayers lack cross-cultural knowledgeand skills. Economic globalization,fueled by falling trade barriers,political reorganization, andexploding communicationstechnology, has changed the way wedo business. The traditional corporatehierarchy is rapidly evolving into amultinational network spanning greatdistances and multiple time zones.Modern workers must transcendbarriers of languages, cultures, workstyles, and professional and personalrelationship perspectives. Cross-

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cultural and multilingualcompetencies are essential to successin this radically diverse globalmarketplace.

It is crucial, then, that culturalcompetency be recognized as a criticalmanagement skill, a prerequisite toglobal business. In their book,GlobalWork, Mary O'Hara-Devereauxand Robert Johansen identify fivelayers of culture in every societywhich differentiate and define itsmembers: physical, social,professional, functional and spiritual.Viewing each of these layers throughthe lens of language, context, time,power/equality, and information flowforms a framework for a systematicattempt to understand differences andcommonalities among cultures and toexplore business implications in eacharea. Comprehending the culture ofthe ASEAN nations through these fivefilters is a first step toward achievingcommunication, cooperation, andcollaboration with this importantemerging market sector.

An understanding of thesecultural filters can then be translatedinto practical "do's and don'ts" toavoid embarrassing business andsocial faux-pas when dealing with ourneighbors on the other side of theglobe.

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MAKING QUALITY HAPPEN INBUSINESS AND MARKETING

EDUCATIONJohn A. Swope

Robert L. WrisleyEast Carolina University

Quality is evidenced byconsistency of outcomes, and can beachieved only by making a long-termcommitment to customers whichinvolves hands-on leadership,teamwork, seeking continualimprovement in all processes,individual achievement, attention todetail, and shared rewards. Businessand Marketing teachers can applyelements of quality successfully in themanagement of their classes, therebyenergizing students to perform athigher levels.

Here are six suggestions formaking "quality happen in businessand marketing programs.

Collaborate with the BusinessCommunity, Parents, and SchoolAdministrators

The business community mustplay a part in determining the goals ofbusiness and marketing programs.When businesspersons are able toprovide input, the programs should bebetter able to provide students withthe tools necessary for successfulemployment.

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Business and marketingteachers should create an open-doorpolicy with parents in which two-waycommunications will result in a betterunderstanding of program goals andparental expectations. Administratorsmust be made aware of our program'sneeds, and the teacher needs tounderstand how his/her program isan integral part of the total schoolprogram.

Suggestions for teachers mightinclude:

Developing a "shadowing"program within the businesscommunity for students inadvanced courses.Developing partnerships withbusinesses within thecommunity whereby theysend representatives to theclassroom to discuss andshare their knowledge.Using cooperative workplacedevelopment training.Using your advisorycommittee.

Assigning projects to studentsthat involve them inresearching business and

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marketing procedures ofcommunity businesses.Maintaining opencommunications with parentsthrough conferences, openhouses, and curriculum fairs.Inviting parents to chaperonesfor field trips and studentorganization activities.

Reduce Fear in the ClassroomThe fear that many students

feel in the classroom must beeliminated if appropriate learning isgoing to take place. When students donot understand the concepts beingtaught, they need to feel at liberty toask for additional help from theteacher. Students should feel that theycan discuss issues (both curricular andclassroom management) freely. It isthrough these discussions that thestudents' higher-order thinking skillsare developed.

Suggestions for business andmarketing teachers might include:

Discussing rules and seekinput from the students forwhat rules should beestablished.Displaying a positive attitudein which students self-esteemis a priority.Developing a teamatmosphere in which studentsfeel that they are a contributorto their own development aswell as that of other students.Being available to studentsoutside regular classroomtime.

Conveying an understandingthat it is acceptable to makemistakes.

Create a Community of LearningWhich Fosters Collaboration

Teachers in all program areasmust collaborate to ensure thatstudents are getting the best educationavailable. No longer can our subjects(or any other subject in the school) betaught isolated from others. In orderfor students to be successful, theyneed to be able to apply what theyhave learned in English, math, andother courses. In addition, studentsmust understand that they are notonly responsible for their learning, butthey also have responsibility forhelping others to learn.

Suggestions for teachers mightinclude:

Applying cooperativelearning techniques.Using simulation activities inwhich student learningactivities are interrelated .

Having "friendly"competition.Creating a business advisorycouncil.Using student organizationprojects that bring students,business persons, andcommunity serviceorganizations together.

Help Students Take Pride in LearningHelping students take pride in

what they accomplish is closelyrelated to the concept of reducing fearin the classroom, and to accomplishthis, teachers must work toward

helping students become intrinsicallymotivated. Students cannot producebetter work than the system allows.Students who feel a part of a learningteam develop a special identificationwith a class and a program. In order todevelop this sense of "team," teachersmust actively seek to instillopportunities for cooperative learningin the classroom.

Business and marketing teacherscould:

Send completed assignmentshome, requesting thatstudents explain their work totheir parents.Display completed projectscreated by students.Use project work in whichcriteria for evaluation areagreed to by student teams.Specific checkpoints can beidentified where studentsmay compare their progressand the quality of their work.Have students maintain aportfolio of their work to beshared with prospectiveemployers or other teachers.Provide opportunities forstudents to use their projectsto help teach or coach otherstudents.Provide opportunities forstudents to participate instructured co-curricularactivities.

Become an Instructional LeaderMost students feel better about

themselves when they clearlyunderstand what is expected fromthem. This requires that a teacher

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assume an active responsibility forleadership of the learning process, notsimply being a passive manager ofclassroom events. Leadership meansthat teachers not only teach, but alsohelp students develop a framework ofunderstanding about what they arelearning and why. Improvement is agoal toward which everyone works(and for which students and teachersalike feel a sense of ownership).

Suggestions for teachers mightinclude:

Using cooperative groupprojects where students mustassume responsibility foridentifying goals andoutcomes, organizing,selecting methods andmaterials, and managingprojects to conclusion. Whenapplicable, projects should bemeasured against workplacestandards.Making liberal use ofdemonstrations andmodeling, accompanied byindividual and group guidedpractice.Establishing work routineswith mutually agreed-toperformance and behaviorstandards and goals.Encouraging students whohave mastered skills orcompleted assignments totutor or work with groups ofstudents on projects.Developing assignments thatstudents understand andprovide a way for them tocontinuously monitor theirprogress and work.

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Providing opportunities forstudents to apply what theyhave learned.

Develop a Shared Vision for theProgram

Teachers, administrators,students, and the business communitymust have a shared understanding ofwhat needs to be accomplished bystudents and the teacher. Activitiesand opportunities to discover theseneeds are important and must be fullyintegrated into the curriculum. Eachprogram, class, and work group musthave or establish standards(collectively, whenever possible) bywhich it operates. Participants shouldfocus work toward the identifiedgoals.

Some suggestions include:Developing jointly withstudents an understanding ofworkforce and basic skillsneeds.Providing each student anopportunity to assume a workleadership or coordinatingrole (large or small) duringthe year.Using simulations andworkplace examples andactivities.

Providing learning activitiesthat give students anopportunity to explore theirinterests.Organizing the class as abusiness, incorporating asmany of the skills as requiredto manage the work of thebusiness. This might includedeveloping a vision, goals,objectives, and a plan foraccomplishing the goalsduring the year.

ConclusionThe quest for quality has

been sweeping through businessorganizations for several years. Inrecent years there has been a call forquality in the educational community,also. This movement within theschools began with theimplementation of various elements ofquality in the management of schools.The call for quality has now enteredthe classroom.

Business and marketingteachers must play an active role inthe implementation of qualityelements in the management ofinstruction if students are to beprepared for successful entry into theworkforce.

TRAINING AND DEVELOPMENT:THE KEY TO PEAK PERFORMANCE

Allen D. TruellCalifornia State University-San Bernardino

During medieval times, craftguilds provided opportunities forapprentices to learn a trade under theguidance of a master (Rae, 1994).Today, training and developmentprograms provide opportunities foremployees to prepare for a job underthe direction of a trainer. Thus, key todeveloping a work force which cancompete in world-wide markets is theselection of qualified individuals toconduct the training and theavoidance of commonly committedtraining pitfalls.

Selecting TrainersMany organizations have

limited financial resources; and as aresult, those organizations must relyon in-house training of new personnel.Ideally, in-house training would becompleted by the head of theorganization or the immediatesupervisor of the new trainee. If thisarrangement is not possible, the nextmost logical and practical candidate toconduct the training is a personcurrently performing the duties of theposition. A trainer must, however, beselected with care. People withcertain personality traits should beavoided as trainers. According to theMarch 1995 issue of SupervisoryManagement, The Manager as Trainer:Who Trains the Trainer? employees

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who exhibit the following personalitycharacteristics should not train newemployees:

Know-it-alls, those who say, "Themanual is for morons. Let meshow you my way." Not followingproper procedure can lead toaccidents and wasted materialsand supplies. Select an individualwho will follow procedure.Carefree types, who might tellyour new hire, "That procedure isjust a needless precaution. We'venever had any accidents!"Accidents result in increasedinsurance costs and lower moral.A person who does not followsafety rules is a person in need ofadditional training and notsomeone who should be entrustedto train the new trainee.Fast movers, who rush through thetraining: "Here's how we do stepA. Got it? Here's how we do StepB." People learn at differentspeeds. Trainees exposed totrainers who do not conduct thetraining within reasonable timeframes will only serve to frustratethe learner. Avoid selecting fastmovers as trainers.Short cutters, who mislead bysaying, "The book says you'resupposed to rethread the camtoggle. I never do; it just slows me

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down." Trainers who do not followdirections only serve to developthe wrong habits in new hires. Donot allow them to train newpersonnel (pp. 1, 16).

Training Method ShortfallsThe selection of appropriate

training methods is as important asthe selection of a qualified individualto conduct the training. A list anddescription of training anddevelopment principles commonlyabused, left out, or misused follows:

Goals and targets are not provided.All new personnel are incompetentuntil trained. A key to buildingemployee confidence is to establishrealist production objectives.Workers who are able tocontinually meet their productiongoals will gain confidence in theirabilities while those employeeswho fail to achieve the statedproduction goals may be identifiedand supplemental training can beprovided."Why" was not provided.Trainees need to know why theyare doing what they are doing andhow the training will benefit themon the job. If trainees are learninga new spreadsheet package,trainees must know how using ofthis package as well as the specificspreadsheet functions will improveon-the-job performance.Emphasis on speed at thebeginning. Emphasizing speedincreases the trainees° anxietylevels. Focus on the positive bypraising the trainees. Increased job

performance speed will come asconfidence builds.No trainee involvement. Peoplelearn and retain much more bydoing than by watching the trainer.Trainees should be involved withas many hands-on job tasks aspossible (Broadwell, 1993).Do not demonstrate the exercise.Demonstrate the exact behaviorthat trainees are to exhibit. Avoidthe use of shortcuts that will createconfusion. If there is more thanone procedure to complete a task,select one approach and apply itconsistently. When more than oneprocedure is demonstrated tocomplete a task, new hires will beconfused.

ConclusionThis creation and maintenance

of an effective and efficient work forceis a vital for organizations remainingcompetitive in today's global economy(Estrada, 1994). Thus, the concept oftraining to prepare a qualified workforce is not new. Training in medievaltimes was conducted under thedirection of a master crafts person.Today, however, training may beconducted by a skilled employee orsupervisor. Regardless of whoconducts the training, the trainer is the"key" link in achieving desired targetsin the company's work force.

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References

Broadwell, M. M. (1993). 7 steps tobuilding better training.Training, 30(10), 75-81.

Estrada, V. F. (1994). Transformingworkers into learners to meetglobal competition: Essentialtraining principles.Supervision, 55(5), 18-19.

Rae, L. (1994). Training 101: Chooseyour method. Training andDevelopment, 48(4), 19-25.

The manager as trainer: Who trainsthe trainer? (1995).Supervisory Management,40(3), 1, 16.

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STRESS MANAGEMENT:SOURCES, SYMPTOMS, AND CURES

Allen D. TruellCalifornia State University-San Bernardino

Introduction"Stress is what happens when

the body does not adjust to some newor additional internal or externalstimulus" (Smith, 1994, p. 57). Theseinternal or external stimuli may be inthe form of a need to do a job faster ora need to learn new technology. Infact, one leading cause of stress is theworkplace. For example, increasedglobal competition, layoffs,rightsizing, and technologicaladvances are just a few of the factorsassociated with workplace stress(Seaward, 1995). Work-related stresscosts organizations millions of dollarseach year. Organizational work-related stress is a result of absenteeismand lost or low productivity (Maturi,1992). Further, medical professionalshave reported links between stressand increased cholesterol levels, heartdisease, high blood pressure, pepticulcer, stroke, and weakened immunesystems (Fisher, 1992; Greenhalgh,1993; Nowroozi, 1994). Stress can anddoes cause problems for theindividual workers as well as theorganization.

SourcesWhat are the causes of stress?

Any change can cause workplacestress. In recent years, many

lay

organizations have gone through oneor more major changes. Among thesemajor changes are hostile acquisitions,employee layoffs, and friendlymergers. Each change has resulted inincreased levels of stress amongemployees. Organizations, however,do not need to experience majorchanges to produce a stressful workenvironment. Transitions or transferswithin an organization create stress- -the unknown associated with the newposition may generate feelings ofinsecurity among the employees.Limits on how employees can do theirjobs resulting from poor supervisionhas also been reported to cause stress.Exhaustion resulting from frequentovertime can lead to decreasedproductivity and higher turnover andabsenteeism. Thus, a feeling ofinadequacy with advanced technologyhas also caused work related stress(Reece & Brandt, 1993). Employeeswho must use a new technology onthe job may experience an increasedstress level until they becomeaccustomed to using the technology.Additional sources of stress includeaging, the family (children andspouse), major life changes (death,divorce, marriage), the physicalenvironment (temperature, noise), and

unrealistic expectations (Capozzoli,1994).

SymptomsWhen stress affects the way

people function, a problem hasoccurred. If people lack the energy toperform job tasks, stress has gotten thebest of them. Numerous changesoccur when people are experiencingIn addition, signs of stress inducedanger, anxiety, depression, andphysical illnesses may surface amongworkers (Reece & Brandt, 1993; Smith,1994).

CuresTechniques to combat stress

have been developed to assist peoplewho are bombarded with stresses atwork. A list of suggested stressmanagement techniques follows. Theimpact of each stress managementtechnique varies with individuals;therefore, individuals will need todiscover which strategy or strategiesworks best for them.

Take Care of Yourself. Plan toenjoy yourself. Schedule avacation. Get enough sleep so youare ready for the beginning of theday (Capozzoli, 1994).Time Management. Manage yourtime wisely. Prioritize tasks thatneed to be completed. Scheduleactivities on a daily, weekly, andmonthly basis. Delegateresponsibility when it is applicable(Capozzoli, 1994; Greenhalgh,1993).Leisure Time. Take time to relaxand collect your thoughts. Coffeebreaks, lunch hours, weekends,and local, state, and national

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excessive stress. These changes maybe physical, psychological, or both.People who are victims of excessivestress may barely be able to performjob tasks. Job stress may surface asnoted by a lack of interest on the partof the employee. Employees mayappear tired and have a reducedattention span.

holidays are excellent times torelax and collect your thoughts.Do not work or become involvedin stressful activities during leisuretime (Capozzoli, 1994; Greenhalgh,1993).Be Assertive. Say no! Learn yourlimits and stay within those limits.Ask for tools that will make yourlife easier. Do not allow your co-workers to add/place their workinto your work basket (Capozzoli,1994; Greenhalgh, 1993).Exercise. Physical exercise reducestension and anxiety as well asstrengthen the body. Exercise hasdistinct advantages--it can (1)lower blood pressure, (2) lower theheart rate, and (3) increase cardiacoutput. Exercising helpscounteract the physiologicalchanges associated with stress(Capozzoli, 1994; Greenhalgh,1993).

ConclusionStress is an evil that affects all

employees at some point in time.However, stress is an evil that can beovercome. To overcome stress,employees regardless of job title, needto be aware of the sources andsymptoms of stress and deal with thenas soon as possible. Thus, managing

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stress benefits both the employee andemployer.

References

Capozzoli, T. (1994). Stress: Whatyou don't know can hurt you.Supervision, 55(10), 6-8.

Fisher, S. L. (1992). Stress, part 1:Warning signs and identifyingcharacteristics. Sales &Marketing Management,144(14), 93-94.

Greenhalgh, T. (1993). Keep awayfrom the edge. Accountancy,111(1194), 61.

Maturi, R. (1992). Stress can bebeaten. Industry Week,241(14), 23-26.

Nowroozi, C. K. (1994). How stressmay make you sick. NationOsBusiness, 82(12), 82

Reece, B. L., & Brandt, R. (1993).Effective human relations inorganizations (4th. ed.).Boston: Houghton Mifflin.

Seaward, B. L. (1995). Job stress takesa global toll. Safety and Heath,151(1), 64-66.

Smith, S. L. (1994). Combating stress.Occupational Hazard, 56(3), 57-60.

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YOU CAN MAKE IT HAPPEN WITHVOICE RECOGNITION

TECHNOLOGIESIvan Wallace

East Carolina University

It's the start of your work day.You turn on your computer'smicrophone and quickly dictate an e-mail message to send out on theInternet. Then you switch to aspreadsheet and read aloud thisweek's sales numbers for analysis.Next, you fill in a form in yourcompany's custom databasewithout ever touching a keyboard or amouse. This scenario could be thestart of any business professional'swork day. Today.

During the 80s and early 90s,graphical user interfaces (GUIs) suchas Microsoft's Windows haveheralded new uses formicrocomputers in the business worldwhen desktop publishing andpresentation applications softwareemerged to complement the standardbusiness applications of wordprocessing, spreadsheets, databases,and telecommunications. As a resultthis phenomenal development, newperipheral devices such as CD-ROMsand sound cards emerged to placemultimedia and virtual reality at ourfingertips. Along with thisproliferation of new applications forthe personal computer, the technologyof voice recognition has leaped

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forward at a far greater pace thananyone could have ever imagined orpredicted. Consequently, it is time tobring voice recognition technologiesinto the business education classroom.

Although it has been predictedthat voice recognition would not beadvanced to the state that it would bepractical for real world applicationsuntil well into the year 2000, voicetechnologies have already beenperfected to the extent that they arevery much a reality of the 90s. Aswith many other inventions that nowbenefit the population in general,voice recognition was pioneeredprimarily as a tool to assist physicallychallenged individuals with theinformation input process.Consequently, with the limited marketfor which it was initially developed,voice recognition was extremelyexpensive. In 1992, for example, therequisite software and sound cardnecessary to add voice recognitionfeatures to a standard computer wereapproximately $5000.

Today that same technologycan be purchased for $700. This ispossible because sound cards havebecome a common part of most

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computers and as more and morepeople discover the practicality ofvoice recognition, the market expands.Consequently, the prices keep fallingin response to the law of supply anddemand. Within a few years voicerecognition add-on capabilities willcost no more than a CD player doestoday.

While many peoplebelieve that voice recognition issomewhat futuristic, the realityis that it is here today andbusiness education has theresponsibility of integrating thetechnology into the curriculum.In fact, it is a fair assessmentthat keyboarding courses willbe replaced with voice-recognition courses within thenext decade. While thisstatement may seemunbelievable to many businesseducators, a PentiumTMcomputer equipped with voicerecognition software nowmakes it possible for users toachieve input speeds in the 40-60 wpm range in far less timethan a person can developcomparable keyboarding skills.Then when the addedadvantages of correct spelling,ease of use, and practicality areconsidered, traditionalkeyboard entry clearly can'tcompete.

Some of the ways that voicerecognition systems assistprofessionals to be more productiveare as follows:

. Lawyers use voicerecognition to createlegal documents andreduce support costs.

. Doctors quickly enterand verify reports ontheir screen and transferthe information into therecords system. Notranscription is required.

. Business professionalscreate E-mail andconfidentialcorrespondence fromstart to finish, withoutrelying on others.

Designers and users ofCAD/CAM packagesenter commands withoutlifting their hands off ofthe mouse.

Writers and journalistsminimize the repetitivemotions that come fromextensive keyboard andmouse use.

How Voice Recognition WorksVoice systems are characterized

as being speaker independent or speakerdependent with discrete or continuousrecognition capabilities. Speakerindependent systems require notraining and can recognize any user'svoice while speaker dependentsystems require training by a user. Asthe user trains the system, a profile fileis created that is unique for each user.Discrete systems require the user topause between each spoken utterance

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(word) whereas continuous systemsallow the user to speak in a naturalspeech pattern. In reality, mostsystems are actually combinations ofall of these features. As technologyadvances, newer versions of thesoftware transforms discrete systemsinto more continuous systems andspeaker dependent systems into morespeaker independent systems.

The systems listen to what theuser has to say. Speech is analyzedusing both an "acoustic model" and a"language model." The "acousticmodel" is based on speech samplescollected from thousands of people.Sophisticated mathematical algorithmsare used to compare the user's speechto the appropriate model. The result isthe best acoustic word match and ashort list of alternates. The "languagemodel" is based on the analysis of howwords are used in thousands ofdocuments. The model predicts wordusage to find an even better match andis designed so that the systems canactually distinguish between wordsthat sound alike, such as "to", "two","too" and "2".

The high-end voice recognitionsystems use spelling, acoustic andlanguage information for the 120,000words and names that people are mostlikely to use in day-to-day tasks.

Additional words may beadded just by using them and spellingthem once. The systems automaticallyremember the spelling, acoustics andlanguage usage. In addition, voicemacros allow the user to create shortphrases that will automatically expand

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into paragraphs or commands. Severalvoice recognition systems alreadycontain more than 4,500 macros forleading software products. Inaddition, users can easily define theirown.

Voice Recognition Hardware andSoftware

Like most computertechnologies, voice recognitionrequires both a hardware componentand a software component. Voicerecognition software consists of twoperformance levels, (1) voicecommands or navigation and (2) totalspeech-to-text input. The first, voicecommands, is relative inexpensive andlimited. Basically, voice commandsystems allow the user to dictate basicediting and navigating commands tothe systems such as "close," "fileopen," "print," "bold," "single space,"etc. with replace traditional mouseclicks or responses. The second, truespeech-to-text voice recognition,actually replaces keyboard input withspoken words, resulting in textdocuments, spreadsheets, databases,and other files that previously havebeen a result of data entry from thekeyboard.

Voice command software isrelatively inexpensive because of thelimited use of voice navigation. Oneof the most prevalent voice commandsystems is Microsoft Sound System.The Microsoft Sound System workswith existing sound cards such asSound Blaster. This software alsoprovides Quick Recorder, Music Box,Sound Recorder, and spreadsheetProof Reader applications in addition

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to the Voice Pilot feature thatfacilitates voice navigating.Consequently, The Sound System canprovide many enriching activities toany business education classroom.

Many computer manufacturersare now shipping the sound cardfeatures as part of a business computersystem. Some of the computers areeven being manufactured with aproprietary chip on the mother boardthat is dedicated to the voicecommand tasks. Since voicecommand systems are less resourceintensive than true speech-to-textsystems, they can be used withcomputers having 8 MB or less ofRAM memory.

Since true speech-to-textsystems enable the user to freelydictate documents in addition tonavigation, hardware requirementsinclude a 486 or PentiumTM computerwith 16 MB of RAM, a generousamount of hard disk space (500 MB orbetter), and an industry-standard 16-bit sound card such as Sound Blaster,Microsoft Sound System, MediaVision Pro Audio Studio 16, or IBMM-ACPA. Presently there are threesoftware packages in this category thatare available: They are DragonDictate 2.0, IBM Voice Type Dictation,and Kurzweil Voice for Windows.Features of each of the systems are asfollows:

Dragon Dictate 2.0Version 2.0 of Dragon Dictate is

advertised as being speakerindependent and continuous.Dragon Dictate offers a choice of

editions, professional modules, andlanguage versions. They aredescribed as follows:

Power Edition -- If maximumperformance and a widevocabulary are essential, the PowerEdition is recommended. It is theideal choice for writers andjournalists. Power Edition comeswith a 120,000 word on-diskdictionary of spelling, acousticaland language usage information.The 60,000 most used words arekept in RAM as the "activevocabulary" for fastest access.

Classic Edition -- This verypopular edition is ideal forprofessionals and executives whowork with a variety of subjects. Ithas a 120,000 word on-diskdictionary. 30,000 words are kept"active" in RAM for fast access onmany topics.

Personal Edition -- The mosteconomical package is ideal forusers who create many documentson a particular topic. It has a120,000 word on-disk dictionarywith 10,000 words in RAM.

DragonProTM Series -- This editionhas special modules for medical,legal, business and otherprofessions. It provides additionalwords that these professionals use.

Dragon International Series --DragonDictate is also available inBritish English, French, German,Italian, Spanish and Swedish.

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Dragon system requirements include:

486/66 MHz IBM-compatible PC.Pentium TMrecommended.

Industry-standard 16-bitsound card or built-inaudio systems ondesktops and portables,including theSound Blaster 16.

Memory requirementsfor the Dragon systemsare as follow: Personaland Classic Editions:16MB, with 12MBdedicated PowerEdition: 20MB, with16MB dedicated

Dragon Dictate supports the followingapplications: Microsoft® OfficeTM(Word for Windows, Excel,PowerPointTM); Novell® PerfectOfficeTM (WordPerfect®, Quattro®Pro, PresentationsTM, GroupWiseTM,InfoCentralTM); Lotus® SmartSuiteTM(AmiProTM, 1-2-3®, Freelance®,OrganizerTM)

IBM Voice Type DictationIBM VOICE TYPE DICTATION

is a speaker independent, discretespeech dictation system withnavigation. Navigation does notrequire setup, most applications areautomatically speech enabled bydynamic control analysis. Dictationaverages 70 WPM with 95% accuracyand uses statistical trigram modeling.

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The base system is 22K words. Thefollowing additional specializedvocabularies are available: US: Legal,Emergency Medicine, Radiology andJournalism, UK: Legal, and IT:Radiology

Kurzweil Voice for WindowsKurzweil Voice is the award-

winning voice recognition system forWindows that works with just aboutany Windows application. In additionto word-processing, you can enterdata into a spreadsheet, developpresentation, update databases andformulate e-mail messages. It featuresa 60,000- or 30,000-word activevocabulary. It has online knowledge,including acoustic recognition modelsand spellings, for a total of 200,000words.

ConclusionIn preparing office

professionals for the workforce oftoday, it is essential that businesseducators investigate voicerecognition systems and integratevoice technologies into the businesseducation curriculum. While truespeech-to-text systems are still quiteexpensive and require high-endhardware support, it is possible to usevoice command or navigation systemswith existing hardware that havesound cards. It is important thatteachers begin addressing this excitingtechnology so that tomorrow'sstudents will truly be aware of thetechnology that they will be expectedto use in the modern office.

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References

Kurzweil Voice for Windows.http://www.speech.su.oz.au/comp.speech/Section6/ Recognition/kurzweil.html. December,1995

DragonDictate for WindowsFrequently Asked Questions.http://www.iglou.com/vrsky/ddwinfaq.htm. October, 1995.

DragonDictate for Windows 2.0.http://www.iglou.com/vrsky/ddwin20.htm. January, 1996.

IBM VoiceType Dictation.http://www.speech.su.oz.au/comp.speech/Section6/ Recognition/ ibm.voicetype.html.December, 1995

IBM VoiceType Dictation FrequentlyAsked Questions.http://www.iglou.com/vrsky/ibmfaq.htm, September, 1995.

VoiceType Dictation for OS/2 andWindows.http://www.iglou.com/vrsky/ibmbroc.htm. December, 1995.

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MAKIN' IT HAPPEN THROUGHSERVICE LEARNING IN TEACHER

EDUCATIONRandall Wells, John Fischetti, & Allan Dittmer

University Of LouisvilleA good school makes sure its students arelegitimately needed. It can do thisthrough formal programs of communityservice....It is not simply another program,an option alternative....It fills the center ofthe school's operation; it is a habit for thatschool. The school that makes this habitan absolute expectation teaches well (Sizer,1992).

Theoretical FrameworkTeacher educators are

increasingly immersing students inservice learning projects as part ofevolving partnerships among schools,universities, and the community. In1992, the Secondary EducationDepartment at the University ofLouisville began piloting a 20-hourservice learning requirement in anIntroduction to Education class taughtat a professional development schoolsite.

The overriding purpose of thiscomponent of the course is to helpprospective teachers understand thecomplex lives of the students they willteach.. Our belief is that servicelearning is an excellent vehicle forexposing pre-service teachers to theircommunity, particularly to the out-of-school lives of young people, whilealso providing worthwhile support tothe school and community agencies

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these teachers will ultimately serve.By working with high school studentsin informal educational settings, thenew teachers establish relationshipswith children whose backgroundsmay be completely different fromtheir own. The service learningcomponent helps teachers recognizethey can make service projects part oftheir teaching and involve theirstudents in the community.

The instructors in Introductionto Education allow the students toselect their service learning projectfrom those presented in site-basedcourses located in area high schools orfrom a list generated by classmembers. Students are asked to keepa journal during their project workand to make periodic reports to theclass about how their project isprogressing.

Methods/Data SourceThis presentation will report

the results of student reflections abouttheir service learning project and theimpact they feel the experience hashad on their teaching and on theirrelationships with students.Education students completingstudent teaching in May 1994 whoparticipated in service learningprojects beginning with the summer

term of 1992 were surveyed andinterviewed. The survey questionedstudents on the number of hours theyworked, the benefits they received,whether their involvement hascontinued with the project or in someother service learning area, how theservice learning affected their teachingand interactions with students, andwhether they would continue servicelearning work and incorporate it intheir teaching. A sample of therespondents were interviewed onvideotape and a different samplesupplemented information through in-person or telephone interviews. Thedata source is a sample of the 100 newteachers who completed theircertification program in 1994.

ResultsThe service learning projects

chosen by the students varied. Somepre-service students worked in YouthServices Centers in the public highschools, while others staffed specialparent information phone lines forhigh schools, surveyed housing andliving conditions in some of the moreimpoverished areas of Louisville'sinner-city, tutored parents in GEDprograms, or served in recreational orenvironmental education activities.The nature of each project may havedetermined to some extent how mucha student gained from the experience.For instance, candidates who chose tobe tutors in their own neighborhoodsdid not have the broad exposure tostudents from other socioeconomicbackgrounds or cultures. By contrast,those who assisted in public schools,special programs for at-risk kids, orhomeless shelters were exposed, many

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for the first time, to families in povertyand crisis and for whom educationwas not a priority. As Joe Stewart, asecondary social studies major whospent one summer tutoring in aninner-city elementary school programfor at-risk students, observed:

Many of the students had seriousproblems outside the class. They camefrom single parent homes who werestruggling to feed their families.

These students came to schoolhungry, in need of a bath and decentclbthes....We found it was just as essentialmeeting the physical needs of the student.It was very much a situation of firstthings first.' If a child is hungry, tired orabused physically, mentally or other ways,it makes their learning difficult, if notimpossible.

Stewart's impressions wereechoed by many of the respondentswho said the service learning projectsallowed them a first-hand look at theaspects of students' lives that theywould not learn about any other way.

In addition to an exposure tostudents outside the classroom, manyof the pre-service teachers said theservice learning project provided themopportunities to learn how to establishrelationships with students. Severalpre-service teachers tutored at a highschool Youth Services Center satellitelocation in a housing project acrosstown from the school the studentsattended. One pre-service teacher saidthe project immersed him in an at-riskatmosphere practically at the students'front doors. He said working in theneighborhood heightened his

awareness of the problems andconditions that impinge uponteenagers as much if not more thanacademics.

All but two of the two dozenpre-service teachers responding to thesurvey found something beneficialabout their service learning project.The majority of the respondentsdescribed their experiences asvaluable exposure to students andcommunities they may have onlyheard about in the past but neverexperienced first hand. For somestudents, the service learningexperience influenced their decisionsabout other areas of certification. Abusiness education student decided toobtain additional certification inlearning disabilities largely because ofthe success and fulfillment he enjoyedas a result of tutoring middle schoolstudents diagnosed with learning andbehavioral disorders. Greg Collinssaid he learned that labels such as BDand LBD are inaccurate predictorswhen it comes to a child's capacity forlearning. Greg felt the BD kids areactually smart kids who are havingtrouble with their behavior.

The majority of the respondentssaid their service learning experiencehelped them approach studentteaching with a better understandingof students. Additionally, two pre-service teachers used their studentteaching or substitute teaching asopportunities to incorporate servicelearning in their classes. Professionalrepresentatives of the communityagencies involved in the pre-servicework stressed the critical need forprospective teachers to have a real-life

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experience with children whose livesare complicated by broader issuesthan school.

SummanjThis research indicates that the

twenty-hour service learningcomponent of the Introduction toEducation class does indeed aidprospective teachers in understandingthe complex lives of their futurestudents. In addition, the servicerequirement helps future teachersmake links with service agencies andpromote an integration of student,school, and community.

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DEVELOPING AND PROJECTING APROFESSIONAL BUSINESS IMAGE

Edward W. WheatleyEast Carolina

IntroductionThe objective of this paper is to

sensitize the marketing educator to thesymbolism of image prevalent inmodern American business culture sothat 1) faculty can better preparestudents concerning imageexpectations of employers, and 2)faculty and administrators can employimage development and projectionstrategies in their own relationships.The space limitations of the conferenceproceedings do not permit a detailedtreatment of the topic. The major areasof interest will be presented insummary form.

Image & Its CharacteristicsImage is the way in which the

public defines and describes us. It isthe public's concept of us based ontheir norms and perceptions. Imagedescriptions often have twocomponents: functional/tangible andemotional/intangible. For example,we might describe someone as a anup-to-date user of educationaltechnology (functional/tangible) but

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Universitydifficult to work with(emotional/intangible). The followingare key image characteristics: 1)everyone projects an image; 2) imagemay be perceived at the conscious orsubconscious level; 3) image is cuetriggered and reinforced; 4) cues havean additive effect; and 5) cues mayproduce a halo or reverse halo effect.

The use of image as aself-marketing professionaldevelopment skill usually takes one ofthree forms: 1) the default approach -here one ignores the image dimensionof their professional relations allowingcareer publics to define their image; 2)the inconsistent approach-image cuesare appropriately managed some ofthe time and are ignored at others. Theresult is image confusion and loss ofimage as a powerful professionaldevelopment tool; and 3) theappropriate and consistentmanagement of image cues resultingin the projection of a positive andpowerful professional image. Thethird approach is recommended.

Image CuesFive major components of our

personal and professional behaviorcommunicate powerful image cues.These cues are: 1) physical, 2)costuming, 3) work placeatmospherics, 4) work style, and 5)attitude. The following outlinehighlights some of the factors whichcan be managed to develop andproject a more consistent and positiveprofessional image.

PhysicalConfiguration -- Everyone has adifferent physicalconfiguration. Physical cues canhave a high impact on imageperception. Being aware ofyour individual body size andshape allows you to groom,dress, and accessorize in acomplementary way.

Grooming -- Business norms arecentered around conservativeand understated grooming.Shorter hair, minimal use ofjewelry, care in the applicationof perfume or after shave, andspecial attention to clean handsand short nails arerecommended. The fashionand entertainment industries

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allow for exceptions to thesenorms.

General Health-Businessschedules can be demandingrequiring travel, late hours,and irregular eating patterns.Stress is often part of theenvironment. Carefulmanagement of diet, exercise,weight, stress and rest areessential to ensure energy andvitality. Regular physicalexams are a must. You areyour most important businessasset.

Habits and Distracters -- Toetapping, knee shaking, key orchange rattling, tie twisting,chin stroking are examples ofhabits which detract from yourprofessional image.

Costuming"Well Dressed" -- In a businessenvironment to be welldressed is to be appropriatelydressed. Study the dress normsof the organization you arejoining. Dress to the existingnorms. When in doubtconcerning appropriate attire,accessories, or make-up,always make the conservativechoice.

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Quality -- Invest in yourself. Donot skimp on personal attire.Better to purchase one $200outfit than three $65 outfits.Quality clothes look good allday; they fit, clean, and travelwell. Quality sends a messageabout your self perception.

WCS and Image Wear -- If youare not sure what to buy youcan hire a WC (wardrobeconsultant) to shop with you.You can also visit a qualityspecialty store and seekconsultation from experiencedsales professionals. Somefirms, especially professionalfirms, have formal orunwritten dress codes. Strictguidelines govern whatassociates are expected towear. In some non-professionalfirms clothing is provided tostaff in an effort to project theappropriate image.

Wardrobe Plan - Developing andimplementing a wardrobe plancan help ensure that purchasesare made which result in theacquisition of a consistentlyappropriate professionalwardrobe over time.

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Atmospherics -- Your WorkspaceAtmospherics -- There areseveral image cuescommunicated by yourphysical workspace. Theseinclude the location of youroffice, office design, decor, useof color, space, lighting andsound control and techniquesused to personalize the workspace. Crowded clutteredoffices project disorganizationand a reactive managementstyle. A well-organized officewith careful management ofspace projects a positive in-control management image.

Work Style

Time Management is a keyelement. Careful regard foryour time and the time ofothers is best controlled by thedevelopment and observanceof written weekly action plans,meeting or beating deadlines;and being prepared in advancefor all staff meetings.

Being flexible is also importantas circumstances change.

Becoming an active listener aswell as a trusted confident and

mentor are desirableobjectives.

Openness, on-task behavior,and a team orientation arevalued attributes.

AttitudeBeing identified as a positivesupportive colleague is critical.Negativism quickly removesyou from management'sperceived set of future leaders.Regardless of your privatefeelings do not personalizecriticisms of your views orbehavior.

Action RecommendationsTo make the power of image

work for you consider the followingactions:

Become more sensitive to yourown behavior. Think about theeffect you have on others.

Seek and carefully considerobjective critique of the imagecues you project. Friends, co-workers, mentors andmanagers may be willing togive you input. Don'tpersonalize critique...learn fromit.

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Read at least one personaldevelopment "self help" book ayear. Books dealing with topicslike health, developing apositive attitude, managingstress, time management,career planning, and workingwith people are examples.

Purchase or rent audio andvideo tapes on personal andcareer development topics.

Participate in careerdevelopment seminars.

Learn to dress for success bypurchasing the book of thesame name. Develop apersonal wardrobe plan. Viewvideos and attend seminars onprofessional dress andbusiness etiquette.

Enroll in Dale Carnegie typeshort courses to enhancespeaking and presentationabilities.

Get up to speed with desk-toppublishing and computergraphics to enhance the visualquality and impact of writtencommunications andpresentations.

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Conclusion

Developing and projecting apositive professional image isn'ttaught as part of the businesseducation curriculum. Businessorganizations seldom provide anytraining in how to create thisimportant career asset. It is up to eachof us to develop, project and enhanceour business image. Audit your imageby reviewing the physical, costuming,atmospherics, work style and attitudecues you communicate to your publicevery day. A positive professionalimage is a career asset worthdeveloping.

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CONNECTED IN BUSINESSEDUCATIONPatricia I. Wilson

Alabama A&M University

By the fall of 1995, the time hadcome for Alabama A & M Universitybusiness education students to becomea part of the information explosion byjoining the thousands of others on theinformation super highway. A & MUniversity is still in the early stages ofgetting the campus "wired" for accessto the Internet. A project wasundertaken in BED 527 Improvement ofInstruction in Information Processing.Many of the public schools areproviding access to the Internet or areexploring ways to do so. In order forthe road to the Internet to besuccessful, teachers must buy into theidea and find ways to use it in theirclasses. This project was an attempt tointroduce students to the Internet andto develop some strategies for use inbusiness education classes.

Of the fourteen students in theclass, five were teachers in the publicschools and nine were students in agraduate program to obtain initial

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certification with their master'sdegree. At the beginning of theproject, only one student in the classwas aware of access to the Internetfrom her school and none of thestudents had a computer at home fromwhich they were able to dial-up to theInternet. During the course of thesemester, one additional teacherdiscovered that Internet access wasavailable from her school and thatsome students were already takingadvantage of it. At least one personpurchased a home computer.

To implement the project,students were assigned E-mailaddresses through the computercenter and participated in a two-hourworkshop which instructed them inhow to logon to the Internet and howto access the E-mail function. I thenset up a distribution list for sendingmessages to all the students at thesame time was then set up.Throughout the semester, assignments

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were made to students through theirE-mail addresses to which they wereto respond electronically. They werealso instructed in etiquette, rules forbehavior on the Internet.

Since this was a graduate class,at the beginning of the semesterstudents were given a list of topicsfrom which to choose for a researchpaper. One of the first E-mailassignments was to send a message tothe instructor with a selected researchpaper topic. During the semester,they were to use the computer to findinformation on their research topics.Telnet, Gopher, and FTP (File TransferProtocol) were used for this activity.Telnet is a program that allows userson one computer to log into and accessservices on a remote computer on theInternet. Gopher is a menu-orientedsystem that gives access to documents,files, and other Internet services. FTPis a program that allows one toestablish an interactive file transfersession with a remote computersystem on the Internet.

Access to the Internet alsoprovides access to the online catalogat the University library. Studentswere instructed, through E-mail, tofind resources for their research topicsthrough the University online catalog.

So that students could practiceusing the Internet and developstrategies that they might use in theirclassrooms, they were instructed to setup a distribution list with the

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addresses of each student in the class.Assigned readings of current articleswere also a requirement for this class.As a way to share the informationfrom these articles, students sent abrief summary of their readings toeach of their classmates.

While surfing the Internetthrough InterNIC (Ackerman, 1995), avery useful source called the "ScoutReport" was discovered. TheInterNIC is a creation of the NationalScience Foundation to providedirectory and database services. Thereport is sent to subscribers eachweek. The owner of the list scouts outinteresting Internet sites and poststhem to the list. The sites are FTP,gopher, and WWW (World-WideWeb) sites. The method of subscribingto the list is the same as subscribing toa listserve. A listserve is a mailing listserver that manages multiplediscussion groups. Students wereinstructed to subscribe to this list andto access some of the sites that were ofinterest to them.

The terminals that the studentswere able to use were not equippedwith World-Wide Web browsers. TheWWW uses a graphical user interfacesimilar to Windows. The "Web" isbased on a technology calledhypertext which provides an intuitivemethod to browse and explore topicsof interest (Sanford, 1995). In order toaccess the World-Wide Web,therefore, you must have a browser."Lynx" is a screen mode browser that

can be used to access WWW siteswithout the graphics. Students wereinstructed to Telnet to a site with aLynx browser (inform@umd.edu) andfind for example: a Reuther's newsservice story, search for financial aid,and find museums in Washington,D.C.

The power of the Internet lies inbeing able to communicate withanyone, anywhere in the world that isconnected to the Internet. An attemptwas made in this project, to connectstudents from this class with studentsfrom other universities. As thisconnection was made late in thesemester, the full impact of this type ofactivity was not realized.

At the conclusion of the project,students were asked to suggeststrategies that could be used inbusiness education classes that wouldinclude the Internet in the businesseducation curriculum.

ConclusionThe success of this project was

in the ability to get business educationstudents and teachers interested inand involved in the Internet. Theexplosion of home pages and World-

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Wide Web sites for business purposesmakes it incumbent upon us asbusiness educators to be activeparticipants in the information superhighway.

References

Ackerman, E. (1995) Learning to Usethe Internet. Wilsonville, OR:Franklin, Beedle & Associates,Inc.

Bournellis, C. (1995) Internet 95.Internet World. 6 (11), 47-52.

Flat ley, M. E. & Hunter, J. (1995)Electronic Mail, Bulletin BoardSystems, Conferences:Connections for the ElectronicTeaching/ Learning Age, InGroneman, Nancy J. & Kaser,Karen C., (Eds) Technology Inthe Classroom, NationalBusiness Ecucation Yearbook,No. 33 73-85. Reston, VA.

Sanford, C. C., (1995) Exploring theInternet. Chicago: Richard D.Irwin, Inc.

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Author(s):Goinsa L. Keith

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