Exercise 1

Subject: Re: Assignment 1 (Due: July 16, 2010, before 01:00pm) Wed Jul 14, 2010 2:59 am
After watching the movie "Pirates of the Silicon Valley", 1. What are the factors that contributed to the success and failure of Steve Jobs as a technopreneur? 2. How do you see yourself as a technopreneur? 3. Would you take the same career path that Steve Jobs took? Why or why not? note: at least 1000 words for every question..... 1. What are the factors that contributed to the success and failure of Steve Jobs as a technopreneur? "Good artists copy. Great artists steal." This line makes me wander in the movie “ The Pirates of the Silicon Valley” which makes me think that the story focuses on the thought earlier. The story talks about Steve Jobs and Bill Gates, both are well-known person in the computer industry because of their historic contribution in rising of the computer age. Steve Jobs is a co-founder of Apple Computers and Bill Gates is a co-founder of Microsoft Company. The movie also emphasized the negative qualities of the two gentlemen that are now having big names worldwide. Despite of the unenthusiastic attitude of Steve Jobs to his team and co-founders, he still managed to uplift and give a renowned recognition of the Apple Company. On the other hand, Bill Gates also tried to put everyone down who are in the same business even though Microsoft at first was an underdog. Still, he survived and also made Microsoft as a threatening counterpart to Apple. Shalaka Bhosale an IT graduate discussed what the word success means and what are the qualities to became a successful technopreneur. The discussions are the following: “Success is a critical factor in everyone's life and everybody thrives for the same on less or more extent. Personality and attitude plays an important role in achieving success. To succeed in life, you need to impress your seniors/colleagues/clients, you need to display the able ness and preparation on your part, which shows and make others think that you are eligible for some work and can be fully entrusted with it. In such situation your personality, your attitude, your confidence, the way you speak and turn situations in your favor, your tactics etc. play an important role in deciding if your client is going to trust you or not. People believe/trust only those who are more productive and have a perfect combination of things stated above”. He added the some characteristics that will you succeed. First Impression Is Important: Your first impression on any person decides many other things, which you may come across in future. In business world, you get hardly few moments/minutes to present yourself and your ideas to bag a deal. You get very less time to make a person believe you who has never seen you before, who does not know much about you. Your Attitude Counts: People with right attitude rather than only positive attitude are trusted more. You need to keep in mind that the person you are going to deal in business world can guess your attitude just by observing your behavior, your views regarding some points, your gesture etc. You do not have to try and show that you are full of positive attitude, which surely will harm your position; you just need to show the right attitude. Think Before You Speak: I believe you should not speak out about a topic you do not know or have very less knowledge about. It is better to let others think you are a fool rather than opening your mouth and proving it. Home Work Is Important: Homework plays an important role. You can impress people better when you have thorough knowledge of the subject you are presenting yourself in. Lesser you know about the subject you are speaking on, less confident you are, which is surely just like a breach in your fort. Homework helps in inducing confidence and in turn your attitude. Be Confident: As I stated above, be confident of what you state and whatever you do. There can be a situation when you can win a deal of your lifetime just because you are confident you can do it! Incontrast, Adrian Savage, a retired business executive discuss some points with regards on why high achievers fail. This are the following: “Every strength can become a weakness. Every talent contains an opposite that sometimes makes it into a handicap. Successful people like to win and achieve high standards. This can make them so terrified of failure it ruins their lives. When a positive trait, like achievement, becomes too strong in someone’s life, it’s on the way to becoming a major handicap.Achievement is a powerful value for many successful people. They’ve built their lives on it. They achieve at everything they do: school, college, sports, the arts, hobbies, work. Each fresh achievement adds to the power of the value in their lives”. Gradually, failure becomes unthinkable. Maybe they’ve never failed yet in anything that they’ve done, so have no experience of rising above it. Failure becomes the supreme nightmare: a frightful horror they must avoid at any cost. The simplest way to do this is never to take a risk. Stick rigidly to what you know you can do. Protect your butt. Work the longest hours. Double and triple check everything. Be the most conscientious and conservative person in the universe. And if constant hard work, diligence, brutal working schedules, and harrying subordinates won’t ward off the possibility of failing, use every other possible means to to keep it away. Falsify numbers, hide anything negative, conceal errors, avoid customer feedback, constantly shift the blame for errors onto anyone too weak to fight back. Failure was an impossible prospect, worth doing just about anything to avoid. As what it says, there are factors that affect the success and failure of the both characters in the movie. The first thing that movie emphasizes was his success and later his failure. The factors that contributed to the success of Steve Jobs are the following; confidence, sense of humor, patience, dedication and many others which I think Steve Jobs had in becoming a successful technopreneur in the computer industry. In contrast, there are also factors that contributed to Steve Jobs failure. After his success, there was a time in his life that he realizes that it was too much when failure comes. Steve Jobs sooner realizes that he had done so many unnecessary things that lead him to failure. Some of these characteristics are the following; being selfish, too strict, not approachable, doesn’t care of other people and many others that contributed to his failure. In conclusion, in times that we are too high enough to reach don’t forget who you are. As they say, aim high but don’t forget your past and remember who you are because they are part of where you are now. And remember that attitude counts! References: http://www.lifehack.org/articles/lifehack/how-fear-of-failure-destroys-success.html http://www.buzzle.com/editorials/9-25-2004-59720.asp 2. How do you see yourself as a technopreneur? At the time when I process my papers for the enrollment, I was very much curious of my subjects so what I did is that I read my C.O.R. and I found out a term from one of my subjects which caught my attention. The term was technopreneurship. It sounds weird, right? I was wondering about it and suddenly Itried to research it on the internet and I found out that the term Technopreneurship came from the word Technology and Entrepreneurship. After I read that article on the internet about technopreneurship, some speculations came out fro my mind and questions that bothered my mind. How can it be that a technology is combined with entrepreneurship? How can I earn money through my learnings in this subject? What are the importance of this subject? Do I need to take this subject? In the wake of the market shakeout, industry experts and analysts are now urging technopreneurs to return to the drawing table to clearly define their core businesses, target markets, and mission statements. If individual technopreneurs want to actually achieve their visions, then they need to reach even deeper into the basics -- and redefine who they are as technopreneurs. The role of a technopreneur engages several difficulties. Its characteristics cannot be define by a single word, but of many. It sounds confusing to say that being an technopreneur is an easy job for those who didn't really know it deeper but for those who are engage with this job it is indeed tiresome for a person to handle a big responsibility to become a better technopreneur. In some instance, the word technopreneur which came from the word technology and entrepreneur is not new to us since we are now in the information age where everything is not impossible. David Burnett, founder of Technopreneurial.com, stressed-out some words of wisdom and advice and encouragement to pursue and aim high. It caught my attention because it gives inspiration to be come a successful technopreneur. David Burnett discussed the following arguments in his website: “Nonetheless, the enigmatic entrepreneur has crept into the mainstream. The media now portrays billionaire entrepreneurs as heroes, and, everyday, new people are setting their sights on joining the ranks of this elite--but seemingly indescribable--class. Nonetheless, the dilemma of defining the entrepreneur is not a new phenomenon. A quick review of the history of entrepreneurship shows that practitioners and scholars alike have been struggling to formulate an all-encompassing definition for centuries. However, a general, one-size-fits-all definition of entrepreneurship is inappropriate, especially considering that the characteristics of each entrepreneur are unique. In fact, one of the keys to the success of most entrepreneurs is that they see and do things differently. Given the individual nature of entrepreneurship, it is only appropriate that each entrepreneur defines his role differently and independently -- but in line with his actions and vision”. As an Information Technology student, I can see my self as a successful and famous technopreneur in the near future. Being a well-known Tecnopreneur is one of my ambitions in life as an Information Technology student and be the next Bill Gates. But for now, as study first to have a good grade and hopefully graduate in my chosen course and later find a good job. In the website of HubPages Inc., they highly described the term technopreneurship as well as how to become a better technopreneur. The following arguments are based on the HubPages Inc. website: “Technopreneurship is the key to earn money through technology. The word came from 2 different words. First, technology, and next is entrepreneurship, where it means business. People are really struggling for survival but they don't know that the stuffs that could save them from annihilation and broke is just beside them. Yes just beside them, they only need a computer and an internet connection. That's how amazing it is. And worst of it lots of people don't see this stuff and have no plan for their future. So could this be? Ok, first thing's first, There are lots of offers in the internet, ranging from advertising to affiliate business to freelance writing and now how could you say it's impossible to do. Well, it's up with you, as many wise people say, "whether you think you can or you think you cannot, either way you're right." There are really lots of stuffs in the web that you could earn from. Or you would use anything that is a masterpiece of technology. Being technopreneur is really the things people consider now. Especially these times that we have job inflation rate and based on statistics, here in Philippines, we have 13,000,000 people jobless. Yes, but sad to say, it is the reality. Being a technopreneur really helps this kind of situation. Why? Because when you start a business, you could hire your fellowmen as your employees and you can give job to them. So you help yourself to have a financial freedom and at the same time, you help other people”. After all, I can see my self as a boss in my own company, manage my own finances and take charge of my own time. Be good model to other aspiring technopreneur and be one of the big names not only in the country but also abroad as a technopreneur. But all of this will happen if right now I am going to begin it by making small things which makes bigger value and creates worthy things for the good. But again, all this are presumptions and that I may undergo different steps and challenges in life, to mold me to become a better person, to attain my goals and plans in life and to become a successful and famous technopreneur in the nearly future. In the wake of the market shakeout, industry experts and analysts are now urging technopreneurs to return to the drawing table to clearly define their core businesses, target markets, and mission statements. If aspiring like me technopreneurs want to actually achieve their visions, then they need to reach even deeper into the basics -- and redefine who they are as technopreneurs. References: http://hubpages.com/hub/Technopreneurship http://www.technopreneurial.com/articles/definition.html 3. Would you take the same career path that Steve Jobs took? Why or why not? Before answering the question, let me summarize the story to understand and answer the question well. The movie “The Pirates of the Silicon Valley” talks about two big names in the computer industry, Steve Jobs, co-founder of Apple Computers and Bill Gates, co-founder of the Microsoft Company. The movie portrays the historical development of the Apple Computers and Microsoft Company, from the younger days of Steven Jobs and Bill Gates up to their venture as technopreneur. It is an enlightening deception of the evolution of a true phenomenon, he computer age. The movie also describes the negative values of Steven Jobs and Bill Gates that are now having big names in the worldwide. Although Steve Jobs has a unenthusiastic attitude to his co-founders, he still managed to uplift and give a renowned recognition of the Apple Company. On the other hand, Bill Gates tried to do his best for his company to be better than other company in the same business even though Microsoft at first was not that popular. What was really amazing about the film was that the contenders actually worked together until Steve Jobs realized that Bill Gates develop Windows using the software that Apple had programmed for their computers. The movie is really interesting for it caters the audience not only the development of the two largest computer companies nowadays but also the dramatic part. Steve Jobs is one of the biggest names in the computer industry. He even make it to the point that he had reach the peak of his success. As an Information Technology student, I cannot deny the fact that Steven Jobs had a big contribution in the computer industry today and to the development of strengthening the technology today. But other people didn't know about the contribution of Steve Jobs in the field of business and technology today. He is in line with those brilliant minds in the history like Albert Einstein, Galileo Galilee, Rene Descartes and many other famous people who really established their names in their field of expertise. Steve Jobs success can be a motivation to everyone not only on the field of technology and entrepreneurship but also to their own fields. Becoming successful doesn't mean that you are taking the same path of other successful people. You, as an individual must establish your own identity and signature on who you are in making and taking the same path that you are going to take. Establishing your own career by not copying the idea of other, why not? Take it as a challenge to build your own strong foundation. For others, establishing their own career is not easy. They take it as a big problem, as a big burden, so what they will going to do is that they would just copy the idea and strategy of others. For me, instead of thinking that challenge as a big burden, why not concentrate on starting your own career on the small things until it develops and grows until it can be developed. Sometimes, it is a habit of others to just simply sit down and wait for some opportunities, but if thats the case, how would imagine yourself in the future? I think you will die because of cowardliness. You, as an individual must seek opportunities to better plan your moves. Don't be afraid to take a risk because opportunity comes only ones and it will never comeback again so behold your dreams and goals in life and be brave enough to face your weakness and to overcome it. As they say “try and try until you succeed”. Don't listen to their negative comments because it makes you bothered. Just do your best and believe in your self. Base on the flow of the story I would say, “No”, I would not take the same career path that Steven Jobs took. I choose not to to take the same career because I think it is the right path although Steve Jobs had some characteristics that can help us to became successful in life but I have seen uncertain things which I think is not the a good example to the audiences. And this uncertain things that causes Steve Jobs career to end up from its highest peak until downcast fall. If you will try to think, at first the character of Steve Jobs portrays different quality values to become a successful technopreneur. Some of these characteristics are as follows: perseverance, dedication to work, temperance, open-minded, helpful, courageous, patience, humble and many others that can influence us to be a successful technopreneur. But, when Steve Jobs became famous, he doesn't even wanted to go back his life when he was still an ordinary individual and almost all his good characteristics. He has been overpowered by money. He even forget his closed friends who help him to become a successful technopreneur. It makes me wander why Steve Jobs survived the business, besides his negative attitudes. Taking the same path as Steven Jobs did was too complicated. Tough he did some good deeds that contributed to his success as a technopreneur, most of his life he had done so many negative deeds which I think is the reason why he fail after so many years of becoming successful. It was pride that ruins the heart and mind of Steve Jobs. He didn't care about all the people who surrounds him until he came to the point that his friends left him because of his bad attitude in socializing others and even in his love affair. The story goes on, after his failure he realizes that he had done so many things which destroys his reputation as famous and successful businessmen in the field of technology and enterpreneurship. It was long journey for Steve Jobs from his success to his failure. After all it is better to hear that Steve Jobs had change and eventually swallows his pride though it was not easy on his part. As they say “ nothing last forever”.