30 September 2008 
Your Business Blogger(R) Quoted in The Washington Post
Your Business Blogger(R) was interviewed on a series of articles on Bad Managers, Maybe (Gulp) The Problem Is You and in Think Your Boss Is Bad? Some Managers Can’t Manage. What to Do If You’ve Got a Boss Who Only Makes Things Worse. By Tara Swords, Special to The Washington Post, Sunday, September 28, 2008
Jack Yoest says many people haven’t learned how to be good workers.
In my conversation with Tara, my concern was not so much with mis-managers as it was with subordinates,
“Jack Yoest, president of Management Training of DC, takes a harder line on the boss-employee relationship and says it’s the employee’s job to relieve the boss’s anxieties, not the other way around.
“If you have a nervous, micromanaging boss who’s always in your hair, he probably doesn’t trust you,” Yoest says. “The employee hasn’t sold the boss on his ability to get anything done, and I’d say, most of the time, it’s the employee’s fault.” “
We talk about leadership but not follower-ship. And we teach neither,
Yoest says most people haven’t been taught the mechanics of being a good employee. Rather than insisting that managers empower employees, Yoest urges employees to convince the boss that they are dependable and can act as the boss would.
The goal should be to go from an employee who does nothing unless told, or who is always asking the boss what to do, to an employee who recommends a course of action and, after gaining the boss’s trust, acts on the boss’s behalf.
And the end result of being a good subordinate who can anticipate, adapt and learn is to give the employee more control over the timing and content of his workload,
“When you’ve reached that level, you’re at a whole new level of job security” because you’re behaving like a leader, Yoest says. And that puts you one step closer to being the leader .
Not everyone aspires to management. But everyone wants independence and respect at work.
Read the entire story here. And check out the comments.
Thank you (foot)notes,
Caution! Sales Pitch Follows: Check your calendar for Wednesday, October 8th at 4pm in Northern Virginia. I’m giving an open seminar on Solutions to Your Management Problems. No Charge, but registration is required. Email me for info.
Your Business Blogger(R) is an Adjunct Professor of Management at the Northern Virginia Community College.
YouTube syllabus Here,
27 September 2008
Your Business Blogger(R) Quoted in The Washington Post
Two Items for Your Consideration:
1) An Invitation
2) An Article
An Invitation for managers (with direct reports, the power to hire and fire, and a budget) Wednesday, October 8th from 4 to 5:30 pm in Northern Virginia near the Ballston Metro. A brief overview on <em>Solutions to Your Management Problems.</em> No Charge.
Email me if you’d like more detail — click here. Your Business Blogger(R) was interviewed for an article on dealing with — and managing — Bad Bosses. It is scheduled to run this Sunday, 28 September in The Washington Post, Sunday Source section. Let me know what you think and do make plans to attend the class.
UPDATE: The article is up. Please take a look and link to the article in WaPo and if I may trouble you, review the comments — and I will owe you.
26 September 2008
Practice Questions for Chapter 4, The World of E-Business
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The organized effort of individuals to produce and sell, for a profit, the products and services that satisfy society’s needs through the facilities available on the Internet is referred to as |
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e-business. |
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e-management. |
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e-commerce. |
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e-selling. |
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E) |
e-shopping. |
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A company such as Amazon will have a different way of making business decisions than Barnes and Noble because |
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both companies sell books to their consumers, but the books are different and the companies are expanding their product lines. |
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Barnes and Noble must be concerned with its regular retail operations while Amazon only has an online presence to think about. |
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Amazon is strictly an online retailer, and Barnes and Noble is strictly a traditional retailer without concerns about online issues. |
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both companies manage large inventories using unique distribution channels and techniques. |
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Amazon is a much newer company than Barnes and Noble and will therefore have a different way of making business decisions. |
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All of the following are specialized informational resources for e-business except __________ systems. |
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customer tracking |
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B) |
order tracking |
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computer hardware |
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order fulfillment |
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E) |
online content-monitoring |
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Which of the following would be considered a revenue stream? |
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Advertising |
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Subscription fees |
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C) |
Sales of products |
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D) |
Sales of services |
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E) |
All of the above |
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A cookie |
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is an ethical concern. |
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B) |
is a small piece of software code. |
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C) |
allows the sender to track the user’s movement on the Internet. |
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D) |
is a privacy concern. |
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E) |
is all of the above. |
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9 September 2008
BUSiness 100, Syllabus, Fall 2008
Students, Welcome to Intro to Business 100, Fall, 2008, 050A, Northern Virginia Community College — Syllabus.
Business Technologies Division
John Wesley Yoest, Jr. (Jack)
Adjunct Professor of Management
This class meets in the Arlington Center at:
4600 North Fairfax Drive, behind the Holiday Inn
Arlington, VA 22203
703.933.5050, near Ballston Metro.
Class room 304, Arlington Center 3rd floor
Main Campus:
Northern Virginia Community College
3001 North Beauregard Street
Alexandria, VA 22311
NVCC phone: 703 845-6200
Business Phone: 202.215.2434
Fax: 703-845-6009
Jack@Yoest.org
or,
JYoest@NVCC.edu
Education:
M.B.A., George Mason University
B.S., Old Dominion University
BUS 100 Introduction to Business
Course Objective:
This course should provide the student with a broad overview of the components of business. It is meant to be an introductory course that exposes the student to the basic terminology of the business world by touching the areas of economics, marketing, management, and law, just to name a few. The course will help the student select their field of business specialization.
Text:
Business, Ninth edition. Pride, Hughes, and Kapoor. Houghton Mifflin Co., 2008.
Academic Requirements:
Tests: There will be four tests, as shown on the course outline. Tests will cover the reading material, classroom discussions, and terms relating to the material.
Course Grading System:
A = 90-100
B = 80-89
C = 70-79
D = 60-69
F = 0-59
Test #1 — 20 percent
Test #2 — 20 percent
Test #3 — 20 percent
Test #4 — 20 percent
Current Events — 10 percent
Participation and daily class test — 10 percent
Total = 100 percent
Even with the above structure, class participation and preparedness are extremely important — they could make the difference in a borderline grade.
BUS 100 Introduction to Business
COURSE OUTLINE
Introduction
Ch. 1 Exploring the World of Business and Economics
Ch. 2 Being Ethical & Socially Responsible
Ch. 3 Exploring Global Business
Ch. 4 Navigating the World of e-Business
Ch. 5 Choosing a Form of Business Ownership
Ch. 6 Small Business, Entrepreneurship, and Franchises
Test #1 on 1 October
__________________________________________________
Ch. 7 Understanding the Management Process
Ch. 8 Creating a Flexible Organization
Ch. 10 Attracting and Retaining the Best Employees
Ch. 11 Motivating and Satisfying Employees and Teams
Test #2 on 22 October
__________________________________________________
Ch. 13 Building Customer Relationships Through Effective Marketing
Ch. 14 Creating and Pricing Products that Satisfy Customers
Ch. 15 Wholesaling, Retailing, and Physical Distribution
Ch. 16 Developing Integrated Marketing Communications
Test #3 on 12 November
__________________________________________________
Current Events on 3 December
__________________________________________________
Ch. 18 Using Accounting Information
Ch. 19 Understanding Money, Banking, and Credit
App. C Business Law
Test #4 on 17 December
__________________________________________________
Current Event/Internet Assignment: Each student will be required to give a brief oral presentation on a current newspaper article, found on the Internet.
This presentation should be organized:
1) Provide the source of the article.
2) Deliver a brief overview of the topic, and, most important,
3) Your opinion/reaction to the article.
At the conclusion of the presentation you will turn in a print out of the article, being sure to include the newspaper source, date, and Website.
Current Event grading scale:
12 Total Points
1 — Choice of article
2 — Follow Directions
2 — Organization
3 — Overview/Reaction/Opinion
3 — Presentation
1 — Turn In
12 Total Points
_______________________________________________
Sources of Law
1. US Constitution
2. Statutory Law — Uniform Commercial Code (UCC)
3. Common Law
Public Law
Private Law — Product Liability
Contract Law
a) Requirements for a valid contract
b) Breach of contract
Sales Law — Warranties
Property Law — Real Property
Personal Property
1. Tangible
2. Intangible
_______________________________________________
Attendance:
Regular attendance of this course is expected. Failure to do so could have an adverse effect on the student’s course grade. Any class material and assignments missed are the student’s responsibility.
It is highly recommended that the student exchange names and phone numbers with a classmate. Excessive absences, as defined in the college catalog, could result in the student receiving the grade ‘F’ for the course.
Testing and Grading:
Attendance at scheduled tests is mandatory. No make-up tests will be given without advance permission from this instructor. This permission will be granted only under highly unusual circumstances, which in the opinion of this instructor warrants such action.
Normally this instructor will assign only the grades of A, B, C, D, or F. Special grades such as W, I, and R will be assigned only in those circumstances prescribed in the college catalog. The grade of X (audit) must be initiated by the student and will be assigned only when the student has attended class regularly.
Failure to do so will result in the instructor issuing the grade of ‘F’.
Withdrawals:
Any student may withdraw from this course without academic penalty within the first 60% of the session. Initiation of the withdrawal is the student’s responsibility and the grade of ‘W’ will be awarded. The last day for withdrawal, without academic penalty, for this semester/session is _______________. Beyond this date dropping a course or failure to attend will result in the grade of ‘F’ except under mitigating circumstances. Documentation of these circumstances is required AND a grade of ‘W’ implies that the student was making satisfactory progress (passing) in the course at the time of the withdrawal.
Special Needs and Accommodations:
Please address with the instructor any special problems or needs at the beginning of the semester/session. If the student is seeking accommodations based on disability, you should provide a disability data sheet, which can be obtained from the Counselor for Special Needs.
Cheating:
The following will be considered cheating in this course:
1. The giving or receiving of aid on any graded assignments or test without specific permission of this instructor.
2. The use of any material on a graded assignment or test other than those authorized by this instructor.
3. Talking or discussion of any kind during a graded test without specific permission of this instructor.
Notes and suggestions and hints:
Class meets Wednesdays beginning 27 August, 2008.
Class starts at 3:00pm and continues to 5:45pm.
Tests and exams and the daily quiz will begin at the start of class.
Last Day for Schedule Adjustments with Tuition Refund is 11 September.
Last Day to Withdraw Without Grade Penalty or Change to Audit is 31 October.
Final Examination and last day, Wednesday 17 December.
Expect a Quiz or test for each of the 16 classes. The Daily Quiz is pass/fail.
Attendance will be taken at each class.
Check the course catalog for questions.
Find a friend. Exchange contact info with at least one class member to keep current on any missed classes. Your Business Professor is not the primary contact.
Expect to be asked to contribute to each class session.
There will be short breaks around 4 pm and 5 pm.
Do not text-message during class.
When Your Business Professor says “Tomorrow” he means the next class meeting — not the next day.
Quiz for Chapter 2: Being Ethical and Socially Responsible
1. What is Business Ethics?
Ethics is the study of right and wrong and of the morality of choices. Business Ethics is the application of moral standards to business situations.
2. Identify the types of ethical concerns that arise in the business world.
Ethical issues arise often in business situations out of relationships with investors, customers, employees, creditors or competitors. People should make every effort to be fair, to consider the welfare of customers and others within the firm, to avoid conflicts of interest and to communicate honestly.
3. What is “whistle-blowing”?
Employees tell government officials about unethical practices in their workplace.
4. What is caveat emptor?
What you see is what you get. Buyer Beware.
Source: Business, Pride, Hughes, Kapoor, 9th edition, Houghton Mifflin