Can't Wait to Return From Fall Break!

Welcome Back!  I hope each of you has enjoyed a restful Fall Break.  I certainly took this time off to catch up on some sleep and prepare for the next nine weeks of school, which are chock full of fun activities, including the Business Plan Competition and Trade Fair.  If we take a look at the next few weeks on the VE Calendar, we’ll see how it relates to our tasks for the week of 10/20. 

Hopefully, with this blog entry posted 10/15, some of you can get a head start on these tasks, especially the completion of the Business Plan Presentation!  That said, here’s a quick look at our tasks for the week:

• ·      Work business plan presentation
• ·      Journalize all purchases of merchandise from Marketplace
• o   Cash payments
• ·      Journalize all sales/cash receipts
• ·      Begin making inventory records
• ·      Distribute payroll
• ·      Weekly newsletter
• o   School News
• o   National Business news
• o   Upcoming events calendar (sporting events/tryouts/play?)
• o   Our Business news
• o   Employee spotlight
• o   Anything else included in the competition rubric
• ·      Impact Marketing (billboard) creation

Duties are divided among three teams: Business Plan Team, Finance/Accounting Team, and Trade Fair Competition Team.  Clear target for the week is simple:

Clear Target: We can create promotional marketing materials for a startup business

Business Plan Competition Team

Your job is to have a final draft for the business plan presentation submitted to my email by the beginning of business Wednesday (7:30am).  I will be in contact with Ms. Anderson regarding progress on the draft she submitted to me prior to break, and expect that she will communicate with the rest of the team on ways to have the presentation complete well ahead of the deadline.  By the end of class Monday, CEO is to verbally update me on progress and provide me with a plan to meet the deadline if the presentation is not yet complete. 

Again, please refer to the oral presentation rubric for each slide.  This will allow the judges to follow the presentation more easily.  Of course, in order to win the competition, you must separate yourselves from the rest.  That’s where our opening, slide design (logo, layout, etc.), and script can really differentiate ourselves from the competition. 

Finance/Accounting Team

Your duties are pretty straightforward.  Please create a checklist for the following assignment:

• ·      Journalize all purchases of merchandise from Marketplace
• o   Cash payments
• ·      Journalize all sales/cash receipts
• ·      Begin making inventory records
• ·      Distribute payroll

Once you’ve completed purchases from Marketplace and Inventory Records (a simple spreadsheet for inventory is fine), please contact me to show me what we have.  As we make sales, these records should be updated regularly.  This means that these inventory files are of the utmost importance.  By the end of the week, payroll and daily journal entries should also be complete

Trade Fair Competition Team

If you are not a member of the Business Plan Presentation Team or Accounting/Finance Team, you are a member of the Trade Fair Competition Team.  As a member of this team, you are required to compete in the Newsletter, Impact Marketing, and Website (basic) competition.  Please refer to the “Rubrics” link on the left side of the page in the Portal under “VE Curriculum” for details on each artifact.  Some side information can be found below:

Newsletter

In our Google Drive, you can find two examples of a previously created newsletter.  One is from 2013-14 (titled newsletter #recent[1]) and the other is from 2012-13 (titled 10-11Newsletter).  These newsletters contain only some of the requirements per the rubric, but can show you a rough outline of what a newsletter should look like.  Of course, these have been created in MS Word and I feel as if Publisher might be a better Office Suite for our submission.

In order to tackle this monster, you’re going to have to assign portions of the project among team members.  By end of business each day, please report to me on your progress so you will meet Friday’s deadline.  Each portion of the project should be complete by Thursday so that the newsletter can be assembled and designed on Friday.

Impact Marketing

Please refer to the rubric for this.  I feel as if our Design team, especially Irvin and Harris, will make this really stand out.  You guys already have the logo.  Let’s make something that really gets the attention of onlookers and see what happens.

Please report to me your daily progress so that I know we will meet the deadline for submission.

Website (basic)

We’re in good shape with this.  Ms. Tibbetts should work with the rest of her team to ensure we hit everything on the rubric, but I think we’re almost there.  I expect this to be completed by end of business Wednesday, but please report to me at the end of class each day this week so I’m in the loop on your progress.

This week is going to be busy.  If we remain on task, we’ll knock these tasks out of the park.  I’m pretty sure you’re capable of greatness when you focus up, so please dedicate yourselves to these projects. 

Please don’t hesitate to keep contact with me over break.  I look forward to hearing from you if you’re available so we can hit the ground running when we return to class on Monday.  See you all soon!