Every living thing pushed into the ring
Fight it out to wow the crowd
….Metric lyrics so often give us the words we need… We are pushed into the ring…and like a prize fighter who must win, we have to wow the crowd.
In FSHN 2305, Fashion Retailing students often ask us about the “reports/presentation” they HAVE to give to the class. The answer is always the same, “You MAY be allowed to give that report IF what you present is “worthy” of the time it takes to give the report. Remember, all the other students must listen to the report so their time is needed as well.
Fall 2009 – Rose Beltran reported on the value of watching ABC’s Shark Tank. Rose presented her information from notes she had written. She made key points about knowing your business and business math well enough to present yourself before VCs (Venture Capitalists) and “get the loan”. Rose pointed out specific details that illustrated some of the competitor’s missteps. Rose also made a few points about methods that would improve the competitor’s chances of getting the loan.
Even if some of what Rose presented went over your head (if you were fortunate enough to be in the room), WE know that Rose’s report was WORTHY. It could have been a touch better if Rose had given information on when to catch the next episode. Or how to catch it on hulu as Misty Montoya suggested. It is fun but not necessary to know that there is a blog, In the Shark Tank, about the show. But over all, Rose was well prepared and her report was meaningful. She gets the grade.
Rose is close to graduation, so she knows the program standards well.
Edgar Mendoza and Armando Saenz (both first semester fashion students) gave us “the beginning of a good report”. The information that Edgar and Armando shared about A’Gaci was great and when it goes a bit further it will also count as a report. It would have been better if E & A had been reporting from notes so the report is more complete and less redundant (look it up if you do not know the word at dictionary.com)
So, what is a “more complete” report? To start, an overview of the store’s strategic image would be more valuable than guessing IF the El Paso store was purposefully going after the distressed look. However, unless you can find an annual report, that information may not be available. In this case, the only way to beef up the report would be to offer examples of “corrections” to the problems that were observed in the store. A link to the company web site of A’gaci may answer more questions. E & A should work on the presentation and hand in the “next layer” of complexity – then a good grade will be assigned to the report/presentation.
Remember, the presented report is just one of two reports required for FSHN 2305. The second report should be relevant industry information, well reported, typed and submitted.
In a past semester, various students gave in depth reports on RFID, the status of doing business with India, the status of doing business with China, ROI, and other pivotal business information. These presentations were even “worthy” enough to become part of the exam the students created that semester. This semester (Fall 2009) the reports were not assigned to be part of the exams you create.
Rose gave the rest of the currently enrolled students an example. Now you have an idea of what you need to do IF you want to present a report.
You must request a reserved time if you hope to present your report. Make your request at least one class day before you will give your report. On the day of the report, you must be on time for class and you must remind the instructor that your report will be given.
If you do not choose to present a report, you must submit two typewritten reports. Not presenting a report does affect your grade. The semester is nearly 66% over so it is unlikely that all enrolled FSHN 2305 students will be able to deliver a report. Get into the competition and find out if you have what it takes to “wow the crowd”.
Have a great weekend!
