Assignment

An individual writing assignment on a question about the Steve Jobs biography.

Ideally, I would like to see you demonstrate eclectic interests and the ability to place our common work within a broad context of life. I value quality much more than quantity in our discussions and in written work. By "quality" I mean a combination of imagination, logic, and connection to other readings, topics, work problems, current events, and so on.

Business school is a rare time in your life when you have the chance to study, to freely consider, and to discuss great ideas. A chance to do something creative that you can be proud of. In our case, we apply high-concept ideas related to business guidance in an uncertain world. It isn't often that we can have this kind of yeasty and fertile discussion with like-motivated persons of the highest caliber - persons from whom we can learn.

Now, time for you to consider one of the greatest entrepreneurs of the past century.

Using what we have learned in the course thus far about entrepreneurship, competition, industry forces, competitive advantage, and the ways companies compete (cost vs. differentiation), you will answer one of several questions in a single essay about the modern entrepreneur as exemplified in the remarkable life of Steve Jobs. Why Jobs and not Zuckerberg or Musk? Because Jobs has impacted more lives in more ways than has any other entrepreneur in the past 100 years. The questions:

Here are the questions for consideration in writing your Jobs individual paper. Pick one and follow the instructions on the Individual Paper Instruction sheet in "Course Documents." Yes, use your reflections as the basis for your paper if you like. In fact, it's what I would do if I were you.

If you prefer to branch out, and you have a favorite entrepreneur who has inspired you, you can replace "Steve Jobs" with that person in the questions below and write your paper accordingly.

- What is the most important lesson to learn from the personal relationship side of Steve Jobs? (What to do . . . or what not to do, and why)

- What is the most important entrepreneurial lesson to learn from the business acumen of Steve Jobs?

- Jobs transformed six high-tech industries in his lifetime . . . which of his tech advances do you consider most important, and why?

- Steve Jobs believed in Simplicity and in Focus in conceiving and designing great products. Discuss pros and cons.

Individual Paper: Please break your paper up with boldface section headings so that I can follow your organization and reasoning.

This paper is between 3-4 pages (800-1000 words), 12-point Times New Roman font with 1-inch margins all around, double-spaced.