Activities and Reflections

ACTIVITY 1

(Make a paper airplane that can fly the farthest)





Aircraft that can fly the farthest is winner.Purpose this activity is to show  the main function of aircraft that can fly away regardless of size andshape of the plane is important to achieve the main target can flythe farthest.

ACTIVITY 2

(Pro forma profiles representing the mentality of selectoccupations)

This activity requires students to answer questions that have been set where every question is closely related to thinking as thebackground and skills.

ACTIVITY 3

(Creative Product)

Our team created "Kerusi Pemancing" suits the location that we chosethe beach. Where the seats are placed along the rod, tackleequipment, tool box (fishing equipment) are very useful for fishingenthusiasts because the seats are not big size it can be folded and placed in the car.

ACTIVITY 4

(The Blue Ocean Strategy Eureka)

Changing the items used to be a multi-purpose goods. Our teamcreated the "Heller with Punishment" this product can be used by teachers and hostel warden ..



ACTIVITY 5

(Use Case Studies: Klymit)


 
Nate Alder has never taken a chemistry class, and was in his early 20s when he was scuba diving on a trip to Brazil and got the idea that became his company. The company he founded uses argon gas to make products that adjust to extreme cold and temperature changes without adding bulk.  Deflated the vest provides some warmth, and when inflated the vests are three times warmer than a 900-fill down jacket that works even when it gets wet. Instead of being three inches thick, the fabric is thin, even when fully inflated. With this idea Alder built Klymit.


Winning Idea: Use Argon Gas as Insulation for Lightweight Vests


When training to get his scuba diving certification, Alder learned that argon gas is put inside dry suits to insulate divers in cold arctic water. Argon is used in many applications because it’s safe, non-toxic, and non-flammable. It makes a very effective insulator and is readily available (it’s in the atmosphere). So he decided he wanted to use argon to insulate a vest or jacket. That idea earned him fifth place at a Brigham Young University business plan competition. The next year he built a prototype of his idea and won. Then his team went to an international competition that pitted his idea against those at the best schools in the world. He won again.

Building a $75,000 Prototype without a Budget

When he first asked experts how he could trap gas in clothing the response wasn’t encouraging. Professors said it was impossible and even if he figured out a way to do it, no one would buy it. Engineers said a prototype would cost $75,000. Not having the money, Alder passed and set his mind on figuring out how to make it himself.

Borrowing Ideas from the Wine, Medical and Shoe Industries

Like the first time he came up with an idea, Alder found inspiration for his outdoor product by looking to other industries. He strung ideas together to create a vest. He needed a way to get gas into the jacket, out of the jacket, and let people regulate the process so it happened gradually and safely. He took inspiration from the wine industry, using a one-way valve similar to the ones that keep wine fresh after it’s opened. A dial on an old model of Reebok Pump basketball shoes helped control the pressure. He found them on eBay, and cut the dial out of each shoe by hand. The end result cost just $100. He made canisters to hold the gas and valves from the medical industry to connect the system.

Going to Market

The original idea was to license the technology to major manufacturers to use in their products. The companies were reluctant to spend the money, especially after the recession hit. So Klymit built its own products. At the first trade show, all company had was a sample. It was a hit. Klymit's PR firm helped get mentions in the media and six months later they started taking orders. The manufacturers saw the buzz the product created and wanted to license it.

Encouraging Innovative Ideas at Work

“We all come from different backgrounds, we see things from different angles,” Alder says of his employees. He states that he doesn’t want to create products that are evolutionary; he wants to create products that are revolutionary. The staff talks about new ideas every day and records them on a whiteboard. In meetings, they discuss and debate the ideas, based on cost to market, time to market, and uniqueness. Then they take a vote. Everyone has 10 votes. Sticky notes placed next to an idea constitutes a vote.

A New Product Every 6 Months

The team is constantly talking about what’s next. Their newest product is a sleeping pad for camping. It rolls up to the size of a soda can and weighs just 9.1 ounces. It doesn’t look like regular camping pads, that can get as big as a sleeping bag, but it’s just as comfortable and warmer, the company says, because it uses Klymit’s technology.

Why the outdoor industry? “The outdoor industry is one of the most innovative industries. They are also quick to adopt new technology,” says Alder.  Klymit continues to expand, aiming to be in 25 countries by next year and creating a new product every six months. Not bad for what started out as a vacation.






ACTIVITY 6

(Use Case Studies: Kerrygan)




For six-foot tall Kathryn Kerrigan, shopping for prom shoes was a frustrating experience. She remembers dragging her dad to six Chicago area malls just to find one pair of pumps that fit her size 11 feet. When this problem continued into college and beyond, Kathryn put her foot down and in 2005 launched Kathryn Kerrigan Footwear – stylish, elegant and comfortable shoes for women sizes 11 through 16. Despite competing with high-end brands such as Stewart Weitzman and Donald J. Pliner, Kathryn has successfully captured the appreciation (and business) of an underserved niche. This year, Kathryn opened the doors to her second store in Chicago’s Gold Coast. Her media recognition includes being named number five on Inc. Magazine’s 2007 Top 30 Entrepreneurs Under 30 and making the finals in Entrepreneur Magazine’s 2009 Emerging Entrepreneur of the Year. In 2008, Kathryn’s company generated revenue of $1.8 million and the 2009 projection is $3.2 million.
Despite her life-long footwear frustration, it never occurred to Kathryn, a former collegiate basketball player, that others may be experiencing the same problem. However, while at Loyola University of Chicago earning her masters in business administration, she had to complete a final project on a niche market. Kathryn made this assignment an opportunity to find out why she couldn’t find cute shoes for her size 11 feet. Kathryn figured once she completed the project and got her master’s, she could get on with her life.


Still, Kathryn wasn’t sure of her career direction once she graduated with her MBA in marketing and finance, and expressed that to her dad who quickly responded, “Are you crazy? Why don’t you just start your own company?” He pointed out that she had a great idea, competed research and a business plan already written. Kathryn had her “ah-ha” moment, and set out to help women yearning for stylish shoes in larger sizes put their best foot forward.




Kathryn took her business plan, refined it, got into the marketplace and checked out her competition. She held focus groups and interviewed over 400 tall women about their shoe size, the styles and colors they liked, and found out what their shoe shopping experiences had been. Kathryn researched everything and secured a $30,000 loan from a local bank. She jokes that her company has always been “on a shoestring budget.” Kathryn drafted sketches and specs for her first line of shoes and worked with craftsmen in Italy to produce her designs.


Despite wanting to manufacture her shoes in the United States, Kathryn realized that handcrafting the quality, luxurious footwear she wanted her brand to represent was a skilled trade, one that no longer existed in this country. Ultimately, she decided to have her shoes made in Italy and, most recently, Spain, where forty different physical craftsmen touch the shoes before they’re finished. Understandably, Kathryn Kerrigan shoes are expensive, running from $150 to upwards of $300 per pair, but they will last a lifetime.
Within weeks of launching kathrynkerrigan.com, Kathryn received orders from women across the Unites States and around the globe, including London, Australia and Dubai.


Since launching in 2005, Kathryn has expanded her brand to include shoes in sizes 6 through 10.5, handbags, a couture clothing line for tall women and jewelry. In 2007, she was approached by Amazon.com (all on sale right now) to have 35 styles sold on its website, Endless.com. In addition to her two locations in Chicago, Kathryn has her sights set on having stores in New York and Los Angeles within the next five years.


Kathryn continues to be inspired by the emotional comments from her customers expressing that her shoes changed their lives. Previously only able to wear athletic shoes, now women wearing sizes 11 to 16 have the opportunity to kick up their heels in fashionable styles just like their smaller-footed friends.


In addition to running her company, Kathryn is an adjunct professor of entrepreneurship at Loyola University and a sought-after speaker. She also developed the OneShoe Project, which collects gently used women’s shoes and donates them to women in need.


What we learned from Kathryn: “Every female entrepreneur needs to find one or two like-minded business women to talk to. Whether you’ve had a terrible day, struggling with a work/life balance or just need to vent without judgment it’s important to be able to speak with someone who ‘gets it.’”


Slow Down
“It’s crucial not to grow too fast or too soon. That’s challenging because entrepreneurs always want more, more – and are looking for the next big sale. It’s hard to grow at a pace that makes sense for cash flow, but you need to slow down and let things grow naturally and organically.”


Employee Angst
“I struggled with finding the right employees and at first didn’t take responsibility for not hiring the right ones. Eventually, I took time to analyze my business structure, got knowledgeable about Human Resources and read books. I ended up learning so much about my personality and the personality of the office. Now I’m a stronger businesswoman.”