Magazine Article Summaries

To: Mr. Teach - Eng 201

From: name goes here

Subject: Major Assignment #3 -- Journal Entries

Date: May 8, 2000

JOURNAL #1-- INC. THE MAGAZINE FOR GROWING COMPANIES May 1994.

Publisher: James J. Spanfeller,

488 Madison Ave., 6th Floor

New York, NY 10022 (212) 326-2600

Audience Statement: Inc. speaks directly to the entrepreneur, sole-proprietor, small

business partnerships.

Advertising: There were several advertisements including investing, retirement, tax accounting,

computer companies and small businesses.

Summary:

Inc., The Magazine for Growing Companies speaks to a specific audience (see audience

statement). Some interesting articles were about the role of non-profit organizations within the business community, how to maximize return on an investment, how to effectively hire good employees,

quite a lot about planning and preparing a retirement portfolio and shrewd long term investing.

The article titled "Managing Autonomy" is the focus of my summary, I also mention later another article I found interesting. This article spoke about managerial styles: how and what works well when deciding policy for your employees. Some CEO's would say that your primary duty as a manager is to participate in managerial styles that encourage group problem solving. You have to continue tapping the collective wisdom of your employees. But you can't empower employees without holding them

responsible and accountable for their actions. These are the most important ideas presented in the article

but they go on to discuss some other topics such as marketing strategies and computer technology.

You have to focus on a particular market area and remember that quality is the single most important

factor. Another good question they ask is, What can a growing direct seller do to reduce its chances of being ripped off by customers? I think the most important point they bring out here is to concentrate on

the front end, that is to remove the undesirable customers. Along with credit checks and the usual

business safety precautions.

Another article about non-profit organizations spoke volumes about the need to explore and how to give responsibly and effectively. Businesses can donate money or services to a charity and use that for a

tax credit or write-off. The tax benefits were hammered on quite a bit. Wanting to do the right thing may be one of the impulses for giving, but soon it needs to be replaced with a more durable strategy. The relationship between private business and charity organizations has a long and complex history. Private foundations are excellent places to find out about how giving can be done effectively. These are some

of the typical topics you will find when you pick up a copy of INC. magazine. I would recommend subscribing to it if you have any aspirations of entering the business world or a business venture of any

kind.

JOURNAL #2 - INTERIOR DESIGN October 1998

Publisher: Mark Strauss

Interior Design

345 Hudson Street, New York, NY 10014

(212) 519-7261

Audience Statement: Interior Design is aimed at the Interior Design Professional who is currently in the

industry.

Advertising: The advertisements are typical of the equipment and supplies a designer needs, as well as for

woman's beauty needs and fine furniture. All in all the ads were very sparse which I liked a

great deal.

Summary:

Interior Design is a very colorful and graphical journal for the working professional. The articles range from the how-to section to full on award winning designers and their work. Many modern and art deco design topics were discussed. One article in particular "Structural Tension" was very interesting. They talked about the conventional use of window treatments, wall coverings, and upholstery, fabric is now replacing steel, wood, concrete, and glass, and masonry as a structural material. Teflon-coated floss,

Kevlar, and Tenera (a.k.a. dental floss) are among the fibers implemented with tension cables to create

tent-like surfaces that are the basic forms of tensile

...