TMP 111
Opportunities and Perspectives in Technology, Business, and Society
Winter 2015
Lecture:
Sporadic Tuesdays, 5:30 –7:00pm
SEE SPEAKER SCHEDULE BELOW FOR EXACT DATES
NOTE:
The first class is on 1/06/15, per schedule below.
Classroom:
Website:
Embarcadero Hall
GauchoSpace
Instructor:
Office:
Office Hours:
E-mail:
John Greathouse
TMP Hall, Phelps Hall
Tues 4:00 - 5:00pm (first come, first served – no appointments necessary)
johnmgreathouse@engineering.ucsb.edu
T.A.:
Office:
Office Hours:
E-mail:
Patrick Callery
Bren Hall, room 3021
by appointment
pjcallery@umail.ucsb.edu
The TMP111 one-credit course series was designed to provide a timely and accessible
educational format to students from all disciplines across campus wanting to gain some insight
into current business issues. The seminar is intended to be a lecture series where entrepreneurial,
technological, business and governmental leaders share their lessons of experience with the
UCSB community. This series is targeted to anyone interested in entrepreneurship, technology
development, commercialization and management, and the impact that these areas of innovation
have on society.
See the calendar below for specific class times and speakers – the class meets on an
IRREGULAR basis. Research each speaker before coming to class. Understanding the speakers’
backgrounds will allow you to get more from each talk and facilitate intelligent, insightful
questions.
With a few exceptions, the course will meet on selected Tuesdays from 5:30 - 7:00pm in
Embarcadero Hall. You will need to sign-in at each class session and be seated before
5:30pm. We strongly recommend arriving at the lecture hall well in advance of 5:30pm for
sign-in, as the sign-in process can take several minutes.
The TMP111 course may be repeated twice and is required for the Technology Management
Certificate (TMC). Because TMP111 is offeredonly on a “pass/no-pass” basis, you must be
present for each lecture and your final paper must be of high quality. Please contact the TA with
any questions concerning class logistics.
Course Requirements:
Required Reading: There is no required reading for this course.
To complete this class for a “pass” you need to:
1) Attend all of the lectures and any special class sessions, as required; YOU
CANNOT MISS A SINGLE LECTURE AND STILL PASS (THIS INCLUDES
THE FIRST CLASS) and,
2) Submit at least one question via GauchoSpace for at least three speakers 48hours prior to the speaker’s appearance. Questions should not be generic (e.g.,
"How did you become so successful?"). Rather, they should be novel, creative,
thought provoking and reflect knowledge of the speakers' background. Questions
which do not meet this criteria will not qualify for the "three out of five speaker
threshold." As such, a prudent student will submit questions for all five speakers
to ensure they reach the "3 out of 5" threshold.
Talks are filmed and questions are taken from the audience. Thus, if your question
is selected for submission to a speaker, please be present and prepared to ask your
question. If you are not present or otherwise unprepared to ask your question (e.g.,
"I forgot what it was..."), you will be marked absent.
3) Submit a solid, professional paper based upon the lectures, covering the
following topic: “What I have learned that will help me in my first job after
graduationand/or increase my leadership ability.” The final paper must be
uploaded to GauchoSpace NO LATER THAN Friday, March 13 at 5pm.
The paper is not to exceed 5 pages (~1500 words) but must demonstrate your knowledge of
each lecture’s content matter and show that you have thought critically about each and can
integrate the content into a theme. A grading rubric detailing the minimal requirements of
a "passing paper" is posted to the class website. See Exhibit A for further guidance.
Students are responsible for understanding the content of each lecture. We attempt to record each
lecture for future broadcast, so if you are forced to miss one lecture with a suitable absence (e.g.,
documented illness, family issue, etc.), you may view it on Gauchospace. A suitable absence is a
documented illness or family emergency. If you must leave class early, please contact the TA in
advance to confirm whether your reason for an early departure is approved. You may be asked to
substantiate your reason for leaving early with the proper documentation.
NOTE: We are not always able to record the talks, as some speakers request that we not tape
them. In addition, it may take the University several weeks to post a particular video.
If you miss a single lecture, you cannot earn a pass. The signup list is removed when the
lecture starts so you need to be present and sign in before the lecture begins (as defined by: when
the speaker is being introduced). Signing in for another student constitutes a violation of
academic integrity, as well as a professional breach in ethics. If you sign in another student, you
and the other studentwill be dropped from the class. “Attendance at each lecture” is defined
as attending the entire lecture. If you leave early, you will be noted as having “missed” the
lecture.
Winter 2015 Lecture Schedule
All lectures are scheduled from 5:30– 7:00pm in Embarcadero Hall. Please arrive in time to
sign in before 5:30pm. We strongly recommend arriving at the lecture hall well in advance of
5:30pm for sign-in. We try to record each lecture for later broadcast and therefore need to start
promptly without any audience interruptions.
January 6
Gale Wilson Steele, Former Founder & CEO MedSeek
Widely regarded as a pioneer in e-health technology solutions, Gale Wilson-Steele, founded
MedSeek, Inc. in 1996. The company started with the purchase of a book called, “How to Turn
Your Mac Into a Web Server”, and with the evolution of the Internet and many outstanding
additions to the team, MedSeek, Inc. now serves over 1,000 hospitals with online solutions that
empower patients, physicians, employees and consumers to securely exchange knowledge,
interact with healthcare organizations and access medical records online. While her Stanford
degree is in biology and she actively has promoted technology, beginning with teaching
Computer Aided Design at UCSB, her real gift is as a cheerleader for disruptive
change. Gale has been known to hold company meetings called “show and tell”, and take
Engineering camping in yurts. She understands that for work to be more than a paycheck, we
need to feel we are part of a vision and are making a difference.
Her approach to fixing healthcare is to provide tools to the people who make it happen, both
from the industry and the consumer side. Her philosophy…we have the science of medicine,
now we must improve the process of delivery and the art of living well.
January 27th
George Powell - Founder and CEO, Powell-Peralta Skateboards
The first time George Powell saw a skateboard it wasn't called a skateboard. "I saw somebody
riding a two-by-four near the beach and went home and built one for myself," George says. In
the mid-1950s there were no commercially available skateboards but the OG generation lit the
fuse with DIY projects involving scrap lumber and mutilated rollerskates.
A decade later, George was married and studying engineering at Stanford. He hadn't rolled in
years, but cashed in his books of blue chip stamps for two commercially produced skateboards.
He and his wife eventually burned out on rolling around the campus and mothballed the boards.
A decade after that, George passed down his skateboard to his son, who promptly complained
that his relic ride sucked compared to newer models with urethane wheels. Ever the tinkering
scientist, George researched the new material and composite decks and set up a low-rent R&D
lab in his garage and began baking prototype wheels in his kitchen oven. His day job revolved
around the aerospace industry and he employed its high-tech approach to making aluminum
skinned decks and the first double-radial wheels called "Bones" due to their rare white color.
George ran Powell Skateboards with moderate success until one of the most famous skaters of
the era randomly rang him up in 1978. Stacy Peralta and George had spoken a few times before
and the skater had always been impressed with Powell's product. The engineer likewise
appreciated the marketing power that the star skater provided. "I was a designer—I didn't know
many skaters," George says. They formed Powell Peralta and each owned their own side of the
company coin. Stacy and his creative cohort Craig Stecyk tackled marketing, quickly producing
artistic and sardonic ads unlike anything seen in skateboarding. George hunkered down and
focused on improving skate product. Powell Peralta found their stride at exactly the wrong
moment. "Stacy had just introduced the Bones Brigade concept," George says, "we had really
high-quality wheels and decks and then the market just died. Went to zero. We'd call shops for
orders and they'd say they were going out of business."
Powell Peralta weathered the depression until a new generation discovered skateboarding in the
mid-'80s. Sales peaked in 1987 with annual sales topping 27 million bucks, but by the end of the
decade the landscape had changed and the iconic company absorbed multiple near-fatal wounds.
Stacy and most of the Bones Brigade departed, but George retooled his business and brought his
companies back from bankruptcy by returning to his original focus on upgrading standard
skateboard components. Today, Bones Bearings and BONES wheels are among the strongest and
most respected brands in skateboarding.
February 3rd
Peter Levine - Partner, Andreesen Horowitz
Prior to Andreessen Horowitz, I was the CEO of XenSource, the leading provider of open source
virtualization solutions. XenSource was acquired by Citrix Systems in 2007 and following the
acquisition, I became the SVP and general manager of the Data Center and Cloud Division at
Citrix.
Prior to XenSource, I was a managing director at Mayfield, where I had the opportunity to
develop my skills and insights as a professional investor.
Before Mayfield, I spent over a decade at Veritas Software, where I started as an engineer when
the company was just a handful of people. Eleven years later, the company was doing $1.5B in
revenue and had nearly 6,000 people. At that time, I was one of three executive vice presidents,
responsible for OEM Sales, Marketing, M&A, the Veritas venture fund and several platform
development groups.
I have a real interest in blending the strategic and operational aspects of building an organization
and view myself as a coach to the entrepreneurs I serve. My return to venture capital reflects this
interest.
Beyond venture, I spend part of my time teaching at the Stanford GSB. When not teaching or
spending time with entrepreneurs, you might find me with my kids or out climbing, hiking or
cycling. I am an avid ice climber and mountaineer, and have a goal to hike or climb to the
highest point in every state in the US. I’ve been on numerous mountaineering expeditions around
the world and often compare these trips to building a company.
February 10th
Rose Broome, Co-Founder and CEO, HandUp
Rose is passionate about using the power of technology to create social change. She came up
with HandUp after passing a woman sleeping on the street in the winter of 2012 and wanting to
see a new way to give. Previously, Rose served as COO at SuperBetter Labs and as a data
manager for Barack Obama's 2008 presidential campaign. Rose loves organizing the community
and has been active in groups like Science Hack Day and Food Not Bombs. She has her MA
from SF State.
Promise Phelon, Chief Revenue Officer, The Resumator
With an expertise in revenue generation, Promise builds bridges between long-term strategy and
field execution. She believes that the power behind any growing SaaS organization is a unified
sales and marketing team. As a serial entrepreneur, Promise has built and led successful startups
and small businesses. She has a passion for challenging the status quo and redefining existing
categories.
Dr. Sarah Thébaud, Assistant Professor
Despite large-scale social changes over the last several decades, gender is still a key factor that
influences who generates economic growth as an entrepreneur, who does the housework, and
who leads scientific discoveries. The central goal of Sarah's research is to identify and
understand the social processes that reproduce particularly persistent forms of inequality like
these. Sarah's analytic strategy centers on making theoretical connections between micro-level
social psychological processes and macro-level institutional structures. To this end, she employs
multiple methodologies, including experimental studies, large-scale survey analysis, crossnational comparisons and in-depth interviews.
Sarah's primary line of research focuses on gender inequality in entrepreneurship and innovation.
Three studies on this topic suggest that social policies and widely shared cultural beliefs about
gender work together to structure the context in which individuals a) perceive business
ownership as a viable labor market option and b) gain legitimacy and support for their business
idea.
February 17th
Anthony Martin, Co-Founder & Chief Of Strategy, iCracked
Raad Mobrem, Co-Founder and Former CEO Lettuce
Chris Herbert & Christian Smith, Co-Founders, TrackR
Friday, March 13th
Paper Due by 5:00 PM - no late submissions will be accepted
Submit via GauchoSpace
TMP111
Exhibit A - Paper Format, Tips and Tricks
Final Paper Requirements
Paper Due by 5:00 PM on Date listed on GauchoSpace.
1. REQUIRED FILENAME FORMAT:
a. Last name First name - TMP 111 Final Paper
b. Example: Greathouse John – TMP 111 Final Paper
2. REQUIRED PAPER FORMAT:
a. Upload paper in pdf (preferred) or doc/docx format
b. Cover sheet: Name, Title, Date& Class Name
c. 1 page paper outline
d. Up to 5 pages of text(not counting the cover page, outline or reference
page/bibliography)
e. A page of references,including quotes taken either from your notes in class or
from the videos posted online, research you did before the talks to better
understand the speakers'backgrounds, etc. At least 3 cited references must be
included on each page of your text.
f. Note: If you turn in your paper by the end of the 8th week, we will give you
feedback and you will have an opportunity to improve your grade it if it is not
adequate.
3. REQUIRED PAPER TOPIC:
a. Please submit a solid, professional paper based upon the lecturers and covering
the following topic: “What I have learned that will help me in my first job after
graduation and/or increase my leadership ability.”
b. The paper is not to exceed 5 pages (1500 words) but must demonstrate your
knowledge of each lecture’s content matter and show that you have thought
critically about each and can integrate the content into a theme.
4. SUGGESTED OUTLINE:
a. Introduction: The three most significant principles you are taking with you from
this class.
b. Leadership ability and learning takeaways
i. Speaker quotes or paraphrased summaries
ii. Explanation of how lectures changed or reinforced your views.
iii. Researched citations (at least 3 on each page) on the topics you found
inspiring.
c. Summary
i. How you plan to continue pursuing these principles.
ii. Ideas taken from the lectures that you will use going forward.
iii. Ways this class has helped you form your goals for the future.
d. Bibliography of references cited
5. EXTERNAL REFERENCES:
a. Use the UCSB library for research using online journals & online periodicals
b. Google Scholar searches will also yield access to online academic journals
c. Basic internet searches will yield important target information (media articles,
press releases, corporate websites, etc) about our guest speakers.
How to Write a Better Paper
A. Prepare Your Assignment in Advance
In order to write a high quality paper, be sure to take the time to write:
1. Anoutlineofyourmajorpointsthatdistillsalogicalflowofinformation
2. A rough draft of your paper that you can reread and have another person read for you. A
second reader always helps, no matter what your level of writing expertise is.
3. A final draft that you can carefully spell check and review for grammar, content and style.
If you allow time between the first and final draft, you will think of new content and
deeper understanding that will improve the quality of your work.
B. Follow the Triple A’s – AAA = Absorption, Analysis, Application
Include proof of the following, placing emphasis on Analysis and Application:
1. Absorption: quickly summarize the data you have reviewed for the assignment, avoid
lengthy repetition. Assume I am already familiar with the material and simply show me
that you are as well. Demonstrate mastery of the material by referring to the main points
in reading and in class notes.
2. Analysis: give an explanation of what effect the material has on your existing views of
business, the meaning of current business concepts and how they might change as a
result, and what resonance there is on your other courses. Feel free to use concepts
from your other classes here and create connections between them.
3. Application: take this new knowledge and use it as a frame of reference to interpret part
of your world. For example, demonstrate how it might change your personal business
plans and/or business practices.
Following are some questions that may inspire you to create original content:

Do you have a viewpoint upon which most people would disagree?

What is one main idea you can focus upon to explain this subject?

How can you assert your conclusions about this subject? Here is a good place to use the
rule of 3 (elucidate your thoughts into 3 clear points).

Brainstorm about your interests on the assignment and some of your ideas on the class
discussions and readings.

Reflect on how you see this content as an Entrepreneur.

What is your unique point of view?

What have you learned?
C. General Flow of your paper: Have a Point of View and Prove it
Begin with an overview of the existing information on the subject – cite quotes from class, the
reading, and your independent research. Demonstrate your familiarity with the existing body of
knowledge, showing that you are an informed voice on the subject. Your paper should be
focused, organized and well-researched to be successful.
Format for all writing assignments:

All papers must be titled to identify the assignment

File format: Microsoft Word or PDF

Include a page header with your name, date and assignment, and a page footer with
page number

Margins: 1”

Type face: Arial 11pt or similar

Double-spaced
Document outline:


Include a ~1 page outline at the start of the paper to demonstrate the organizational
structure of your paper.
The outline page does not count toward the length of your paper
Pictures and Graphics:

Pictures and graphics should only be presented in an Appendix and do not count
towards the length of your paper.
Bibliography:

Include citations in MLA (or similar) style and attach a bibliography page

Alphabetize your bibliographic entries

The bibliography page does not count toward the length of your paper
Some pointers:
1. Consider your paper as part of your business-writing portfolio and be sure that
your work is high enough quality to include as a writing sample with a job application.
2. Do basic research on the speaker before the lecture sessions. You will be better
prepared to understand the speaker’s point of view, ask compelling questions, and have
a head start on your independent research for the final paper.
3. Make sure to begin each paragraph with a topic sentence to introduce the evidence to
be examined within the paragraph
4. Vary your language; in other words, don’t begin each sentence in the same fashion and
make sure to utilize varying sentence lengths
5. Pose questions and answer them
6. Write in the active voice (present tense, first person)
7. Eliminate unnecessary words-they dilute the impact of your writing
8. Incorporate quotes into your own words (always cite them even if you are paraphrasing)
9. Do not use slang or casual language
10. SPELLCHECK! Please do not misspell a speaker’s name. Imagine that you are
sending this paper to all of the speakers as part of a professional job inquiry.
11. Make sure to have another student review your paper before submitting.
12. Read your paper out loud. You will immediately discover awkward sentences, verbs that
do not agree with their subjects and run-on sentences. Hearing your own writing out loud
also helps you to discover if your arguments make sense.
13. Don’t wait until the last minute. From rough draft to final draft, you should have time to
perfect your thoughts, the format, and the flow of your paper.
14. DOUBLE-CHECK TO MAKE SURE THAT YOUR PAPER IS SUCCESSFULLY
UPLOADED TO GAUCHOSPACE BEFORE THE DEADLINE. Previous students have
failed to pass the class because they thought they uploaded the paper, but for some
unexplained reason, did not check to make sure it was properly uploaded.
D. Conclusion
Synthesize all of your research to declare your position on the topic.
Summarize how you have proven your position.
This should demonstrate your mastery of the information presented as well as your ability to go
beyond ideas presented in class and in the readings.
Important Reminders:
You will be marked down for typos, spelling errors, and improper grammar and syntax.
You are being graded on the Triple A’s – AAA = Absorption, Analysis, Application.
ALL WRITING ASSIGNMENTS MUST BE TURNED IN ON OR BEFORE THE DUE DATE.