Selling in Minnesota

Vocabulary

  1. Aplomb----n. Self-confidence assurance, poise.
  2. Altruism----n. Unselfish concern for the welfare of others.
  3. Contrition---n. Sincere remorse for wrongdoing, repentance.
  4. Incipient----adj. Beginning to exist or appear.
  5. Ineluctably---adv. Not to avoided or escaped. Inevitable
  6. Allopathic ----n. A method of treating disease with remedies that produce effect different from those caused by the disease itself.
  7. Euphemistic----n. An example of substituting a vague indirect term for one that is considered harsh, blunt, or offensive.
  8. Prevarication -----intr. v. To stray from of evade the truth; equivocate.
  9. Unctuous------adj. Characterized by effected, exaggerated, or insincere earnestness.
  10. Intercalate-----tr. v. To insert, interpose, or interpolate.
  11. Eponymous----adj. Having to do with names that are the source of names of a thing. Examples: Kleenex, Xerox
  12. Abasement-----tr. v. To lower in rank, prestige or esteem.
  13. Panacea------n. A remedy for all diseases, evils, or difficulties; a cure all.

Projects

  1. Compare Wal-Mart's stock prices to K-Mart and Best Buy. Which company has the best stock performance? Look at the last quarterly reports for these three companies. What are their total sales volumes? What profits were reported?
  2. Research work related drug testing. What is the history of the practice? What ways are there to beat the test? Research the websites that sell urine-purifying products. What do they cost? Who sells them?
  3. Read the book, Fast Food Nation. Describe the working conditions reported in the book.
  4. Read the book, Made In America, Sam Walton’s biography. Describe what made this man special.
  5. Research how were trade unions born in this country. How violent was there birth?
  6. How much do companies lose per year from worker theft? How much is lost per year due to worker vandalism. Is it true that theft and vandalism coincide with workers leaving a job? Research the topic about company insurance claims for worker theft and vandalism.