I recently attended the Oklahoma Engineering Conference. I had the privilege of presenting two subjects. One subject was Art meets Science: A System of Innovation. The other was Business Planning: Bringing a New Product or Service to Market.
I also had the opportunity to attend presentations on other subjects. Below are a few subjects that could be useful to all small business owners, even if the businesses they own are not in the field of engineering.
Code o
f Ethics
Gordon Wells presented this subject. Two of the six fundamental canons in the code of ethics for engineers are: 1. Engineers are to conduct themselves honorably, responsibly, ethically and lawfully. 2. Engineers are to avoid deceptive acts. Mr. Wells summarized by saying “do the right thing”. It is easy to see how these canons could be useful in all professions, organizations and businesses.
Critical Communications
Forrest Walker presented this subject. The lesson here was for engineers to write, draw and communicate in ways that non-engineers can understand. This is a good lesson for all small business owners. Communicate in such a way that your customers, prospects, employees and vendors can understand. Small business owners should pay special attention to their marketing message and communications.
Fatigue in Aerospace
Ric Leist presented this subject. He discussed stresses and strains on some critical components used on aircraft. One interesting takeaway was the need to design components for a multitude of take-off, landing and flying conditions. It made me think of all the conditions that small businesses must operate in; economic (sales), workforce availability and regulations to name a few. The small business owner should know the stress locations of their business and design accordingly.
Contact us today if you need assistance with designing and engineering your business.