Intellectual Property Intellectual property is something that comes from a person’s mind, such as an idea, invention, or process. Intellectual property laws protect a person’s or a com- pany’s inventions, artistic works, processes, and other original material. Any use of intellectual property with- out permission is called infringement. A copyright acknowledges ownership of a work and specifies that only the owner has the right to sell the work, use it, or give permission for someone else to sell or use it. The laws cover all original work, whether it is in print, on the Internet, or in any other form or media. You cannot claim work as your own or use it without permission. Plagiarism is claiming another person’s material as your own, which is both unethical and illegal. Proprietary information is any work created by company employees on the job that is owned by that company. Proprietary information may be referred to as trade secrets because it is confidential information a company needs to keep private and protect from theft. Proprietary information can include many things, such as product formulas, customer lists, or manufac- turing processes. All employees must understand the importance of keeping company information confi- dential. The code of conduct may explain that company information may only be shared with permission from human resources. Sharing proprietary information with people outside the company is unethical and, possibly, illegal. Netiquette Netiquette is etiquette used when communicating elec- tronically. Netiquette includes accepted social and professional guidelines for Internet communication. It applies to e -mails, social networking, blogs, texting, and chatting. For example, it is unprofessional to use texting language in a business environment. Always proofread and spell-check e -mails before sending them. When communicating electronically, it is important to follow the same common courtesy used in face-to-face discussions. Complete 2-3 Digital Citizenship, pg 38 CONNECT TO YOUR CAREER Career Portfolio Objective. Before you begin collecting information, it can be beneficial to write an objective for your portfolio. An objective is one or two complete sentences that state what you want to accomplish. When creating an objective, fi rst focus on your short-term and long-term goals. A short-term goal is a goal you would like to achieve in the next one to two years. A long-term goal is a goal you wish to accomplish in the next fi ve to ten years. By focusing on your goals, you will be able to write a descriptive objective for your portfolio. When writing your objective, include enough details so that you can easily judge when it is accomplished. Consider this statement: “I will demonstrate to a potential employer that I am a good candidate for an open position.” Such an objective is too general. A better, more detailed one might read, “I will create a well-organized portfolio by September 1 to use in my search for an entry-level accounting job.” 1. Create a word-processing document with the heading “Portfolio Objective.” Then create two subheadings, one that says “Short-Term Goals,” and another that says “Long-Term Goals.” List your goals under their respective headings. These goals are the goals to focus on when writing your objective. 2. Next, write your portfolio objective based on those goals. Keep in mind that this objective will likely change as your ideas and goals evolve during the portfolio creation process. 3. Place this document as the first page of your portfolio to guide you as write your objective. This is your working document, so remember to remove it when you organize the final product. Pressmaster/Shutterstock.com Copyright Goodheart-Willcox Co., Inc. 28 Chapter 2 Soft Skills