Over the duration of the semester our group members have taken advantage of technology to get a hold of one another. The black board group pages were helpful because it allowed everyone to see certain documents that were posted by a particular member. Once the document is posted on black board all group members can view the papers at their discretion.
The main line of communication that our group used to contact one another has been through e-mail. It is effective because everyone generally checks his/her e-mail several times a day. Overall, the group worked well together and the line of communication was always open. With the use of e-mail, facebook, black board, text messaging and so forth, it seems as though there are endless ways to take advantage of technology.
Tuesday, April 21, 2009
Sunday, April 5, 2009
Ethical Lapses
After discussing the memo in class pertaining to the Holocaust, it seems apparent that dehumanizing information has been around for awhile. The problem is that it is often difficult to identify the the underlying meaning in some of these memos. The people writing these documents are deceptive and able to hide them from the public more often then not. While the case dealing with ford pinto was many years ago it is still upsetting that they would allow people to die knowingly because it would be cheaper than fixing all the cars.
Unfortunately it seems that issues like this are prevalent throughout the big corporations in business today. As an accounting/finance major the Enron scandal has been the biggest example of an ethical lapse. The Enron scandal has allowed the public to view a lot of the deceptive information conveyed to employees as well as to investors. It is amazing how all these hot shots got away with all their corrupt schemes for so long.
The future work world is approaching fast. I will be working with a multi-billion dollar company in less than a year. There will be many ethical dilemmas that come my way, but I feel confident that I will be able to make the correct decisions.
Unfortunately it seems that issues like this are prevalent throughout the big corporations in business today. As an accounting/finance major the Enron scandal has been the biggest example of an ethical lapse. The Enron scandal has allowed the public to view a lot of the deceptive information conveyed to employees as well as to investors. It is amazing how all these hot shots got away with all their corrupt schemes for so long.
The future work world is approaching fast. I will be working with a multi-billion dollar company in less than a year. There will be many ethical dilemmas that come my way, but I feel confident that I will be able to make the correct decisions.
Sunday, March 29, 2009
Communication barriers in the work setting
After experiencing a co-op in Boston Massachusetts for eight months, there was time for many problems to materialize between upper and lower management. As a co-op, I had the opportunity to view these issues in an unbiased way. The main example that comes to mind when dealing with communication problems occurred between the district business manager and one of the lower financial managers.
Every month, the financial managers are responsible for creating cost reports for each of their individual jobs. Once these cost reports are complete, the business district manager presents the new budgets in the District Operation Review. The new financial manager was unaware of the company policies for creating these cost reports on time and was heavily chastised by the district manager in front of his co-workers. The new employee was never told about the deadline, so it was only assumed that he knew the proper date.
This reflects a poor effort from the district manager as well as the other surrounding employees, who should have been guiding this employee. Not having the data to present at the big meeting made the district manager look bad, but he should have been more frustrated with himself than the employee. After serious thought, the district manager realized he was wrong a gave a public apology to the employee. The District manger made it clear that all new hires in the future will be clarified on these details from the get go.
Every month, the financial managers are responsible for creating cost reports for each of their individual jobs. Once these cost reports are complete, the business district manager presents the new budgets in the District Operation Review. The new financial manager was unaware of the company policies for creating these cost reports on time and was heavily chastised by the district manager in front of his co-workers. The new employee was never told about the deadline, so it was only assumed that he knew the proper date.
This reflects a poor effort from the district manager as well as the other surrounding employees, who should have been guiding this employee. Not having the data to present at the big meeting made the district manager look bad, but he should have been more frustrated with himself than the employee. After serious thought, the district manager realized he was wrong a gave a public apology to the employee. The District manger made it clear that all new hires in the future will be clarified on these details from the get go.
Sunday, March 8, 2009
Presentation/Portfolio
The presentation William Weatherly gave on guitar tops was effective and informative. He established good will towards the audience by referencing other presentations in his power point. William discussed the structure of the guitar and the braces that support the top. Prior to the presentation, I was unaware of the significance of the different types of wood used for the guitar. I did not realize that the unique sounds that guitars have were attributed to these different wood types. The power point re-instated the main ideas that Will discussed and were not too cluttered with unnecessary and confusing information.
The on-line portfolios I have done in the past have been through Clemson University with the use of blackboard. The e-portfolio that is required for all Clemson students has been easy to use and maintain. The portfolio wizard makes the portfolio easy to set up and is a fairly quick process. I have some experience with publisher’s online portfolio and am willing and open to learning how to work with any other programs that may be better. So far, I have not had any bad experiences with online portfolios and hopefully there will be no issues in the future. In order to be prepared for the portfolio due on March 23rd , a demonstration or example of an ideal portfolio would be best. This would be a good reference when trying to complete the portfolio due in class by March 23rd.
The on-line portfolios I have done in the past have been through Clemson University with the use of blackboard. The e-portfolio that is required for all Clemson students has been easy to use and maintain. The portfolio wizard makes the portfolio easy to set up and is a fairly quick process. I have some experience with publisher’s online portfolio and am willing and open to learning how to work with any other programs that may be better. So far, I have not had any bad experiences with online portfolios and hopefully there will be no issues in the future. In order to be prepared for the portfolio due on March 23rd , a demonstration or example of an ideal portfolio would be best. This would be a good reference when trying to complete the portfolio due in class by March 23rd.
Friday, February 27, 2009
Class Presentations
As a whole, I thought the open topic was a great idea for the presentations because it allowed the class to get to know everyone a little better. The first presentation that I really enjoyed was David Gordon's on the best active athlete. I am a huge sports fan, and was immediately drawn to this topic. David used interesting photos and good humor to entertain the audience. While I think Tiger is the best active athlete, Usain Bolt who David selected as the best is no slouch. The face-off idea kept the attention of the audience because everyone wanted to know who would be matched up next.
The presentation on Racquetball by Ryan Cromer was also one of my favorites. I have been playing racquetball for about six years and am always interested in seeing how other people feel about the sport. I thought the presenter was loud and clear and used good visuals. The picture at the end with the bloody eye has made me consider wearing goggles. It only takes one time to get hit with the ball in the eye and loose your sight. The presentation has inspired me to play more at school, I did not realize Clemson had so many courts.
The third presentation that was one of the most entertaining was Ryan Sullivan's on Lacrosse. I thought it was pretty cool that he was drafted in the first round of the Major Lacrosse Association . He brought in his stick to class and demonstrated some different moves that were unfamiliar to me. The utube clip was amazing too, I did not realize how intense lacrosse can get. Lacrosse is the one sport I regret never getting into, it seems like a lot of fun.
The presentation on Racquetball by Ryan Cromer was also one of my favorites. I have been playing racquetball for about six years and am always interested in seeing how other people feel about the sport. I thought the presenter was loud and clear and used good visuals. The picture at the end with the bloody eye has made me consider wearing goggles. It only takes one time to get hit with the ball in the eye and loose your sight. The presentation has inspired me to play more at school, I did not realize Clemson had so many courts.
The third presentation that was one of the most entertaining was Ryan Sullivan's on Lacrosse. I thought it was pretty cool that he was drafted in the first round of the Major Lacrosse Association . He brought in his stick to class and demonstrated some different moves that were unfamiliar to me. The utube clip was amazing too, I did not realize how intense lacrosse can get. Lacrosse is the one sport I regret never getting into, it seems like a lot of fun.
Sunday, February 22, 2009
Cover Letter
The advice given from the tutorial about cover letters was helpful as well as truthful. However, the main point which I did not agree with is the recommendation to use a handwritten P.S. at the end of the cover letter. This seems to be a distraction from what you are trying to convey in the body of the cover letter. Perhaps it may be useful for certain situations, but I would not recommend its use often.
The example demonstrated on the tutorial seemed to be the most beneficial because it reinstates all the important aspects that need to be included in your cover letter. The layout is also clarified and gives a better idea of what a typical cover letter looks like. The checklist was helpful as well, this just puts your mind at rest, because once all the items on the list are complete you know that there is nothing missing. Many times when I have a lot on my mind and am having trouble sleeping, I make a checklist. This helps clarify as well organize my thoughts, the checklist will always be there in the morning.
The actual content of the body for the cover letter makes more sense after viewing the tutorial. Before, I thought the cover letter was more about the individual rather then the company. However, now I realize that the cover letter is more about the knowledge you have about the company. Also, I did not know that the resume was the first thing that employers look at for the hiring process. It seemed as though the cover letter would be viewed first, but this is not the case.
The example demonstrated on the tutorial seemed to be the most beneficial because it reinstates all the important aspects that need to be included in your cover letter. The layout is also clarified and gives a better idea of what a typical cover letter looks like. The checklist was helpful as well, this just puts your mind at rest, because once all the items on the list are complete you know that there is nothing missing. Many times when I have a lot on my mind and am having trouble sleeping, I make a checklist. This helps clarify as well organize my thoughts, the checklist will always be there in the morning.
The actual content of the body for the cover letter makes more sense after viewing the tutorial. Before, I thought the cover letter was more about the individual rather then the company. However, now I realize that the cover letter is more about the knowledge you have about the company. Also, I did not know that the resume was the first thing that employers look at for the hiring process. It seemed as though the cover letter would be viewed first, but this is not the case.
Saturday, February 14, 2009
Client Project
Last week, I accidentally answered the blog topic about my ideas for the client project. I mentioned creating a humorous video or perhaps a music clip of some kind. However, after further discussion with my group members we established a more concrete theme for the project. Kristin came up with the great idea, which involves the creation of a recipe booklet for healthy cooking. This would work really well because it can have many different aspects to it that would allow our group to effectively target our audience. An example may be a demonstration of cooking one of the recipes on campus as well as posting video footage of it online for many others to see.
Everything seems to be going great with our group. There are no schedule conflicts, so everyone is able to meet at the same time and contact each other easily. I think the recipe booklet will allow all of our group members talents to emerge. If we do a demonstration, I could try to make it humorous. Laughter is the key to success in my opinion because it gets everyone's attention and makes the experience memorable. While we have agreed on this idea as a whole, we are always open to suggestions for improvement.
Most of the questions that I originally had were answered after Jennifer's visit on Monday. Basically, she wants to promote a healthier style of living which involves all aspects of life, including areas such as health, social behavior, environmental surroundings, as well as economical forces.
Everything seems to be going great with our group. There are no schedule conflicts, so everyone is able to meet at the same time and contact each other easily. I think the recipe booklet will allow all of our group members talents to emerge. If we do a demonstration, I could try to make it humorous. Laughter is the key to success in my opinion because it gets everyone's attention and makes the experience memorable. While we have agreed on this idea as a whole, we are always open to suggestions for improvement.
Most of the questions that I originally had were answered after Jennifer's visit on Monday. Basically, she wants to promote a healthier style of living which involves all aspects of life, including areas such as health, social behavior, environmental surroundings, as well as economical forces.
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