Well the class is rapidly coming to an end. When I look at the five major objectives for this course I feel that through our discussion board we were able tackle these objectives. The books, movies, and various video clips throughout the course were excellent aides, however for me I was able to get the most out of the dialogue through the discussion boards. So many different personalities with a lot of great work experience added to our discussions.
I stated earlier in the course that I felt sometimes people were guarded in their responses. I don’t think anyone ever really wanted to offend a classmate (which is a good thing) but the one thing that would have added to the experience was a little more debate. How we can make that happen I don’t know. Maybe certain topics need to be shared with the class and the Professor needs to force people to pick a side and argue why ethically you feel this is the right choice. I know this would be forced and possibly someone may have to argue a side they don’t strongly believe but it’s a start. Or who knows maybe you have strong opposing views from a classmate and the exercise serves its purpose and some healthy debate occurs.
I learned a lot, enjoyed the class (with the exception of the long paper) and hope I was able to add something to the class.
Sunday, March 7, 2010
Saturday, February 20, 2010
Week 10
The latest book we read for our 640 class was titled, “Judgment in Managerial Decision Making.” There were a lot of good concepts in this book but the true downfall was the fact that we read a better book prior to reading this book. The book had some excellent examples and case studies.
I enjoyed chapter five that discussed motivational and emotional influences on decision making. I think this chapter provided some valuable insight into what types of things affect our decision making. It made you step back and think about how you can become a more effective communicator and leader by being aware of your emotions. I think this is one area all of us can improve upon.
The negotiating chapter was also one that stuck with me. I mean who doesn’t want to become a better negotiator? All of us want to get the best price for that car on the lot, or be fairly compensated. Negotiations are part of our daily lives and this information is valuable for anyone. Hey, we even negotiate with our loved one’s so who doesn’t want to become a top negotiator.
One other area in the book that sticks out is the implicit attitudes. This section talked about stereotypes and shared a very interesting example. I won’t bore you with the study but the net result of the study was that people react differently to seeing a white face versus a black face.
As I mentioned this was the second of two books we read in this class. What I did like was some of the case studies and exercises that the book shared. There were some interesting tidbits that sparked interest and made you think. I can’t say I’d endorse this book but there are certain chapters that are enjoyable. If you look at the chapters I outlined that may be a good start.
Bazerman, M.H; Moore, D. Judgment in Managerial Decision Making (2009). John Wiley & Sons, Inc. Hoboken, N.J.
I enjoyed chapter five that discussed motivational and emotional influences on decision making. I think this chapter provided some valuable insight into what types of things affect our decision making. It made you step back and think about how you can become a more effective communicator and leader by being aware of your emotions. I think this is one area all of us can improve upon.
The negotiating chapter was also one that stuck with me. I mean who doesn’t want to become a better negotiator? All of us want to get the best price for that car on the lot, or be fairly compensated. Negotiations are part of our daily lives and this information is valuable for anyone. Hey, we even negotiate with our loved one’s so who doesn’t want to become a top negotiator.
One other area in the book that sticks out is the implicit attitudes. This section talked about stereotypes and shared a very interesting example. I won’t bore you with the study but the net result of the study was that people react differently to seeing a white face versus a black face.
As I mentioned this was the second of two books we read in this class. What I did like was some of the case studies and exercises that the book shared. There were some interesting tidbits that sparked interest and made you think. I can’t say I’d endorse this book but there are certain chapters that are enjoyable. If you look at the chapters I outlined that may be a good start.
Bazerman, M.H; Moore, D. Judgment in Managerial Decision Making (2009). John Wiley & Sons, Inc. Hoboken, N.J.
Sunday, January 10, 2010
Week 4
The best thing about the first four weeks of the course is to realize that although we've read about, watched, listened to and seen first- hand ethical dilemmas it’s refreshing to be in a class with so many people that have a passion for doing what is right.
The people in this ethics class have been a bright spot, actually they have been the bright spot. It makes you proud to know that there are so many individuals still passionate about treating people with decency and respect. The seven layers book, the movies, and the supplemental readings have all reinforced the importance of ethics, but those of us in the "real world" who are working in corporate America need to be the one's exhibiting the layers of integrity and I have faith in my classmates.
The weekly threads that I've read (and contributed to) during the first four weeks have over flown with examples of questionable practices, and code of ethics violations. Knowing that a number of threads that have been initiated as a result of unethical behavior, it would be easy to look at this as the glass being half empty. One could ask, "What is happening, why are there so many examples, where are all the ethical people?" I think the individuals in this class have given us faith in people and doing the right thing.
What I've truly learned or should I say what has been reinforced in me, is that there are a lot of extremely ethical human beings out there. The problem seems to me that as a society (I’m guilty of this too) we tend to pay too much attention to some of the ugly things in the world. At any given time you can turn on the T.V and watch a family, person or group of individuals have a mental breakdown. This is what sells and what many of use choose as our major source of entertainment. So in a way we’re encouraging this type of behavior but we’re not accepting it in our places if business. To me, I believe the glass is half full.
The people in this ethics class have been a bright spot, actually they have been the bright spot. It makes you proud to know that there are so many individuals still passionate about treating people with decency and respect. The seven layers book, the movies, and the supplemental readings have all reinforced the importance of ethics, but those of us in the "real world" who are working in corporate America need to be the one's exhibiting the layers of integrity and I have faith in my classmates.
The weekly threads that I've read (and contributed to) during the first four weeks have over flown with examples of questionable practices, and code of ethics violations. Knowing that a number of threads that have been initiated as a result of unethical behavior, it would be easy to look at this as the glass being half empty. One could ask, "What is happening, why are there so many examples, where are all the ethical people?" I think the individuals in this class have given us faith in people and doing the right thing.
What I've truly learned or should I say what has been reinforced in me, is that there are a lot of extremely ethical human beings out there. The problem seems to me that as a society (I’m guilty of this too) we tend to pay too much attention to some of the ugly things in the world. At any given time you can turn on the T.V and watch a family, person or group of individuals have a mental breakdown. This is what sells and what many of use choose as our major source of entertainment. So in a way we’re encouraging this type of behavior but we’re not accepting it in our places if business. To me, I believe the glass is half full.
Saturday, December 12, 2009
Thoughts after Week 1
Well, I've made it through the first week of Ethics and Decision making. The format of the class, the expectations and the assignments haven't been a surprise. I'm familiar with the professor and that familiarity has helped. I actually signed up late for the class and one of the reasons I joined this class was because of the positive experience I had with my previous class.
The one thing that's a little intimidating is that some people in the class have a legal background and work in the legal field. The legal jargon, or quotes from a legal dictionary are not terms I'm familiar with and I find myself reading these entries multiple times to get a clear understanding. It's not a lot but it can frustrating because you so badly want to read these entries and just easily follow what is being said.
Do I find things dull? Hmmm, that's a good question. From what I've read the majority of the class entries on the discussion board have that human element that's important in this class. The level of involvement is excellent and we have diverse backgrounds which in my opinion add to the effectiveness of the class. Could you imagine what the class would be like if we all had the same background and thought the same? This brings me to my next point.
I think we're fortunate that we have differing opinions in the class but I think many of us in the class hold back in fear of hurting someone's feelings. Because we're unable to see someone's facial expressions we hesitate to write something that could be considered controversial. Maybe that's not the case for everyone but for me, I know I hold back a little bit. This is something I'll have to work on. Don't get me wrong, I'll always remain professional and ethical in my communication.
That's what I have for now. I'll be visiting again soon.
The one thing that's a little intimidating is that some people in the class have a legal background and work in the legal field. The legal jargon, or quotes from a legal dictionary are not terms I'm familiar with and I find myself reading these entries multiple times to get a clear understanding. It's not a lot but it can frustrating because you so badly want to read these entries and just easily follow what is being said.
Do I find things dull? Hmmm, that's a good question. From what I've read the majority of the class entries on the discussion board have that human element that's important in this class. The level of involvement is excellent and we have diverse backgrounds which in my opinion add to the effectiveness of the class. Could you imagine what the class would be like if we all had the same background and thought the same? This brings me to my next point.
I think we're fortunate that we have differing opinions in the class but I think many of us in the class hold back in fear of hurting someone's feelings. Because we're unable to see someone's facial expressions we hesitate to write something that could be considered controversial. Maybe that's not the case for everyone but for me, I know I hold back a little bit. This is something I'll have to work on. Don't get me wrong, I'll always remain professional and ethical in my communication.
That's what I have for now. I'll be visiting again soon.
Saturday, December 5, 2009
Friday, November 6, 2009
Week 10 Blog
I'm writing about my experience with the tools we used for our interactive technology assignment. As a novice user I found the navigation a little tough at first. A lot of the commands are on the right side of the page and obviously we all read from left to right and therefore I would have liked to see the commands moved. Once getting into the site and moving around things certainly got easier. To make the experience a little more user friendly I would also suggest a tutorial in layman's terms to assist with those who don't have the background in wiki's. I may have missed some things but I don't recall seeing a place where you could see who last logged into the site and made changes. That would be nice to see so you know what team members have made changes and when. I'm sure as one spends more time on this site they would become more proficient.
Sunday, September 13, 2009
Week 2 - POST
People - The individuals I'm targeting for this assignment are the technology decision makers at my company. Why we don't have instant messaging capabilities throughout our organization is beyond me. When I'm in meetings it's not uncommon to hear someone ask where so and so is, or say I need that information from so and so. Implementing this technology is a no brainer and the only result would be an increase in overall company productivity. It's ironic that our technology team has instant messaging but no other departments have been able to take advantage. I think if the IT team were to listen to some of the comments made around the water cooler they would understand that not only are they missing out on an opportunity to improve how we do business but they're also loosing credibility by putting themselves on a pedestal and not offering IM to others in the company.
Objectives - This is simple. The goal is to have IT realize that the benefits they're experiencing should be spread across the organization. Their reputation as an efficient organization that listens to their customers is taking a hit.
Strategy - We want IT to listen to what we're saying and realize we have a legitimate business need to add IM throughout the company. Our relationship with that department needs to change and we need to have a feeling that there's a mutual respect throughout the organization.
Strategy - We want IT to listen to what we're saying and realize we have a legitimate business need to add IM throughout the company. Our relationship with that department needs to change and we need to have a felling that there's a mutual respect throughout the organization.
Objectives - This is simple. The goal is to have IT realize that the benefits they're experiencing should be spread across the organization. Their reputation as an efficient organization that listens to their customers is taking a hit.
Strategy - We want IT to listen to what we're saying and realize we have a legitimate business need to add IM throughout the company. Our relationship with that department needs to change and we need to have a feeling that there's a mutual respect throughout the organization.
Strategy - We want IT to listen to what we're saying and realize we have a legitimate business need to add IM throughout the company. Our relationship with that department needs to change and we need to have a felling that there's a mutual respect throughout the organization.
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