Advice to future students

I have a few pieces of advice to give to future students:

1. Keep a positive attitude - My class had a really good relationship with the teacher. Class was always more interesting when students would give input or engage in class discussions.

2. Do your friggin' homework - Whether its homework that's due for class or work that is due for your group project, just DO IT. The writing assignments were usually ONE PAGE at the most, which is such an easy A to get. If you can't write one page, you shouldn't be in business. If you are in a group, DO YOUR WORK for the group. I had someone in my group who didn't do anything that he was supposed to do, so we had to do it for him, and that really sucked. So do your work ;o)

3. Come to class. While we didn't take attendance every day, attendance is obviously important because we did a lot of in-class assignments. I really enjoyed going to class, I honestly don't think that I missed a single one. So there is no reason to miss class if it's a fun class to go to and you will lose points if you miss.

4. I feel like this post has been kind of negative and preachy. So don't be negative and preachy! This class is full of really important information if you plan on joining the business world after graduation. Come to class with an open mind (and a notebook and pencil) and the time will pass really quickly.


I hope you enjoy your semester in business writing with Mrs. Rogers. I enjoyed mine!

Ethics Research

I found an article about a man who was killed by the British Royal Airforce in 1953. The article was about the verdict of a court case held 20 years after the soldier's death. The soldier was killed during a series of nerve agent gas tests by the British government during the Cold War.

I found a few instances in the article where the scientists conducting the tests had used de-humanizing language. The first of which was a statement by one of the doctors at the research facility where the man was killed. The doctor stated that he believed the researchers had been acting in "reasonably good faith" while conducting the tests. This seems like a very odd statement from a person who was on trial for killing someone.

Another instance in the article where de-humanizing language was used was in reference to the names of the various human trials. These trials were unrelated to the death of the soldier. These were wide area tests designed to test the effects of small amounts of a nerve agent on a large amount of people. The first of these wide area tests were the "Fluorescent Particle Tests." The second were the "Large Area Coverage Tests." The last series were called "The Sabotage Trials." Only the last of these sounds even the least big suspicious. The first two sound like any other scientific experiment.

I had quite a hard time finding any original documents from recorded ethical lapses. It was an interesting search though, through the lists of ethical lapses in history. Most of the accounts that I found were about chemical tests like in the article I read. Humans can do some terrible things to other humans, it really is crazy.

Business ethics article

While this article had several numerical statistics, I found it to be a little vague and very repetitive. Some of the statistics I found to be kind of surprising. I think that the statistic about only one third of people who encounter ethical dilemmas at work report it to management was the most surprising. I believe that the stat is pretty accurate but a little sad. If the other two thirds of people who face ethical encounters don't report it to management, then who do they report it to? The article states that on average, those who do not report the incident to management usually tell eight other people at work. If each of these eight people tell eight other people then the incident has spread throughout the workplace, and has now become a much larger issue than when it originated.

I believe that in order for this to be less of an issue, companies need to take the necessary steps to make employees feel comfortable reporting ethical dilemmas that they may encounter. If this means talking to each employee individually, then it must be done. Perhaps a more effective approach would be to create a program or workshop that all employees must attend once a month or once a quarter to learn techniques to deal with ethical dilemmas or discuss any issues that have surfaced during that time period.

There will always be ethical dilemmas in the work place, and the only way to decrease the frequency is to make employees feel comfortable to report the problems when they arise. If all employees in the company are aware that ethical issues will be addressed, then they will probably be less likely to commit ethical wrongs.

Web vs Paper Writing

I don't think that there are that many differences between writing on paper and writing on the web.

Writing on paper is obviously more traditional than writing on the web. Writing on paper is also much more personal and time consuming than web writing. More time is spent perfecting format and grammar. When writing a paper memo, the formatting of the header, salutation, closing, etc. need to be correct. When writing an email memo, very little time is spent on a header and salutation. Much more effort is spent making the message concise and direct when writing over the internet.

When transferring a paper document to the web you need to make sure that the font has not changed. Some fonts look good on paper but may not transfer to the web. When writing our proposal for class I signed the cover letter using one of the script fonts. When I sent it through an email to one of my group members the scripted font would not show up on their computer. This could have been because they were using a Mac rather than a Dell. To be sure, I think that you should always use a standard font such as arial, times new roman, or courier new when writing on the web or sending documents over the web.

SpRiNg BrEaK

I'll bet you didn't think it was possible to fly head first over the front or your skis, land face down in the snow, and keep your skis on... well it is! I found this out twice over Spring Break during my trip to Montana!

I went to Big Sky and Bridger Bowl mountains in Montana with my boyfriend Kevin, my roommate Annita, and our two other friends PJ and Exley for Spring Break. We had a GREAT time. I've been skiing a few times before on the east coast, but never on the west coast. If you've never been skiing out west, I would definitely reccommend it. It snowed every day that we were out there, so there was fresh powder on the slopes every morning.

We skiied for 4 days straight on two of the biggest mountains I've ever been on. The first day was a little rough for me since I'm not accustomed to skiing in so much heavy powder. I actually wiped out on our very first run on our first day. It was funny really funny. Kev yelled "WHAT DID YOU FORGET HOW TO SKI?" (It's okay, I'm not embarrassed when I fall. I've been skiing for a while and it happens.)

Ooo this is a good seg-way...

Kev is an AWESOME snowboarder, I'm kind of jealous. When he was in High School he raced competitively, and almost qualified for the x-games time-trials. So needless to say, he can ski literally anything. Any slope. Any condition. He's pretty cool (and quite attractive) to watch, and he gives me tips about skiing.

My skiing got a LOT better on this trip. By the last day I was skiing all black diamonds. I'm still not skilled or confident enough to ski double blacks, but I'll get there. I learned how to plant my poles when I turn; put skis back on if I've fallen on a steep hill (put the uphill ski on first); and ski in deep, fresh powder. I'm actually really proud of how much I learned and improved.

So enough about me :o) I'll see you in class tomorrow!

Reflection on Presentations

My favorite presentation was Andrew Owens' on fertilization. He had a great balance between use of humor and of highly technical terms. Usually discussions about fertilization and reproduction are difficult to give, but Andrew did a really good job. He also told the class that he chose to do the presentation because he was enrolled in a reproduction class. I think it's safe to say that he has mastered the material.

I also really enjoyed Amber Meisenheimers presentation on all-inclusive vacations. I've already chosen my spring break destination this year (Montana) but if I hadn't then this presentation would have been very helpful. I enjoyed when Amber showed a picture of Atlantis resort in the Bahamas, which is probably my dream vacation spot.

I really enjoyed doing this project because I got to know my classmates better. No one seemed especially nervous which was particularly impressive.

Mock Interview

I had my mock interview this past Monday and found that I was much more nervous than I needed to be. Once I sat down in the office I became less nervous, which I think helped with the interview process. A few things that I realized were that my resume needs work and I need to incorporate past work experience into my interview answers. My resume needs to be more informative, describing my past work experience in greater detail. I have business experience at a Bridal store and I need to incorporate that as much as possible into my interviews. This interview was also much shorter than a traditional interview, which I should be prepared for. Had this been a real interview, I would have researched the company more that I did in preparation for this mock interview. I realized that I need to be prepared with more questions at the end of the interview to make me seem more interested in the company. Overall I would say that this was a good learning experience and now I feel more prepared for an actual interview.

Free blog topic

I have no idea what to write about. I feel like this should be really easy but everything that I think to write about it either really boring or really personal. Sooo I'll write a little bit about my plans for tonight, because they are neither boring or personal!
Tonight my friends and I are going to the Rodeo finals at the T Ed. Garrison Arena! I've never been to a rodeo but I like horses, bulls, and adventure, so I think this should be pretty fun! I just went onto the website and found that the rodeo starts at 8, so we should probably leave around 7:30 or so, which means we should all meet up around 6ish. I love getting together with my friends because there are about 15 of us who always go places together. We've even been to Georgia, Maryland, and North Carolina as a group several times.
This is a good transition into another topic! I LOVE my group of friends. We all lived in Johnstone together freshman year (the only co-ed dorm) and have been really close ever since. My roommates both lived in Johnstone, my boyfriend (who also lived in Johnstone) lives with all J-stoners. (That's the nick-name for anyone who lived in Johnstone, past and present.) There are 5 more apartments that I can think of off the top of my head that are made up of our friends from Jstone. We all get together on a weekly basis, if not nightly. It's hard to explain the relationship that we all have with eachother. We're like a big happy family. I'll invite all of them to my wedding.
I'm watching this show on MTV right now where the guys from the show "Jackass" are promoting their new website. (Jackassworld.com in case you were interested) Right now they're duct taping themselves to each other. This might be the worst television I've ever seen, I have to change the channel.
Well I'm going to grab some lunch and find something better on TV. I'll see you in class!

Response to cover letter advice

I found most of the pieces of advice about cover letters to be helpful. One of the points that I found most helpful was that the cover letter is read AFTER the resume, and is only read if the resume was impressive enough. This tells me that while both are essential in the application process, the resume is the first impression and therefor more important.

A second piece of advice that I did not know beforehand and found especially helpful was that the cover letter should be very specific to the company and the position that the person is applying for. Cover letters should seem very personal and should therefor not be used in "blanket coverage marketing."

One of the pieces of advice that I disagree with is that a P.S. should be added to the end of every cover letter. I think that items added with a post script are often overlooked or seen as less important than the information in the body of the cover letter. A P.S. also seems very informal, which may be inapropriate, depending on your audience.

Resonse to interview articles

The two articles that I read were "It's your turn: What to ask in an interview" and "The second interview"

The first article describes how an "interviewee" should always have questions for the interviewer. Having questions shows that you are interested in the job, and gives you a chance to show how knowledgeable you are about the position that you are applying for, the company, or the industry. This article taught me that the questions that you ask in the interview must be taylored to the interviewer. For instance, you would ask a potential future co-worker what a typical day at the office is like or the most challenging part of their job. "How would you describe your ideal candidate," would be a question more appropriate for the hiring manager or your future boss.

The second article that I read talked about the second interview and how it will be different from the first. The second interview usually takes longer and focuses more on getting to know the candidates personality. Something that I learned was that the second interview is usually conducted with several candidates to speed the process, and that you must make yourself stand out among the other potential new hires. If in the rare case you get a job offer on the second interview, it is important to tell the hiring manager that you need time to think about your decision so that you sound like a person who does not rush to conclusions.

Persuasive Writing Reflections

www.nytimes.com/2008/01/27/opinion/27kennedy.html?_r=1&oref=slogin

I chose to compare Martin Luther King Jr's letter from a Birmingham jail and the speakers' presentation to a letter written by Caroline Kennedy in her support of Presidential candidate Barack Obama. The first example of ethos that I found was actually at the end of Caroline Kennedy's letter. There is a short sentence explaining how Kennedy is the author of a book titled "The Patriot Handbook: Songs, poems, stories, and speeches celebrating the land we love," which establishes her credibility. Ethos can also be found in Martin Luther King Jr's letter from Birmingham Jail. King establishes his credibility early in the letter by stating in the second paragraph that he is the President of the Southern Christian Leadership conference.

I had trouble finding an example of logos, or the appeal to logic, in Kennedy's letter. However, she did state towards the end of the letter that we need a president who runs a dignified and honest campaign, which is a logical claim to make. Logos was easy to spot in the Army recruiters' presentation to the class. They stated that the Army will pay up to $65,000 worth of college loans for recent graduates who enter the Army. Someone with a lot of college debt would likely find this money to be a logical reason to join the army.

There are several examples of pathos in King's letter from Birmingham Jail. King uses phrases like "shattered dreams," "dark dungeons of complacency," "brutal facts," and "yearning for freedom" to appeal to his readers' emotions. Kennedy displays pathos at the end of the 7th paragraph with the sentence; "Senator Obama is inspiring my children, my parent's grandchildren, with a sense of possibility." Bringing children into an argument always seems to appeal to emotion.

If I could rate the persuasivness of these three examples, I would find King's letter to be the most persuasive and the recruiter's presentation to be the least persuasive. To be honest, I was not entirely impressed with Kennedy's writing skills, and found myself surprised that she had written a book. But I've never written a book, so I guess I don't really have room to judge. King's letter was of course very persuasive, but the recruiter's presentation left quite a bit to be desired as far as persuasion goes, as I did not find myself wanting to join the army more than I had when I walked into class.

Ten years from now...

I think a lot about the future. I think I've finally come to a point where what I want to do NOW may actually be what I end up doing. But on the other hand, I could do something completely different. My mom's major in college was forestry and she became a middle school biology teacher. My dad studied forensics in Tennessee and became a regional manager for KIA motor corporation in New Jersey. My boyfriend Kevin's parents became exactly what they went to school for... so who knows.
Well anyway, while I still really dont know what I want to DO (as in a career) in ten years, I am sure of where I want to BE. I think that I would like to be living in either Maryland or Pennsylvania because I've lived around there before and I think it's a beautiful part of the country. My boyfriend Kevin is also from Maryland along with almost his entire family, so he would like to stay close to home. I've never lived near my extended family whom are in Tennessee and Georgia, so while it would be nice to be closer, I feel like a northern girl. This brings up another part of where I would like to be in ten years. I've been dating my boyfriend for a little over a year and it's definitely the most serious relationship that I've ever been in. He's my best friend as well as my boyfriend and I think that it would be a lot of fun starting out in the real world together. But we shall see :o)
Now it's not like I havent thought at all about what I want to do for a living in 10 years. I work very well with people, I have business experience, and my mom says that I have the "gift of gab" so I think that a job in public relations would be perfect for me. Of course I would like to start out making $60 a year but I'm completely okay with living modestly for the first five or ten years.
Now lets see, in 10 years I will be 31 so I hope to have children by then. I actually hope to have children by 28 or so. EVERYONE says that I'm like a mom and I think I'd make a great one. I want to have three children and at least one boy and one girl. Just thinking about it makes me excited.
I know that I'll be successful because I'm driven and I have many leader-like attributes. The future looks bright and I'm excited to see what it brings me. I'll keep you in mind when I make my first million!

Web 2.0... The machine is us/ing us...

I really enjoyed watching this video. The first thing that I noticed was the music, which I know doesnt have much to do with the actual content, but it was still enjoyable. The video made some great points about the evolution of text and the internet. I think that someone who is about to enter the workforce needs to keep themselves up-to-date on this evolution. They need to be fluent in current technology and gadgets. Sharing information and doing business has changed to such a degree that businesses who do not use the internet seem to be in an "ice age." By "ice age" I mean that they dont seem to be progressing at all, they're stuck. To stop this from happening, businesses who have already been established need to adjust and conform to using new technology. Once employees have been trained to use new hardware, software, and gadgets, business will run more smoothly and efficiently. I have experienced this efficiency since I have come to college. My classes now require such extensive use of technology and the internet. I hear stories about how my parents used to write papers and I am SO GLAD that I can use a computer. Nowadays we use computers and the internet to do research, upload pictures, write the actual paper, and submit it to our teachers almost effortlessly. Gone are the days of typewriters, multiple copies and manual cutting and pasting. The video said "digital text is more flexible" and it truly is. With a few clicks of the mouse I can edit my entire paper.
The end of the video says that we will need to "rethink everything," and I believe that we will. Like I said before, businesses who do not jump on the technology bandwagon will be left behind. I feel confident that my knowledge of the internet and its usefulness will be a great asset when it comes time to enter the workforce.

My first blog EVER!

Hello! My name is Lindsey and this is my very first blog ever. Woo hoo, it's kind of exciting :o). I'm a junior business management major with a minor in sociology. I figure that because managers will need to deal with groups of people, and sociology is the study of groups of people, that this major and minor would work well together! But we shall see... I'm from Long Island, NY but I'm no stranger to the south. My dad was born and raised in Memphis, Tennessee and my mom's side of the family all live in Tennessee and Georgia. My uncle Bill says that I'm "southern by blood." I have an older sister named Jen who graduated from Clemson last May and now lives in Charleston. That's how I found Clemson, if anyone was wondering... I have a WONDERFUL boyfriend named Kevin who just referred to what I'm doing right now as "bloggin." Well that's pretty much it for now, so I'll see ya in class!