Archives for the Month of December 2005 on Marc Walters's Online Journal
Last Management 250 Entry
Well, this completes my blog entries for Management 250. It has been a thought provoking and interesting experience. I'm not especially tech savvy, so it was challenging at first to set up my blog account. Since then, it has been smooth sailing. The most difficult part is finding topics to discuss. Unlike most of my classmates, I have tried to avoid rehashing things we discussed in class. Unfortunately, I've had to do that on a few occasions. Other than that, I'm very proud of my work and stand by it.
The Teaching Team
I really appreciated the teaching team this semester. I enjoyed Prof. Powley's lectures. He was not overly demanding or moody and I appreciate that. I also was helped a great deal by Prof. Piderit. Whenever the HR simulation was confusing or I had a comment about the class in general, she was there to give me advice or listen to mine. Tracy was also pivotal to the success of the course because I'm sure she did most of the grading and kept track of attendance, etc. All in all, I would say that without any member of the teaching team, I would have been lost.
I Despise the Learning Plan
The blogging assignment gives us all an excellent opportunity to vent our frustrations. I've seen it on many of my peer's blogs and now it's my turn.
I absolutely hate the learning plan. I don't even believe in the self testing methods like the LSI or MBTI anyway, and now I'm expected to make plans for the rest of my life based on these crackerjack tests that I have absolutely no faith in? I already have a roadmap for my life, and if you've reached this point in your college career without setting out some sort of plan, you are only hurting yourself. I guess some people need college courses to hold them by the hand and guide them through every step of life, but I most definitely do not. I don't want to be coddled, I want to be respected. So, I wrote the stupid thing to the exact specifications as set out in the rubric and it got torn to pieces when it was graded. Ridiculous. I can plan my life just fine without this overly structured and boring paper, don't you worry. Nonetheless, I play the game. And don't fool yourselves professors, the learning plan is just a game to me. I promise I will play by your rules, but I would much rather spend my effort on something useful. As I said, I already have a plan for my life. Let's stop babying the students and focus.
Self Inventory
It never ceases to amaze me how much stock is put into categorizing humanity. We have a battery of tests to tell you what kind of a person you are: there is the LSI, the MBTI, and now we've been introduced to the Strong Interest Inventory. I do not buy into any of them. A human being is far too complex to categorize. While I do think that these tests can point a person in the right direction, I do not believe that they could be taken as anything definitive. I'm afraid of how these results may be pointing students away from what could be their potential dream job. Just because you have a strong artistic score on the SII does not mean that you couldn't be an accountant. That's ridiculous. I think if a person searches deep enough inside, they can find what they are supposed to do for the rest of their lives. There is no need to rely on generic personality tests.
Chinese Productivity
Today I read an article in the Wall Street Journal entitled "Chinese Boom May Boost Industrial Accidents". Basically, the article described the current situation in the Chinese energy sector, where safety takes a back seat to profitability. Large scale industrial accidents are not uncommon in China, especially in mines all across the country. It was even reported that many of the companies had not been inspected in over three years. When I hear reports of how successful China's growth has been over these past few years, these are the stories that come to mind. Of course we can improve profitability and efficiency and overall economic growth, but at what cost? What good is economic dominance if it is built with the blood of innocent lives? Although sometimes it may seem that our laws in this country cause a lot of red tape, I'm grateful that they are there. The alternative is much worse.