Jennifer Bucher's Online Journal

Learning Plan

Sun, 11 Dec 2005 21:50:36 EST

I have had a hard time with the Learning Plan and am extremely scared that I may make it difficult to revise during MGMT 251. I wish we were told a little more about what we'll be doing with it in that course. However, our teaching team has been very helpful in assisting us in our revisions so I am confident they would not lead us on the wrong path for MGMT 251. I have enjoyed reading other students' Plans. It's exciting to hear about what each person hopes to achieve in his/her life. I know that each one has so much potential and will be successful in whatever he/she chooses to do, whether or not the Plan is followed.

Team Bonuses

Sun, 11 Dec 2005 21:19:49 EST

Farewell to MGMT 250 - Section 1

Sat, 10 Dec 2005 12:39:42 EST

I thought I would say a quick farewell to the class since I am taking next semester off to complete an internship in Toledo. I thoroughly enjoyed the class and am a bit disappointed that I won't get to join everyone in the next section. I only hope that the fall class will be as exciting and interesting as this section has been. Take care everyone!

HR Simulation Ends.....

Sat, 10 Dec 2005 12:24:14 EST

I was releived when the HR Simulation ended. However, looking back I realize that it was an extremely valuable learning experience. The entire class seemed to feel that way, as many comments on the last day were directed towards working in groups, teamwork, etc. When the Simulation began, I was frustrated because I felt like we were thrown in without any direction. Yet, as time went on we bagan to formulate strategies and really grasped the concept quite well. I enjoyed working with my team and felt we did a great job.

Who am I kidding, though? I am stil relieved it's over! Bring on the Break!

Tom Mendola shouldn't have his hand held.....

Tue, 06 Dec 2005 19:13:53 EST

Today we discussed the Tom Mendola Case. Even though I was placed on the side that was to argue for keeping him, I felt that he had been given plenty of warnings and should be let go. I thought it was interesting that the supporters for keeping him put so much emphasis on his age. Young people should not get special treatment and have their hand held while on the job. If you are not mature enough to work in a serious environment, then you should find a more suitable position - maybe a job at Chuck E. Cheese's is more fitting? I hate to sound so facetious, but I feel it's attitudes like that that create difficulties for young people who do take their work seriously. To explain, I had to start working when I was fifteen to help pay for my own school expenses, clothes, etc. It was extremely challenging being taken seriously by employers who had been burned by many young employees like Tom. I didn't want my hand held, I just wanted to work hard. Tom should be let go and not continued to be babied because of his age or his hard times in life. Life is hard, he better get used to it.... and stop ruining it for other young hard workers.

John Holland's Theory

Thu, 01 Dec 2005 16:08:37 EST

Last Tuesday's class was hosted by the Career Center as we discussed the "Four Phase Plan and Holland Codes." The Four Phase Plan certainly gives a nice set of structured guidelines for career development. However, I felt the Holland Codes were less helpful.

Stress in the workplace

Sun, 06 Nov 2005 17:46:55 EST

Handling stress in the workplace is an area that hits home to me. My mother has recently been placed on disability for mental exertion she felt while on the job as a Registered Nurse. A job that she has had for twenty years. Some of you may think that seems silly, to be so stressed out you can't handle your job anymore? However, it is a growing issue that companies need to be prepared for. In the competitive culture we live in, it's not unusual for a CEO or partner to be prescribed Xanax or Prozac. What can be done? I think educating the HR department on stress and mental illness is important. Understanding that the risks are very serious when mental illness is not handled properly is extremely crucial. If the HR team can watch for warning signs, they may be able to intervene before it's too late. In addition, many companies institute a program that provides employees with anonymous mental health counselors or call centers and these can be very valuable as well. Whatever the case, this cannot go on ignored. For a company to be successful, it must have successful employees who are free from stress and mental illness.

Employee empowerment

Sun, 06 Nov 2005 17:30:51 EST

An idea we haven't touched on yet that I think is valuable to management is employee empowerment. Empowering employees means allowing them to make split second decisions without having a managers approval. I find this idea extremely valuable and motivating especially in the customer service industry. When handling an irate customer, it often feels frustrating to an employee when he/she must consistently run off to the manger to handle the situation. If properly trained, an employee can learn to accept the problem as his/her own opportunity to turn things around. This will motivate employees by giving them a feeling of ownership. In addition, ff the employees do not feel trusted to make such decisions, their morale may be lacking. Many large companies have selected to empower their employees and had much success. Click here to see Boeing's employee empowerment program.
Maybe our HR simulation could use an Employee Empowerment Program?

When you are told to "bend the truth...."

Sun, 06 Nov 2005 17:00:51 EST

Something I was thinking about after our ethics discussion was an awful situation I was placed in while working in the hospitality industry.

Harrah's Casino

Thu, 27 Oct 2005 17:17:53 EST

The Harrah's Casino case analysis discussion was very interesting today. There were a few items brought up during class that I had not thought to evaluate in my own analysis......

Learning Plan

Tue, 18 Oct 2005 16:50:32 EST

I have been working on part one of my Leanring Plan for three days. I am challenged by this project more than any other project this semester. I did not anticipate this writing block to occur. I figured, who better to know about me than me, right? Well, I decided that I do not like talking about myself! Let me write a paper on anyone but me! Since that choice is not mine to make, I have been making progress slowly but surely. I found the best thing to do when having a particular difficult time with a certain area is to move onto the next and come back later. One area I could use some advice on is this whole "key elements of identity." How do these differ from our personality? Any help someone can give me on that area I would greatly appreciate! Even given my troubles, I do see a value to this project. It is forcing me to really dig into myself - something I obvoiusly do not like to do. When interviewing for a job, the interviewer almost always asks you to describe your strengths. Having these ready and being confident these are your best strengths is important and this project really makes you think about them. I also enjoyed the career interviews because these reassured me that I am on the right career path. I was not taken by surprse by any of the responses from my interviewees. A suggestion to any of you who have not conducted your interviews is to utlize the Career Center Career Search Guide we received one of our first days of class. Pages twenty and twenty one provide great questions to ask during the interview.

How the interview went.......

Sat, 08 Oct 2005 15:45:57 EST

This blog is following up my last blog regarding my preparations for an interview. I interviewed with Plante and Moran for an internship yesterday afternoon. My preparations were most certainly helpful, because I was indeed asked why I was interested in that company over all the other firms. Without my knowledge of their principles and culture, I would not have been able to answer that successfully. I also had come prepared with questions that I could not find the answers to during my research. These questions assisted me in deciding if Plante and Moran is the right company for me. I learned that they will be a great place for me to work and my enthusiasm certainly showed. The remainder of the interview focused around my strengths and weaknesses. With the help of the MBTI and the Kolb Learning Style Inventory, I was able to point out my specific traits and the items I need to work on. I did have one challenge throughout the interview. I was given a small application to fill out that asked for specific course numbers and grades of Accounting courses - I did not have my transcripts or class schedule with me, so I had to rack my brain for those course numbers. In the future, I will keep those with me in my portfolio so as to be prepared 100%. All in all, I think the interview was a huge success! I feel confident that I exhibited what they are looking for in an internship candidate. Now, off to writing the 'Thank You' letter!

Preparing for an interview

Fri, 07 Oct 2005 11:27:03 EST

I have an interview this afternoon for a summer internship with Plante and Moran, the 11th largest accounting firm in the U.S. I am very interested in getting my foot in the door with this company, as they not only have an office in Toledo, my hometown, they have also been named one of the 100 best places to work according to Fortune magazine seven years in arrow! Plante and Moran is a growing company, but still small enough to seek a balanced home-work life for their employees. Many of these items have drawn me to this company, and I discovered all of them as I researched the company in preparation for my interview.

Working in a team

Wed, 05 Oct 2005 20:25:01 EST

As we begin our HR Simulation, I have experienced many emotions. At first, I felt overwhelmed by all the information in the HR Simulation booklet. All the facts and figures to place on this sheet and that were pretty intimidating. Then, I felt nervous and anxious as our team began to interact and we all seemed kind of lost in where to begin. However, as we began to develop goals and strategies that we are all going to be working towards, things began to flow together. We began to become more aligned around our common objective - being successful at accomplishing our company's goals. We sat down and really analyzed each budget number as it relates to our goals. Our next challenge was our first decision. It was placed in front of us and we brainstormed a concensus relatively quickly. I hope that our efforts will pay off when we receive our quarterly report! I suppose that even the best efforts can bring failure, but even so, we can only look to that as an opportunity to learn from our mistakes and make better informed decisions the next quarter. I see our team making its way through the stages of team life. We definitely had a day or two of forming and storming. I think that after the initial barriers of anxiety and nerves, we are now in the norming stage. We are optimistic towards the strategies and ready to shift into high gear and perform next!

Values

Tue, 04 Oct 2005 09:13:51 EST

This entry is responding to Professor Powley's blog regarding values September 15th Click here to see Professor Powley's Blog. During this entry, Professor Powley asks the following questions:

Question 1: What are values?

Question 2: What is the difference between organizational values and personal values? Are there overlaps? What are they?

Question 3: What kinds of work decisionss are influenced by your personal values?

Question 4: How do your values differ from those of an organization where you've worked?

Question 5: How do you manage conflicts between your personal values and the values of the organization or expectations of your supervisor? What about conflicts with peers or subordinates?

Question 6: What are possible relationships between your learning style and your top 10 or 5 values? You could ask the same question for the MBTI (after you receive the results).