December 11, 2006
Tom Mendola
For one of our recent classes, we were asked to read the Tom Mendola case. In this case, Tom is a young seventeen year old who quits high school in order to support his family. The case tells us that his performance was very poor. The management, however, was unaware as to whether or not they should let him go. The class was divided into two sections. One section wanted to fire him and the other was against firing him. Although he had circumstances prevailing at home, he was warned several times. He was only seventeen years old. I definitely think that he needs more advice about a full time job.
MGMT 250
Management 250 was one course that I never wanted to take. Initially, it was very overwhelming. Nevertheless, I had to take it since it was a requirement for my major. Now, after completing the course, I realize the importance of the class. It was not similar to other classes that I’ve taken. I enjoyed the fact that we had no exams all semester. The projects and assignments were very useful as well. One aspect of the class which I thought was very different was the fact that we had to apply the class lectures to our projects. The blogging assignment was a useful tool. The ability for readers to leave comments on other entries in an interactive format was useful as well. Overall, I can say that this course taught me a lot about various topics.
HR Simulation
The HR simulation was one of the assignments for MGMT 250. I thought it was a great learning experience. Each team managed an organization and competed with other teams. Teams of 4-5 people established certain objectives or goals, planned strategies and made the required decisions based on these goals. After submitting the decisions, each team received quarterly reports concerning the firm’s results. I thought that this assignment was very useful. It taught us how to manage budgets, unit labor cost, morale, quality, grievances, quality and more. Apart from that, we were also given the opportunity to work as a team.
MGMT 250-Individual Learning Plan
Although I did not enjoy writing a 12-15 page Individual Learning Plan, I thought it was a very helpful tool. It was based on self-assessments, goals and targets. It was a path which guided me towards my future. It helped in building skills, evaluating career options, setting goals and planning actions in order to achieve personal and professional goals. The plan was very flexible and also gave me the chance to stretch far and meet personal needs. Now, I know where I am headed. After completing my undergraduate degree, I would love to work in the international marketing division of a well known multinational corporation. Ten years from now, however, I see myself as a professor in a university with a well known business faculty.
Last CLass
Our last class was very interesting. I thought it was a very good idea to have each student talk about what they liked and disliked about the class. In my opinion, I thought that the mock interview experience was fantastic. I have never been interviewed for a real job in the past. Therefore, the mock interview was a great learning experience which gave me guidelines to my being a better interviewee in the future. Apart from the mock interview experience, I also thought the HR simulation was a great experience. It helped me gain a batter understanding of strategic issues of a human recourses department.
November 09, 2006
Dreams
In a recent class, we spoke about dreams. We were asked to write down seventeen dreams and categorize them. As I was writing my dreams down, I noticed that I had a few which could not be achieved. They would remain as things that I would love to do and experience. However, I also had certain dreams which I could consider as goals. They were specific, measurable, attainable, relevant and time bound. My categories included travel, success and family. George Lucas once said, “Dreams are extremely important. You can't do it unless you imagine it.” I agree with his quote. As I think of my dreams, I realize how important they are. It is considered lucky to consider your dreams.
Training and Development
In one of our recent classes, we discussed the four steps in the Training and Development process. It needs analysis, instructional design, validation and implementation. In my opinion, analysis is very important. During such a process, I believe that it is essential to analyze and identify the skills that help increase production. Setting training and development objectives would be a way to improve performance levels as well. Apart from the four basic steps, we also discussed various training techniques. I feel that Action Learning is a technique which would benefit managers. It gives them time to work on projects and derive solutions. Managers form groups of four to five people in order to discuss their findings. This increases group work and also brings in diverse ideas. Therefore, I trust that this technique is very useful.