http://blog.case.edu/jessica.silver/ My Thoughts on the Discourse en-us Tue, 12 Dec 2006 20:15:13 EST Tue, 12 Dec 2006 20:15:13 EST jessica.silver@case.edu jessica.silver@case.edu http://blogs.law.harvard.edu/tech/rss Movable Type v3.121 http://blog.case.edu/jessica.silver/2006/12/12/mgmt_250 Last Thursday, I got a new puppy. He is a purebred Pitt Bull named Hank, and he is the sweetest... http://blog.case.edu/jessica.silver/2006/12/12/mgmt_250 case cwru Case Western Case Western Reserve University Tue, 12 Dec 2006 20:15:13 EST Last Thursday, I got a new puppy. He is a purebred Pitt Bull named Hank, and he is the sweetest thing ever. He's very cute, and has blue eyes, chews on everything, and eats and poops a lot. A big challenge for me now is training him. Training a puppy is a lot like training employees. First of all, it is impossible to go into training a puppy without knowing a lot about it. Training employees, too, takes a lot of education before anyone can be ready to do it on their own. Training a puppy is all about giving them positive reinforcement when they are good and negative reinforcement when they are bad. It is important to let puppies learn from their own mistakes. Training employees is the same way. You can try to tell them how to do it, but the important part is letting them do the job and letting them know when they do something good or do something bad. Employees also become stronger by making mistakes and learning from them. It is easy to coddle a puppy, and it is also easy to coddle employees and do things for them when they are having trouble doing it on their own. And, most importantly, I need to house train Hank. I will also need to make sure that my employees don't poop on the floor.

]]> http://blog.case.edu/jessica.silver/2006/12/12/mgmt_250 I really look forward to being able to run my own business. I really enjoy exercising my leadership skills, and... http://blog.case.edu/jessica.silver/2006/12/12/mgmt_250 case cwru Case Western Case Western Reserve University Tue, 12 Dec 2006 20:01:47 EST I really look forward to being able to run my own business. I really enjoy exercising my leadership skills, and I haven't been able to recently because going to college and having two horses takes up a lot of my time. In high school, though, I was part of an organization called The B'nai B'rith Youth Organization. It is a Jewish youth group divided into chapters where we run our own programs, go to conventions, and do thing to be ative members in the Jewish Community. I held many leadership positions in this chapter like MIT-Mom, S'ganit, and N'siah. The position of MIT-Mom is the vice presidency of recruitment, retention, and re-education. I developed many skills with finding people for our chapter, keeping people going to programs, and making sure everyone knows about BBYO. I would say that this would be the HR position of the chapter. S'ganit is the vice president of programming. In this position, I did a lot of delegating of responsibilities by finding people to plan programs. Delegating responsibility is a good skill to have for running a business. The N'siah of a chapter is the president. My biggest responsibility in this position was running the other seven people on the executive board. Making sure that everyone does what they are supposed to and doing all of the other random things that need to be done is the biggest thing that the owner of a business needs to do. I also got to work closely with all of the other positions, so I got practice doing things like the responsibilities of my previous positions, plus Jewish heritage, managing the budget, recording minutes from meetings, and writing newspapers. All of these things will help me a lot in my management career.

]]> http://blog.case.edu/jessica.silver/2006/12/12/mgmt_250 I just recently wrote my final learning plan, and I didn't like the assignment very much. This paper is worth... http://blog.case.edu/jessica.silver/2006/12/12/mgmt_250 case cwru Case Western Case Western Reserve University Tue, 12 Dec 2006 19:56:16 EST I just recently wrote my final learning plan, and I didn't like the assignment very much. This paper is worth a good portion of our grade, and it doesn't have much to do with management. This seems more like a paper I would write for a guidance counselor. Although I think it is a good idea to lay out our goals for the future, I don't feel it should be done for a grade in this class.I don't do very well with the touchy-feely "tell me about your life" papers. Since I am an introvert, I'd rather keep that information to myself and not discuss it with other people. I wish more of our assignments could be about management, not our life.

]]> http://blog.case.edu/jessica.silver/2006/12/12/mgmt_250 Up until recently, I had thought that the HR simulation had been going well. My team has still been working... http://blog.case.edu/jessica.silver/2006/12/12/mgmt_250 case cwru Case Western Case Western Reserve University Tue, 12 Dec 2006 19:49:24 EST Up until recently, I had thought that the HR simulation had been going well. My team has still been working well together, and we do our assignments and write our papers well. But, Brandon, the team leader, noticed that our choices for the incidents didn't go through the system properly. The letter choices were different on our sheet from the choices in the system, so all of the choices we made came out as different choices. It upsets me that a lot of the work that we put into our project didn't even matter. Since the incidents in the project were the only qualitative decisions we made, that means that the only decisions that counted were the quantitative decisions.

]]> http://blog.case.edu/jessica.silver/2006/12/12/mgmt_250 I think our discussion about recruitment of employees was very interesting. We discussed how old people generally make better employees... http://blog.case.edu/jessica.silver/2006/12/12/mgmt_250 case cwru Case Western Case Western Reserve University Tue, 12 Dec 2006 19:42:07 EST I think our discussion about recruitment of employees was very interesting. We discussed how old people generally make better employees than younger people. I can see why this is true, because my grandpa always tells me about how important having a good work ethic is. But, although my grandpa has a good work ethic, he is also kind of crazy. If my grandpa had gotten a new job a few years ago when he was a bit younger, he would have been a great asset to the company for ten years or so. But, then he would have gone crazy. And I don't think it would be very easy to fire him. They couldn't just say "Sandy, I need to fire you now because you've gotten too crazy to work for us." Nontheless, old people are good workers for a limited period of time.

]]> http://blog.case.edu/jessica.silver/2006/11/10/mgmt_250 We recently did a lot of discussing about training. Learning training methods can be very important for a company. There... http://blog.case.edu/jessica.silver/2006/11/10/mgmt_250 case cwru Case Western Case Western Reserve University Fri, 10 Nov 2006 20:36:54 EST We recently did a lot of discussing about training. Learning training methods can be very important for a company. There are many things to take into consideration, like learning styles. Employers must understand the different kinds of learning styles, and what learning styles their specific employees might have. For example, people who work with computers might be more convergers. People who do work behind desks might be more divergers or accomodators. Another thing to take into consideration is how the specific skills for each jobs would be better taught. Some jobs might be best taught with experience, others might work well if they use reading or verbal training. An employer needs to know not just the different methods but what kinds of things they can apply to.

]]> http://blog.case.edu/jessica.silver/2006/11/10/mgmt_250 One thing I don't understand about this class is the way that they grade. I've written many papers in this... http://blog.case.edu/jessica.silver/2006/11/10/mgmt_250 case cwru Case Western Case Western Reserve University Fri, 10 Nov 2006 20:30:54 EST One thing I don't understand about this class is the way that they grade. I've written many papers in this class, and with each paper I've tried to change my writing to conform to what the professors want. But, each paper I get back I get a bad grade on. There are some things that they always want that I am not inclined to use, like subheadings. What bothers me the most, though, is how strict they are with the paper answering each and every question they ask. I've always learned that when there are questions in an assignment, the questions are supposed to be used as guidelines. Once I realized that in this class I need to answer every question they ask thoroughly, I did so, but they still said that I didn't answer some of the questions. If there are two questions that are almost the same thing, I will answer both in one idea and get points off for not answering the other question. Sometimes I will blatantly answer a question and get feedback that I did not answer the question. I think these professors are being a bit too anal about this.

]]> http://blog.case.edu/jessica.silver/2006/11/10/mgmt_250 Talking about business ethics the other day in class made me think a lot about how business people can be.... http://blog.case.edu/jessica.silver/2006/11/10/mgmt_250 case cwru Case Western Case Western Reserve University Fri, 10 Nov 2006 20:25:53 EST Talking about business ethics the other day in class made me think a lot about how business people can be. I like business, but I definitely think that going into business would be more appealing if people in business were more honest. I'm not saying that all business people are dishonest, because that is definitely not true. The problem is that there are a lot of bad apples that make all of business unappealing. What I wish, though, is that everyone in business could be trustworthy. The market would only be fair if everyone was honest. If only I could change the world...haha.

]]> http://blog.case.edu/jessica.silver/2006/11/10/mgmt_250 I liked the discussion we had on giving feedback the other day. One thing I have always hated is giving... http://blog.case.edu/jessica.silver/2006/11/10/mgmt_250 case cwru Case Western Case Western Reserve University Fri, 10 Nov 2006 20:20:39 EST I liked the discussion we had on giving feedback the other day. One thing I have always hated is giving people bad feedback. I'm very non confrontational, and I would even go as far to say that I am a pushover. I am glad that I learned things like the OPEN method discussed in the book because it can help me be confident in my skills of giving feedback and not be so inclined to avoid giving feedback at all.

]]> http://blog.case.edu/jessica.silver/2006/11/10/mgmt_250 I've been very happy with the way my HR Simulation group has been going. I like that I get along... http://blog.case.edu/jessica.silver/2006/11/10/mgmt_250 case cwru Case Western Case Western Reserve University Fri, 10 Nov 2006 20:12:34 EST I've been very happy with the way my HR Simulation group has been going. I like that I get along with all of my teammates. Being able to get along socially helps us a lot. I've also noticed that we all have different strengths that complement each other very well. Our team leader, Brandon, does a very good job making sure things get done on time and scheduling meetings when we all can attend. He also does a lot of the number crunching for us so we don't have to take the time to do it all together. Meagan does a good job of putting all of the papers together and making them flow smoothly. Brian has a lot of insight to help us, and he's been doing well keeping track of our numbers. I feel that I fit into this blend very well, also putting in good insight and doing a lot of the outside work. Other than that, I like to think that I am the team "cheerleader." I like to keep our team morale up by being cheerful and goofy in our meetings. I really hope that the rest of our project goes as well as it has been going.

]]> http://blog.case.edu/jessica.silver/2006/09/28/mgmt_250 I will be the first to admit that I am computer illiterate. I've never written a blog before, and I... http://blog.case.edu/jessica.silver/2006/09/28/mgmt_250 case cwru Case Western Case Western Reserve University Thu, 28 Sep 2006 22:26:07 EST I will be the first to admit that I am computer illiterate. I've never written a blog before, and I wasn't really sure what they were until this class. I didn't want to do the blog, but since I couldn't figure Xanedu out before the other assignment was due, I got stuck doing the blog if I want to get an A in the class. My first grade on the blogging assignment was a .25 out of 1. This wasn't because I didn't write my first blog, because I did. I didn't figure out how to publish it, and when I did, I guess I published it on the wrong site. My blog URL is with my full name, not my last name. I don't know how that happened, since I didn't make the URL. The website did that for me. I don't think it is fair that I lost points because I can't use computers. I did write the blog in time, and anyone can even see on this page that the date and time of the blog was before the due date, which I believe was September 15th at midnight. This isn't a computer class, so I don't think I should be graded on my computer skills.
Speaking of which, if anyone knows how to make comments on other blogs, please let me know, because I have no clue.

]]> http://blog.case.edu/jessica.silver/2006/09/28/mgmt_250 Part of the grading system in this class is on class participation. The way we are graded is by ranking... http://blog.case.edu/jessica.silver/2006/09/28/mgmt_250 case cwru Case Western Case Western Reserve University Thu, 28 Sep 2006 22:19:23 EST Part of the grading system in this class is on class participation. The way we are graded is by ranking ourselves for each class based on how much we participated that day. Professor Johnson told us that she doesn't want to see just 3's, but 0's 1's and 2's. I think it is a good idea for us to grade ourselves and be honest about it, but some students take it a little too far. Many students feel that they have to give themselves 3's, so they make a point to raise their hand and say something every class. The thing is, though, that not everyone has something relevant to add to the discussion every day. Therefore, many students say things that diverge from the topic, and usually end up rambling on about meaningless crap. Just a piece of advice for any student reading this: Don't raise your hand just to give yourself a 3. If you don't have something relevant to say, just don't say anything. Nobody wants to hear it, except for you.

]]> http://blog.case.edu/jessica.silver/2006/09/28/mgmt_250 Recently, we've started the HR simulation project in our teams. I think that this project is a good idea, but... http://blog.case.edu/jessica.silver/2006/09/28/mgmt_250 case cwru Case Western Case Western Reserve University Thu, 28 Sep 2006 22:14:09 EST Recently, we've started the HR simulation project in our teams. I think that this project is a good idea, but it definitely needs some improvement. I've read through what we need from the manual, and I don't understand what we're supposed to do. Not only do I not understand, but neither does my team. We've spent quite a bit of time trying to figure out what we're actually supposed to do for our assignments. The questions given to us are pretty vague, and the manual is also not very clear. We couldn't figure out if the numbers were examples or if they were the numbers we have to work with. I think in the future if Professor Johnson wants to do this again, she should consider making the project much more clear to the students.

]]> http://blog.case.edu/jessica.silver/2006/09/25/mgmt_250 On Wednesday we did a networking session to get practice for when we actually have to do it. I found... http://blog.case.edu/jessica.silver/2006/09/25/mgmt_250 case cwru Case Western Case Western Reserve University Mon, 25 Sep 2006 21:01:10 EST On Wednesday we did a networking session to get practice for when we actually have to do it. I found out on Wednesday that I must avoid networking as much as I can. I know that many people can feel very uncomfortable with networking, but I couldn't get over my discomfort to get in there and talk to people. I stood on the outside of the group, eventually talking to some other students who also weren't so into networking. I'm not sure why, but I just have a problem with big groups. I can be very outgoing and friendly in small group situations, but talking in or in front of a large group just makes me freeze up. I could work hard to solve my problem with groups, but it's more likely that I'll spend the rest of my life avoiding big groups as much as I can.

]]> http://blog.case.edu/jessica.silver/2006/09/15/mgmt_250 I've been in this management class for three weeks now, and I still haven't decided yet how much I actually... http://blog.case.edu/jessica.silver/2006/09/15/mgmt_250 case cwru Case Western Case Western Reserve University Fri, 15 Sep 2006 20:26:16 EST I've been in this management class for three weeks now, and I still haven't decided yet how much I actually like it. I'm not sure how I feel about these random assignments. The blog assignment in particular makes me uneasy. I couldn't figure out how to get the case on that weird Xanedu website to do the other assignment, so I have to do the blog if I want to get a satisfactory grade in the class. I don't like knowing that random people I don't know can read everything I have to say on the class. I also hate computers.
Nontheless, here I am typing out all of my thoughts. Unfortunately, my thoughts are pretty indifferent. I'm not far enough into the class to have any strong opinion on it. I've taken the MBTI, the LSI, and the values thing, and so far nothing has surprised me. We also were presented with the information on our HR simulation project on Wednesday. Until we actually split into groups and do some work, I can't form much of an opinion on the project. I can say that I couldn't understand a word that one professor was saying...I'm really bad at understanding accents. Either way, I guess all I can do now is wait it out and hopefully form some sort of opinion in the next few weeks.
Jessica Silver

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