Entries in the Category "MGMT250"
MGMT 250
Management 250 was a very helpful class. Even though it did not require me to study a lot of textbook chapters, it still taught me about management. There were many hands-on activities, which was very enjoyable. Projects such as HR simulation also helped me to learn. It was the first time I stood on a manager's stand point. Also, many people came in and gave presentation about what they did. The information they gave was very helpful. Furthermore, it was interesting to listen to people who were really engaged in business. I hope I could also enjoy MGMT 251 next semester.
Learning Plan Part 2
After I wrote my second part of the learning plan, I was happy to see how I had specific goals and action plans. In the beginning, I thought that it would be very hard to make my goals and action plans detailed and specific. Predicting and imagining the future seemed quite difficult to me. At first, I wrote down very broad goals, which led to broad action plans. Later on, I decided to start over again. By extremely narrowing down the goals, I got satisfactory action plans. Overall, it was very interesting to schedule my future life like this.
Learning Plan Goal 2
My personal goal that I wrote in my learning plan was to obtain an exercise habit in order to always maintain a weight between 100 and 105 pounds. Because this second goal was more focused on developing a new habit, I used the START NOW framework. My three supporters were my mother, my best friend, and a friend who exercise regularly. If all three of my supporters were busy, I could always go to a fitness center and ask help to the professional. I decided to write a journal to measure my progress. Also, using the journal, I could not only record my progress, but also use it as a positive reinforcement. Every time I achieve a certain desirable weight, it itself would be the best reinforcement.
Learning Plan Goal 1
The career-oriented goal that I wrote in my learning plan was to graduate from Case Western Reserve University in May 2009 with an accounting degree. I used the SMART goal framework, since it was a one-time achievement. This goal was what immediately came to mind when I did the Catch Your Dreams exercise in class. It contained many of my important values, such as happiness and wisdom. In order to be happy, especially for my future career, I should successfully graduate from a 4-year college. Also, graduating from Case will educate me and guarantee some wisdom that would help my future life. After describing my goal, I divided it into subgoals and made some action plans.
Annual Report
Last week, our HR group turned in an annual report. We assigned each group member parts to work on. I worked on writing about the actions we took to achieve our designated goals. Our goal was to achieve maximum productivity, low turnover rate, and high morale. As I went through the results of the past four quarters, I was very happy. It was interesting to see how every action had an impact on the company. Even the smallest change had a great change on our results. Also, looking at the graphs gave a good illustration of how our company was performing.
Harrah's Casino Case
Harrah's Casino case was very helpful because it showed me a real example of management. It closely related to what we were doing in our HR simulation group. It was interesting to see how employees responded to the company strategy. For example, Harrah's had an incentive plan that rewarded employees who improved customer service goals. The bonus payout was not a lot of money, but it was very symbolic. I liked how the system was symbolic. I personally think that if we have a personal relationship with employees, it boosts morale more. As we learned in class, personal relationship between employer and employees is very important.
Feedback
Today's class discussion was about feedback. It was very helpful to hear numerous techniques about how to give and receive feedback. Personally, I respect and enjoy feedback. I can review myself and get an opportunity to look at myself at a different point of view. However, there are times when I do not want feedback. When I am doing something that I do not like and have no intention to improve, I do not want feedback. For example, during high school, even though I did not quite enjoy playing tennis, there was a time I had to be in a tennis team. I was not good at tennis and I knew it. When the coach gave me a feedback, I was not so comfortable. The feedback was encouraging, but I did not want to hear feedback that I did not ask for. Other than that, I usually appreciate feedback.
Post-it Exercise
Yesterday in class, we did an exercise using Post-its. We each had about 17 Post-its. Before any instructions, I was very confused about what to do with them. They were actually for an exercise that was designed to help us start the second part of the learning plan. We had to write our dreams on the Post-its. First of all, I wrote down my important values, which reminded me of the "My Values" exercise. I quickly wrote down happiness, healthiness, wisdom, successful career, and friendship. After that, I wrote down some small dreams, such as traveling around the world and getting a puppy. After some discussion of the exercise, Professor Johnson summed up the discussion with a PowerPoint presentation. From the presentation, I really liked the quote, "A goal is a dream with a deadline." Overall, this Post-it exercise gave me a good idea about what to do in my learning plan part II.
My Values
Recently in class, there was an exercise that reminded me of the "My Values" exercise. It was a very helpful exercise because I was able to clarify my values and beliefs. According to the exercise, my ten most important values were competent, economic security, family happiness, family security, friendship, happiness, logical, health, responsibility, and wisdom. After singling out some, my top five values narrowed down to happiness, family happiness, friendship, wisdom, and responsibility. I believe that my values and beliefs will contribute to the foundation of my future career. They will play an important role in shaping my career possibilities. I believe that an intelligent responsible person, who values social relationships, would be suitable for a business-related job.
Learning Plan Part 1
Last Monday, I turned in the first part of my learning plan. The learning plan was a special experience for me. I have never written a paper like this before. At first, to write eight to 10 pages about myself seemed to be difficult, but it was not at all. It was fun to compile all the information I gathered from class. As I was writing the paper, I felt I was learning more about myself. It was wonderful to see how I had many sources to hear from. It gave me various views of my life. Also, interviewing two people engaged in my desired career gave me a clearer understanding of my future.
Mock Interview
On September 22, I had a mock interview with Ms. Rambert from Sherwin Williams. Even though it was not a real interview, because it was my very first interview, it gave me a strong impression. There were some aspects that I was surprised to see in myself and other parts where I needed improvements. I tried to face the interview based on what I have learned in class, but it did not turn out as I wanted to. My overall interview would have turned out better if I generally had more strong examples to support my answers. I should keep that in mind in order to have a more successful interview.
LSI
The Learning Style Inventory (LSI) is a survey designed to help me find the best way I learn. Based on my answers to several questions, the inventory shows my best learning style. There are four different learning modes: concrete experience (CE), reflective observation (RO), abstract conceptualization (AC), and active experimentation (CE). Among the four modes, I have the most emphases on the reflective observation (RO). If we combine the four modes, I get a more accurate result of my learning style. According to the combined result, I am a diverger. A person with divergent learning style has strong imaginative ability and awareness of people and problem. To develop my learning skills, I should try to be sensitive to people’s feelings and values, listen with an open mind, gather information, and imagine the implications of uncertain situations. I am glad to see how MGMT 250 helps to develop myself.
MBTI
The Myers-Briggs Type Indicator (MBTI) represented my personality in a unique way. I grumbled while doing the long assessment, but I was excited to get the results back in class. Before getting the results back, we also did a self-select preference exercise. I was surprised to see the two results match exactly. My reported MBTI type was ISTJ; I for introversion, S for sensing, T for thinking, and J for judging. Some of my classmates said the results did not represent them at all, but I was quite amazed by the result. I had many similarities with the result. I am a quiet, but serous person, deciding logically based on practical observation. Organizing and scheduling makes my life more convenient. It is great to see how I can see my personality categorized. I would be able to use this result to develop myself for my future.
Networking
The networking we did in class today was a very new experience. I know that new experiences are usually difficult and seem abnormal, but this experience especially came hard for me. Frankly speaking, I get nervous when I speak to someone for the first time. I did speak with people today, but I was not so comfortable. I know that networking is one of the most important management skills that I need for my business career. Today, I felt that I need some practice in this area. Even though networking was not a pleasurable exercise, it was helpful in a sense that it made me aware of the importance of networking.
Management 250
Management 250 is the very first course I am taking that is strongly related to the field of management. Even though there were only six classes so far, I already have a strong impression of the course. MGMT 250 seems to teach more of a real life knowledge that cannot be taught through book. Learning about important aspects of interviewing and finding out my learning style was a very unique experience for me. The fact that there is an every day self-assessing participation grade was special too. That especially showed that the class itself is a good way to improve some of the important managerial skills. I expect this class to be helpful and supportive for my future.