http://blog.case.edu/patricia.schwarz/ MGMT 250 Blog en-us Mon, 11 Dec 2006 16:32:11 EST Mon, 11 Dec 2006 16:32:11 EST patricia.schwarz@case.edu patricia.schwarz@case.edu http://blogs.law.harvard.edu/tech/rss Movable Type v3.121 http://blog.case.edu/patricia.schwarz/2006/12/11/final_class In my opinion, the last class was important. It was good to hear what everyone appreciated or liked about the... http://blog.case.edu/patricia.schwarz/2006/12/11/final_class mgmt250 case cwru Case Western Case Western Reserve University Mon, 11 Dec 2006 16:32:11 EST In my opinion, the last class was important. It was good to hear what everyone appreciated or liked about the course. I was surprised by how many people enjoyed writing the Individual Learning Plan. I said that I enjoyed the overall atmosphere of the class. The discussions were a nice change from the usual lecture based classes. I thought the Mock Interview was a very good experience because it taught me how to be a more appealing candidate.

]]> http://blog.case.edu/patricia.schwarz/2006/12/11/individual_learning_plan The Individual Learning Plan looked impossible to complete. I had to break the assignment apart and take everything one step... http://blog.case.edu/patricia.schwarz/2006/12/11/individual_learning_plan mgmt250 case cwru Case Western Case Western Reserve University Mon, 11 Dec 2006 16:23:45 EST The Individual Learning Plan looked impossible to complete. I had to break the assignment apart and take everything one step at a time. I realized that the plan actually forced me to plan the next few years of my life. Although I did not want to do the paper, I did appreciate the outcome. This is how I feel a lot of students feel about college in general. College students work very hard during their four years, but when they get out they are better people for it.

]]> http://blog.case.edu/patricia.schwarz/2006/12/11/firing_an_employee Firing an employee can be very political. There are many reasons to fire a person. There are also many reasons... http://blog.case.edu/patricia.schwarz/2006/12/11/firing_an_employee mgmt250 case cwru Case Western Case Western Reserve University Mon, 11 Dec 2006 16:02:09 EST Firing an employee can be very political. There are many reasons to fire a person. There are also many reasons not to fire a person. These include race, religion, and sex. If a person is fired for any of those three reasons, the company is in danger of being sued. I think it is common that people are illegally fired. This is why companies must be sure that they leave that part of the contract general and open to interpretation. This will allow lots of different situations to be acceptable for firing.

]]> http://blog.case.edu/patricia.schwarz/2006/12/11/hr_simulation The HR Simulation was a useful experience. I saw direct correlations between things that I might not have noticed before.... http://blog.case.edu/patricia.schwarz/2006/12/11/hr_simulation mgmt250 case cwru Case Western Case Western Reserve University Mon, 11 Dec 2006 15:16:40 EST The HR Simulation was a useful experience. I saw direct correlations between things that I might not have noticed before. For example, the more my team increased wages and benefits, the employee morale would increase. Another less obvious example was that when accident rates increased, employer morale decreased. My group would make a lot of mistakes, however, we would sit down and analyze why things would happen. I think the project should be continued in the following classes.

]]> http://blog.case.edu/patricia.schwarz/2006/12/11/tom_mendola In class we discussed the Tom Mendola case. I was assigned to defend Mendola. This was a hard task because... http://blog.case.edu/patricia.schwarz/2006/12/11/tom_mendola mgmt250 case cwru Case Western Case Western Reserve University Mon, 11 Dec 2006 14:46:25 EST In class we discussed the Tom Mendola case. I was assigned to defend Mendola. This was a hard task because I thought Tom was wrong. Tom was informed that he was not doing his job by his supervisor. If I were Tom, I would have improved as soon as it was expressed to me that I was not performing satisfactorily. During the discussion, I could not effectively defend Tom. My only defense was to suggest that he get counseling or other outside help. Tom is after all only seventeen. He needs more guidance to help him with the transition from high school to a full time job.

]]> http://blog.case.edu/patricia.schwarz/2006/11/09/feedback Today in class, we discussed what feedback was and why it is important. To me feedback is extremely important. If... http://blog.case.edu/patricia.schwarz/2006/11/09/feedback mgmt250 case cwru Case Western Case Western Reserve University Thu, 09 Nov 2006 18:25:48 EST Today in class, we discussed what feedback was and why it is important. To me feedback is extremely important. If someone has a suggestion of how I can improve something, I am more than happy to hear it. The style at which a person distributes feedback is important. If a person has an accusatory tone, it may be considered destructive criticism. I would like to think that I handle criticism well, however, I can understand how others may shy away from feedback. If someone is giving them feedback, they may take it personally and get hurt by it. It is an important skill to handle constructive criticism well. Constructive criticism gives the person opportunities to improve and grow.

]]> http://blog.case.edu/patricia.schwarz/2006/11/09/training In class a few weeks ago, we spoke about different types of training. I did not realize how many types... http://blog.case.edu/patricia.schwarz/2006/11/09/training mgmt250 case cwru Case Western Case Western Reserve University Thu, 09 Nov 2006 18:24:58 EST In class a few weeks ago, we spoke about different types of training. I did not realize how many types of training there were. I was particularly interested in the learning portal method. I think people in my age group take this for granted. I do not remember a time when I was using a computer without internet access. We do not have to go to the library and read books anymore. The internet has just about everything a person could want to know on it. This is why the learning portal can be very useful. Another good tool for training is case study training. This allows the students to analyze and discuss different real life examples. This also allows the employees to take the training seriously. If they are learning from the experiences of others it is more meaningful. If I were to organize a training program I would use these two methods.

]]> http://blog.case.edu/patricia.schwarz/2006/11/09/business_ethics Amy, from the Career Center, came to speak with us regarding business ethics. I thought the real life cases she... http://blog.case.edu/patricia.schwarz/2006/11/09/business_ethics mgmt250 case cwru Case Western Case Western Reserve University Thu, 09 Nov 2006 18:04:41 EST Amy, from the Career Center, came to speak with us regarding business ethics. I thought the real life cases she posed to us were very interesting. She told us to be aware of what we do, so that we do not hurt our reputation or Case’s. If we do not conduct ourselves in a professional matter, we could potentially be hurting the reputation of future candidates of the same job. This makes me wonder how past Case students have influenced my chances of obtaining a job at a company. Amy also made me aware of certain things that I should be careful of. For example, it is not professional to accept an offer from one company and leave after a month and accept another company’s offer. Searching and accepting job offers is tricky and is a delicate process.

]]> http://blog.case.edu/patricia.schwarz/2006/11/09/hr_simulation_update My HR group, Sheraton, is doing well. We started off doing well in the first and second quarter. Our luck... http://blog.case.edu/patricia.schwarz/2006/11/09/hr_simulation_update mgmt250 case cwru Case Western Case Western Reserve University Thu, 09 Nov 2006 18:03:40 EST My HR group, Sheraton, is doing well. We started off doing well in the first and second quarter. Our luck seemed to change in the third quarter. We determined that this was probably because we distributed our budget evenly throughout the four quarters, while other teams started off being conservative and then became liberal with their budget. Sheraton has recognized this analysis and has changed the budget plan accordingly.
Since nothing drastic in the simulation has happened yet, I expect that there will be some kind of economic crash. This may catch teams that have not saved part of their budgets off guard. I think this will be interesting to see and a very useful lesson to learn.

]]> http://blog.case.edu/patricia.schwarz/2006/11/09/jonah_creighton_case The Jonah Creighton case is very interesting. At first, I thought the answer was so simple. It was clear that... http://blog.case.edu/patricia.schwarz/2006/11/09/jonah_creighton_case mgmt250 case cwru Case Western Case Western Reserve University Thu, 09 Nov 2006 17:23:40 EST The Jonah Creighton case is very interesting. At first, I thought the answer was so simple. It was clear that the Coulding-Henson Company needed some kind of anti-discrimination program. However, when analyzing the case, it is apparent that the case is not so simple. Jonah needs to consider his own actions and the effects he is making on the company. Jonah should not have been so accusatory towards his supervisor. Jonah also has to consider how his actions affect him. He is jeopardizing his own career and the success of his own team. I was surprised at the complexity and delicacy of the issue the case brings up.

]]> http://blog.case.edu/patricia.schwarz/2006/10/12/hr_simulation The HR simulation requires a cooperative team of people. I am fortunate in that I have a team of all... http://blog.case.edu/patricia.schwarz/2006/10/12/hr_simulation mgmt250 case cwru Case Western Case Western Reserve University Thu, 12 Oct 2006 20:31:34 EST The HR simulation requires a cooperative team of people. I am fortunate in that I have a team of all similarly dedicated people to work with. We gather as a group and discuss the issues at hand. We then divide the work between the four of us and work on our portions separately. This was the way I wanted to work and is probably the most realistic method of how it will be in the real world. Overall, the HR simulation is more interesting than I expected.

]]> http://blog.case.edu/patricia.schwarz/2006/09/28/mock_interview_experience When I signed up to do a mock interview, I was not expecting much. I was expecting suggestions that I... http://blog.case.edu/patricia.schwarz/2006/09/28/mock_interview_experience mgmt250 case cwru Case Western Case Western Reserve University Thu, 28 Sep 2006 20:47:43 EST When I signed up to do a mock interview, I was not expecting much. I was expecting suggestions that I already knew, and a boring half hour of answering questions. However, I did learn a few things. I learned that after I research a company, I will be sure to find characteristics in myself to really connect with the interviewer. It is easy to know facts about a company, but to really connect with its projects and goals is what makes you different. This shows that you are completely engaged and ready to start working.
Mr. Woods, my interviewer, was very kind but at the same time, I felt like he was trying to discourage me from the management field. He was telling me that I should not be ashamed of having to settle for being a sales representative. I am still not sure what he meant by that. However, it was not a bad experience and I did learn how to better my interviewing skills.

]]> http://blog.case.edu/patricia.schwarz/2006/09/26/discrimination_and_compassion In class today, we discussed a case where a disabled woman was trying to get a position at a bank;... http://blog.case.edu/patricia.schwarz/2006/09/26/discrimination_and_compassion mgmt250 case cwru Case Western Case Western Reserve University Tue, 26 Sep 2006 22:22:50 EST In class today, we discussed a case where a disabled woman was trying to get a position at a bank; however, the manager, Dave, was making an issue of her disability. In my own opinion, this woman, Anna, was more qualified than the woman who actually ended up with the job. This was a blatant act of discrimination. The manager had been looking unsuccessfully for a replacement for this teller position, and purely for the fact of Anna being disabled, gave the position to someone else.
If a disabled person will not get hired for a teller job, what else will they be denied? As a society, if we can not embrace our own people who have flaws, how can we claim to be the land of the free? I do not doubt that there are many managers who are like Dave who discriminate not only on the basis of disabilities, but on other external factors.

]]> http://blog.case.edu/patricia.schwarz/2006/09/20/second_entrymgmt_250 In Tuesday's lecture we learned about the Individual Learning Plan. For the last two days I have been trying to... http://blog.case.edu/patricia.schwarz/2006/09/20/second_entrymgmt_250 mgmt250 case cwru Case Western Case Western Reserve University Wed, 20 Sep 2006 21:52:35 EST In Tuesday's lecture we learned about the Individual Learning Plan. For the last two days I have been trying to decide what two fields I may be interested in. So far, I have come up with a consulting firm, which I want to know more about, and another sector of the marketing world. As I said in my last blog, I interned at a marketing firm, TNS-NFO, and did not like it very much. I, however, hope to investigate another aspect of the market world rather than marketing research. I think I will start going about this process by contacting a few Case alum.
At this time I am also trying to figure out how to comment to comments. Can anyone help?

]]> http://blog.case.edu/patricia.schwarz/2006/09/11/mgmt_250_first_entry At first Management 250 was overwhelming, but once I got the hang of the course, I realized that it was... http://blog.case.edu/patricia.schwarz/2006/09/11/mgmt_250_first_entry mgmt250 case cwru Case Western Case Western Reserve University Mon, 11 Sep 2006 19:28:43 EST At first Management 250 was overwhelming, but once I got the hang of the course, I realized that it was not so bad. I have never posted a blog before, and I am still a little confused on how everything works.
I am taking this management course because it is a requirement however, it will be useful for me in whatever field I will end up in. Like others I’m sure, I do not know what field of business I want to get into just yet. Personally I don’t think I have to know exactly where I am headed just yet. I interned at a marketing firm a few summers ago, and that did not seem to suit me so well; I did lots of computer and paper work. I also interned at a congressional office, where I worked with constituents. This was a better experience because of the person-to- person interaction. With the marketing firm, I did not have a lot of contact with people; I had to fill out graphs and do statistical work, which I learned was not for me. To me this experience taught me that good and bad experiences are still helpful. If an experience does not suit you than you know to try something else. In my eyes, this is just as important as experiencing something you like. Hopefully, this class will give me a better insight into what I will like to try.

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