Sitar Bhatt's Online Journal

HR Simulation Leader

Sat, 02 Dec 2006 22:56:56 EST

With the HR Simulation coming to end, I could not help but reflect upon what I have learned from the simulation. When I first heard that I was going to be a leader for this simulation, I did not know exactly what to expect. However, now that the simulation is done with I am happy to say that I did learn a lot from it. From this simulation, I have gained a better understanding of what it means to be a leader when working in a team.
In my opinion, the key to being an efficient leader in a team setting is to work to find the strengths in your teammates and use those strengths all the time. By doing so, you are placing the right people in the right situation that will allow them to succeed. With the team members succeeding individually, the entire time will benefit when everything comes together. In conclusion, I am really happy and thankful that I had this opportunity to be a team leader.

Last HR Simulation

Sat, 02 Dec 2006 22:26:19 EST

Today, I picked my group's last HR Simulation report from PBL. When I read what Professor Poonamallee had to say about the actions we took in the very last quarter of the simulation, I have to say that I am very proud of my group. She said that our group did an overall excellent job throughout the simulation, and we finished very strong. It feels great knowing that my group members and I did a fantastic job on the simulation. I can tell that everybody in my group learned something as the simulation went on. In some odd way, I guess that I can say that we grew as a small business company grows. Overall, I really enjoyed the simulation, and I had a lot of fun with it.

The Ability to do without Knowing

Thu, 30 Nov 2006 11:09:15 EST

In class on Wednesday, we spoke about how some people are so proficient at something that they can do an activity even without having to think about. I tried to think if there was any activity that I could do that easily, and only one thing came to my mind. There were times when I drove to my high school, and did not remember making any turns at all. All I remember is leaving the house and then finally getting to school.
However outside of that experience, there is nothing in particular that I can say I am so good at that I can do it without thinking. There are certain things that I consider myself good at but I have to think what I am doing while I do it.
Overall I thought it was a really interesting discussion in class, and I had a lot of fun listening to what other people thought.

Monday's Class

Thu, 30 Nov 2006 00:36:47 EST

In class on Monday, we spoke about employers having to release an employee. This can be a very difficult task for anyone. I got a better insight into how tough it can be to fire someone when I spoke to my dad on the phone that night. My dad is the one responsible for hiring and releasing people at his dealership. My dad says that in the car business, firing someone is really brutal. It is a very cutthroat industry. When somebody needs to be released, you have to release them without taking anything else into consideration. He went on to say that the main focus should be who is helping this company become the number one company in the industry. If there is anyone else who is slowing the company down, they have to be fire, and the show must go on.

Next Semester

Sun, 26 Nov 2006 22:32:42 EST

With tomorrow being the day that I register for classes for next semester, I have been thinking a lot about what Management 251 is going to be like. I am guessing that not much will change in regards to the type of work we do because we have the same professor carrying over. However, I know that the material we will cover will be brand new.
I hope that Management 251 will be insightful and interesting just like Management 250 was this semester. Management 250 opened my eyes to the many opportunities that are out there in the world of management. I think Management 251 will only introduce me to more opportunities that are out there for a student graduating with a business degree. All I know for sure is that I am looking forward to Management 251 next semester.

Annual Report Review

Thu, 09 Nov 2006 13:26:16 EST

Today I went to PBL to pick up my group's annual report, but it was not at the front desk. However, it was not there when I went to go pick it up.
The reason why I am anxious to pick up the annual report is because I am interested to see what Professor Poonamallee has to say about the performance of my group. I want to know if she thought our hiring and promotion tactic was a good one.
Another important reason why I want to get the report back is so that my group and I will not repeat the same mistakes that we did last year. Hopefully we will get our report back very soon.

Goals

Thu, 09 Nov 2006 12:59:49 EST

In class on Monday, we discussed about personal goals. We did an exercise in which we took 17 post-its, and on each one we wrote down a specific goal that we had. After writing down my 17 goals, I noticed that my goals ranged from short-term to long-term.
However, there were three specific goals that I knew if I could accomplish then I would be on track to make the rest of my goals come true. The first goal was to get good grades. By getting good grades, I would be able to go to graduate school, and hopefully get a successful job. The second goal was to live a healthy life. By living a healthy life, I could experience everything that I want to do in life, and stay on track to fulfill all of my goals. The third and final goal was to be family orientated. With my family next to me, I have a certain sense of confidence, and that feeling allows me to do whatever I want.
I really enjoyed this exercise because it helped me put everything into perspective

Year 2 Quarter 1 HR Simulation

Wed, 08 Nov 2006 11:45:42 EST

Last night, my group members and I filled out the paperwork for the HR simulation. At this point, the process of filling out the paperwork has definitely become easier. My group members and I created a plan to fill in job vacancies during quarter 2 of year 1, and by sticking to this plan, we have reduced the amount of work we need to do.
Along with sticking to our plan of hiring and promoting people, we decided to increase the fringe benefits of our employees. We thought that if we went ahead and increased the fringe benefits this quarter, then we would not have to worry about that issue for the rest of the year. I am very happy with the decisions my group members and I made during our meeting last night.

Business Ethics

Sun, 05 Nov 2006 22:19:42 EST

In class this past week, we had discussions on business ethics. I am glad we had this discussion and covered this topic. With many of the business problems that have happened recently like Enron and WorldCom, it seems like business ethics will be something that my fellow peers and I will be having to deal with a good amount in the next few years.
I do not agree at all with any of the cheating and wrong doing that has happened recently. It surprised me that certain people would be willing to go so far and lie about certain things to make more money, and not even think that they are going to be caught. The lessons that I have learned in our management class are lessons that I will carry with me for the rest of my life.

Fall Break

Thu, 02 Nov 2006 00:06:41 EST

Over fall break, I was asked by many people what my major is. I told everybody that my major is management, but I am also a pre-medicine student. After I told people that I am a pre-medicine student, people would ask me if that meant I was going to be a doctor. I would tell them that I was not sure if I wanted to be a doctor because I was enjoying my business classes more than my science classes. Thus, over fall break I realized that I am a crossroads as to what I want to do after college. Do I want to go to medical school and become a doctor? Do I want to get my MBA and then find a job in the finance field? This doubt of wanting to become a doctor has arisen due to all of the tests we have taken in Management 250. In reviewing many of my personality tests, I noticed that I do not have many of the qualities and characteristics that would be ideal for a doctor. I am more of an extrovert and people person. I have learned all this through the tests we took in class. Also in class, I have been exposed to many of jobs that are out there for a management major. This class has broken my original perception of what it meant to have a managerial position. Through the discussions and lectures in class, I have learned a lot about the opportunities that are out there for me as a management major. Hopefully, I will find an answer to my question of whether I want to be a doctor or work in the business field within the next few months.

Half-Way Point

Sat, 14 Oct 2006 19:30:53 EST

With Fall Break coming up that means we are half-way through the semester. So far in Management 250, I have learned a lot. It has been a very interesting class.
This class has provided me great insight into the world of Human Resources and managers. I never knew that so much thought and time had to go into making certain decisions. Before, I thought all you had to do was just focus on the situation at hand, and then decide the right thing to do. However, making a decision is more than that. You have to look at what is best for the company and the employees.
I really enjoy the class discussions and the readings. I am looking forward to the rest of the semester.

Harrah's Casino Case

Sat, 14 Oct 2006 00:42:33 EST

I just finished making my outline for the Harrah's Casino case write-up, and I enjoyed reading the article. What made the article more appealing than the ACME article we read was that this article provided us great background information on the company. I understood the article and situation right away because of the background information. Also, by the background information, I mean the history of the company from the 1970s to present day. This article provided me great insight into how an industry can focus from one area to another. For example, in this article, the focus of the company changed from customer service to profits now. After reading this article, I have one analogy for business. Business is like a leaky bucket. If you stop one leak from happening, another leak will be exposed, and this will continue to happen until you have the right tools and utilities to cover all the holes. I am looking forward to writing this case write-up.

HR Simulation 2

Thu, 12 Oct 2006 21:22:28 EST

On Monday, we got the paperwork back that we turned in for the first quarter of the HR Simulation. I have to say that I am pretty happy with the results that my team made. The only negative result from the decisions that my team and I made for the first quarter was the absenteeism. This was one area of concern for my teammates and me as we did our second quarter paperwork. In order to correct this flaw within our company, we decided to increase the wages of all of the employees. Also, we put more of our money into putting together programs for our employees. Hopefully these steps will lower the absenteeism within the company. Overall, I am really happy with where our company is standing, and I only expect the company to improve and get better as the simulation goes on.

Individual Learning Plan

Thu, 12 Oct 2006 01:31:21 EST

On Monday, I had to turn in part 1 of my Individual Learning Plan. I will admit that I did put my paper off to weekend. In my self defense, I was very busy with tests and other papers too, so I feel as if I have justified reason for procrastinating on this paper. I would be lying if I did not say I did not have fun writing this paper. It was nice to take a chance to reflect back on my life. Find out what things really describe and define who I am. Also, looking over the results of the MTBI test and the Learning Styles test helped me get a better understanding of what are my strengths and weaknesses. Once in a while, I think it is important that we all take some time to reflect back upon our lives, and make sure that we are happy with who are. If you are not happy with whom you are and how things are going, then you still have time to change things.

First Quarter Report

Wed, 04 Oct 2006 00:40:51 EST

Just a few hours ago, my teammates and I finished the required paperwork for the first quarter report of the HR simulation. At first, the assignment seemed like it was going to be an easy one. However, once we got past the Incident Analysis, the rest of the assignment became confusing and difficult. The paperwork for the Decision and Budget Form took a while to fill out. Lucky for me though, I have a great team to work with, and together we all figured out how to fill out each form. After the experience I had tonight with my team, I feel real confident in saying that I do not think any problems will arise within my team, and I think nothing but success lies ahead for us.