Advice to Eng 304 Students

My advice for future English 304 students with Angie would be to stay on top of your work. His class is very manageable, and the assignments are interesting but not too tasking. The work load is distributed equally throughout the semester, so as long as you complete assignments on time, there should be no build-up of work. The blog is a great tool which enables you as a student to express your ideas and opinions about a lot of aspects of the business world.

I benefited greatly from a lot of the activities and assignments in this class, particularly when we were required to create and then revise cover letters, resumes, and follow up letters. I suggest especially making the most out of those assignments, as I have already used the knowledge I gained from these in applying for internships. It will be invaluable to your professional life. Also, for the group assignments, I would definitely plan ahead for those as well. You do your biggest assignments with your group, so it is a good idea to meet in advance of deadlines, as your group will probably have very different schedules than you.

Lastly, the second life program that you meet through for class is very interesting and a really great foresight into the future of technology and perhaps business. I advise you to explore second life before your first class meeting in the program, as you probably have never seen anything like it. It is fairly easy to use, but it takes a little getting used to. Explore it and the different features and places it offers. A lot of it is really crazy!

Watergate Scandal

The Watergate scandal involved a series of political scandals during Richard Nixon’s presidency. It started with five men being arrested after breaking and entering into the Democratic National Committee headquarters at the Watergate hotel complex in 1972. The scandal was traced to the top levels of the government, and the cover-up ultimately led to Nixon’s resignation. Investigations of this crime resulted in a reveal of other crimes and abuses by Nixon and his staff, including campaign fraud, political espionage, illegal break-ins, improper tax audits, illegal wiretapping, and a secret slush fund in Mexico. The investigation lasted two years. It finally came to a close after a taping was discovered of Nixon which proved he had obstructed justice and attempted to cover up the break-in.

This is one of the most notorious political scandals in U.S. history. Clearly, the actions of Nixon and his staff were highly unethical and illegal. In my opinion, history has proven that the more power someone has, the more likely they are to commit ethical lapse. The most serious ethical offenses seem to occur within the highest levels of the government and corporate world. It may be also, however, that these are just more known to the public because of their prestige. I tried to find documents from the Watergate scandal, but most of what I found was legal documents from after the scandal, and during the time of conviction.

Ethical Lapses

I found this article on ethical lapse in the workplace to be very interesting and also pertinent to my studies right now. I have completed two assessments of ethical cases for my accounting class this semester in which I had to analyze two situations that were violations of ethics and then suggest a course of action.

I believe there are many unethical situations that occur in the workplace, and not just in a corporate environment. I have witnessed several in the place that I used to work during the summer, a conference center where I was a server. I witnessed sexual harassment, theft, favoritism, and more. I did not address the situations, although I am a little ashamed to say, because they did not affect me personally or I did not view them serious enough to cause conflict. I do believe, however, that in a corporate environment these ethical issues become more serious.

When I start my career and enter the corporate world, I will definitely be aware of maintaining a sense of ethics in the office. If I were put in a situation where I felt as if I had to address an issue, I would try and confront the person creating the ethical problem directly first. Then, if the issue continued, I would address it with upper management.

These ethical issues can be small, but they can also amount to huge scandals, such as the notorious Enron scandals, to name one. What many employees might fear is that reporting an ethical problem could result in job loss or pay cut. These employees should be notified that their job is protected by SOX, an act passed to encourage good character in the workplace.

Web Writing vs. Paper Writing

Writing on the web and writing on paper have several stylistic differences and similarities. First, in both writing the writer should write concisely, because readers are always looking for useful information quickly. A reason that conciseness is important on the web and not necessarily for paper, however, is that prolonged reading from a computer screen can strain the reader’s eyes. Reading on the web is also 25% slower than reading on paper, which adds to the length of time. Both types of writing typically also require that you state the most important information first, and go into detail later in the piece. It is important in both types of writing to cite sources accurately.

When you write on the web, paragraphs should not be indented and instead separated into blocks of text. Writing on paper should be separated into indented paragraphs. Another difference is that web writing allows the creator to use links to other text or images, and writing on paper does not. Bulleted lists are also an effective tool to use in web writing because it puts important information into lists and easy to find. This is normally not recommended, however, for paper writing. Web writing often involves directional cues and key words to let the reader know where to look for certain information. Web writing is more informal than paper writing, and the writer can be more creative and get away with more because the reader is looking for something to catch his or her eye and needs to kind information quickly.

To submit a formally written document onto the web, there are a few things to remember. You must inform the site users if the web paper is abridged or different from the paper version. If the text or graphics are copywrited, the creator must obtain permission to publish that work online. It is also a good idea to observe the work on the web before posting it to check for errors. If the document is long, it is a good idea to provide a printable version option in case the web users wish to print it.

Spring Break Interviews

This past week during spring break, I went on three interviews. It was interesting to see the different ways each company or organization conducted their interviews. The first was for a financial consulting firm called Primerica. They are located in Northern Virginia and advise families and individuals on how to manage their finances so that they can retire. This interview was very formal, they taught me about the company, and actually offered me a position at the end. At first I told him that I was interested, but a few days later I sent Primerica an email respectfully declining the offer because it is not what I want to do. Next, I went on an interview at a medium-sized PR and marketing firm called Allison and Partners. They are located in Washington, DC, and I really enjoyed this interview. It was really laid-back, and Sonia, the VP of the DC office, was very nice and she seemed like she genuinely wanted to get to know me. I believe this is reflective of the PR and marketing sector of business, because I think that people skills and personality are very important. I think it went well and I would love to get an internship there because I think the people there would be fun to work with and it seems very close to what I want to do eventually. I would also love to work in DC. They did not offer me a position on the spot, but they spoke as if I would have some kind of position at the firm, because they asked me about travel, my schedule, and told me they would let me know about pay soon. The third interview I went on was Media Research Center, which is an organization in Alexandria, VA, whose goal is to balance the news media, so that it is not so liberally biased. The organization itself is not directly related to my intended field, but I interviewed for a marketing internship position where I would be in charge of researching and reaching the target market of a new website they have created, which will be similar to facebook. I would also be responsible for advertising this website. I enjoyed this interview as well and it definitely seems like it would be interesting, and I would be treated like a regular employee and have my own responsibilities. The woman who interviewed me, Lee Taylor, seemed to like me since we have similar educational backgrounds. She has her MBA in marketing and an undergraduate degree in French. They told me it seemed like I would be a good fit for the position, and that they would contact me in a couple weeks. I am definitely more comfortable now in interview situations even after just those three. I realize the importance of an interview in selling yourself and that it is a vital tool in showing what you have to offer that other people do not.

Lying on Your Resume

I found this article about lying on a resume to be very interesting. My mom helped me a lot in high school with my resume, and, although I never even thought about doing it in the first place, she was always repeating never to fabricate things on a resume.
The story about Mary, a woman who lied about having a master’s degree, was unbelievable. I knew that people tweaked made up small things here and there on their resumes, but I had no idea that individuals would make up such great lies such as having a master’s degree. Besides the ethical part of the issue, I would never lie on a resume because I am a very bad liar, and if asked about the job or credential I had fabricated, it would be obvious I didn’t know what I was talking about.
I also thought it was interesting how Isaacs noted that the more high up and prestigious the position, the more likely a person is to lie. I think this is very revealing of the corporate world today. It seems that a person have an impeccable, shining record to hold high up positions in companies. In addition, from what I hear, it is becoming more and more difficult to find jobs. This definitely increases the incentive to lie on a resume.
I am glad more and more companies are becoming more thorough in doing background checks pre and post hire, because, as I will soon be searching for jobs, it levels the playing field for everyone and makes it more difficult for people to embellish about their professional and extracurricular selves. I would be furious if I learned that someone beat me out of a job because he or she made up something on their resume.

Second Life Interview

The interview conducted in second life was very helpful. I am going on several interviews for internships during spring break (in about a week), so, although my interviews will be face-to-face, it was still good practice for responding quickly to questions.
One challenge I faced was that I was trying to come up with responses quickly and type them fast, and at one point I noticed a typo, which would not have happened in real life because I would have been speaking. Doing an interview in second life was definitely a lot less pressure because having to type a response gave a little extra time to think about what you wanted to say. Obviously, I also didn’t have to get ready, at least physically for the interview, which made it easier.
The interview made me realize that I still need to practice on responding to questions quickly, as when I go on my real life interviews I won’t have as much time to think. At the end of the interview, I tried to quickly think of a question to ask the interviewer because I think that shows interest in the job.

Market Analysis

Drafting the market analysis part of our business plan was slightly complicated for our group. We didn’t understand exactly the objectives of the task and we also did not know the exact format, even after having visited the links. We were also unsure if we were supposed to be writing from the perspective of second life or real life. We overcame these obstacles, however, and were able to draft a complete market analysis for our water sports business.

When we visited similar businesses in second life, we could explore the business but it was difficult to obtain concrete information about the business and geographic location. After having visited several more locations however, we decided to choose a location that was higher in traffic, or people, we figured out, because that means more people as customers. Because of this, we chose Key West, where we will form a partnership with a resort.

Each group member worked hard in completing the market analysis, as we determined our target market, the strengths and weaknesses we will likely face, our competitors, etc. Our target market is vacationing families and individuals of the middle to upper classes who are looking to gain memorable experiences. I think our market analysis was very thorough and explained our strategy to gain business well. Our idea to partner with a resort was created so that it will make it easier for us to attract customers initially, since we will immediately acquire the guests of the resort as customers. This means, however, that we could become dependent, at least initially, on the success of the resort to gain business, which could be seen as a weakness.

This market analysis was a good exercise for our group to complete because it demonstrated the work and research that is necessary for drafting a business plan. It also enabled us to work as a group and understand more thoroughly what each other’s ideas were.

Professional Dress

For the free write this week, I have chosen to talk about the diminishing sense of professionalism related to attire in the business world. More specifically, what is considered acceptable to wear to work is becoming increasingly relaxed and more lenient. Although I think I would sometimes enjoy the comfort of being able to wear jeans and casual shirts to work, I ultimately view this as very unprofessional and I think that it could ultimately take away from the quality of work produced.
My opinion that one should always dress appropriately could be due to my upbringing. I went to a private school since pre-kindergarten, and through high school I had a dress code. It varied as I got older, but I was never allowed to wear jeans, sandals, sneakers, t-shirts, too short or too tight apparel, or anything with writing or explicit content on it. Also, whenever we traveled as a family, my parents forced me and my siblings to dress in khakis and polos, or something else besides jeans and a t-shirt. We certainly were never the kids who were allowed to wear jeans to church. Because of this, when I see people dressed too casually in more formal situations, such as church or at work, I view it as unprofessional and disrespectful to colleagues and those around you. They had to make an effort to look nice, and so should you.
The modern dress for work is becoming increasingly lax. One time I visited my dad’s office and there was a woman wearing crocks. Professionals dressed in t-shirts are not uncommon to see. Moreover, my mom has her own business as an attorney, but when she does work for companies such as AOL or MCI, and she visits their offices for meetings wearing black dress pants, flats, and a blazer, she is told she can be more casual. I believe professionals need to dress for the job they are doing and for the job that they want. Also, if someone goes to work looking sloppy, I believe that carelessness will become transferable in their work. When you “dress to impress” you are definitely taken more seriously.

Cover Letters

This article on cover letters was definitely very beneficial to me. I have worked so much with drafting resumes since high school, but I have not had nearly as much experience with creating cover letters. I definitely understand now the benefits of making a cover letter more personal and researching a bit into the company that you are sending it out to beforehand. I have been applying for internships recently, so I already have a cover letter drafted, but I am definitely going to make some changes to it. I think the one I have drafted is too generic for all job applications. I did, however, realize that you can’t wait for a company to call you to set up an interview. You need to take the initiative and call them. In my cover letter I say something like, “I will be calling your office in a few weeks to inquire about possible internship or job opportunities”. The one part of the article that I am not sure that I agree with is the PS part, or more specifically, writing it free-hand. There is something about PS that seems kind of unprofessional to me, and I can’t imagine writing it in hand-writing. I don’t think I will ever use this technique on a cover letter. It was also interesting to learn that many cover letters are not even read. I thought they were the first thing to be looked at but it does make sense that employers wouldn’t even read it unless they liked the resume. After having read this article, I realize that there is a lot more importance placed on a well-written cover letter than I had thought.

Second Life Interviews

I do not like the idea of hosting career fairs and job interviews in second life. Although I realize that they indicate that it is not a replacement for a real-life interview, I still deem it absurd for various reasons. First of all, how does the interviewer know that the person they are interviewing in second life is the right person? It could be someone else who the interviewee hired because he or she is not as good at responding to questions. Also, the article mentions that an interview in Second Life is good because there is a backspace, so you can retract thoughts and plan out your response more. I view this as an unfair advantage and I believe you learn most about people when you hear what comes out of their mouths.

Technology comes with glitches, computers freeze, things just happen when using technology. One example used in the article is when an interviewee handed the interviewer a beer instead of a resume. This type of technical mistake could happen to anyone when using a program such as Second Life, but I certainly do not believe it would happen in real life. Just the other day when we had class in Second Life my computer froze and I could not type or see what anyone was saying. What if this happened in an interview? It could be detrimental to the outcome of whether or not one was offered a job.

I see how people would also view Second Life interviews as a more creative way to interview, but I believe it is also a lazier way. The interviewees could be sitting in bed with their pajamas on eating out of a box of cereal. I don’t believe this should be the way in which interviews are held. It requires far less effort, and therefore I believe it makes it more difficult for the interviewer to determine how much the given person actually wants the job. I believe this idea of conducting a virtual interview reflects our society’s present tendencies to take technology too far. There needs to be a point when we stop using technology for everything because it is impersonalizing life and reducing the quality of work and ethics.

"Letter from a Birmingham Jail"

“Letter from a Birmingham Jail” was a letter written in 1963 by Martin Luther King, Jr. I actually read this article in my AP English class junior year, as we studied multiple pieces of literature from the American civil rights movement. In the letter, King responds to a statement by eight white Alabama clergymen, who indicated their belief that the fight against racial segregation should be fought in the court, not on the street. King responded by demonstrating his view that without aggressive, direct protest and action, change will never occur.
After re-reading this letter, I went to the Mars, Inc. website, and chose a piece from the careers section which was a persuasive piece of work indicating why people should want to work for Mars. I chose Mars because it is a company based out of Northern Virginia, my hometown, which I would love to do an internship and eventually work for upon graduation. They engage in some very fascinating marketing techniques and business strategies that I would love to be a part of.
Each author of the pieces of writing indicated uses very different techniques to persuade their audiences. King is speaking to the general public, government officials, and anyone concerned with the issue of segregation or attempting to make change. Mars is speaking to prospective employees and people interested in what it is like to work for Mars. King’s tone is more serious and urgent, while Mars uses a more sympathetic, light tone to gain individuals interest and to make them feel like the company cares about them. In King’s letter, he meets the clergymen’s concerns and then successfully negates them with examples of attempts taken to lead a non-violent protest which were unsuccessful. This is an important aspect of persuasive writing, seeing and then counteracting the opponent’s argument. He also uses pathos to persuade his audience. The persuasive work from Mars, Inc., tries to emphasize the company’s care for its customers and employees. It indicates that Mars has remained a private business in order to maintain a unique, accepting working and business environment. It emphasizes the diversity of employees which contributes to the innovations made. Basically, Mars tries to persuade its audience to consider a career at Mars with its individuality and care for people, not just the corporate world. These two pieces of literature are vastly dissimilar, but both can be considered persuasive writing.

My Life in 10 Years

The question, what do you want your life to be like in ten years, is very difficult for me, and I think for many twenty year old college students to answer. My interests are still changing, and I am still finding out who exactly I am as a person. I will base my ideal life in ten years off of what I know about myself right now.
In ten years, I will be thirty, which to me is kind of the turning point from being a young adult to a more settled-down individual. I want to live my twenties having fun, meeting new people, and being as care-free and frivolous as possible, to be honest. I hope to keep in contact with both my friends from adolescence and from college, and even see some on a semi-regular basis. By thirty, however, I would like to be settling down, hopefully married, and possibly have one child. This is not to say that I am rushing and putting a timer on getting married, this is just something I hope will happen.
I would like to be starting my family in Washington, DC. I was born in DC, but grew up in a suburb. Nevertheless, I know the city very well and love it for all that it is: historical, social, fantastic restaurants, great shopping, interesting people, endless things to do, etc. It also has many great job opportunities for marketing majors. My desire to live somewhere so close to home (I grew up 45 minutes outside of DC) does not derive from any sort of familiarity or ignorance of the rest of the world. I am very well-traveled, having visited most major cities within and also many outside the U.S. I love traveling and experiencing new cultures, but I know that DC or close outside of DC is the place I would like to call home.
Currently, one of my interests is nutrition and health, and I have always been interested in sports. Combining this with my background in marketing, my dream job would be to work for a fitness company, sports apparel brand, or professional sports team, such as the Washington Redskins. I would like to be part of a marketing or advertising team that is finding new, creative ways to market the company’s products and services. My ultimate career aspiration is to be CEO of a company such as these, but I just hope that by thirty I am moving in that direction and upward in the company. Another interest I have is fashion, so I think I would also enjoy doing the same thing for a clothing brand, but instead finding ways to market their new designs. While maintaining my job, I hope to be working towards receiving a masters in marketing, advertising, or nutrition and health. I also hope that between an occupation, school, and a new marriage, I will still have time for friends, having more children, and creating a home. Easier said than done, I know.
I have a strong relationship with my family right now, and I just hope that we do not lose that closeness as my siblings and I start our own families and careers. I hope that my siblings live close to me, and that my parents remain in Warrenton so that it is easy for them to come visit me, and vice versa. Since I was an infant I have traveled all over the world with my family and that is what sparked my interest in travel. I hope that, not only will my husband and I have the financial security to travel to foreign places, but also that we can go on these vacations with my family.
I realize one’s plans change as he or she changes, and that they don’t always pan out as one might have thought, but I hope that I do, and I feel that I am a very ambitious person that is relentless in striving for her goals. Ultimately, in ten years, I just want to have a happy, successful, healthy, exciting life, shared with the people I love.

Web 2.0

This video, Web 2.0 was very futuristic and not at all what I had expected. I at least expected some speaking or individual involvement, but instead it was messages revealed through various forms of text across a computer screen. I think the creator of this video made it as a way to symbolize the present and future of our culture, lifestyle, and professional lives. The world today is so technology and web focused, and it will only become more so in the future. When certain softwares are created and updated with newer versions, they increase in a number, like the 2.0 in the title, "Web 2.0". The creator is trying to send the message through the title by using a small number such as 2.0, that the web, although it dominates our lives, is still very new and it will only become more technically advanced. This video indicates how important the web is to
individuals entering the workplace. Being able to navigate the web easily and understand how to use technology and its capabilities is becoming a valuable and necessary tool as a prospective employer. A person trying to enter the workplace with no computer skills will find it very difficult to find a job. Current workers at prospective companies need to realize the importance of being technically-able, and if they are not, they need to become so by either exploring the internet and computers or taking a class. If current employees do not do so, I believe they are at risk of losing their jobs, due to the ongoing advancements of the web. Lastly, although I do not believe it was the creator of "Web 2.0"'s intention, this video also represents the impersonal effect the web and technology is having on society. This video had no interaction between people, nor did it have and speaking involved. The web has also reduced the use of the telephone, letters, and even person to person interaction because of the convenience of text messaging, email, AIM, etc. I think in the near future people entering the workplace could expect to see this impersonalization, as more and more people will begin to communicate in these ways in their professional fields, and they might not even have to enter an office or ever meet their employers in person.

Introduction

Hello. My name is Lauren Bell but I go by McClain. I am from Northern Virginia. I am a sophomore here at Clemson majoring in Marketing with a minor in French.