Wednesday, December 12, 2007
Chapter One
Chapter one focuses on how defining organizational communication is always changing because of important social trends and new approaches to communication that come up. In order to effectively develop the practices of communication, new principles need to reflect on the on-going changes in society. I thought the section on multicultural management is something very interesting to read about. Multicultural management should be a top priority for managers because it is important to be flexible and adaptable to employee’s different cultures in order to create a comfortable, positive work environment. Diversity and religion are important elements to have in a workplace so managers must approach their employees with an understanding of various beliefs and values that could play a role in their work. Another interesting section in chapter one was about the meaning of work. There is an increase for people to want to go to work every day and have some positive mindset about their job. I definitely agree with this in that I want to wake up every day excited to go do what my job entails. I do not think it will be like that immediately, but I am willing to work hard to get there.
5?s/ 5Answers
Questions
1. What are specific qualities are essential for leaders of public safety?
2. How does your identity at work intersect with your identity at home?
3. What is culture? How is an organization’s culture different than an actual ethnicity?
4. How is organizational culture always changing?
5. Why is it important to know how to ask good questions? What are the differences in the outcomes of a good question compared to a bad question?
Things I’ve Learned
1. I learned that the practical view responds to managers’ desire for practical advice and specific communication strategies for enhanced competiveness and increased employee satisfaction.
2. I learned an equitable transaction from a communication perspective is one in which all participants have the ability to voice their opinions and perspectives.
3. I learned that the character and complexity of organizational environment are influenced by customers, competitors, suppliers, relevant governments, and the physical setting.
4. I learned tat the term work/life conflict refers to the simultaneous influence of work on members’ lives away from work and the influence of personal life responsibilities and aspirations on members’ experience at work.
5. I learned that the expectancy theory makes three assumptions about employee behavior.
1. What are specific qualities are essential for leaders of public safety?
2. How does your identity at work intersect with your identity at home?
3. What is culture? How is an organization’s culture different than an actual ethnicity?
4. How is organizational culture always changing?
5. Why is it important to know how to ask good questions? What are the differences in the outcomes of a good question compared to a bad question?
Things I’ve Learned
1. I learned that the practical view responds to managers’ desire for practical advice and specific communication strategies for enhanced competiveness and increased employee satisfaction.
2. I learned an equitable transaction from a communication perspective is one in which all participants have the ability to voice their opinions and perspectives.
3. I learned that the character and complexity of organizational environment are influenced by customers, competitors, suppliers, relevant governments, and the physical setting.
4. I learned tat the term work/life conflict refers to the simultaneous influence of work on members’ lives away from work and the influence of personal life responsibilities and aspirations on members’ experience at work.
5. I learned that the expectancy theory makes three assumptions about employee behavior.
Tuesday, December 11, 2007
joan thach- Mike Liebold
As a Reminder: Unfortunately i could not make it to Mike Liebold's presentation on November 20th. I had to attend training for work. Prof. Brooks allowed me to do the blog still.
In Mike Liebold's power point slides, he mostly talked about context awareness and the future. His topics are very interesting. i like the idea of urban surveilence, and military surveillance robots because our groups' scenarios was about surveilence to an extent. I liked how he included all the elements of communicating. For instance, cellular/mobile, Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, Zigbee, TCP/IP, etc. As for sensing, he mentioned Barcodes, RFID, Mtion Sensors. The way he mentions these elements of communciating and sensing brings in ideas for the future. This also makes me wonder, what will it be like for the future? I liked his ideas about having smart rods and smart drivers. this is something we need now because of the traffic congestion that we have now. We do need an improvement.
In Mike Liebold's power point slides, he mostly talked about context awareness and the future. His topics are very interesting. i like the idea of urban surveilence, and military surveillance robots because our groups' scenarios was about surveilence to an extent. I liked how he included all the elements of communicating. For instance, cellular/mobile, Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, Zigbee, TCP/IP, etc. As for sensing, he mentioned Barcodes, RFID, Mtion Sensors. The way he mentions these elements of communciating and sensing brings in ideas for the future. This also makes me wonder, what will it be like for the future? I liked his ideas about having smart rods and smart drivers. this is something we need now because of the traffic congestion that we have now. We do need an improvement.
Monday, December 10, 2007
Thu-Cuc Nguyen: Assignment#2 (newspaper article)
The article I selected is Festering Wounds Impair Writers’ Talks, it is about a current issue that has been going in the entertainment industry. The reason why I chose this article because it relates to the concept in the book about “The Meaning of Work.” According to Eisenberg, Goodall and Trethewey states that “employees want to feel the work they do is worthwhile, not just a way to draw a paycheck.” And with current issue that has been going on in the last week about screenwriters who are on stike because they demanded longer contracts and higher pay.
It is important that employers carefully assess their employees on a continuous basis in order give their employees highest job satisfaction and at the same time achieve their objectives. As in the case with the entertainment industry, by not acknowledging the screenwriters’ effort and how much work they have put in to the studio, the result of it was that many screenwriters walked out on their jobs to form a strike. In addition, the meaning of work goes more than enjoying and being in a job that one thinks is worthwhile, it is a combination of having opportunities to participate in the organization in term of decision making and job security. Because screenwriters feel that their contacts are not being extended and that once the contracts are expired then there would not be anymore contracts thereafter; therefore, the purpose of organizing a strike by these screenwriters is to try to negotiate with the studios so that they can have a longer contracts that allows them the security that the job offers.
Without thinking that the job is worthwhile to do, then employees are more likely to be stressed out. As evidenced by the screenwriters in Hollywood, once employees are dissatisfied with their jobs, there are many costs that may be associated with this. For example, with the entertainment industry, due to the lack of screenwriters, there has been a lot of reruns on a couple of shows. If reruns are occurring repeatedly, then the studios may lose a lot of revenue from advertising. So, organizations nowadays need to understand what does work mean to them and provide the right person with the right job to increase employees satisfaction and productivity will follow.
It is important that employers carefully assess their employees on a continuous basis in order give their employees highest job satisfaction and at the same time achieve their objectives. As in the case with the entertainment industry, by not acknowledging the screenwriters’ effort and how much work they have put in to the studio, the result of it was that many screenwriters walked out on their jobs to form a strike. In addition, the meaning of work goes more than enjoying and being in a job that one thinks is worthwhile, it is a combination of having opportunities to participate in the organization in term of decision making and job security. Because screenwriters feel that their contacts are not being extended and that once the contracts are expired then there would not be anymore contracts thereafter; therefore, the purpose of organizing a strike by these screenwriters is to try to negotiate with the studios so that they can have a longer contracts that allows them the security that the job offers.
Without thinking that the job is worthwhile to do, then employees are more likely to be stressed out. As evidenced by the screenwriters in Hollywood, once employees are dissatisfied with their jobs, there are many costs that may be associated with this. For example, with the entertainment industry, due to the lack of screenwriters, there has been a lot of reruns on a couple of shows. If reruns are occurring repeatedly, then the studios may lose a lot of revenue from advertising. So, organizations nowadays need to understand what does work mean to them and provide the right person with the right job to increase employees satisfaction and productivity will follow.
Thu-Cuc Nguyen: Office Space
What can organization do to empower its employees?
Employee empowerment is an important concept that organization should strongly consider because doing so would allow the company to achieve its maximum potential in terms of being competitive and sustainable in the industry. The movie Office Space clearly indicates the lack of employee empowerment; as a result, its employees are not motivated to do the followings:
1. Get the work done.
2. Being productive.
3. Actively involved or engaged in existing or new projects due to the lack of rewarding.
4. Found no purpose of doing the work.
One way Initech could do to motivate its employees is to change the attitude of its top management. Because Peter’s boss did not show any concerns about Peter; therefore, Peter’s performance was not up to the expectations. For example, when Peter’s boss wanted him to work over the weekend, Peter’s boss did not ask whether if he actually agree to work, but the boss said that “Oh by the way, you have to coming during the weekend to finish up the work.”
After having changed the management attitudes towards its employees, a reward program should be implemented. When employees are being rewarded for a project that they have done successfully at it, it motivates the employees to perform better on the subsequent projects. As a result, the company will be able to maintain its competitiveness as well as be sustainable in the industry.
While watching the movie, Peter said that “human beings are not meant to sit in a cubicle all day.” I can relate to that because I am currently working right now, and most of the time I spend at work is sitting in a cubicle and starting at the computer. It is sometimes very depressing because it feels as if you are sitting in a box with now windows and you are stuck in their for 8 hours a day, 5 days a week. The movie makes a good point by saying that because I think that most people who are working in an office environment all complain about sitting in cubicle. They said that it was so isolated and that they wish somehow work would be more fun.
Employee empowerment is an important concept that organization should strongly consider because doing so would allow the company to achieve its maximum potential in terms of being competitive and sustainable in the industry. The movie Office Space clearly indicates the lack of employee empowerment; as a result, its employees are not motivated to do the followings:
1. Get the work done.
2. Being productive.
3. Actively involved or engaged in existing or new projects due to the lack of rewarding.
4. Found no purpose of doing the work.
One way Initech could do to motivate its employees is to change the attitude of its top management. Because Peter’s boss did not show any concerns about Peter; therefore, Peter’s performance was not up to the expectations. For example, when Peter’s boss wanted him to work over the weekend, Peter’s boss did not ask whether if he actually agree to work, but the boss said that “Oh by the way, you have to coming during the weekend to finish up the work.”
After having changed the management attitudes towards its employees, a reward program should be implemented. When employees are being rewarded for a project that they have done successfully at it, it motivates the employees to perform better on the subsequent projects. As a result, the company will be able to maintain its competitiveness as well as be sustainable in the industry.
While watching the movie, Peter said that “human beings are not meant to sit in a cubicle all day.” I can relate to that because I am currently working right now, and most of the time I spend at work is sitting in a cubicle and starting at the computer. It is sometimes very depressing because it feels as if you are sitting in a box with now windows and you are stuck in their for 8 hours a day, 5 days a week. The movie makes a good point by saying that because I think that most people who are working in an office environment all complain about sitting in cubicle. They said that it was so isolated and that they wish somehow work would be more fun.
Thu-Cuc Nguyen: Future Scenario
The automobile industry will shift its production to produce only hybrid cars in order to be economically efficient and to maintain their competitive in the market.
Predetermined elements:
Due to limited natural resources and the rising of gas price, in the year 2017 the automobile industry will shift its production to produce only hybrid cars. Hybrid cars are more fuel efficient and they that consume less fuel. In addition, companies are being pressured by external factors such as the environment and the government; the environmentalists demand that the automobile companies to manufacture cars that pollute fewer emissions that regular cars. Hybrid cars have known to pollute less emission, up to 90%, than regular cars, so it would be more environmentally friendly to make hybrid cars.
Will car manufacturers have the capability to make all hybrid cars in the year 2017? Will the technology be more advanced so that it would be more efficient for car manufacturers to shift its production to hybrid cars? To what extent does hybrid cars would be more environmentally friendly than regular cars? Will the consumers favor hybrid cars over regular cars and will car manufacturers be prepared to tailor their productions to both the consumers’ and regulators’ demand?
Predetermined elements:
Due to limited natural resources and the rising of gas price, in the year 2017 the automobile industry will shift its production to produce only hybrid cars. Hybrid cars are more fuel efficient and they that consume less fuel. In addition, companies are being pressured by external factors such as the environment and the government; the environmentalists demand that the automobile companies to manufacture cars that pollute fewer emissions that regular cars. Hybrid cars have known to pollute less emission, up to 90%, than regular cars, so it would be more environmentally friendly to make hybrid cars.
Will car manufacturers have the capability to make all hybrid cars in the year 2017? Will the technology be more advanced so that it would be more efficient for car manufacturers to shift its production to hybrid cars? To what extent does hybrid cars would be more environmentally friendly than regular cars? Will the consumers favor hybrid cars over regular cars and will car manufacturers be prepared to tailor their productions to both the consumers’ and regulators’ demand?
Thu-Cuc Nguyen: Gattaca
The movie Gattaca portraits a male dominant society because the majority of the members in Gattaca is Male. Another observation I have is that men tend to be more persistent in term of achieving their goals than women. For example, despite the heart problem Vincent face, he was persistent in obtaining his goal. He went an extra mile to create a whole new identity for him by falsifying himself.
As far as technology is concerned, it does not necessarily mean that genetic superiority would always win. Even though Vincent’s brother had the superior genes from both of his parents, he lost to Vincent to the swimming bets. The ideology that plays out in this movie is that superior genes would be better at anything over inferior genes. It assumes that people who have superior genes are by far more intelligent and more qualified for anything over of those with inferior genes
As far as technology is concerned, it does not necessarily mean that genetic superiority would always win. Even though Vincent’s brother had the superior genes from both of his parents, he lost to Vincent to the swimming bets. The ideology that plays out in this movie is that superior genes would be better at anything over inferior genes. It assumes that people who have superior genes are by far more intelligent and more qualified for anything over of those with inferior genes
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