Sunday, April 20, 2008

Milgram experiment

Our ethics study was on the Milgram experiment. Stanley Milgram was a Yale professor that performed this experiment to find out how authority can affect a person's conscience. To sum up the experiment:

The experimenter (E) orders the teacher (T), the subject of the experiment, to give what the subject believes are painful electric shocks to a learner (L), who is actually an actor and confederate. The subjects believed that for each wrong answer, the learner was receiving actual shocks, but in reality there were no shocks. Being separated from the subject, the confederate set up a tape recorder integrated with the electro-shock generator, which played pre-recorded sounds for each shock level.[1] -Wikipedia
The results showed that an authority figure has a profound impact on a person's conscience. They were more willing to participate and give the shocks at very high voltages just because they are being told to do so. Even when some expressed a desire to quit, they continued on.

Sunday, April 13, 2008

Ethics article response

Apparently a large number of companies in the United States have employees that report seeing ethical issues at work. These can be minor, between workers, or major, where they feel a scandal would be caused if exposed publicly. These ethical distractions can hurt employee production and make the environment uncomfortable for everyone.

The statistics indicate that they're happening everywhere, and that they distract a large number of employees. I think this is something that should be read and addressed by all employers, so it can be prevented. Businesses have a hard enough time competing in the economy, they don't need internal forces pulling them apart as well.

Another problem is how to solve it. Some want upper management involved, and others want to keep it at a personal level. I feel like it should depend on the degree of the ethical lapse, if serious, then upper management should be involved and serious consequences enforced.

Monday, April 7, 2008

Print vs. Web

Writing for a web site or for a paper have a lot of similarities and differences. They are both ways to express ideas and emotions through text, but the manner in which they do it can vary slightly.

In both of them, you are trying to convey your message through text. This is what makes writing a unique art. You have to try and figure out the best way to get your point across, without being able to show your audience. They differ though in the size of the audience they reach, and how much content you can put with the article. On print, pictures could be available. On the web, you can include pictures, video, sound, etc.

When you transfer an article from print to the web, you should take into account both of these things. The audience will be larger, so plan accordingly. You should also take advantage of the greater amounts of media you can put on the web.

Tuesday, April 1, 2008

Carolina Cup

This past Saturday was Carolina Cup in Camden, SC. It is an annual horse race that many college students attend. It seems like just a huge tailgate in the spring.

We left Clemson at 7:30am, and got there at about 10:30. The event is a lot of fun, and I recommend that everyone go at least once. The only downside this year was the weather. It started raining shortly before we left, but it didn't make the event any worse. We were already having a good time by then.

Sunday, March 9, 2008

Presentations

All of the power point presentations were very informative. I learned a lot about many different things.

The presentation on the football stadiums was great. I've been to a few different college football stadiums, but none of the ones listed in the presentation (besides Death Valley, obviously). I thought it was great to see how we compare to other schools around the country. Our seating capacity is right in the same ballpark with the others.

I would definitely like to go to either Jordan-Hare or Tiger Stadiums, for an Auburn or an LSU game. The tradition at both is great and I would like to see it at some point in my life.

Wednesday, March 5, 2008

Interview

I had to prepare for a mock interview this past week. In it, I had to come in with a cover letter and a resume. The experience helped a lot because I had to practice writing a cover letter and getting all of the information for my resume. We went through some questions to help me get accustomed to the interview environment.

After that was through, I got some pointers on how I did in the interview itself and also how to touch up my resume and cover letter. Then, I made an online portfolio to showcase my work.

Wednesday, February 27, 2008

Free Write for 2/24/08

The resume and cover letter information that we have been learning in class is already proving useful. I was talking to my friends the other day and the issue of cover letters and when and how to use them came up. It is information that everyone needs to know.

Information presented in business writing is really useful in future jobs. Communication is the most important aspect of most service and business jobs.

Work on the Strong Communities project is going well also. We are planning on promoting the idea in local stores. We hope that this will help target families in a more face to face method, in an environment they are used to and see a lot.

Sunday, February 17, 2008

Cover Letters for Resumes

http://www.collegegrad.com/coverletters/

This article talks about the use of cover letters when you submit your resume to businesses.
The first section states that most businesses and hiring managers hardly look at cover letters. They simply skip them first because of the number they receive. It says because of this you shouldn't send cover letters everywhere. You should send them to companies specifically, and personalize them. It then gives examples of layouts, and topics for each paragraph. As a tip, they tell you to consider adding a postscript to the end of the letter. It can make an impact. Also, remember that if you're sending your resume electronically, the email itself is the cover letter. Finally, it gives this checklist for your cover letter:

  • One page only and limited to three targeted paragraphs
  • Written to someone specific, with the name and title spelled correctly
  • Company name and address are correct and complete
  • Full spell check and proofing
  • Three focused paragraphs (focused on the reader’s needs, not yours)
  • Closes with “Sincerely,”—anything else can sound too chummy
  • Includes a P.S. for emphasis
  • Final step: do not forget to follow up, or all the other steps will be in vain!
I agree with pretty much all of the things this article covers. I didn't know how few businesses look at cover letters. The must useful part is the advice to personalize it for most businesses. This takes time but is worth it.

Monday, February 11, 2008

Preparing for an Interview

I read the first two articles, Telling Stories and Four Don'ts When Dealing With Recruiters.

The first one deals with how you conduct yourself during an interview. Instead of treating the interview like an interrogation like most people do, you should be friendly and talkative (not too much so). Focus on stories from your past experience that highlights your strengths, not just a generic one word response. You can also use this strategy to point out failures and how you got around it. Using this strategy will give the hiring manager a good indication of your past, and your past experience is a good indicator of how you'll do in the future.

The second gives some simple suggestions on what not to do when you're being interviewed. Among the tips is not to be overly friendly, not to expect a lot of hand holding, never ask for insider information on other candidates, and no requesting special treatment. While it's difficult to follow some of these, they will often make you seem unsure of yourself.

These were certainly helpful for future interviews. I didn't really think about telling stories or not being too friendly.

Sunday, February 3, 2008

BlogSpot News Service
FROM STAFF REPORTS

This recruiting season has Clemson fans cocksure that their class of signees will finally lead them to that elusive ACC Championship they are promised year in and year out. But what those now-giddy fans forget, is that they’ve had a class, under Tommy Bowden, that brought them Roscoe Crosby and a near Top 10 finish in the rankings. That was six-or-so years ago, and it seems the lessons of the past cannot be found in the dreary but hopeful days of February of 2008.
The fact is, recruiting does matter, but it is not in the manner Tiger fans are trumpeting.
By the standards most commonly used (recruiting analysts) SC has done as well versus Clemson in recruiting, and many times the Gamecocks have done better. That has not translated into many wins head-to-head.
But what Clemson has been able to do (and SC has not) is keep its recruits. How has Tommy Bowden kept more players at Clemson than South Carolina? You tell me.
After the 2006 season, Duane Coleman was arrested for smoking marijuana. Coleman was a senior at Clemson, and one would have to be quite naive to think he lit up his first joint after the last game of his final year. There is supposed to be drug testing of college athletes. How did Coleman stay on the team for years, and his pot smoking go undetected?
Then we have the case of Clemson standout Gaines Adams who admitted that he smoked pot in college.
This drug use, always discovered after the season, begs the question, who else is using illegal drugs on Clemson’s team, and not getting caught? And how are they getting away with it?
There are other examples of discipline issues at Clemson and little or no publicity. A Clemson player was shot in 2005, but an extraordinarily small amount of detail ever surfaced about the incident. There was a scant report in the Anderson Independent newspaper, a year or so after the shooting. It was a report on a weakly-related matter and revealed that several players were involved in a gang-related fight about the time of the shooting and the two were related.
Then there is the Roman Fry jet ski incident at a rich Clemson booster‘s luxury home, that has never been completely explained. He never even missed a practice.
Then you have South Carolina. Where at least three players: Cory Boyd, Emmanuel Cook and Daccus Turman were convicted in the media for crimes they never committed. In other words: The Gamecock players can do nothing, and get thoroughly investigated, while at Clemson, pot smoking, gang fighting go totally uninvestigated and unpunished.
What’s the point?
Over-publicizing player indiscretions leads to quick dismissals, and loss of valuable scholarship players. At SC, coaches are directed to take immediate action by judgmental media members and school administration, while the media yawns over a bounty of dirty-looking dealings at Clemson. And the most routine questions are never even attempted.
While there is an extreme double-standard and different degree of scrutiny at SC, Steve Spurrier is changing things.
The Columbia Police Department and the media did tally a score in busting prized recruit Stephen Garcia for sipping a beer underage, but Spurrier, much to the chagrin of Bowden, is retaining his players.
And you have to believe even Bowden would admit, (IF he were honest) that Spurrier can take players several notches below Tommy Bowden’s recruits and spank Tommy over and over again.
If Spurrier can hold off the media and Gamecock-envy law enforcement in Columbia, Bowden’s alleged recruiting advantage will only serve to get him fired more quickly.
Not that Tiger fans want to hear that, but based on the past, they would be very smart to heed it.

This piece is considerably different from the one's we have discussed in class. It's a simple sports column that is trying to convince us of the future of South Carolina football (haha), and the problems in Clemson's football program.

The whole column could be an example of ethos, as its whole reason for existing is the want and need of gamecock fans to believe their program is getting better, while Clemson's is suffering.

An example of logos is the citing of players that have been accused of crimes but never convicted. It appeals to your logic because it seems like this would make it harder on the football team. Logos is also used when the author points out our supposed crimes. They are supposedly ignored, which logic would imply helps our team.

Pathos is expressed throughout the column. It draws on fans' passion for football and their school.

Sunday, January 27, 2008

10 Years

10 Years from now, there are several things that I would like to have accomplished. I plan on getting my undergraduate degree on time, and as soon as I finish that I will likely go straight into graduate school. Hopefully I will be able to attend either South Carolina or Clemson for that, because the business programs at both are fairly good. It would be in either Business Management or Finance.

That should lead me to wear I hope to be in 10 years: working for my dad in the banking industry. It is what I've always grown up around and I would like to continue doing. I will hopefully have a house by then in Travelers Rest, SC, where I have lived practically my whole life.

Sunday, January 20, 2008

web 2.0

The title of this video, " Web 2.0 ... The Machine is Us/ing Us" is pretty strange. It doesn't mean a lot to the average user until the whole video has been seen. By the end though, it becomes clear that it's referring to the way the internet links everybody together not only to share information but also to share input. The internet is used to solve problems by dividing the workload among a ton of people. Each person gives a little input, and an answer is found. So we are both asking and providing the answers.

Web 2.0 could affect someone ready to enter the workforce because of the huge amount of information available on it. Employers could potentially find information or contacts about a future employee via the internet. The workforce in the future will likely utilize it to get work done, while current workforces most likely do not use it and would probably even be against its use.

We're going to have to rethink a lot of our current infrastructures, ideas, and social norms.

Friday, January 11, 2008

intro

Hey, my name is Robert White and I'm a junior at Clemson. I was born and raised in Travelers Rest, SC, and plan on living there when I graduate. My major is business management and after earning that degree I will probably get my masters in either finance or management. Afterwards I will be working in the family business, banking.

I like to travel and have been many different places sightseeing, fishing, and touring. I spend a lot of time with my friends and fraternity brothers, goofing off or doing anything besides work for school.