All in all, this class is extremely helpful. It is not just a class to make a grade in and forget everything. This class should be taken with the mindset that what you learn can and will be applied to the world. The assignments and lectures are structured in a way that is very manageable. The most important thing is to stay on top of lectures and assignments and not get left behind. The sections on writing resumes and other business letters is extremely helpful. The community project and the portfolios can seem a bit overwhelming. Breaking these projects down into manageable sections is the key to success. It would be very hard or impossible to try to do these tasks in one night. Staying ahead is vital to succeeding in this class. The class is in no way over challenging. Angela is very helpful and will help you to her fullest ability. Don't be afraid to ask questions and it will be a very good class.

Client Project Reflection

Throughout this semester I have learned many things in business writing. I think the client project pretty much sums up what we have learned the past couple months. Working with a group always has the potential for problems. Dealing with these issues before they become a big problem is essential to performing well as a group. I think that I learned how to function as a good team member more than anything. We had to realize what each person's role was in the team, and stick to that. We didn't have any major problems in our group. I feel that overall we worked well with each other to accomplish what our client needed us to. In future group projects, I think that I will choose my group more carefully. The exercise that we did before we picked groups really helped us to get a feel for the strengths and weaknesses of potential team members. I have learned a lot through this project.

Dual Coding Theory

I think that this ad is a perfect example of the use of dual coding theory. This Nike advertisement uses both images as well as text to convey their message to the target audience. Out of the three cognitive systems we use, the first system processes language. This ad is a good representation of that. The first things the viewer sees are the phrases "practice like champions," and "we believe." After this first process, the second system that processes visual displays starts to work. The feel of a sports locker room is conveyed. All of the visual displays coupled with the text leads to a compelling advertisement. It is a Nike football ad in particular. The feel of a football locker room is clearly conveyed through the use of the dual coding theory.

Miscommunication

The past two summers I worked in a large warehouse doing basic warehouse duties. Communication was essential between individuals and between departments. There were many instances where a miscommunication led to problems. One example that I can think of right now occurred when one worker misheard instructions from the supervisor on which type of product we were supposed to be shipping for that day. After several hours of doing the wrong product, the error was spotted. This cost the company quite a bit. After this incident, several steps were put into place to try to cut down on this communication. One thing that came about after the error was daily meetings between supervisors and employees. This gave an opportunity to clarify and questions for the work that was supposed to be done during the day. No major miscommunications happened the rest of the time I was there.

Mock Interview

I felt that the whole mock interview process was very beneficial. Everything from creating the resume to the actualy interview helped to teach the job search techniques. I wasn't really nervous for the acutaly mock interview. I'm sure that I would've been much more nervous if it was a real interview with a lot riding on it. For the most part the questions that I was asked were pretty straight forward. I felt very confident about general health care questions. There was one question however that caught me off guard a little bit. I was asked how I would fix the Medicare crisis. I wasn't sure what to say since this is obviously a very complex issue that could not be explained in a normal interview. I chose to just give an overview of what I thought was wrong with the system and several general ideas to help fix the system.
I felt that in all, the interview process was very helpful. I would like to have an experience like this again with maybe more technical questions about my job field.

interview

I have not done the mock interview yet. I will write about my experiences after I have the chance to do the interview.

Presentations

This week of presentation was very interesting. I got a chance to learn about new topics and also get to know classmates more. I thought that every presentation was interesting and creative. It is hard to pick three that stood out above the rest. I would say that the two food presentations by Kate and Marie made a big impression naturally. The best way to get my attention is to bring food. Their presentation were also very helpful and informative for anyone who wanted to try to recreate the recipe. They interested the class with the topic, explained how to make the recipe, then handed out samples. Other than the food presentations, I found Shawn's presentation on basketball officiating interesting as well. He did a good job of presenting factual evidence and informing the class of his theories through statistics. It was very fascinating to see exactly what the statistics of Duke and UNC were compared to Clemson. Shawn's presentation along with Marie's and Kate's made the biggest impression on me. All of the presentations were interesting however.

Presidential Elections

This election has the makings of being one of the more important elections in recent history. With the recent downfall of not just the US economy but the global marketplace, this country needs a leader with the right answers to several key issues. The recession of the economy that we are currently experiencing has to be addressed by our future president. This isn't a normal fluctuation that we are going through. Legislation protecting the mortgage industry is necessary to revitalize the financial industry. The second big current issue influencing the pick for president is health care. This will always be a key issue regarding campaigning for the presidency. The two candidates have similar ideas about health care with a few differences. It is important to pay attention in the upcoming weeks to the debates and ideas shared by both Obama and McCain. The vote for the presidency is the biggest decision this nation has to make. This election of the next president will have a huge effect on the future of the United States of America.

Cover Letters

I found the articles about cover letters to be very helpful and interesting. For the most part, all of the information is helpful concerning cover letters. I thought that the first article was interesting for one main reason. I was not aware that few employers actually take the time to read a cover letter. The article made it sound like cover letters are just there because they have to be, and nobody pays any attention to them. I also thought that the section about personal cover letters was helpful. The chances of getting a job by sending out hundreds of resumes to random companies not personal at all are very slim in today's society. Each cover letter should be tailored to the individual company. I also learned that the cover letter should not be about yourself. It should be about the company. If the company actually takes the time to read the cover letter, you should take the time to show the company that you are interested. You should show your understanding of the company. I think that the biggest idea of these articles is to customize your cover letter and resume for each company.

Interview Articles

I believe that there is always room to improve on interview skills and other essential business skills. The article that i found interesting was "It's Your Turn: What to Ask an Interviewer". I found it interesting because this can be a part of interviews that is often overlooked. It is important to convey your interest in a prospective employer. Any question that is appropriate shows that you care and want to learn about the organization. There are certain questions that you should not ask however. Topics such as salary should usually not be talked about unless asked by the interviewer. Some acceptable questions might have to do with your chance of promotion, and where the company and industry will be in the next couple years.

The second article that I found interesting was "How to Get Answers to 5 Key Questions Before Taking a Job". This sort of goes along with the previous article. Learning everything before and during an interview is very important. An interview basically works both ways. You are interviewing the company as well. The author of the article explains how it is a good idea to ask the interviewer if it is acceptable to walk around and talk to regular employees. This way you can get a feel of how everyday workers feel. I believe that both this article and the previous one explain two important factors of the interview process. Many things are overlooked by interviewers. The number one thing to do I feel is to be prepared. There is no such thing as being over prepared for an interview. An employer won't penalize you for being too prepared.

In Ten Years

A decade seems like such a long time. I can honestly say that I have no idea where i will be in ten years from now. I don't know exactly what career field I will be in; I don't know what my family life will be like; and I certainly don't know how the little details of my life will be. I find it hard to believe that anyone can know exactly where they will find themselves ten years from now. Even though I do not know exactly what my life will be like in ten years, I do have several goals to guide my decisions.

Currently my major is Health Science with a health administration concentration. I have several decisions to make upon graduation. I have been considering law school for a while. Whether I decide to attend law school or not, I will be attending more school after Clemson. I will either go to law school, get an MHA, or a MBA from a number of schools. The overall goal of my major and an MHA or MBA is some form of health administration. I've been interested in hospital administration for a while. It is a well paying, interesting field.

As for my family life in ten years, that is a more complicated subject. There is no telling if I will have started a family or not. I hope to get married sometime in the future and start a family. I am in no hurry however.

Web 2.0

I found this video very interesting. My first thoughts after watching the video were about how the technological changes were somewhat scary. It basically illustrates just how far society has come dealing with the web and technology. The web used to just connect simple information. As the web and technology has changed, our society has drastically changed. The name "Web 2.0" deals with a new web that does not just connect information. This new web connects people through many different forms of media. It helps a person trying to enter the workforce in many different ways. In previous decades, a formal resume was needed. In today's society digital resumes are acceptable, and there are many job hunting websites to aid in the job search. As for people who are already in the workforce, their lives are made easier through faster and more efficient communication channels. All of these aspects of technology combined have led to society having to rethink everything. There is seemingly no limit to where technology and the web can go.

About Me

Hey everybody,
My name is Rob P. I'm a junior from Greenville South Carolina. I am currently majoring in health science emphasizing in health administration. I have been a Clemson fan pretty much my whole life since both of my parents attended Clemson as well. I have an older sister and a younger brother. My sister also goes to Clemson. I played soccer in high school, and I like pretty much any sport. I look forward to a good semester in this class.