Technology

As our groups get ready to present our proposals to the clients and visiting guest, I am able to reflect upon the use of technology with concern to this project. Technology proved to be a vital element when getting our proposals together. Through Blackboard, we were easily able to pass along each group member's work to every other member of the group. Also, through e-mails we were able to discuss meeting times, possible ideas, and more. Our use of technology was not limited to this though. In our project itself, we were able to use graphics programs. These proved beneficial in relaying our goals through the use of visuals and not just text. Technology was definitely a crucial element with regards to our projects.

Ethics

I have actually missed the last couple of classes because I was not feeling too great, but I am able to talk about my own ethical principles. I know what is wrong and what is right and I also know that you should not compromise your own morals just to make a profit as many CEOs have done in today's world. You must be able to stand by your principles because once those are gone, you have absolutely nothing left. Even if you are poor, your morals are what matter most because they define what kind of person you are. Money and possessions do not define a person. I am only a sophomore so I still have some time until i enter the workforce, but I know that I want to become a manager. As a manager, I know that I must be able to rely upon my morals to be a guiding principle because clients and other personnel members will not stand for wishy washy principles from the person who is supposed to be leading them. I feel as if I will undoubtedly be able to manage effectively while also maintaining my ethics.

Miscommunication

At this point in my life, I have only had one real job to speak of and that was as a cashier at a grocery store. However, this provided for many miscommunications between myself and the customers. Time after time, there would be customers who could not comprehend anything I was telling them and would become frustrated or annoyed with me when I was not the person making the rules and regulations regarding company policy. I would simply tell the customers how the store handled situations from payment methods to assistance with their groceries and if they did not like my response, they would have no qualms about letting me know it. I could not relay them the message that I was not in charge here and I would gladly let them talk to a manager about whatever issue they may be having. Instead, they would throw a temper tantrum at me and rush out of the store in a rage. Had the customer just calmed down for a second or two and realized the situation, everything could have been avoided and they could have talked to a manager about what their issue was. Nevertheless, this was not the case and they insisted upon yelling at me for no particular reason. This is my main reason for never wanting to work in retail ever again.

March 8th

Well since I was absent for Wednesday's presentations I can only go off of the presentations I had seen before. I enjoyed Molly's presentation about the pound cake recipe. She made it easy to understand and she knew what she was talking about. Also, the fact that she brought it in made it that much better. As for my experiences with online portfolios, I have yet to do anything regarding them. I am actually kind of clueless when it comes to dealing with them. For the upcoming portfolio draft I think I might need to learn a little bit about the basics of the process just to get an understanding of how it works.

Cover Letter

Somehow I missed doing this assignment and did this week's assignment ahead of time, but here it goes. After reading over the website, I agree with pretty much everything they have to say. They give good advice about what to include in a cover letter and how to make it professional looking. What was most helpful though was the section that talks about what to avoid. By reviewing this section, an applicant can avoid embarrassment and hopefully obtain a job. I was not aware of all the things that should be included in a cover letter and what should also be avoided. This website is very helpful in creating an effective cover letter.

Class Presentations

My three favorite presentations were The Best Active Athlete, What Are the Odds of Making a Hole-In-One?, and Cincinnati's Skyline Chili. All three speakers did a good job of knowing the material they were taking about and presenting it in a way that was easy to understand and follow along with. I liked the first two because I am a big sports fan and almost anything about sports interests me. I liked the chili presentation mostly because it tasted so good and I was hungry at the time but Joe did a good job presenting as well. All three were personable and spoke loud enough for everyone to hear. I learned a lot about golfing and I really liked David's idea for his presentation. All in all, these three presentations stood out the most in my mind.

Client Project

As far as the client project goes, I am excited to see what our group can come up with. I know that we have a bunch of really smart and creative people in our group so I think it will be fun to do this project from the creative point rather than just by using strictly statistics and information. In terms of specific ideas, I am unsure of what exactly we will be doing but I do know that we have some people who know a lot about graphics and digital imaging and editing so that will probably be incorporate somehow. My biggest concern at this point is coming up with a strategy as to how we could creatively engage other students and make them take note of the project. Once we come up with something, however, I think it will become easier to build upon the idea and make some headway. I like the group we have and I think we are getting along pretty well. I do not really have any questions at this point in the project, but I am sure that as we move along I will undoubtedly encounter some situations that need clarifying.

Biggest Interview Mistakes

I would agree that this list of mistakes has some pretty big miscues were you to do these in an interview. I think it is very important that you don't ask stupid questions. You must be knowledgeable about the company and the position you are applying for. Also, not waiting to respond to a question is key. You can not be hesitant in answering a question because it gives the interviewer the impression that you are unprepared for the interview and are not entirely sure about the question. More importantly, do not give false or inaccurate information when asked about something. Only bad things can come out of lying to your possible employer. Being nice to the secretary can only help. Making a good impression with her can help you in the long run. She can also help you in your quest for a follow up meeting and down the road in the entire hiring process. All in all, I would say this list presents helpful tips on you way to a successful interview.

Free Topic

Since today is Super Bowl Sunday, I thought it would be appropriate to talk about that. Personally, I hope the Cardinals end up winning because I absolutely despise the Steelers. Since I was born and raised in Maryland, I was inclined to dislike the Steelers while making the Ravens my team. Although the Steelers are favored to win, I hope the game is closer than expected with the end result being an Arizona victory. Even more reason as to why I hope the Steelers lose is because they are in the same division as the Ravens. Unfortunately, the Steelers beat the Ravens three times this year and after every Steelers victory, every fan of theirs talked enormous amounts of trash. Naturally, I did not like this all too much and it made me dislike the Steelers and their fans even more. To sum things up, I hate the Steelers and hope the Cardinals pull out a win.

My Life in Ten Years

Honestly, at this point in my life I haven't even thought about what I would like to be doing for a career or even where I would like to be in ten years. I do know, however, that whatever job I have must make me happy. After working as a cashier in a grocery store for three years in high school, I realized that I never want that kind of job. Hopefully the whole going to school thing works out and ten years from now I will be settled down with my wife and maybe a kid or two. I don't need to have enormous amounts of money so long as I can make a good living and my job makes me happy. My lifestyle would ideally be one where I work to live and not live to work. I don't ever want to be tied down by my job because that would grow really old really fast. After college I hope to move back to Maryland because that's where all my friends and family are at. Even if I received some great job offer elsewhere, I think I would still take the mediocre job back in Maryland so long as I was around friends and family. Ultimately, I don't exactly know where I'm going to be in ten years, but hopefully some of these things come true and I can be happy.

Web 2.0

This video showed a lot of the capabilities of Web 2.0 while also shedding some light onto some of the things we may be seeing from it in the future. I really like the title of the video. To me it describes the fact that it is made by us, however it also controls us. We can make these technological advances, but these breakthroughs can ultimately end up using us in the fact that we rely so heavily upon them and that they are integral parts of our everyday lives. With the new advances in technology comes the responsibility of people in the workplace to familiarize themselves with them so that they can be more equipped to deal with situations that may arise and to improve their working environments in general. Those who are looking for a job will be more likely to be hired if they have the knowledge of how to work these new technologies. Also, those who may be looking for a job or who may already have one are less likely to find work and retain it if they are incapable of using them. With these new technologies also comes a new mindset in that things that were impossible to do not too many years ago can be done almost instantly, just to name one example. Web 2.0 allows for seemingly endless opportunities for the worker, the company, and the world as a whole.

Introduction

Hello everybody. My name is Ryan Michael Sullivan. I am a nineteen year old sophomore from Owings Mills, Maryland. I am currently undecided about my major, but I am leaning towards going into business. I lived in Cope last year but am now in the Stadium Suites. I like to play and watch almost any sport, however my favorite sport would have to be lacrosse. In my free time, I like to just hang out with friends and relax. My favorite food is pizza, favorite color is orange, favorite book is Robinson Crusoe, and favorite movie is Zoolander. Although I don't play an instrument, I really enjoy music and can appreciate a lot of different types. I'm a big fan of classic rock and, in particular, Led Zeppelin. An interesting fact about myself is that the Cincinnati Bengals', San Francisco 49ers', and Stanford Cardinals' coaches children attended my middle school at the same time I did. Beyond that, I can't think of anything else to say.