So I picked the Sony Tablet S as my innovative product. The reason I chose it is because, although every company has been making their own tablets, Sony has some cool features on theirs that you won't find on another tablet. Sony modeled theirs after a folded magazine, so it is light and easy to carry around. It runs on an Android operating system, and also includes Sony's own entertainment networks. The coolest feature is that it is Playstation-certified, so serious gamers will love it!
Wednesday, November 30, 2011
Results of the SAP Distribution Game
On the second day of the game, our team ended up in second to last place. I was pretty disappointed by this result because I was thinking that we were doing well while the game was active. The SAP system itself is definitely confusing and it took our team some time to adjust to how it worked and how we should go about using all the different tables. Regarding our rank, I think it was due to poor planning and not thinking the whole process through enough.
The first round we tried to figure out how changing our marketing costs and prices that our product was selling for would affect our net income. We came in third to last place so we did not do so well. The second round, we did the same concept but having the inventory be replenishable made a huge difference. The third round, we tried using no marketing at all and had our products be replenishable at different numbers. So, we had the more popular products have a higher number of replenishable inventory than the products that didn't sell a lot or any at all. This strategy made the most sense to our team, but it did not work out so well in terms of making more money.
The game being solely based on profit gave us a pretty clear idea of what business owners set their sights on when it comes to company goals. Most companies really only focus on having maximum profit, but they suffer in many other areas. I think wanting to have the most profit possible is a good goal, but a company also has to consider how this could affect their employees and also their stockholders. In a stockholder's point of view, wanting to make maximum profit is a good thing because the stockholder will be able to reap a bigger benefit. From an employee's standpoint, this is a bad thing. This most likely means that employee concerns and salaries are not as important. In the long run, this can most likely result in a huge loss of employees for the company.
When it comes to strengths and weaknesses, I think our team delegated responsibilities really well. We didn't waste any time figuring out who would be looking out for which screens. Our weakness is that we did not thoroughly think through how our changes in prices and marketing would affect our end net income.
Two outcomes I got from this activity is a beginning perspective of how companies decide to delegate responsibilities and then also how they determind prices and marketing. Determining the marketing and prices were definitely the hardest parts of the project. We did not know whether or not to raise or lower our prices and how it would affect our profit and net income. With the marketing dollars, it was hard to decide which regions should get the most money. All of these factors were challenges but were also a great way to teach us how real companies run their businesses on a day to day basis.
The first round we tried to figure out how changing our marketing costs and prices that our product was selling for would affect our net income. We came in third to last place so we did not do so well. The second round, we did the same concept but having the inventory be replenishable made a huge difference. The third round, we tried using no marketing at all and had our products be replenishable at different numbers. So, we had the more popular products have a higher number of replenishable inventory than the products that didn't sell a lot or any at all. This strategy made the most sense to our team, but it did not work out so well in terms of making more money.
The game being solely based on profit gave us a pretty clear idea of what business owners set their sights on when it comes to company goals. Most companies really only focus on having maximum profit, but they suffer in many other areas. I think wanting to have the most profit possible is a good goal, but a company also has to consider how this could affect their employees and also their stockholders. In a stockholder's point of view, wanting to make maximum profit is a good thing because the stockholder will be able to reap a bigger benefit. From an employee's standpoint, this is a bad thing. This most likely means that employee concerns and salaries are not as important. In the long run, this can most likely result in a huge loss of employees for the company.
When it comes to strengths and weaknesses, I think our team delegated responsibilities really well. We didn't waste any time figuring out who would be looking out for which screens. Our weakness is that we did not thoroughly think through how our changes in prices and marketing would affect our end net income.
Two outcomes I got from this activity is a beginning perspective of how companies decide to delegate responsibilities and then also how they determind prices and marketing. Determining the marketing and prices were definitely the hardest parts of the project. We did not know whether or not to raise or lower our prices and how it would affect our profit and net income. With the marketing dollars, it was hard to decide which regions should get the most money. All of these factors were challenges but were also a great way to teach us how real companies run their businesses on a day to day basis.
Wednesday, November 9, 2011
Real World Proof that Social Networks are Dangerous
I know that I discussed the danger of social networks in one of my past blog posts and this article is the perfect example of how one simple post can result in the loss of a job. The only reason I feel it is fair that this employee lost their job is that Apple clearly lays out in their contract and during employee training that any kind of negative post is prohibited. To play devil's advocate, the only argument the employee would have is that Apple's guidelines may have not laid out specifically what would happen if an employee did post something negative.
Another part of it is common sense on the employee's part. Working for a huge company like Apple comes with restrictions and specific rules you have to follow. They have to do anything they can to protect their image, and restricting their employees from posting negative remarks about the company on Facebook is one of those restrictions. I think it is perfectly fair for Apple to implement this because they are just protecting the name and reputation of the company.
If I were in the employee's shoes, I would obviously be mad that I had just lost my job. I would also be upset about the fact that I lost my job over something as simple as a negative remark on a social network. I would feel like I am not trusted by my employer and that I can't say one thing without facing a consequence. However, being the employer brings a whole different perspective. The employer's number one priority is to look out for the business. It is just as important to look out for your employee's well being, but at the end of the day, you can't reward your employee's without having money come into the business.
It is hard seeing both sides but in the end, I think the employee has learned their lesson.
Another part of it is common sense on the employee's part. Working for a huge company like Apple comes with restrictions and specific rules you have to follow. They have to do anything they can to protect their image, and restricting their employees from posting negative remarks about the company on Facebook is one of those restrictions. I think it is perfectly fair for Apple to implement this because they are just protecting the name and reputation of the company.
If I were in the employee's shoes, I would obviously be mad that I had just lost my job. I would also be upset about the fact that I lost my job over something as simple as a negative remark on a social network. I would feel like I am not trusted by my employer and that I can't say one thing without facing a consequence. However, being the employer brings a whole different perspective. The employer's number one priority is to look out for the business. It is just as important to look out for your employee's well being, but at the end of the day, you can't reward your employee's without having money come into the business.
It is hard seeing both sides but in the end, I think the employee has learned their lesson.
Wednesday, October 26, 2011
Decision Making
The only software that I can think of off the top of my head is PeopleSoft, more specifically, GullNet. GullNet is basically the main place that students can go if they need to register for classes, look up classes to take in the future, find out about financial aid, and look at their transcript. It has a lot of resources within the one piece of software and I feel that is a decision making software for many students.
Along with this, I feel that many search engines can be considered decision making software. For example, if you Google restaurants in a city that you are unfamiliar with, Google may help you find the place that you will eat that night.
This shows that there are various types of decision making softwares, and you may utilize them without even knowing it.
Along with this, I feel that many search engines can be considered decision making software. For example, if you Google restaurants in a city that you are unfamiliar with, Google may help you find the place that you will eat that night.
This shows that there are various types of decision making softwares, and you may utilize them without even knowing it.
Wednesday, October 19, 2011
My Professor will never notice that I copy and pasted this whole paper...
Plagiarism is, and will continue to be, a major problem on college campuses all over the world. The main cause of this issue is the Internet. Students have access to almost anything on the internet these days and they tend to take full advantage of that. In an article by professors at the Rochester Institute of Technology, they claimed that "Four years ago a count of term paper mills on the Web—including A-Plus Termpapers, Paperz.com, School Sucks, and Research Assistance by Collegiate Care—set the number at 70." This number is pretty astonishing and shows how many options students have when it comes to finding term papers. I also feel that many students do not want to take the time to produce their own paper and they feel that if they use someone else's, it won't be a big deal. You are taking someone else's work and taking undeserved credit for it. It would be better to be honest with your teacher then take the F and possibly get an academic dishonesty mark on your transcript.
When it comes to efforts on the university side to fix this issue, I feel that there is only so much the school can do. I think the first solution would be to block those term paper websites from the on-campus network, but there are still the other 55% of students that live off-campus that you have to worry about. I know a lot of professors use Turnitin.com which is a really good way to monitor plagiarism. Turnitin is branched from Plagiarism.com which was basically the segway into many other plagiarism prevention sites. When you turn in a paper to this website, it scans the Internet and compares it to your document to see if there are statements that stand out or are similar to another paper that is already written.
I feel tools like Turnitin.com are the best a university can do at this moment to prevent plagiarism. It also comes down to the student's decision; they can be unethical and copy a paper, or they can make the ethical choice and write a paper that they deserve a grade for. All in all, it is up to the student to make the right choice.
http://www4.ncsu.edu/~ladare/eac595/readings/scanlon-neumann.pdf
https://turnitin.com/static/index.php
When it comes to efforts on the university side to fix this issue, I feel that there is only so much the school can do. I think the first solution would be to block those term paper websites from the on-campus network, but there are still the other 55% of students that live off-campus that you have to worry about. I know a lot of professors use Turnitin.com which is a really good way to monitor plagiarism. Turnitin is branched from Plagiarism.com which was basically the segway into many other plagiarism prevention sites. When you turn in a paper to this website, it scans the Internet and compares it to your document to see if there are statements that stand out or are similar to another paper that is already written.
I feel tools like Turnitin.com are the best a university can do at this moment to prevent plagiarism. It also comes down to the student's decision; they can be unethical and copy a paper, or they can make the ethical choice and write a paper that they deserve a grade for. All in all, it is up to the student to make the right choice.
http://www4.ncsu.edu/~ladare/eac595/readings/scanlon-neumann.pdf
https://turnitin.com/static/index.php
Wednesday, October 12, 2011
I Didn't Do It!
Ethics have always been that chapter in the textbook that teachers and professors hate to teach in class. It's like the textbook companies put it in there just be politicaly correct. By saying this I am not saying that living an ethical life is not important, but I feel that ethics is something that you cannot be taught from a book.
I know that I have been faced with many ethical situations in life, many of those being at the workplace, and also on social networks. In my hometown, I have been working at the same job for about four years. It is a restaraunt and this place has really become my second home. When I first started out, I was only 15 years old and still very naive and unsure about how the workplace was run. My managers were awesome people and very relaxed, but I know I was placed in some situations that should not have happened. Some of them would let me drink behind the bar, or they would talk to me about things regarding the restauraunt that I should not have been told. Another thing about working in that place was that everyone, and I mean everyone, talked behind each other's backs. I feel that this is an ethical issue because no one is truly honest with each other and things get said in the workplace that should not have been. I will admit that I gave in to the gossip at times, but as I got older, I found that walking away from the situation was usually a better solution. This way, I don't have to worry about being involved or accidentally hearing whatever my coworkers are discussing.
When it comes to social networks, you are almost guaranteed to come across ethical issues. The problem in this day and age, is that people use social networking, and social media in general, abusively. Twitter is the perfect example; most people that "tweet" use this site as a way to vent about others and just complain about anything going on in their lives. I also feel that Facebook has gotten even worse as they make more changes to the site. Their most recent changes give Facebook users even reason to track other users which could eventually turn into stalking.
Overall, Facebook and Twitter, and many other sites, are going to continue giving more opportunities to be unethical and users will definitely take advantage of this.
I know that I have been faced with many ethical situations in life, many of those being at the workplace, and also on social networks. In my hometown, I have been working at the same job for about four years. It is a restaraunt and this place has really become my second home. When I first started out, I was only 15 years old and still very naive and unsure about how the workplace was run. My managers were awesome people and very relaxed, but I know I was placed in some situations that should not have happened. Some of them would let me drink behind the bar, or they would talk to me about things regarding the restauraunt that I should not have been told. Another thing about working in that place was that everyone, and I mean everyone, talked behind each other's backs. I feel that this is an ethical issue because no one is truly honest with each other and things get said in the workplace that should not have been. I will admit that I gave in to the gossip at times, but as I got older, I found that walking away from the situation was usually a better solution. This way, I don't have to worry about being involved or accidentally hearing whatever my coworkers are discussing.
When it comes to social networks, you are almost guaranteed to come across ethical issues. The problem in this day and age, is that people use social networking, and social media in general, abusively. Twitter is the perfect example; most people that "tweet" use this site as a way to vent about others and just complain about anything going on in their lives. I also feel that Facebook has gotten even worse as they make more changes to the site. Their most recent changes give Facebook users even reason to track other users which could eventually turn into stalking.
Overall, Facebook and Twitter, and many other sites, are going to continue giving more opportunities to be unethical and users will definitely take advantage of this.
Wednesday, October 5, 2011
Why Bother Going to School Anymore?
The title sounds pretty pessimistic but that is the vibe that I get from a lot of people my age and also from the younger generation. Our country has advertised the fact that schooling is not the only way to go, despite the traditional views of going to college and getting your degree. I know many young adults my age have opted not to go to college and continue to work in place of schooling. Even though making money seems like a good idea at the time, many scholars say that people deciding to go to college now, especially in this economy, are going to earn more money in their lifetime.
Despite the perks of going to college, or even just sticking it out through the high school years, many students decide that higher education is just not for them. Even though this is an unfortunate thought, there are reasons that people may not want to go to school. The first is that most teachers do not stay within the education system for very long. Most teachers quit after only five years of teaching. Teachers should not be quitting for many years because they went to college for four years and paid to get a degree. Why would you quit a job that you worked four years for?
The biggest issue I see within the system is that many parents simply do not care what their kids do in school or HOW they do in school. I know that throughout all of my public school education, my parents were on me about doing homework and my grades. Even up until the end of my senior year, my parents would still help me with homework and reviewing my papers. Some parents now do not even bother asking how their child is doing in school; it may be because they don't care or education is not important to them. This is a sad thought to have because education should be important to every parent and they should express that importance upon their children. I also think that students have found ways to avoid telling their parents about their grades and therefore, the parents stop asking. After a while, parents just give up because they know their child will never tell them.
Despite these issues, the American education system has positive aspects and will continue to until the end of time. The fact that America has such an established education system that is still popular to its citizens is amazing within itself. The system is also expanding and becoming more available to anyone that wants to take advantage of it. I foresee the issues I discussed above, and many others, to continue getting worse, but one can only hope that things will turn around and be on the rise.
Websites used:
http://www.newyorker.com/talk/comment/2010/09/27/100927taco_talk_lemann
http://www.nationalforum.com/Electronic%20Journal%20Volumes/Boyer,%20Ashley%20Problems%20Facing%20American%20Education.pdf
Despite the perks of going to college, or even just sticking it out through the high school years, many students decide that higher education is just not for them. Even though this is an unfortunate thought, there are reasons that people may not want to go to school. The first is that most teachers do not stay within the education system for very long. Most teachers quit after only five years of teaching. Teachers should not be quitting for many years because they went to college for four years and paid to get a degree. Why would you quit a job that you worked four years for?
The biggest issue I see within the system is that many parents simply do not care what their kids do in school or HOW they do in school. I know that throughout all of my public school education, my parents were on me about doing homework and my grades. Even up until the end of my senior year, my parents would still help me with homework and reviewing my papers. Some parents now do not even bother asking how their child is doing in school; it may be because they don't care or education is not important to them. This is a sad thought to have because education should be important to every parent and they should express that importance upon their children. I also think that students have found ways to avoid telling their parents about their grades and therefore, the parents stop asking. After a while, parents just give up because they know their child will never tell them.
Despite these issues, the American education system has positive aspects and will continue to until the end of time. The fact that America has such an established education system that is still popular to its citizens is amazing within itself. The system is also expanding and becoming more available to anyone that wants to take advantage of it. I foresee the issues I discussed above, and many others, to continue getting worse, but one can only hope that things will turn around and be on the rise.
Websites used:
http://www.newyorker.com/talk/comment/2010/09/27/100927taco_talk_lemann
http://www.nationalforum.com/Electronic%20Journal%20Volumes/Boyer,%20Ashley%20Problems%20Facing%20American%20Education.pdf
Wednesday, September 28, 2011
Technology in the Classroom? Nothing new for us!
Over the years, it is obvious that technology has hugely impacted students and how they complete assignments in and out of the classroom.
One of the biggest gateways for this is YouTube. This website can provide videos ranging from an educational lecture to learning a certain dance move. I know that I have used YouTube to look up videos on how to do things that can help me complete an assignment, or I am embedding videos into a blog like this. Because of YouTube's wide variety and many sources, students can learn so much from this website.
Another type of technology that I consider to be impactive to studying and in classes is texting. Along with texting is the increase of Twitter users. Texting is a main problem because students are texting in class, which affects how much they are paying attention to the teacher, but they are also texting each other either during class or after school to get answers to homework and tests. This causes problems because students are not doing their own work most of the time and they are not giving themselves a chance to learn on their own. With the new increase in the use of Twitter, students are always tweeting during class; possibly about their professor or maybe about how much they do not want to be in class. The main issue that both of these technologies cause is lack of attention and also a lack of learning by a lot of students.
The last technology I would like to touch on that I personally use is the connection of regular courses with online work. I had numerous classes last year that used programs like Aplia and this year I am using new programs like My Accounting Lab and Course Connect. Both these programs are great for professors because they are able to assign work that students can complete on their own time, but it is even better for the students because they are able to do a lot of extra work in order to understand the topic more. A lot of these programs also supply the students with resources that can help them clarify topics much better.
All in all, technology can be really great for students and professors but it can also be detrimental to learning.
One of the biggest gateways for this is YouTube. This website can provide videos ranging from an educational lecture to learning a certain dance move. I know that I have used YouTube to look up videos on how to do things that can help me complete an assignment, or I am embedding videos into a blog like this. Because of YouTube's wide variety and many sources, students can learn so much from this website.
Another type of technology that I consider to be impactive to studying and in classes is texting. Along with texting is the increase of Twitter users. Texting is a main problem because students are texting in class, which affects how much they are paying attention to the teacher, but they are also texting each other either during class or after school to get answers to homework and tests. This causes problems because students are not doing their own work most of the time and they are not giving themselves a chance to learn on their own. With the new increase in the use of Twitter, students are always tweeting during class; possibly about their professor or maybe about how much they do not want to be in class. The main issue that both of these technologies cause is lack of attention and also a lack of learning by a lot of students.
The last technology I would like to touch on that I personally use is the connection of regular courses with online work. I had numerous classes last year that used programs like Aplia and this year I am using new programs like My Accounting Lab and Course Connect. Both these programs are great for professors because they are able to assign work that students can complete on their own time, but it is even better for the students because they are able to do a lot of extra work in order to understand the topic more. A lot of these programs also supply the students with resources that can help them clarify topics much better.
All in all, technology can be really great for students and professors but it can also be detrimental to learning.
Saturday, September 24, 2011
Those tweets about my boss...
In this day and age, almost every person you see walking down the street has a smartphone attached to their hand. People have become so used to using their phone as a way to connect with family and friends, but also a way to run their daily business lives. I know that I have my email come to my smartphone and because of that, I am constantly checking my phone and answering emails. The problem that researchers are coming to now is employees utilizing their smartphones at work to tweet or be on Facebook. This is a huge problem for employers because their employees are not working efficiently, and they do not know what these employees could be posting about.
Employers can easily get onto potential employees' Facebook pages and/or Twitter feeds and see everything that this person is writing about. I have heard countless stories where a person has gone in for an interview, and after the employer sees their Facebook page, the potential employee is no longer a potential. The technology is going to continue to get better and better, so it is time for employees to start watching what they say while in the workplace.
Employers can easily get onto potential employees' Facebook pages and/or Twitter feeds and see everything that this person is writing about. I have heard countless stories where a person has gone in for an interview, and after the employer sees their Facebook page, the potential employee is no longer a potential. The technology is going to continue to get better and better, so it is time for employees to start watching what they say while in the workplace.
Sunday, September 18, 2011
Got a Secret?
One of my favorite websites to look at is called PostSecret. This website/following was started by Frank Warren in 2005 as a way for anyone in the world to anonymously post their secrets. People can decorate or design postcards which are then sent to the Germantown, where PostSecret is located. The guidelines are that the secret has to be completely truthful and never been spoken before. In the first two years that the website was up and running, PostSecret received 2,500 postcards.
The reason I wanted to share this website with everyone in the class because, every Sunday when a new set of postcards is revealed on the website, I read through them and try to picture myself in this person's shoes. Reading each one is eye-opening and puts things very much into perspective.
Maybe seeing this website will encourage someone in our class participate in this world-wide project. www.postsecret.com
The reason I wanted to share this website with everyone in the class because, every Sunday when a new set of postcards is revealed on the website, I read through them and try to picture myself in this person's shoes. Reading each one is eye-opening and puts things very much into perspective.
Maybe seeing this website will encourage someone in our class participate in this world-wide project. www.postsecret.com
Tuesday, September 6, 2011
Want to Know About Me?
Hey guys! My name is Katherine Mooney and this is my first blog. I am a sophomore majoring in Business Management (Human Resources Track) with a double major in Information Systems.
From the start of my freshman year, I became very involved on campus. I am a senator with the Student Government Association, Vice President and Social Chair for our Women's Club Rugby team, along with a University Host. I absolutely love all the activities that I participate in and they are the main reason I have enjoyed my time at school thus far.
At the end of this semester, I hope to have furthered my knowledge in anything Information Systems related. Since it is my second major, I want to learn more about what I can do with that degree and what types of jobs it encompasses. I also hope to learn more in depth information about PowerPoint, Word, Excel, and the other soft wares included in Microsoft Office.
I love talking to people, so lets be friends!!
From the start of my freshman year, I became very involved on campus. I am a senator with the Student Government Association, Vice President and Social Chair for our Women's Club Rugby team, along with a University Host. I absolutely love all the activities that I participate in and they are the main reason I have enjoyed my time at school thus far.
At the end of this semester, I hope to have furthered my knowledge in anything Information Systems related. Since it is my second major, I want to learn more about what I can do with that degree and what types of jobs it encompasses. I also hope to learn more in depth information about PowerPoint, Word, Excel, and the other soft wares included in Microsoft Office.
I love talking to people, so lets be friends!!
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