Chapters 8-9

Chapter 8
In Guideline 2 the author talks about using generalizations before you present your details.  In writing it is for the most part known that you want to create a thesis statement in your first paragraph to identify for the reader what the rest of the article or paper is about.  The same can go for presenting a project or suggestion to your manager.  It is important to present the topic first and make sure your manager understands what you are presenting and what they should be looking for.  This will help the reader identify key topics within the paper that they may have not picked up on if you did not have the generalized information at the beginning of your presentation.  We have also touched on this topic in class that most people do not read a full article in today's society and that most people will just skim the article.  This makes it even more important that you catch your readers attention at the beginning so that they know this is something relevant and should take the time to read it in full.

Chapter 9
In Chapter 9 Constructing Sentences Guideline 1 they touch on a topic that we have spoken about more than once in class and that is simplifying sentences.  Often times we think that if we add a few extra words into a paragraph or paper it will make it seem like we put more thought into the paper or that we are more intelligent because we had more to say.  However, if we are using too many of the wrong words it tends to make us come across as less intelligent because we cannot seem to get the point acrossed.  By going back and simplifying sentences we can make it easier for the reader and still get our point across.  I always try to go back over what I have just written and ask if that is the way I would explain this to someone if I were speaking to them rather than writing to them.

Occupy Wall Street

U.S. cities have spent at least $13 million in response to the Occupy Wall Street movement in police overtime and other expenses.  The majority of the costs that are being incurred are from police overtime but they are also seeing damage done to city parks and property because of the movement.  When you look at the big picture this is a small amount of money when you look at some of the budget that is allotted in these cities for police overtime.  However, this is taxpayers money that is being spent to what they cities claim is keeping the protesters safe while the protesters themselves are saying it is a waste of taxpayers money to infringe on their first amendment right of freedom of speech.  This is a unique and interesting issue that our nation is seeing happen.  These protests have occurred in almost every major city in the U.S. and even here in Des Moines.  There have been arrests made because of protesters being on state property later than they should have been or for a number of other, in my opinion, rediculous reasons.  These people do and should have the right to peacefully assemble and protest an issue that they have with our federal government.  That being said I also feel that a police presence is necessary to insure that the peaceful protesting continues and that it does not escalate into a situation that can not be handled without force.  It is unfortunate that taxpayer money has to be spent for this reason but I think it is for the better good. 

Chapters 6-7

In Chapter 6 I took the most from Guideline 2 which talks about identifying the full range of sources that may have helpful inforsmation.  Many times when we begin to research a topic especailly in this day in age we assume we can find everything we need with internet research or at our local library.  However we often forget one of the most useful tools available to us out there, people.  Those that are involved or may have been affected by the issue that you are writing about can provide greater insight than we can read on any internet site or in any library.  Someone who was in New Orleans and experienced hurricane Katrina first hand could give you far more detail about the storm and the aftermath than any journalist or reporter that may have been in the area but well out of harms way.
Chapter 7 Guideline 4 presented an interesting topic.  It is important in any form of communication to interpret each relationship for your audience.  In any job you could misinterpret information that is put in front of you if you do not understand how to read the information or if you do not understand how you should look at the information.  I have to present information to businesses everyday that depending on how they look at that information could be the difference between signing a deal or the business walking away.  I must make sure that they understand the material that I am presenting to them and make them understand the benefits that I am trying to present. 

Chapter 4-5

In Chapter 4 I found it interesting to read about how writing can change based on cultural expectations.  In countries like the US and Germany we want our writings or instructions to be extremely detailed in order to comprehend and follow correctly. While in other cultures like Asian and Arabic they are much less detailed and it can even be considered insulting if you have too much detail in a communication because you could be implying that they are not intelligent enough to figure something out for themselves.  We can often forget some of these basic cultural differences but they can be deal breakers in the business world.  In certain cultures showing respect and understanding the local customs can make or break a deal.
In Chapter 5 I was able to relate to Guideline 3 where they talk about addressing and learning from your readers concerns and counterarguments.  In my line of work as a sales rep I have to deal with clients concerns and counterarguments everyday.  I am consistently trying to find out what a client may have as a concern and looking for a way that we can resolve that issue.  Also I receive counterarguments with different proposals that I present to a client and I must listen to those arguments and figure out what we can do to reach an agreement on different topics.

Inmate-Grown Vegetable Garden Trims $15G From Food Budget

This was a short article but I thought it was very interesting and raised some questions for me.  These inmates are able to do something outside of the normal routine while in prison and they are able to help out the budgetary needs of the prison and therefore our economy.  I am aware that our prison systems do have work opportunities for low risk inmates and I think that this could be utilized more often.  The United States has a crumbling infastructure and a national debt that continues to grow.  We pay taxes everyday for these inmates to have a bed to sleep on and three meals a day so why not make them work for it.  I am not saying that they should be out on the side of a road breaking rocks but to have certain jobs that would have inmates work and contribute to a society that they have wronged (they are where they are for a reason) could benefit both our economy and our national infastructure.  Even a simple task like growing your own vegtables has saved one prison $15,000.  That is $15,000 less coming out of the tax payers pocket and can be spent in other places where it is needed. 

The Power to Save Lives

The article that I chose was from Forbes magazine and is about Bill Gates mission to rid the world of disease.  Bill Gates has become one of the biggest philanthropists of all time and in this article it talks about where the billions of dollars that he has donated goes.  Gates is in the process of changing the world as we know it through vaccines that are being delivered to third world countries.  He has cut deaths from the measles from 1.5 million a year at its peak to 300,000.  They are also in the process of creating, delivering, and funding vaccines for the cure of multiple other diseases and have begun to succeed.  The results have been massive: 3.4 million lives saved from hepatitis B, which causes liver cancer, 1.2 million lives from measles, 560,000 from the Hib bacteria, 474,000 from whooping cough, 140,000 from yellow fever and 30,000 from polio. In the past year the new initiatives have prevented another 8,000 deaths from pneumonia and 1,000 from diarrhea.  What does this all have to do with business, absolutely everything.  If you look at any business on the S&P 500 all of them devote a certain amount of time, energy, money, and resources to philanthropy.  Nobody wants to buy products from a business that is not willing to give back or let their employees give back.  Bill Gates does not do this work for his reputation or that of his business but it certainly does not hurt either.

5 reasons why your online presence will replace your resume

http://www.forbes.com/sites/danschawbel/2011/02/21/5-reasons-why-your-online-presence-will-replace-your-resume-in-10-years/

I found this article interesting for a few different reasons.  First I do agree with the article and do believe that in the next 10 years a physical resume will become obsolete.  Our generation moves more into a technilogical dependent society on a daily basis.  At our jobs, in our classrooms, in our homes, and even with our social lives.  I believe that you would be hard pressed to find anyone that can go through their entire day without using some form of technology at least in a developed country like the US.  There are already some businesses that are using social network sites to get more information about a potential employee and where some see this as an invasion of their privacy, I see it as another tool to promote your own personal brand.  For the most part we are in control of who and what can be viewed on our social network sites.  Your friend may post an embarrasing photo of you passed out and duct taped to a coffee table, but you have the option of number one taking that off of your profile or number two you can always restrict who can see your profile.  I think that sites such as facebook, linkedin, and twitter can be a great way to stay in touch with friends and family, but we must always understand that what we upload or allow to be seen on these websites will be judged by other people just as if they had been at that party duct taping you to that table themselves.  So clean up your facebook page and use it as a tool to promote your personal brand.

Abt Electronics vs. Best Buy: Why independent retailers succeed where big boxes fail.

http://www.forbes.com/sites/lauraheller/2011/10/28/abt-electronics-vs-best-buy-why-independent-retailers-succeed-where-big-boxes-fail/

I found this article interesting because I deal with retail stores like this one on a daily basis and it also sparks that entrepreneurial spirit.  This business started as a small mom and pop shop and has grown to a $400 million a year business.  In an age where we are drowned with advertising from the box stores (Wal-Mart, Best Buy, Sears, Target, and many others) it is nice to see that a store that finds value in customer service and doing things the right way to succeed.  Also I found it interesting that in a time where we are so drawn to finding everything via the internet (including the blog site) that a small business can still compete in that area as well by offering better pricing and customer service.  The thing that I did find most intriguing was when they talked about the store being privately owned.  This business does not have a board of directors or stockholder that they have to keep happy so they are able to make quick changes and implement new systems that will help the store without running it through a vote by its directors and getting it signed off on they just make the change and watch their profits continue to grow.

25 Things Your Boss Wants You to Know

http://www.fmss-crc.com/pdfs/grade%2012/English%20ENG%204C/Unit%202%20Activities/b.%20Things%20Your%20Boss%20Wants%20You%20to%20Know.pdf

This article was given to me by my career mentor at Wells Fargo and I thought it would be a good one to share with the class.  This article can have different meanings for different jobs and different positions within a company, but for the most part they can give us some general guidelines to follow.  As I read through this list of different things that most bosses expect you to know or do.  While I read down the list I checkmarked the expectations that I was meeting and left blank the ones that I was not.  It was suprising to see some of the different expectations that I did not mark.  Many of them I did not really think about on a daily basis, but all of them would help me to be more successful and move up in my job.  When I met with my mentor last week to discuss some of the things on the list that I did not think that I did on a daily basis we began to talk about what the upper management looks for when they are considering giving someon a promotion.  I think it is important to mention that my mentor is a VP of the relationship management side of Wells Fargo and has over 25 years of experience in the same industry at Wells Fargo so it is safe to say that she has seen what it takes to become successful.  Her take on these expectations is that these are what a boss wants to see when they are looking to make a promotion or give a raise, but that most employees are not even aware of a majority of these expectations.  In my opinion most of these expectations are attainable by almost any employee to some extent and this can serve as a guide to that next promtion.