Technology and Group Collaboration

When working on the client project for the Redfern Health Center, technology has been a tremendous help. Being able to store documents online for the whole group to see allows for more efficient meetings and work can be done individually out of class. Using e-mail was also essential to being able to communicate well to one another outside of class and to assign jobs to group members. It is difficult to imagine how a project such as this one would have been done before the internet came about. Communication and collaboration is made much easier and efficient through computers and the internet.

Ethical Principles

This past week in class we went over ethical principles in the workplace. The example that really stood out in my mind and really blew me away was the Ford Pinto incident. It is amazing to me how the company can crunch the numbers and decide to not do anything about the problem in the car to save money. Personally, there is no dollar value that you can put on the loss of innocent human lives. I learned from this that in the workplace it is important to stick to your own ethical principles.
My own set of ethical principles involves definitely telling the truth, no matter how it may affect the company, I feel like it will be better in the long run. You should always disclose information that may save someones life. Sometimes your job may be put on the line if you go outside the company and release information, but I feel as though its better for the public to know about possible major problems.

Miscommunication at Work

For two years I have been a lifeguard at a community pool in my hometown of Rock Hill. Last year the fill pipe for the pool was broken, and needed to be repaired for the pool to run properly. We communicated the problem to our supervisors who got in touch with a pool repair company. Somewhere in the line of communications something got messed up. The repair man came but did not bring the tools he needed to fix the fill spout. The pool had to be closed for two days in order to allow for the repair man to fix the spout, a simple problem that should have only taken a few hours. The miscommunication could have been prevented by the supervisors taking a closer look at the pipe and accurately telling the repair company exaclty what needed to be done and also for the repair company to give us a timeframe.

Blog For March 2nd

1. We wrapped up class presentations over this past week. I really enjoyed Jesse's presentation on automotive upkeep and maintenance. You could really tell that he new about his topic, and it was a topic everyone could relate to and it was very helpful. He was a really good presenter as well.

2. In the past I have only really made one online portfolio, and that is my Clemson e-portfolio. The portfolio is a very easy way of keeping certain papers and documents organized on the internet where I can access them anywhere. It will also be a good representative of works I have compiled over my college career that I could possibly submit as a writing sample for a job. The only downside is that it can be a painstaking process and may seem unnecessary when you are doing it. However, I feel as though it is overall a positive thing.

Class Presentations

All of the presentations that have been given in class thus far have been very enjoyable. With the students being allowed to choose a subject that interests them you can tell they get into the presentations much more. So far the three that I have really enjoyed are Jeffrey's presentation on Rajon Rondo, Nate's presentation involving coexistence, and Stephanie's presentation on Locks of Love. Jeffrey's presentation was good because it involved basketball, a subject that also interests myself. I really liked how Nate's presentation was a children's story but had a much larger meaning that everyone can learn from. Stephanie provided information about how she had donated hair to the charity Locks of Love and she sincerely cared about the cause. I learned alot from each individual presentation, but the lesson from Nate's presentation really stood out the most to me. What made every presentation enjoyable was the enthusiasm that each presenter displayed.

Cover Letters

When looking at the provided website I would have to agree with all of the points made about making and using a cover letter. Every link from the site is very helpful. Two things really stood out at me, which were the "The Best Use of a Cover Letter" and "Cover Letter Checklist" links. The "Best Use of a Cover Letter" link gave a run down of what to include in certain paragraphs in a cover letter, and what type of layout and order you should use. The checklist was great to look over, and I feel would be extremely helpful when you are writing and looking over your cover letter. One final thing that stood out was how to effectively use the postscript technique, which I had not previously been aware of for a cover letter.

Client Visit and Project

I feel that the client visit helped our group a lot in formulating some ideas for the project with Redfern. Prior to the visit we really had no idea what the task at hand was going to be. We will be working to promote the Healthy Campus Initiative. The way in which we do this is very open, and there is no clear direction that the group is required to take. Some ideas we have formulated so far to create awareness include Redfern sponsored events and perhaps a brochure. We are also looking at similar projects around the nation and seeing how they promote their initiatives. The biggest concern is getting started, and actually deciding as a group what direction we should take the project. The group is coming along well, and we all seem to work well together in the begginning stages of the project.

Biggest Mistakes in a Job Interview

I do agree that these are probably the ten biggest mistakes people tend to make in an interview situation. The two that stand out to me the most are making sure that you follow up and also not asking stupid questions. By asking dumb questions that could be answered through simple research you show the interviewer that you are not very well prepared. I think one mistake I would add is to make sure that you show up for a job interview. Personally, I have never had to interview for a job, but I feel that I would be well prepared and perform well in an interview environment. In order to be prepared for a job interview a person should first research the company and the desired position to be filled. I would also say the person should formulate questions that the interviewer may ask and think about the answers to them.

BEER

Being in college it is apparent that beer seems to be the party beverage of choice among students. However, many students may not know what actually goes into the beer they are drinking, and what types there are. Light beer is the main choice of beverage by most college students, mainly for its price, however, as far as taste and thickness go it is on the bottom of the totem poll. Even though it is a little more pricey, I encourage people to try a new beer every now and then, you may find something that you really like.
There are four main ingredients that go into making a beer: water, yeast, hops, and malted barley. There are three major categories that beer can be placed into. The first is an ale. An ale is made by allowing the brew to ferment in a warmer temperature, which allows for the yeast to multiply. Ales tend to be a little higher in alcohol content and may taste more complex. Some of the more popular types of an ale include a pale ale, a porter, and a stout. Many common ale brands that can be found are Magic Hat and Blue Moon. The second beer category is a lager. Lagers are the most popular beer types in America. Lagers are made by using a yeast that sinks to the bottom of the brew during fermentation and use cool temperature to "perform their magic". Lagers tend to be fairly lighter in color than an ale. Some popular lagers are Sam Adams Boston Lager, Yeungling, and Landshark. The third and final major category that beer can fall in is known as the specialty beer category. As more and more breweries are adding fruit and different flavors to beer, this category continues to grow. Blue Moon and Sam Adams both offer a wide variety of specialty beers. ShockTop is another popular brand that would fall into this category.
In ending this I would like to reccommend one beer to everyone to try: Sam Adams Cherry Wheat.

My Life in Ten Years

To be honest, I am still not sure what I would like to do after graduation. I am seriously considering going to law school and taking that route. I am also thinking about continuing my education by either getting a master's degree in accounting or going to get my MBA. As of now I am leaning towards working to become a CPA (Certified Public Accountant) after I graduate.
As far as my personal life goes, I would definitely like to be settled down and married in ten years. I want to remain in South Carolina with my career, if possible. I just really love this state, but may consider moving to the lowcountry instead of staying in the upstate. The lifestyle I want to have is just laid back with a good home life. Accounting is a low stress job, and I want my home life to be low stress as well. I also don't want to have to be worried and stress out about money problems and trying to make payments on time. Hopefully a job in the accounting field will have a large enough salary so I won't have to worry about such things.

Web 2.0 Video

The title of the Web 2.0 video is "The Machine is Us/ing Us". This means that while we are using the web and all of its tools it is also using us to better itself. All of the data that humans put on the web help it to evolve. From simply clicking a link and viewing a page to creating a page of your own, the internet is constantly gaining new information and expanding. In saying "The Machine is Us" the creator of the video is saying that we are what makes the web what it is. We create the web pages and blogs, and we make the information accessable and put bits of information together. We, as people, are what make the internet more accessible and easier to use.
High school and college students that are preparing to enter into the work place are in contact with the web every single day. Students are always using the web to keep in touch with friends and do class assignments. The familiarity these students are gaining will definitely help them in their future jobs. Most jobs today require an employee to be able to use the internet. By being able to use the internet employees can get a "leg up" on the competition when competing for a job.
People that are already a part of the work force are also benefitting from the web. Web tools are making it much easier and quicker for employees to complete tasks and communitcate, while employers can also communicate much easier and track the progress of employees. One disadvantage is that many people in the work force currently did not grow up using the internet, and it is a new concept to them, and they must work in order to become familiar with it.
The internet with Web 2.0 makes it much easier for someone to create their own web page and communicate with the world. Basic computer language is being made much more simple for the average person to use. This will allow people to both gain information and put information out with much more ease.

Hello

Hey I'm Brian and I am a junior accounting major at Clemson. I was born and raised in Rock Hill, SC, and attended Rock Hill High School. After graduating from Clemson I would definitely like to go to grad school somewhere. I have been a fan of Clemson athletics my whole life growing up, and enjoy going to most of the sporting events here. I also really like playing golf and tennis, if you ever want to play sometime just let me know. Music is a big part of my life, and I like just about any kind there is, from country to rap to classic rock to reggae, I like it all.