My favorite guest speaker over the year was Dr. Macagno, who gave us great insight to corporate social responsibility. Before this lesson, I had no idea what CSR was, till after when I learned that this is one of the more important sides to a business. Having a great public image is a key to having a successful business.
A focus point in Dr. Macagno's lesson was on ethical rights. In the textbook, a section that helped expand on some of these areas was in dealing with customers. There are four customer rights that were indicated by President John Franklin Kennedy. 1. the right to safe products, 2. the right to be informed about a product, 3. the right to chose what to buy, and 4. the right to be heard.
In recent news as I talked about in my last post, Facebook is under extreme heat for selling their member's data to companies without the member's consent. This is a huge legal and ethical issue from Facebook as to what lead Mark Zuckerberg to want to do this? He was not using the ethical reasoning to not sell the information but focused on making more money.
In the article, "The Truth About CSR," authors V. Kasturi Rangan, Lisa Chase, and Sohel Karim discuss the lack of involvement directly with companies CEO's and rather with internal managers. They discuss the three "theaters" in which they use to turn companies on a effective CSR strategy for their specific company. Theater one is focusing on philanthropy, theater two is improving operational effectiveness, and theater three is transforming the business model. Although following CSR strategy is sometimes harder than cutting corners, it is beneficial to make sure that your company runs as safely as possible, while still being effective.
Friday, April 20, 2018
IA4
I attended the MIS kickoff meeting on April 3rd, that was held by Dr. Chung. The event was extremely helpful in learning things outside of the classroom such as connecting MIS to other business concepts that one might not think connect. Also, they reiterated to go out and learn more about topics your interested in, ask questions, and shake hands. Here is the link to the event https://my.chatham.edu/happenings/get_event.cfm?m1=4&y1=2018&d1=3&EventID=22215.
At the meeting, the speakers spoke about how data and knowing how to find and manage date can help in all areas of business, such as accounting be cause by tracking data it can help our statistics to follow our business. In the textbook, they talk about how data is generated in all aspects of life. Before these lessons, doing certain things such as buying a bag of chips to buying house is all data that we generate and is useful in someway. Sometimes security of data is major issue. In recent news, Mark Zuckerberg has been under heat for selling Facebook member's data to companies that members have not given permission to have. Although data is very useful in so many different ways, it is very important to keep it safe.
In the article, "How Effective Managers Use Information Systems," by Steven L. Atler, on hbr.org, he talked about how in today's world applications are being developed to support managers and help them effectively run their business. Thanks to information systems, this is extremely beneficial in today's world for speeding up the process of gather data, reading reports, and other things to make life of a manager easier.
At the meeting, the speakers spoke about how data and knowing how to find and manage date can help in all areas of business, such as accounting be cause by tracking data it can help our statistics to follow our business. In the textbook, they talk about how data is generated in all aspects of life. Before these lessons, doing certain things such as buying a bag of chips to buying house is all data that we generate and is useful in someway. Sometimes security of data is major issue. In recent news, Mark Zuckerberg has been under heat for selling Facebook member's data to companies that members have not given permission to have. Although data is very useful in so many different ways, it is very important to keep it safe.
In the article, "How Effective Managers Use Information Systems," by Steven L. Atler, on hbr.org, he talked about how in today's world applications are being developed to support managers and help them effectively run their business. Thanks to information systems, this is extremely beneficial in today's world for speeding up the process of gather data, reading reports, and other things to make life of a manager easier.
IA3
Company Me
My mission at Company Me is to bring happiness and laughter to people from all walks of life. I strive to be a positive and outgoing individual and let my positivity shine onto others to improve their day.
Business Environment:
Company Me will be competing in the good vibes industry. The good vibes industry is not a very competitive industry as every person wants to be in a good mood, sometimes just needs a little help from someone else to improve their day and nobody has a service solely based on that. As good vibes are all around us in the world today, each country has an absolute advantage in their own country, therefor there is not a lot of trade of good vibes.
Entrepreneurship & Strategy:
As CEO of Company Me, a sole proprietorship, there will be many challenges. This is the best form of company ownership as it is solely ran by just me. The challenges I might face are getting people to pay, for my service of good vibes. Finding a way to promote Company and Product Me will both be difficult, until people see the potential influence I have to improve their days. As a startup business, it is very risky, and as a sole proprietorship, I have unlimited liability for the company, which if I were to fail, would not be good for me.
Management:
In "Manage Oneself," by Peter Drucker, he asks, "What are my strengths? How do I perform? What are my values? Where do I belong?" These are important questions to ask as I learned when I first came to Chatham, maybe I don't have the direct answers I thought I would have. Overtime, I have learned that being positive and making people laugh are my strengths, which is why this is the right path, to sell myself on that. As general manager of Company Me, planning and organizing are easy as waking up every morning realizing it is a new day, with a smile on my face. However, directing and controlling might be harder as sometimes tough situations arise in my day, where it isn't always easy to smile through. A huge part of Company Me is networking, which Kevin Granville says in "How to Manage Your Career," is one of the most important parts of running a business, we don't always realize the basic networks we have around us from school, to work, to sports, or just people from the town. Inside of Company Me, it is surprisingly easily to manage and motivate myself as being happy calls for a great day, and if there is a chance to improve someones day its even better, which is enough motivation for me.
Marketing:
As CMO of Company Me, promoting Product Me can be difficult at first, but once people have understood the contribution I bring with good vibes and a light attitude, it is an easy sale. Potential customers can be anywhere from a random person walking down the street, or a company who just wants someone with good vibes on their team. Company Me's marketing mix would be: product good vibes and lots of laughs-price can't put a price on a good time-place anywhere that is feeling a little gloomy and needs a lift in spirit-promotion who doesn't want good vibes in their life. Product Me isn't necessarily innovative or new but sometimes people forget to take a step back and live life to the fullest, and thats what I am offering, good vibes to improve day to day life. I could use LinkedIn or social media such as Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram to reach clients or just passer by's who enjoy good vibes.
Accounting and Finance:
Accounting and finance of Company Me may be the toughest part. After promoting the company, getting people to pay for the service is the difficult part, therefore early on I would not want a lot invested into the company as fear of failure. Overtime, building the company slowly would be the best route for us.
Information Systems and Operations:
As CIO of Company Me, it would be important to keep track of data on what kind of people are using our product. So when a customer uses us, we have them fill a survey to reach out to more people from their neighborhood or their place of employment. Another useful system would be transaction processing system, as keeping track of economic events is very useful in keeping books in line and staying organized.
My mission at Company Me is to bring happiness and laughter to people from all walks of life. I strive to be a positive and outgoing individual and let my positivity shine onto others to improve their day.
Business Environment:
Company Me will be competing in the good vibes industry. The good vibes industry is not a very competitive industry as every person wants to be in a good mood, sometimes just needs a little help from someone else to improve their day and nobody has a service solely based on that. As good vibes are all around us in the world today, each country has an absolute advantage in their own country, therefor there is not a lot of trade of good vibes.
Entrepreneurship & Strategy:
As CEO of Company Me, a sole proprietorship, there will be many challenges. This is the best form of company ownership as it is solely ran by just me. The challenges I might face are getting people to pay, for my service of good vibes. Finding a way to promote Company and Product Me will both be difficult, until people see the potential influence I have to improve their days. As a startup business, it is very risky, and as a sole proprietorship, I have unlimited liability for the company, which if I were to fail, would not be good for me.
Management:
In "Manage Oneself," by Peter Drucker, he asks, "What are my strengths? How do I perform? What are my values? Where do I belong?" These are important questions to ask as I learned when I first came to Chatham, maybe I don't have the direct answers I thought I would have. Overtime, I have learned that being positive and making people laugh are my strengths, which is why this is the right path, to sell myself on that. As general manager of Company Me, planning and organizing are easy as waking up every morning realizing it is a new day, with a smile on my face. However, directing and controlling might be harder as sometimes tough situations arise in my day, where it isn't always easy to smile through. A huge part of Company Me is networking, which Kevin Granville says in "How to Manage Your Career," is one of the most important parts of running a business, we don't always realize the basic networks we have around us from school, to work, to sports, or just people from the town. Inside of Company Me, it is surprisingly easily to manage and motivate myself as being happy calls for a great day, and if there is a chance to improve someones day its even better, which is enough motivation for me.
Marketing:
As CMO of Company Me, promoting Product Me can be difficult at first, but once people have understood the contribution I bring with good vibes and a light attitude, it is an easy sale. Potential customers can be anywhere from a random person walking down the street, or a company who just wants someone with good vibes on their team. Company Me's marketing mix would be: product good vibes and lots of laughs-price can't put a price on a good time-place anywhere that is feeling a little gloomy and needs a lift in spirit-promotion who doesn't want good vibes in their life. Product Me isn't necessarily innovative or new but sometimes people forget to take a step back and live life to the fullest, and thats what I am offering, good vibes to improve day to day life. I could use LinkedIn or social media such as Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram to reach clients or just passer by's who enjoy good vibes.
Accounting and Finance:
Accounting and finance of Company Me may be the toughest part. After promoting the company, getting people to pay for the service is the difficult part, therefore early on I would not want a lot invested into the company as fear of failure. Overtime, building the company slowly would be the best route for us.
Information Systems and Operations:
As CIO of Company Me, it would be important to keep track of data on what kind of people are using our product. So when a customer uses us, we have them fill a survey to reach out to more people from their neighborhood or their place of employment. Another useful system would be transaction processing system, as keeping track of economic events is very useful in keeping books in line and staying organized.
Monday, April 9, 2018
IA2
Throughout this school year I have spoke with Jake Klassa, a family friend, who graduated from Michigan State University in 2015. Jake studied Supply Chain Management while attending Michigan State and after his junior year landed an internship with Ford Motor Company. Following the summer internship, he was offered a full time position after his senior year of college. Jake is planning on pursuing a Masters degree and furthering his education in supply chain management.
After taking two years off of school, I was worried about coming to college and being able to focus enough on school to earn the grades I wanted. That is when Jake and I began the dialogue we have continued throughout this year. A couple things he shared with me were: to always plan like the assignment is due two days before the real due date, and to never be afraid to reach out for help. Planning like assignments are due two days earlier has been extremely beneficial and allowed me the time to make corrections and turn in my best work, while rarely falling behind. The tight community has made the second piece of advice very easy, knowing all professors are willing to help when needed has benefitted me greatly.
Before interning with Ford, Jake had previously job shadowed with the supply chain manager at Henry Ford Hospital in Michigan. Some great advice he has kept reminding me is to not be afraid of rejection, to shake as many hands as possible and build connections now and some day down the road it will pay off. Another important detail to building a good resume for the future has been to get as much experience as possible, while also making sure that those are quality experiences to reap the benefits.
In the article, "All Accounted For: A Networking Mixer to Celebrate Accounting Month", on Chatham's Business Insider, had a couple similarities to keys to success that Jake and I have discussed. Corey Doeing was quoted staying, "The point made most prevalent by all the panelists was being well-rounded. Accounting, just like many other fields, does not consist of one sole duty. Being able to apply various knowledge bases to your work is what makes you excel and stand out in any job.” I was fortunate enough to attend this mixer earlier in the year, and it was a new experience for me at the time, but I loved getting to talk to future employers and soak up all the information they had to share. a few new things that the article emphasized to add on to meet as many people as possible is to treat everyone as a future client/employer and you will always respect everyone. Lastly, to have a clear individualized approach, to stand out as yourself.
Thursday, February 8, 2018
IA1
I listened to HBR IdeaCast podcast episode 615: Does Your Firm See You as a High Potential? Featuring Jay Cronger, a leadership professional at Claremont McKenna College. Jay spoke about the process used within a corporation to determine if an employee is viewed as a high potential employee. At the end of the year, all of a companies leaders get together to discuss the status of their individual employees. This is a huge process for young employees who are trying to move up the ranks of their company. Jay discusses a few "x-factors" that they look for in employees, such as: employees who show initiative to learn, talent accelerated or someone who looks to help everybody, not just themselves, or can they solve new issues or situations quickly, calmly, and effectively. He also talks about that there is not set model to get to CEO of a company. If a company moves you around a lot, it could be for multiple reasons. For one, they might not like you and are trying to find a position they like you in, or they could be moving you laterally to build your assets. A CEO of a company must be complex and have knowledge in every area of that business, so the more experience the better. Jay wraps the podcast up by stating that some people view this high potential ranking process as unfair, but in reality it is to push all employees to be their best.
In chapter 7 of our textbook, Exploring Business, the authors discuss recruiting, motivating, and keeping quality employees. The high potential employee review process helps determine where employees stand within the company. This ranking system helps motivating all employees to be their best. According to the expectancy theory employees will work harder when they believe there will be a reward for their actions. On the podcast Jay talks about how to know if a company values you, sometimes if a company believes you are putting forth great work and have high potential they will give you a reward such as maybe an invite to a special event that your peers do not get to attend or even a promotion for continuous outstanding work. In Fredrick Herzberg's two-factory theory, the two factors are motivational and hygiene factors in which an employee may want in a certain job. If a job meets most of an employees standards for hygiene and motivational factors in a given job, they are most likely going to work their hardest and be their best, placing them higher on the potential scale.
In class I made a joke about not knowing what type of business I would like to own one day. When asked, I responded, "a successful one". Although I am unsure of what type of business I would like to go into, this podcast was very beneficial for me. It taught me what is expected from upper management to progress into a higher position, and one day how expectations for my employees. Hiring employees with a desire for learning and that "x-factor" are a very important role to making a company successful. Also, not all employees that I think might be in that high potential zone will produce at that level. In the podcast, Jay states that the once someone stops learning, you are no longer high potential, and I believe that would be a great message to all people aspiring to reach the top of the business world.
For future individual assignments my plan to be successful is to have all due dates marked in a a schedule along with my due dates, being three days before the actual date. I will use the extra three days to proof read and finalize my assignments to perfection so that I am submitting my best work every assignment. When I run into problems I will reach out to other classmates who might be able to help or the professor.
In chapter 7 of our textbook, Exploring Business, the authors discuss recruiting, motivating, and keeping quality employees. The high potential employee review process helps determine where employees stand within the company. This ranking system helps motivating all employees to be their best. According to the expectancy theory employees will work harder when they believe there will be a reward for their actions. On the podcast Jay talks about how to know if a company values you, sometimes if a company believes you are putting forth great work and have high potential they will give you a reward such as maybe an invite to a special event that your peers do not get to attend or even a promotion for continuous outstanding work. In Fredrick Herzberg's two-factory theory, the two factors are motivational and hygiene factors in which an employee may want in a certain job. If a job meets most of an employees standards for hygiene and motivational factors in a given job, they are most likely going to work their hardest and be their best, placing them higher on the potential scale.
In class I made a joke about not knowing what type of business I would like to own one day. When asked, I responded, "a successful one". Although I am unsure of what type of business I would like to go into, this podcast was very beneficial for me. It taught me what is expected from upper management to progress into a higher position, and one day how expectations for my employees. Hiring employees with a desire for learning and that "x-factor" are a very important role to making a company successful. Also, not all employees that I think might be in that high potential zone will produce at that level. In the podcast, Jay states that the once someone stops learning, you are no longer high potential, and I believe that would be a great message to all people aspiring to reach the top of the business world.
For future individual assignments my plan to be successful is to have all due dates marked in a a schedule along with my due dates, being three days before the actual date. I will use the extra three days to proof read and finalize my assignments to perfection so that I am submitting my best work every assignment. When I run into problems I will reach out to other classmates who might be able to help or the professor.
Thursday, January 25, 2018
Welcome!
Hello! Welcome to my blog, I am Kevin Fees. I am a Business Management major here at Chatham University. I am on the Men's Ice Hockey team and I love going to explore the city. One day I hope to own my own business. Enjoy!
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)