connections post #3

In chapter 12 we learned about about managing conflict, stress, and, time. In this chapter it talks about the difference between important tasks and urgent tasks. This relates to my life because before I learned about this I was a big procrastinator and always waited till the last minit to do evern the important things. I let them become urgent things to do. This caused me to be very stressful about these things. but after i learned about this subject I learned that. If I do the important things before they get urgent then it saves me alot of stress.

Connections Post 3

Another connection I make with my ranch is the inverted pyramid style of management. I work at the horse corral at my ranch, and while we all interact with the guests (it is a resort style ranch) face to face, each of us plays our own roles in the business. When I am home for the summer, and I see something I want changed at the corral, I change it. As long as the change is noted to my dad and reasonable it is an acceptable change. As I interact not only with the horses but the people who come to ride them on a daily basis, it is assumed that I know more of what is needed and what will work at the corral. The same goes for the pool, the cookouts, and really every aspect of work at the ranch. We are each associated with a certain aspect of the ranch and therefore we have some control over how ours runs. Barring ridiculous or cost inefficient ideas, the different aspects of the business are shaped around who works them, creating a diverse and entertaining experience for vacationing. It has worked very well for a long time and I believe that people come back because of it

Connections Post 2

At my job back home on my ranch, I get to see situational leadership used on a day by day basis. My dad is the CEO of a company which has 10 other owners including himself. They are all his siblings. What this situation creates is basically a tribe with too many chiefs and not enough indians. Therefore, careful management must be used with each owner to assure each of them that they have equal say and also equal responsibility. Convincing each of them to do certain jobs that are generally not associated with owning a business is a tricky job, and each person requires a different strategy. Some need to be told what to do, and others must be coaxed. My dad's relationship with each of his siblings is friendly, yet having him as a CEO means something different to each of them

Connections Post 1

Very recently the Denver Broncos fired head coach Josh McDaniels. This is the third midseason firing in the NFL this year, which is not a common occurance. The Josh McDaniels firing, in particular, was caused by people in power (McDaniels) gaining too much control over the organization. He had complete control over personel changes and decision, and very quickly displayed his inexperience with that aspect of the job. His mismanagement of his superstars and the lack of communication displayed between Coach McDaniels and the Owner ultimately led to his firing. They attempted to make the organization centralized, however they gave the power to someone who did not know how to use it, which led to the poor performance this season and a change in the way that the organization does things.

connections post #2

In chapter 11 we learned about the fundamentals of coaching. In this chpater it talks about the Johari window of disclosure. This is a chart that shows how to open things up between coach and student. I have seen this in my life. I have played soccer my intire life last year I played for the University of cental Arkansas. My coach was very hard on some players and some of them didnt respond well the the harsh things he said. but one day one of the teammates went and talked about the way hos coaching effected his play. By getting this feed back the coach learned more about the player and learned how to work with him better.

Connections 3

One of the things that has rang true to me this semester is when we talked about stressors. I knew that there are many things that cause stress in everyone's life, form genetic makeup to the simple fact they may just feel bad. I have come to realize that the only real cause for stress in my life is my poor time management skills. i have never been good with this but it has definitely gotten worse over the past year. I feel that this is due to the fact I have become a little burnout on school and just have not put forth the effort I should be. After coming ot realize this though I know feel like I can make the steps to get my life back on track.

connections post #1

Chapter 2 is about the Fundimentals of planning. In the chapter we learned about the vicious cylcle of not planning. It says that that if the superviser spends little time planning which leads to unforseen problems and the superviser has to spend time putting out fires. I saw this happen one time when I worked at a coffe shop. The main reason people came to the coffe shop was to get on thier computers and do home work. One time the wirless internet stopped working and because the manager had not spent time planning on this he had no back up plan. many customers left to go to other places with internet. If the manager had spent time planning this would not have been a problem.

Connections 2

In my last job i got to experience a lot of freedom in the way I went about getting my job done. I worked at a small bar and grill and it meant that my boss delegated to us a lot. We did not have many employees so the ones that stayed were trained in most if not all the positions of the restaurant. The fact that I had to be accountable for many different aspects of the business while on the clock it allowed me to grow in my skills and become confident in the everyday tasks of the business. By the time i quit the restaurant my boss would trust me with pretty much anything in the store and that is a great feeling.

Connections 1

Management is a thing that relies on many different skills to be effective. One of the skills that i have learned is very crucial to a manager is a skill that I need to work on very hard because it is definitely one of my weaknesses. This skill I need to improve is being prepared. This is pretty broad but from what I have learned, a prepared manager always has a plan, has great time management, and is organized. A manager who posses all these things can benefit because it will allow them to be less stressed and also have more time to do other tasks. I have realized that I need to work on these things for these benefits and so I can be a productive individual.

Reflections 4

Since the last test we have had thanksgiving break. WE have been covering chapters 13, 15 and 16. I found the lecture over chapter 15, "selecting, appraising, and disciplining employees," the most interesting. It caught my interest because I never knew so many things went into how managers deal with employees. Effective managers use these different process to evaluate each employee and make sure that they are the best person for the job. This chapter also talked about how the managers use evaluations and other tests to evaluate how the current employees are performing their jobs and can use this to decide to train an employee that is lacking in vital skills or even used to promote employees who are overqualified for a job.

Connections Post 3

When we were learning about the various employment laws one question I had that wasn't answered was whether or not there was a law that determined a minimum age for certain positions. I'm fairly certain that there is not a law but that it is most companies policy to only let people over a certain age to do things like run local deliveries. I know that commercial drivers licenses are required to do some things and that there is a minimum age for that but I'm not sure if there is a similar regulation for running deliveries locally in a company vehicle.

Connections Post 2

When I worked at autozone I was delegated the responsibility to close out the cash registers even though that was supposed to be a managerial job. I was initially watched over by the managers but after the third or fourth time I was free to close out by myself while the managers on duty finished the rest of the closing duties. I think they were ok with me doing this because I was very accurate with my drawer and expressed interest in closing out because I knew it would help with giving me the opportunity to transfers stores when I moved and possibly get a promotion and raise very quickly.

Connections Post 1

I saw an example of collaboration to try and solve a conflict when there was a deal worked out between the republicans and the democrats having to do with the tax structure that will be in place next year. The reps wanted to extend the tax rates for everyone while the dems only wanted to extend them for people making under $250,000 a year. But the dems also wanted to extend unemployment benefits while the reps thought this was a bad idea. They came up with a deal where tax cuts would be extended for everyone and extend unemployment benefits for 13 more months. Both groups got something important to them and can consider it a win.

Final Post

Management is only effective due to the five functions that make it up, and while all are important for the management of a business to be effective, I feel one is more crucial than the rest. The one I feel is the most important to a business is leading. The reason I feel this way is because that the whole point of management is to get others to do a job that is for the greater good of the business. This task falls to on leading to get this accomplished. With leading, a effective manager can communicate the greater goal of the business to the employees and then inspire them to carry out the task that they are wanting done.

Final Post

Management is much more than people skills, as many may think. In order to be an effective manager you need many skills like those of the five basic functions of management and much more. We can look at ourselves and other managers around us to evaluate each other and make each other better. Being a good manager directly relates to achieving goals and moving forward as a business and in a persons career.

Connections Post 3

Chapter 15 discusses selecting employees, including the preliminary interview. I can see why companies would use many more steps in the selection process than just this. I have seen people come into a preliminary interview, at previous jobs, looking and sounding the part but never last long or are hard workers. Selecting a good employee is not just about a good first impression but much more. Selection tests, applications, and interviews give a far better look into how an employee will perform and last in a specific job or position.

Connections Post 2

When it comes to management and everyday life I can see how closely related controlling and planning are. When it comes to management you have to plan ahead in order to set goals and measure performance. In everyday life you also have to plan ahead to control things around you as well. In comparing a successful life to a successful business I suppose you can say that both planning and controlling (certain aspects at least) are also essential and necessary to be productive and motivated.

Scribe Post

When it comes to the functions of management I believe that planning is the most important aspect towards a business. Without planning a manager is continually just dealing with the "here and now", putting out fires and dealing with what is happening at the moment. You can not set goals and have progress without planning. Moving forward and expanding is a very important aspect of business growth, and without planning this could be very difficult or next to impossible.

Final Post Connections 3

I reviwed all day for our final exam tomorrow and in chapeter 16 I ran across an act that my families farm has had much trouble with. The Immigration Reform and Control act of 1986 has effected employment on the farm in the past and most likely will in the future. Throughout the years it has seemed as though the majority of dependable agricultural labor on the texas gulf coast has been illegal immigrants from mexico. This act when passed caused a lot of turmoil on the farm including an audit and caused my father to become extremely critical about the criteria met in this act.

Connections 2

In chapter 11 I stumbled across coaching and thinking back to watching my father work and teach the labor of the farm to new workers i grasped just how important of an attribute coaching is. Coaching I learned is much more than just teaching, its confronting and counseling also. This is important if you know the iceberg model. You only know the tip of the iceberg.

Connection Post 3

I think that I Leader and a team that communicates and work well with each other are very important to accomplishing of a task or goal. I see this many times and Sport teams you have all the best players all the all starts but if they don’t have the correct leader and don’t work efficiently together they can fail to come out with victory’s. Were when I see underdog teams that because they work so good with each other they can perform to beat other teams.

Reflection Post 4

I think that diversity is good in a business or a group. I think that it is an advantage because you can gather different types of ideas that could help some a problem or create a idea material. Diversity can lead to agreements among a group but if managed right I believe it could be beneficial to the ultimate goal or task a group is trying to accomplish.

Connections

Reading through chapter 7 I soaked up much knowledge of motivators and how they can effect a work environment. I found the explanation of intrinsic and extrinsic motivation quite interesting. I believe that if i could choose i would much rather my work force to be driven by intrinsic motivators. I think this would bring about the greatest effeciency within the company.

Reflections 3

Today I was further reviewing when it struck me how odd our classes jeopardy review is. Yet the more I studied it I found it helped me to absorb the material much better, like flashcards. Between the review and the slide show I finally have the legal issues within relation to labor down pat. I am looking forward to acing our Final Exam tomorrow.

Connections Post 3

Motivation is something that I think anyone can relate too. I know that motivation in many forms help me continue working towards goals or dreams. I have to maintain my motivation towards school mainly because it is the hardest to stay focused on. I can understand how important it is in the business world as well because work is not always the most fun so having motivation toward the goals of the business is something that must be maintained.

Connections Post 2

I have gone through many different kinds of interviews and can relate to the entire selection process except actually getting the job. I was applying to a very nice golf course and had to go through many different processes that we have learned about. I had to fill out the application and wait for the course to respong. When I was first contacted it was by email and they had asked me to take a few little personality test and things to help them make a decision. This was through a community HR manager not the golf course. After this i had three different interviews for two different positions. So I am very familiar with the interview and selection process.

Connection 2

My connection through the selective process of choosing employees was not the most traditional interview. My boss pretty much hired me on the spot. She did not ask me my age, education, or anything you would normally be asked in a job interview. Even though i was pretty happy that i did not have to sit through a long interview, it made me think of what would have happened if i was a bum who never did anything when i was told to. My boss made a risky decision just hiring me like she did, but in the end it was not a bad choice because of my hard work ethic.

Connections Post 1

Chapter 9 Group development is very easy for me to relate to because of the numerous amounts sports that I have played and been around over the years and seen teams come together through many of the stages that we learned about. From growing together and the rough beginnings for the team, then the team beginning to believe in eachother and perform. (In most cases). Performing was either the team winning the game or getting stronger after a lose. Forming, Storming, Norming, and Performing were all a part of the team as it is in the business world with new groups or teams.

Connection

When we talked about coaching in the management world it reminded me of when i played little league baseball. When you were younger your baseball coach would teach you tips and tricks on how to be a better player. Just as in the working world managers coach their employees on how to find the most productive way of handling tasks.

Final post- Caleb

Leading is the most important to me because I believe without a good leader then the business will not function as well as it should. Leading is very important because you need someone that will take hold of the reins and steer into whatever direction you need to go. And if there is an obstacle a good leader can think on his feet quickly to get around the obstacle.

Connection Post #3

In chapter 13 we learned about control and the 4 steps of the control process. At my job we are supposed to have reviews for everyone at their 90 day, 6 month, and then an annual review for every employee. It has a list of different job descriptions that everyone should know and do, and we are supposed to give everyone a letter grade ranging from A to F. I have worked there now for almost 4 years, and have received only 3 performance reviews. We do not keep up with this very well, therefore employees do not know what they really need to work on. Even if someone isn't doing something right, they just let them do it until someone has to come and actually tell the person that they aren't doing it right. I feel that people would perform better if we did the reviews in a more timely fashion.

Connection Post #2

In Chapter 12 we learned about stress, and to me more importantly, burn out. I feel extemely burnt out by my job all the time. I am plain just sick and tired of bartending all the time. I don't like dealing with people who think they know my job better than I do, I don't like the hours that I have to work, and we never have enough people there, so I am tired of never being able to get off a weekend to go and do anything with my girlfriend and friends that don't work at the bar. I feel that everytime I walk into that place I just want to put in my two weeks and go and find another job.

Connection Post #1

Chapter 7 is all about motivation and the two types, intrinsic and extrensic. My job has a lot of extrinsic rewards. At the end of the year we have a christmas party and every employee receives a bonus of one percent of their total ring for the year. So say you ring $100,000 dollars for the year, then your bonus check is for $1,000. But, we hardly ever get commended on what a great job we are doing or that we are actually appreciated at work besides these few extrinsic rewards. It is nice to get that bonus at the end of the year, but I would also like to feel a sense of accomplishment for doing a good job.

Connection Post 3

In ch. 11 we learned about coaching. We learned that a message from a coach must always be pinpointed. That really reminds me of when I played baseball for many years. We had several coaches on the team. We had the general practices where we practiced as a team. We also had coaches taking us aside to help us with our footwork on defense, pitching coaches helped us correct our mistakes on where your arm should be at a certain point in the pitch, and our hitting coach would help us with hand placement and where we could put our elbow so it could take less time for us to get through our swinging motion. All of those were based on performance and that is exactly what a coach needs to be looking to improve out of everyone. You can still improve an undefeated team since no one is perfect.

Connection Post 2

In ch. 12 we learned about stress and time management. At this time of year with all the most important test of the semester coming up it can be very stressful if a person has bad time management. For these finals I have been working to improve my time management skills so that all these tests can be much less stressful. I am staying relaxed, studying for one test at a time in order that I take them, and making sure not to have any task become an urgent one.

Connection Post 1

In Ch. 7 we learned about the expectancy theory. It states that a person is motivated if they believe: 1. they are able to complete the task 2. the task will be rewarded 3. they value the reward. A good example of that is Lebron James. When he made his decision to go to Miami his goal was to win multiple championships. According to this theory he should be very motivated. He went there to win the championships so he obviously believes he can complete the task. If it were about money he would have stayed in Cleveland. The task would be rewarding to anyone. Who wouldn't want to have several championship rings? He would value the reward because he knows the only way for anyone to seriously compare him to the greatest players who have ever played the game is if he wins a few rings.

Connections Post 1

In chapter 7 we learned about the Equity Theory, which I can relate to. At my old job my input was not equaling my output. I had worked there for many years and I had begun to do more work for less money and not much better treatment from management. I tried getting more involved, decreasing my input, but eventually realized that it was not worth it and quit. Since my input and output could not be equaled thus the result of quitting.

Scribe, Final Post Brett B

I think that planning is the most important part of running a business. All management functions are important but without planning you will not be able to run your business smoothly and without major problems. Without planning you set yourself up for failure. It allows small problems to turn into major problems and this is obviously a major issue. Planning is the most important function and without it the other management functions could be rendered useless.

Cooper's Final Post

Planning is the most important functon of management. Planning is determinig resources needed, setting daily, weekly, monthly performance objectives, developing work schedules, and anticipating and preparing for problems before they occur. This is most important because all managerial functions depend on planning because it is unlikely that they will be successfully carried out without sound and continuous planning.

Reflections 4

In Chapter 13 over Exercising Control, we learned about the steps to the control process, having effective control, and the different types of control. I found learning effective control techniques very interesting and insightful. The different steps to effective control are focusing on the right activities, doing them in a timely and cost-effective manner, checking for accuracy and conciseness, and making sure they are accepted by those affected. The most confusing chapter of late has been chapter 15 : Selecting, Appraising, and Disciplining Employees. This chapter's difficult because of the selection process. The different steps are hard to memorize.

Connections post 3

Communication is one of the most important things to have in a business. I have tried to make my communication skills better in order to get my instructions or messages to be more understood and so that they are more precise. Without communication people could go about doing what they normally do without knowing that they should be doing something else.

Connections Post 2

In ch. 8 we discussed Leadership. I often go into starbucks on my way to class. While I am there I always pay attention to how the employees are going about their jobs. Not to mention some of the insider information we have gotten from someone ;). Some of the things that we have been told about the way starbucks works have come apparent to me. I have noticed the different levels of leaderships within the 5-6 employees that are there on a daily basis.

Connections post 1

In ch. 7 we learned about the Expectancy theory. This theory states that a person is motivated if they believe 3 things.

1. They are able to complete the task.

-I have used this first step during the semester while having to complete school work or study for test. I set goal for myself and if i accomplished this goal then I knew i would feel good about my efforts

2. The Task will be rewarded.

- You have to reward yourself every once in a while in order to keep from goin crazy

3. They value the reward.

-The reward has to be something that will actually make you feel good about what you have done. In my case, I would stop by and grab myself a 6 pack on the way back from school and relax and have a couple before I had to start the journey all over again.

Final Post!!! Gaukhar Smailova

I think planning is the most important part in business because without planning you are not be able to create a right business. In my opinion you can achieve a success when you will arrange everything according to your plan. You should set a right schedule, you should hire employees according to your specific interview plan, you should make perfect business plan and etc.

Reflection Post 3

In chapter 9 we discussed the stages of Group development. I believe that people use these steps in everyday life more than they realize. When studying for a test a few fellow classmates might get together, this being the first step of forming. The next thing the group may do is decide a way to study for a test, which would be storming. The third thing the group may do is begin to agree with one another on a way to prepare for the test, this being the Norming step. The final thing the group may do is help each other with certain things that one person may not understand, this being the Performing step.

Connections

Chapter 13 talks about exercising control. When i worked for the West Corporation they followed the Steps of Control Process almost to a T. When i was hired they gave me an extra large packet explaining the standards of the company. Along those lines, the first 3 months of working there i was in a training class where they repeatedly enforced the standards of the company and their expectations. After the 3 month period we were moved to the "floor" where we began taking phone calls. Each employee had a coach who monitored there performance in things such as productivity and customer service. Roughly every two weeks or so we would have a meeting with our coach to discuss our stats and give us feedback. At this time they would then take corrective action by pinpointing your weaknesses and/or firing you. I believe the way they had the company set up was not a bad way to run things, but because of the ridiculously high expectations of the company and the little experience required to get the job, there was a very high turnover rate. Eventually about 6 months ago the branch closed.

Connections

In class on Monday we discussed discrimination in the work place. There are many instances i can think of in my work environments that have involved discrimination. One example involves discrimination because of Religion. I used to work for West Corporation and while i was employed there there was an employee who would have scheduled payed breaks to pray. In his Religion, at certain times of the day, he would have to face a certain direction and say a prayer. This is an accommodation that the corporation allowed him to do. Employers have an obligation to accommodate religious practices as long as the accommodation does not create more than a minimum cost to the employer. In this case the employee was using his own scheduled breaks to pray and it did not have a negative impact on the company.

Final post

From my point of view I feel that planning is the most important part of management. One of the first management concepts that I learned was that planning and controlling are "siamese twins."They go hand in hand with each other. The first step to controlling is to PLAN. There are two cycles to planning; planning and NOT planning. The key to planning is to put out "fires" before they happen or as fast as possible. If there is a plan in place, and a problem or "fire" happens there are measures in place to keep the damage at a minimum. Thats why I believe planning is most important. If you have a good plan of action and a problem arises you wont be hindered.

Final Post!!! Reflection Post 4 - Gaukhar Smailova

We have learned chapters 13,15 and 16. In chapter 13 we have learned all about control. We discussed different ways to control, characteristics of effectiveness and etc. In chapter 15 we discussed :Selecting, Apprising and Disciplining. This chapter tells us how to select employees, how to disciplining employees and apprising employees. Chapter 16 tells us about diversity of people, everybody have an equal rights. It is also tells us about different types of discrimination.

Final Post!!!!Reflection Post 3 - Gaukhar Smailova

We have discussed chapters 9,11 and 12. In chapter 9 i have learned about team building. It tells us about group stages, Effectiveness and difference between group and individuals. In chapter 11 we have discussed about coaching. How to be a good coach a different way to rich it. In chapter 12 we discussed conflict, stress and time. We have learned reasons of stress and conflicts. Also we discussed how to spend your time correct.

Final Post!!!!Reflection Post 2 - Gaukhar Smailova

We have discussed 4 chapters: 5,6,7 and 8. Chapter 5 was about delegation and Empowerment. We have learn what is delegation means. Sources of authority, what the difference between power and leadership. Also we have learned what Empowerment means and benefit of delegation. In chapter 6 we have learned all about communication: different types of communication and how communicate with people in right way. In chapter 7 we discussed the motivation: how to motivate people and different theories. Chapter 8 tells us about leadership. What does leadership mean,difference between leader and manager, power and leadership.

Reflections

In chapter 16 we learned allot about business law. The immigration reform and control act really grabbed my attention. I didn't know that the employer was responsible for for making sure an employee was legal to work. This really made me think about all the people that use immigrants for work on there farms and ranches and how much trouble they could get in.

Connections #3

In this class I have really learned allot. I think every manager should take some of Bethany's classes before they are put in there positions. Because, most managers I have had in my working life have turned in to some "manager skill lacking dudes". The reason I probably quit most of the 10 different jobs that I have formally quit would be due to the people above me. I never really minded the work in the oil field, operating heavy equipment, driving an 18 wheeler across the country or even retail store work. The way my bosses at all those jobs operated is what really bothered me. After this class I now know what was wrong with most of those managers.

Connections post #2

Since I graduated high school in 2005 I have held 2 management positions. In the first one working for an oil company I think I express an authority compliance type of leader ship like we discussed in chapter 8. I never really gave much concern to what the people under me had going on in their lives. When one of them would ask me for a day off or needed to go some were I was always thinking about how much that would increase mine and others work load just because there were so few of us and so much to take care of. I really felt bad one day when one of my guys quit and I called him to ask why and he said because he would rather quit than ask me for a day off.

Connections post #1

In 2007 I was in between jobs and started working for a guy in my home town. He owned a small business doing random construction projects. The 3 months I worked for this guy I saw everything opposite of what we learned in chapter 2. He was always starting projects and leaving them uncompleted. This guy seemed to start a job just to get a draw check then move to a new one. He never planned on how he was going to get all the jobs he started done. Well after a while I noticed that we were never finishing anything so I quit. I heard some months later a “fire started” all of the people he had started jobs for started filing law suits against him. I think he should have defiantly taken a few Bethany’s classes before he started a business.

Cooper's scribe post

Planning is the most important functon of management. Planning is determinig resources needed, setting daily, weekly, monthly performance objectives, developing work schedules, and anticipating and preparing for problems before they occur. This is most important because all managerial functions depend on planning because it is unlikely that they will be successfully carried out without sound and continuous planning.

Connections #3

I have held two part-time jobs in the last 3 years, and the interview processes were were very different from each other. My first job was straight out of high school at a small flower shop. A girl from my hometown had worked there for a year, and even though she loved it she was moving on to another job, so she recommended me. When I walked into the flower shop, we didn't even sit down to talk. The owner was so nice, and she basically just talked to me about what hours I could work, and since no experience was required I was a good fit for the job. She hired me because I presented myself well, and I started work the next week. My next job, however, had an extensive interview process. I was applying at a restaurant (along with at least 15 other people), but made it past the initial interview simply because I mentioned that my brother was a manager at the Tyler location of the restaurant. I was then interviewed by a second manager, who asked all about my brother, what hours I could work, what experience I had, whether I would be willing to work holidays, etc. I was to come back in a couple of days to be interviewed by the owner. Luckily, I didn't realize she was the owner or else I would have been a lot more tense. But I answered everything honestly, and in the end I was hired, even though I was a bit intimidated by the rigorous interview process.

Reflection

The selection of employees in chapter 15 suprised me. When i applied for my job at the sandwich shop, there was not a traditional interview involved. My soon to be boss practically told me to come back in a week to start working. She never asked me about my work background, experiences or anything. My boss took a big risk in doing that because i could of been a lousy worker and not know how to do or handle anything. The selection of employees is one of the biggest risk in hiring new workers. People can lie or make things up about themselves in interviews and in other aspects. The manager responsible for hiring needs to have a keen sense in seeing through people to make the best decisions.

Reflections

When we were covering the selections process I thought about the worst selection process that I had ever been a part of which was when I got hired at a bar and was on the schedule before I ever met a manager. I later realized that this was how everyone was hired and that was why half of the girls that worked there didn't make it a week and why no one ever really got along. The most important aspect of a possible hire at a bar should be how they fit in socially (or maybe it's that they wont steal) but those are the top two and no one ever tried to control that aspect of things.

To Earn Scribe Post Points

If you have not been chosen as a scribe yet this semester, to earn your Scribe Post points (50 points possible) you will need to create a new post on the blog with your response to the following question:

• Which function of management (planning, organizing, staffing, leading, controlling) do you consider the MOST IMPORTANT to the business and why? 

All final posts will be due Thursday, December 9th.  All posts must include the label "Final Post" - NOT the label "Scribe Post".  Your post must also be labeled with your name.  Like all other posts, if your post is not labeled correctly, you will not receive credit!

Reflections 4

Chapter 15 showed us the many steps that are followed in the hiring process. But we also got to learn what happens when an employer doesnt follow these steps and has to deal with the complications. Negligent hiring can not only threaten your reputation, it can cost you dearly. Employers are held responsible for an employees actions. This helped me to see that every action that you do has a consequence and choices should be chosen carefully.

Connections post

I could connect most with chapter 13. I have noticed that I have more control in actions.I now consider the consequences of my actions well before I act. I believe that this is a direct result of more planning. When I saw that planning is the first step to control I began to see the link between planning and controlling. I measured my performance and compared it to my past years. These steps have now been used with corrective action to help me find control in life.

Reflections #4

The chapter on selecting, appraising, and disciplining employees was interesting to me because it showed just how lengthy and detailed the hiring process actually is. It was definitely enough to make me nervous about applying for jobs in the future. If I am ever in the position of hiring employees for a business, I think it would be something I would really struggle with. It seems like it would be an extremely difficult decision to make, because a person can present him or herself as the perfect employee during an interview, and be a horrible employee in reality. In a restaurant, for example, it is such a disappointment when someone is hired on, and goes through several days of training (following other servers around, studying the menu, taking tests, and getting paid) then fails to show up for their first shift. Or they work a couple of shifts, do a well enough job, then quit. Not only does it cost the company money, but so much time as well. People are so inconsistent sometimes, and I think that most interview processes cannot dig up who a person truly is beneath their first impressions.

Connections #2

When we covered the chapter on motivation, I considered what motivates me to do my job. There is definitely a combination of intrinsic and extrinsic motivation factors that help me do my job well. I wait tables, and have done so at the same restaurant for over a year now. Some extrinsic motivation in my job include my working conditions, and the good tips I (usually) receive when I am doing everything I can to make a table happy. When I say working conditions, I mean that I know what I am doing and the restaurant has become a comfort zone. I like my job, because it pays well, and it pays immediately. I come home with money after every shift. It is also a very appealing job for me, as a college student, because the schedule is so flexible. There are so many employees, all with such different schedules, that it is nearly always possible to get a shift covered. I think my intrinsic motivation comes from the satisfaction I feel when a table is truly gracious because of the way I treated them. I am always pleasant, but not everyone appreciates it. It's those that do appreciate it, and take the time to learn a little bit about me, that motivates me to continue being pleasant to all my tables.

Connection 3

I can relate to the discipline chapter through my years of playing baseball. A coach must always discipline every player the same. If the best player on the team and the worst player on the team show up late for a morning workout then they both need to get the same punishment. By doing this the Coach lets the players know that everyone is held accountable for their actions and nobody is above punishment. In my experience if this approach is not taken it can lead to resentment among teammates and poor morale. This can be a huge problem with achieving day to day goals as well as more long term goals.

Connection 2

I have never had a job so I have never gone through a traditional interview process but I can relate to that topic through my baseball career. I was drafted three different years by three different professional baseball teams. Each team had extremely similar "interview" processes. They scout you throughout the season and decide if you are worthy of being drafted. Once they draft you they can enter into contract negotiations. Most of the time they like to see you play more during the summer before they offer a bonus and contract. This can last up to three months, which is a lot longer than usual job interviews, but are very necessary when talking about the kind of money being offered in exchange for employment.

Reflection 4

I found the chater over discipline interesting. I know someone who has never been fired or been turned down by employer that recently got fired. This person has always been a very good employee and has great references from every former employee but she broke the company late policy three times in a month and was let go. I think it is very important to enforce the same consequences on everyone in the work place.