My Learning Journal - Ethics & Decision Making

I am a business professional with over 30 years of work experience in management and I feel that I have developed my skills in communications, especially in the workplace. That is why I am working hard to complete a Masters Degree in Managerial Communication at Bellevue University. I am thrilled to be taking this course because, even though I am somewhat experienced, I feel that I still have a lot to learn, especially in Business Ethics and Decision Making.

As I reflect back to a couple of weeks ago when I began this course, I remember how excited I was to start learning and was thrilled to start reading our textbook, The Seven Layers of Integrity, by George P. Jones and June Ferrill, Ph.D. I especially have been enjoying weekly Professor Artz' Video Overview, Thought for the Week, and the Image for the Week. This technique is such a creative way to get the students to really think about ethics and puts things into perspective.  Plus it's a lot of fun!

For the Main Discussion Posting, I like the fact that students can choose one of many questions to answer and write about each week. I think that each one of us can relate to at least one question and can relate it to our current job, which allows us to write freely and elaborate if we need to. It is such a great learning experience when the students can interact with each other and give feedback to each other's weekly posts. Also, this class is designed to encourage students to give constructive criticism, yet be supportive and encouraging to each other, and I appreciate all the feedback I can get.

My expectations in this class is to relate my own business experiences with others and be able to identify major ethical issues and understand why and how to deal with them. I would hope to continue analyzing various cases regarding ethical conduct and what the outcome would be, as well as identifying and knowing what to do when their are problems in ethical decision-making. Most of all, I hope to gain knowledge on how to effectively recommend commuication strategies in all aspects of ethical decision-making.

I enjoy writing in a blog because it allows me to get my thoughts in order and to keep track of my progress as I move along in this class. I also enjoy sharing information with others and feel that this is a great communication tool to do just that!

-Bye for now

Laurie

Reflection of the Processes of Electronic Group Interactions

I had a geat experience with all of the interactive technologies for my group work and this class. The tools were user-friendly and worked very well for me. These tools are great for an online class and especially for me as a student that needs flexibility. I especially enjoyed the Wiki Tool and I liked using the Discussions tool reviewing our readings, sharing experiences, and interacting with my fellow classmates. I felt that these tools were designed to give valuable feedback and constructive criticism from the classmates or the instructor, which is designed to allow students to improve their thought process, as well as writing and communication skills in order to move forward in the class, as well as future classes.

The one tool that I would have liked to have used was a Virtual Blackboard, where we could have a live chat on a particular topic of discussion and could interact live with everyone in the class. When I was working on my undergraduate degree, I had a couple of classes online that required a live chat classroom and it was a lot of fun and a great learning experience to be able to interact "live" with the other students in the class, as well as the instructor. You could share files live and give and receive immediate responses.

These online classes work very well for me and I wouldn't do it any other way. Part of the success of these tools is that they are easy to use and work very well for electronic group interactions. I also learned a lot about the value of social networking and even enjoyed creating this wonderful blog which now belongs to me, and I will be able to keep going with it whenever I want. Technology is a beautiful thing!

By for now-

Laurie

-The POST Method for People, Objectives, Strategy, and Technology within the Real Estate Market-

I work for a major Real Estate company and my role is the Director of Agent Services. In addition to several administrative management functions, one of my primary job responsibilities is to educate, recommend and assist all Real Estate Agents in my office with their Real Estate businesses, including promotional marketing, advertising, business solutions, client management and information technology training on all programs provided by the company for Realtors to maintain and advance their Real Estate business.

In using the four step planning process, POST, I am ready to assemble a plan for building a foundation of groundswell thinking where I work. Since the Real Estate Agents are independent contractors and can be very competitive, an office blog would be an excellent way to bring them together as a team in the office to share common goals, strategies, successes, and all other information that would be helpful to anyone in the Real Estate business.

Let's break it down:

People: The Real Estate Agents are the internal customers. They are already computer saavy and use social networks for personal and business use, as well as interact with potential customers & existing clients. The are already using Real Estate software programs for managing their business in the Real Estate market. Each Realtor has an Agent Profile Sheet that promotes their education, designations, qualifications, professional experience and much more. 

Objectives: To motivate and empower our Real Estate Agents by helping them identify and discuss areas for improvement, set personal goals, team goals, and objectives, as well as implement roundtable discussions based on client feedback, and conduct training sessions for Agents to enhance their Real Estate business. This would not only satisfy clients, but would meet or exceed the business goals of the company.

Strategy: By setting up this office blog, the Management, Office Staff, and Agents would have an opportunity to continuously correspond and post valuable information on the blog, especially when it can sometimes be difficult to get everyone together in the office for meetings and special training sessions. A blog is a great way to get out valuable information to everyone in our office and they can read or comment on their own time. Communicating internally is a great way to build a communication network providing valuable resources to everyone!

Technology: Internal Blog

Bye for now-

Laurie

Laurie's Introduction

Hello-

Let me introduce myself. My name is Laurie Giller and I live in Bourbonnais, Illinois. I am a recent graduate from the College of Arts and Sciences at Governors State University.  This past summer, I received a Bachelor of Arts Degree in Interdisciplinary Studies with a Concentration in Business Management. I am currently enrolled in the Master of Arts in Managerial Communication program at Bellevue University and my goal is to graduate in approximately 18 months. I have over 30 years of professional work experience in the Facilities and Operations Management field and have worked for several large corporations over the years. For the past five years, I have been working for a major Real Estate company near my home, since I have returned to school. I have been married to my husband for almost 20 years and have two stepchildren and two children living at home. I know that this online degree program will allow me the flexibility I need to work full time, manage my family and volunteer for community service activities. Once I received my Masters Degree, I would like to find a job in the Communications field and move forward in my career.

Bye for now-

Laurie