The Quotes that I Quoted...

“The Price of greatness is responsibility.” Winston Churchill

“Destiny is not a matter of Chance; it is a matter of Choice”

“People forget how fast you did a job—but they remember how well you did it.”
Howard W. Newton

“Genius is one percent inspiration and ninety-nine percent perspiration.”
Thomas Alva Edison

“The highest reward for a person’s toil is not what they get for it, but what they become by it.” John Ruskin

“Luck is what happens when preparation meets opportunity.” Elmer Letterman

“If a man is called to be a street sweeper, he should sweep streets even as Michelangelo painted, or Beethoven composed music, or Shakespeare wrote poetry. He should sweep streets so well that all the hosts of heaven and earth will pause to say, here lived a great street sweeper who did his job well.” Martin Luther King, Jr.

“Quality is never an accidence; it is always the result of high intention, sincere effort, intelligent direction and skillful execution; it represents the wise choice of many alternatives.” Willa A. Foster

“Failures are divided into two classes- those who though and never did, and those who did and never thought.” John Charles Salak

“The secret of happiness is not in doing what one likes, but in liking what one does.” James M. Barrie

“Failure is the opportunity to begin again more intelligently.” Henry Ford

“Success in a journey, not a destiny.” Ben Sweetland

Reading Note

COMMUNICATION CHALLENGES

Although it can be argued that voice mail and e-mail are more efficient, and in many ways, more convenient, I still prefer to communicate in person, or if that is not possible, by telephone. In my experience, face-to-face interactions are better able to judge the attitude and emotions that can be easily hidden in a written reply. In addition., the exchange is more immediate. Even instant messaging isn’t as fast as a verbal interaction in person or by phone. E-mail seems efficient; however, sometimes multiple messages over several days are required to clarify the information that a short phone call would have taken care of in one communication. We have all tried to return a voice mail only to hear a recording on the person to talk. Moreover, the body language and the expression on the speaker’s face often communicate more than the words themselves. Research indicates that more than 80 percent of a message is nonverbal. The way that a speaker stand or sits can indicate interest or disagreement. The eye contact and the movement of the eyebrows and the mouth can actually communicate the opposite of the words that the speaker is saying. Finally, no technology has succeeded in duplicating a firm handshake to close a deal, a hug to encourage a friend, or a kiss goodbye. Until e-mail and voice mail can provide the subtle communication, the immediate interaction, and the emotional satisfaction of a face-to-face conversation, complete with facial expressions and gestures, I will prefer to talk instead of to type.

Reading Note

Technological Innovations

Without doubt, computers have changed the way that nations interact with each other in a global society. One type of communication that has been greatly affected by the computer is international mail. For example, prior to the widespread use of computers, a letters from the United States to my country amount of money would buy groceries for a family for one week. Now mail can be delivered instantly at virtually no cost by electronic mail.

Another way that computers have affected international communication is in the way that people assemble in meetings and conferences. Before the introduction of computer technology, it was necessary to fly into a central location to conduct business or training. The time involved in travel was often ten times that of the actual meeting time. Now, through the miracle of teleconferencing, participants from many nations can meet in local sites and connect by means of satellite to a central conference facility. They can see each other on large screens and interact with each other from multiple sites around the world. After the initial investment in the equipment, a company can expect to save money because the travel budget can be adjusted down.

Finally, computers have influenced the language of communication around the world. Although English was a popular foreign language prior to the advent of the Internet, it is even more useful now. The computer keyboards in Roman letters are more efficient and, at least initially, the flood of information onto the “information highway” was often in the English language. To be connected in a global society increasingly means knowing English as a second language.

Computers have changed the way that nations interact with each other to send international mail, to attend world meetings and conferences, and to connect to the Internet. They have made it cheaper and easier to exchange information

Reading Note

Advantages and Disadvantages of

Group Decision Making

Committees, task, forces, and ad hoc groups are frequently assigned to identify and recommend decision alternatives or, in some cases, to actually make important decisions. In essence, a group is a tool that can focus the experience and expertise of several people on a particular problem or situation. Thus, a group offers the advantages and facts than individuals and often considers more alternatives. Each person in the group is able to draw on his or her unique education, experience, insights, and other resources and contribute those to the group. The varied background, training levels, and expertise of group members also help overcome tunnel vision by enabling the group to view the problem in more than one way.

Participation in group decision making usually leads to higher member satisfaction. People tend to accept a decision more readily and to be better satisfied with it when they have participated in making that decision. In addition, people will better understand and be more committed to a decision in which they have had a say than to a decision made for them. As a result, such a decision is more likely to be implemented successfully.

While groups have many potential benefits, we all know that they can also be frustrating. One obvious disadvantage of group decision making is the time required to make a decision. The time needed for group discussion and the associated compromising and selecting of a decision alternative can be considerable. Time costs money, so a waste of time becomes a disadvantage if a decision made by a group could have been made just as effectively by an individual working alone. Consequently, group decisions should be avoided when speed and efficiency are the primary considerations.

A second disadvantage is that the group discussion may be dominated by an individual or subgroup. Effectiveness can be reduced if one individual, such as the group leader, dominates the discussion by talking too much or being closed to other points of view. Some group leaders try to control the group and provide the major input. Such dominance can stifle other group members willingness to participate and could cause decision alternatives to be ignored or overlooked. All group members need to be encouraged and permitted to contribute.

Another disadvantage of group decision making is that members may be less concerned with the group’s goals than with their own personal goals. They may become so sidetracked in trying to win an argument that they forget about group performance. On the other hand, a group may try too hard to compromise and consequently may not make optimal decisions. Sometimes this stems from the desire to maintain friendships and avoid disagreements. Often groups exert tremendous social pressure on individuals to conform to established or expected patterns of behavior. Especially when they are dealing with important and controversial issues, interacting groups may be prone to a phenomenon called groupthink.

Groupthink is an agreement-at-any-cost mentality that results in ineffective group decision making. It occurs when groups are highly cohesive, have highly directive leaders, are insulated so they have no clear ways to get objective information, and –because they lack outside information-have little hope that a better solution might be found than the one proposed by the leader or other influential group members. These conditions foster the illusion that the group is invulnerable, right, and more moral than outsiders. They also encourage the development or self-appointed “mind guard” who bring pressure on dissenters. In such situations, decisions-often important decisions-are made without consideration of alternative frames or alternative options. It is difficult to imagine conditions more conducive to poor decision making and wrong decisions.

Recent research indicates that groupthink may also result when group members have preconceived ideas about how a problem should be solved. Under these conditions, the team may not examine a full range of decision alternatives, or it may discount or avoid information that threatens its preconceived choice.

Reading Note

Learning a Foreign Language

There are many advantages to learning a language in your own country. In the first place, it is quite a lot cheaper than it would be to travel to the country where the language is spoken. The cost of airfare, living accommodations, food, and tuition at a familiar environment. Studying abroad requires that you speak the foreign language all the time to accomplish basic activities. Although it is an opportunity to use the language daily in a real setting, it can be very wearing. Finally, it is advantageous to have teachers who speak your native language because they have gone through the same stages of learning the foreign language that you are experiencing, and they know how to explain the new language by relating it to the native language.

Nevertheless, an argument can be made for learning a language in the country in which it is spoken. Only three can you truly hear the accent and idioms of natural speech. Being surrounded by the foreign language allows you to acquire nuances that elude the classroom. It is also beneficial to learn the language within the context of the culture so that you can learn the behavior that accompany language. For example, learning how to order in a restaurant when you are right there with native speakers will also let you see how to behave in a restaurant in the foreign country. Finally, there are often opportunities that occur while you are in another country. Friendships can result in invitations to spend time with native speakers in their homes, and possibilities can present themselves for work or study in the foreign country.

In my opinion, the best way to learn a language is to achieve an intermediate level of proficiency in your own country and then to travel to the country where the language is spoken to make progress from the intermediate to the advanced level. By using this plan, you can benefit from the advantages of both options.

Reading Note

College Years

I disagree that the college years are the best time in a person’s life. Admittedly, college often corresponds with a time when people are young, healthy, and physically strong, and those attributes are highly regarded in Western cultures; however, the college years must also be viewed as a period of high stress and a certain uncomfortable dependence.

Stress converges on college students from many directions. First, there is the pressure to choose a major field of study and, ultimately, to select a career, choices that will affect the rest of their lives. These choices often coincide with another life choice-the selection of a marriage partner. In combination, the stress associated with such important decisions can be very high. Second, there is the daily stress from competition in the classroom, exacerbated by staying up too late studying for tests, preparing papers, and reading assignments. It is well documented that college students tend to gain weight and suffer from many stress-related illness.

In addition to the stressful environment, most college students are not financially independent. Many rely on their families for funding, a circumstance that is often uncomfortable for young adults. Asking for money usually requires an explanation of why it is needed. In other words, financial dependence for college results in dependence in other areas of life at a time when young people are beginning to think for themselves and are old enough to be independent. Besides the embarrassment involved in negotiating for necessities, there is often a strict budget. For some students, there is also a debt to repay.

As a college student myself, I view this time of life as an opportunity to prepare for the next, and more important, stage of life, when I am independent and productive. I am eager to begin working and earning my own way. I look forward to the years after college with the hope that the best is yet to be.

Reading Note

WIN-WIN NEGOTIATION

A win-win negotiation is a successful compromise in which both sides improve their situation through mutual cooperation. The key is for one party to offer the other party something that they will perceive as valuable but which does not harm the party conceding it. This, in turn, provides an incentive for the other side to make a similar offer. In this way, both sides will win. Unlike traditional negotiations in which the negotiators have an adversarial relationship, in a win-win negotiation, they view each other as collaborators who are working toward a mutual goal. After the terms have been agreed upon, it is much more likely that the relationship will continue to develop with a view to cooperating with each other to insure the continuing success of both parties.

One case study of a win-win negotiation is often cited as an example. Tony had an idea for a computer game but was unable to develop it because of constraints on his time and limitations in funding. In the negotiations with a large company to produce the game, tony and the company made several offers and counteroffers in order to arrive at a mutually beneficial agreement. Although Tony could have become angry about the original offer of $12,000, he made a counteroffer. He agreed to accept their offer if they would concede and additional share of the future revenues. When the company reviewed his counteroffer, they conceded that he should receive a share and offered slightly less than Tony had proposed. Because they continued to negotiate toward a win-win situation, both parties were able to decrease their risk and increase their revenues, sharing in the success of the game. The company was very pleased with their return on investment, and Tony was able to launch his own game design company. In short, both parties won.