Week 1 discussion
First, take a moment and introduce yourself to the class,
share your current status and what you hope to obtain from the course.
Second, how would you describe your personality within a
work environment? Also, knowing that not all personalities are compatible, what
is something that you could do to proactively attempt to work with a colleague
who has a personality that is incompatible with your own?
Week 2 discussion
Describes the idea of accountability, and being accountable
is critical today more than ever. Accountability can have both a positive and
negative effect on workplace relationships. Let’s use this discussion as an
opportunity to discuss how we can use techniques to maintain positive
accountability. What techniques can you use (or currently use) to hold yourself
accountable? What techniques can you use to hold others accountable for their
actions? Also, how do these accountability techniques impact workplace
relationships?
Week 3 discussion
We have all heard the claim that “the customer is
always right.” Well, maybe we should pause for a minute. Is the customer
always right? Decide whether or not the customer is always right, and explain
your rationale. Also, share an example of great customer service that you
received directly or at least witnessed and what made it stand out?
Week 4 discussion
McClelland’s Theory- believes that individuals are motivated
by achievement, power, and affiliation, yet they tend to favor one over the
others. After reviewing and researching the theory, discuss which one seems to
motivate you the most (achievement, power, or affiliation), and explain why.
Week 5 discussion
I believe we all came across a co-worker that sends you a
business-related email.The email has numerous grammar and spelling errors. His
language is confusing and you are not certain what the message is stating. You
bring up the issue and he responds disgruntled and angrily stating that it was
only an email and you are overreacting. By utilizing the concepts from the readings
for this unit, how would you appropriately respond to this situation as a
professional?
Please include the name of the person or question to which
you are replying in the subject line. For example, ‘Tom’s response to Susan’s
comment.”
Week 6 discussion
Class, we all when through an interview at one time or
another. Discuss your feeling on taking a test before you are interviewed.
Do you feel that testing is important before an interview or
is testing just a waste of time. Please support your choice.
Week 7 discussion
Discuss how important is appearance at the interview. Do you
believe that appearance reflects on a persons personality and work. WHY?
Week 8 discussion
1.) What is your opinion of this course? Did it meet your
expectations? What suggestions can you offer for improvement of this course for
future students?
2.) Choose one topic covered and discuss what you learned
from the lesson and unit readings and how you will use the knowledge gained to
increase your professional skills. Be specific, and discuss how the lesson will
enhance your career and workplace success.
Unit Assignments
Unit IV Case Study
This assignment provides you with an opportunity to explain
the dynamics of teamwork, including motivation, conflict resolution, and
leadership. First, read the scenario below.
Scenario: The vice president (VP) of marketing has hired you
as the leader whose first task involves implementing a new process for applying
customer service within the organization. The VP shares that the purpose of
this initiative is to help resolve a list of issues that are negatively
infecting teamwork: (1) morale is low, (2) employees are consistently late for
work while others leave early, (3) workers disagree on the daily workload, (4)
there is no drive or enthusiasm, and (5) above all, two employees have
complained about harassment.
Your team consists of eight employees: three are newly hired
employees, five employees are male and three are female. Each employee has a
diverse background. Your charge is to reach the goal of improving customer
service by directing the team through the five stages of team development.
After reading the scenario, write a minimum three-page paper
by using the following questions as guidelines:
1. Motivation:
What is the current state of motivation for employees, and what can you do to
improve their motivation?
2. Leadership:
What can leadership personnel do to positively impact teamwork that eventually
leads to better customer service?
3. Resolving
conflict: How can the employees approach resolving conflicts with one another
in order to maintain a positive teamwork dynamic?
4. Resolving
conflict: How can the employees approach resolving conflicts with customers?
5. Teamwork: What
types of activities would help the team progress through the five stages of
team development? (See page 161 in the textbook for the stages.
Also, be sure your paper fulfills the following
requirements:
· The body of
the paper consists of at least three pages.
· The format of
your paper follows APA style. Click here to access the CSU Citation Guide. A
sample research paper that has been formatted in APA style starts on page 20 of
the guide.
· Properly cite
one reference (e.g., journal article) that you located from the university’s
online library.
· Properly cite
two references (e.g., article, webpage) that you located from reputable sources
(e.g., online library or reputable webpages).
· Properly cite
your textbook within the paper.
Unit V PowerPoint Presentation
This exercise involves analyzing a communication
technique—presentations. On a daily basis, it is often expected that
professionals be proficient with presentations. For this exercise, prepare a
PowerPoint presentation that serves as your own professional code of
communication. This exercise allows you to analyze communication techniques and
reflect upon your own communication skills. Include at least the following
within the presentation:
· Present your
professional communication style.
· Present your
communication strengths.
· Present your
communication opportunities—how can you improve your communication skills?
· Present how
you prefer to receive communication within a workplace.
· Present a
professional workplace example of when a phone call might be better than an
email.
· Present
whether or not you believe that texting and instant messaging can be valuable
in the workplace.
· Include at
least three visuals (e.g., photographs, images, charts, or graphs).
· The
presentation must contain at least twelve slides.
Use the key terms in the textbook to guide your
presentation. For some guidance toward preparing presentations in PowerPoint,
click here to access a video with helpful tips. Be sure to save all of your
work in your presentation file before submitting it in Blackboard for grading.
Unit VI Assignment
This assignment provides you with an opportunity to critique
interview techniques by answering a series of questions within the assignment
template. Click here to access the assignment template. Be sure to answer each
question, save all of your work in the template, and submit it in Blackboard
for grading.
1) After answering the last question, Jason said thank you
and the interview was over. Briefly describe one or more techniques that Jason
could have used to improve the conclusion of his interview. Your response
should be at least 75 words.
2. Danielle was interviewing for a position, and the
interviewer asked for her salary requirements. As Danielle was not expecting to
hear that question, she mumbled for a minute before eventually saying
$40,000.00, which is low for someone with her experience. Briefly describe one
or more techniques that Danielle could have used to improve her response to the
salary-expectations question. Also, how does a response to the salary
expectations impact salary negotiations? Your response should be at least 75 words.
3. Tanya was in an interview, and she was shocked to
discover how one of the organization’s core services involves performing tasks
that directly conflict with Tanya’s beliefs and principles. After discovering
this information during the interview, Tanya immediately realized that she
could not work for this organization. To prevent wasting time with an
unnecessary interview, what type of interview-preparation technique could Tanya
have used? What are the advantages of using techniques to prepare for an
interview? Your response should be at least 50 words.
4. While in an interview, Tom was asked to describe his
professional experience with his current and previous employers. During his
descriptions, Tom occasionally included a few negative comments about his
current and previous employers. How can negative comments impact a job
interview? Your response should be at least 50 words.
5. According to the textbook, there is a right and wrong way
to respond to yes-or-no questions during an interview. During an interview, how
would you respond to the following question: Have you ever worked for a company
that generates revenue through e-commerce? Your response should be at least 50
words
6. This question involves closing an interview. Near or at
the end of an interview, you may be asked if you have any questions. Not
responding may imply you are not interested, and a probing question about the
company may imply you did not research the company. For this essay, respond to
the importance of closing the interview on a positive note and share an example
of a closing interview statement (your personal commercial). Your response must
be at least 250 words in length.
Unit VII Assignment
This assignment involves explaining how professional
etiquette can impact professional relationships and explaining how a
professional can proactively approach career changes by answering the questions
within the assignment template. Click here to access the assignment template.
Be sure to answer each question, save all of your work in the template, and
submit it in Blackboard for grading.
Unit VIII Assignment
This assignment provides you with an opportunity to complete
three major items: a cover letter, a resume, and a professional strengths,
weaknesses, opportunities, and threats (SWOT) analysis. The cover letter should
be a three-paragraph memo that has been tailored to a specific job that
interests you. The resume should adhere to the steps outlined in Chapter 14
(see page 206). The details within the resume must be current with all relevant
and up-to-date information. The SWOT analysis should address your professional
strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats. Bullet points are acceptable
for the resume and SWOT analysis; however, they must be detailed. Again, the
cover letter must include three paragraphs. Also, the resume must be at least
one page, and the SWOT analysis must thoroughly address each of the four parts
of the analysis. Be sure to have the major items in the proper sequence: first,
the cover letter; then, the resume; and finally, the SWOT analysis. Format each
major item as you wish; however, be sure the details are professional and
legible. Save all three within one word-processing document (e.g., Word) before
submitting the file in Blackboard for grading.
