Simulations is over

It seems weird to say that is class is over. We technically as I write it is not and won't be over till we get our grades but the class is coming to a screeching halt. I feel as though we just walked into the plain room with the typical desk and blue chairs as we realized we were going to have to take a test the very next time we came to class. I never thought I would end up staying I enjoyed this class or learned anything from it but I did.

Although, I wish I would have been able to take this class a semester earlier because everything in my life with moving and graduating has been crazy I have realized that I did not dedicate as much time to this class as I should have due to all of that. Just because I said I did not dedicate as much time do this class as I should have does not mean that I did not give this class any of my time. At times in the semester this is the class that I dedicated a lot of time to and at others very little I should have tried to find a better balance.

At the end of this class I do not feel defeated as I have twice before in this class. I feel a sense of relief because I have made it through and I feel a sense of accomplishment for getting through the class and the struggles that came with it. As I wrote this blog I remembered the exact way I felt when I was excited in the class, nervous, or even when I felt like I never wanted to come back to the class. As I look back at my blog I can remember that exact day in detail and it helps me remember the whole semester that has seemed to fly by much quicker than I have wanted it to.

This class has taught me as well as our whole class what team work requires inside and outside of the class. I understand how some students come into this class thinking it is pointless and not worth our time because I was one of them but I realized that I was completely wrong. This class is important for all communications majors to have because it teachs us what the real world job maket is going to be like. I also think that other majors should have something similar to this class to teach their major students what the real world job market is going to be like once they get into it.

The Disappointing Trade Fair

As the trade fair was approaching me and the other GCB members were very nervous about getting middle age people there on that Thursday. So we decided to make flies and hand them out the week before the trade fair that way the teachers could schedule time to come. As we went around and handed out the fliers some teachers seemed very responsive and others could have caredless that we were there. We got the teachers emails that said they would for sure come and emailed them back the day before the trade fair to remind that that they said they would come. The day of the trade fair we made fake tickets to pass around as fliers to grab last minute extra people to come. When 9:30 am arrived the GCB sat at the front of the Effingham room becoming more and more nervous. As the teachers that both the GCB and AJ asked to come showed up so did three other teachers and then there was no one. As members of the corporation kept coming up to the table asking how many people were coming we got more and more nervous than we were before. We kept telling the the different members of the corporations that we were not sure but we passed out 150 fliers and were hoping that some of them showed up. As we and the corporations realized that only four of the teachers that we invited outside of the ones we invited as did Aj we were so embarrassed. I felt as though we have let the corporations down. In the end we realized that that middle aged people are just as unreliable as college students.

If I could have made changes I first would have started off by picking the target market instead of letting the class make the decision because they were not the one that were going to be getting the target market in attendance. I would have picked high school students because we could have held it in their gym and had the students come for a class or we could have done it at a nursing home where the elderly people would have loved our company. It would have been more realistic if we would have held the trade fair in a place like a high school or a nursing home where the target market was easily at our finger tips. Another option would have been to hold the trade fair in a different location than the union such as someone in Coleman where teachers would have easier access. Finally we should have found other groups outside of offices around campus and teachers for example parent groups or church groups. Another problem trying to get middle age people to the trade fair was the fact that it had to be a 9:30-10:45 during our class period and many people have to work during that time frame. Overall there were many changes that should have been made to hold a better trade fair for our corporations but we did not accomplish what we should have which really disappointment me and the rest of the GCB members.

Weekly Simulations Newspaper

As Caitlyn and I began to create our newspaper for the second cycle we were really confused. We first thought we wanted to use publisher but we had a major problem trying to import the pictures into the format. After using the publisher format and not succeeding we changed and used the indesign format. We tried to different two different formats before choosing our final format. The first two formats that we used were in black and white and when we imported the pictures they did not show up in color and we wanted our newspaper to be in color. The final format that we chose was the same on the other GCB cycle used. I was a little disappointed in the fact that we had to use the exact same one that they did but it was the only format that was in color so we tried our best to make it different. My favorite aspect of our paper was the fact that we put all local Charleston advertisements in it and also that fact that we listed things to do in Charleston, Illinois. I also liked that our slogan for our newspaper was "How you see the problem is the problem." We tried to insert a lot pictures of past trade fair and the location which our trade fair was going to be held. As we meet in the library I thought that is wouldn't take us too long to put the newspaper together but after we had failed attempts it took us much longer than we ever thought it would. We left very frustrated but glad that it was completed. Sarah then went and took the newspaper to copy express to have the newspaper printed out for each corporation. The last GCB cycle did not pass out a copy of the newspaper so that was something else we did that the other cycle did not. Overall the newspaper turned out really get and was one of the things that I was proud of that we accomplished as the Second Cycle GCB.

Hierarchy in the corporations

Hierarchy: usually refers to the vertical levels of an organization. It represents the distribution of authority among organizational roles or positions.
Smaller organizations usually don't have such a high pyramid. Hierarchy is something that is prevalent in any corporation or organization.

The pyramid in our Simulation's Class goes as follows....

Professor (Aj Walsh)

Professor's Teaching Assistant (Ashley Thomas)

Government Control Board (Sarah, Brittney/Me, Caitlyn)

Corporations (Need A Nerd, Great Getaways, Pure Day Spa, Chez Cuisine, Fitness For Life)

Everyone organization or corporation needs a boss someone to set the rules and guidelines and to make sure that the company is ran the right way so it portrays the right image to the community. For example Aj would be the boss or the CEO, Ashley would be the president, the government control board(GCB) would be the vice presidents enforcing the rules and making sure task get accomplished, and the corporations would be the employees. In the real world outside of our simulations class corporations have to follow certain guidelines through the state and the govern. It is important that every corporation follows the rules that are give to them so they can be a successful company. page 21

Cheney, G, Christensen, LT, Zorn, T, & Ganesh, S. (2004). Organizational communication in an age of globalization . Prospect Heights: Waveland Press Inc.

Team Work vs Group Work

Team: a small number of people with complementary skills who are committed to a common purpose, set of performance goals, and approach, for which they hold themselves accountable.

-have shared leadership roles, mutual accountability, a specific team purpose that is distinguishable from the organizational mission, and collective work products.

Group: simply a collection of people with something in common; six people wait at a bus stop can be considered a group, but defiantly not a team.

All employers today would rather have a team of people than a group of people. Just like in our Simulations class we need to have teams of people that make up a corporation not just a group. It is important that each corporation and the GCB are a team because with the shared leadership one person would be doing all of the work. This still could happen in this class but since everyone in the corporation has to do their own speech it makes it much harder to depend on one person to do all of the work. The GCB is also a team we depend on each other to do everything and we each pick up the slack when someone can't be there. For example I could not pass out fliers one day so Caitlyn and Sarah went and took care of it and another example is when Sarah could not meet to do the newspaper Caitlyn and I pick up the slack and then Sarah went and printed off the newspapers the next morning. That is the definition of a team for this class helping each other out when you need but also holding your own and doing your part.

Page 225

Cheney, G, Christensen, LT, Zorn, T, & Ganesh, S. (2004). Organizational communication in an age of globalization . Prospect Heights: Waveland Press Inc.

What is Leadership?

Leadership is knowing how to use everyone in your team so the puzzle fits just right.

Leadership is one of those words that many people have a hard time defining but many people say it is vital to get a job or makes you a better candidate for a job. Many people believe that although it is hard to define leadership it is a quality that you can see in someone. Most people agree that leadership is an influence process, that it involves influencing people's attitudes and actions(page 180). I became a leader in our Simulations class when I joined the GCB. The GCB stands for the government control board and is in charge of setting the rules for the class. Our GCB did a good job of setting the rules and following the the rules that were set to make an example for the rest of the class. As the GCB it is important that we act as the leaders of the class and showcase the rules exactly as there are supposed to be followed. An example of how one of the members of the GCB was not a leader was when Sarah came into class looking like she just got done shacking(or also known as sleeping over at a boys house). She was wearing Old Navy gross flip flops which we tell everyone else they can not wear, a t shirt that is loose and says Pissers on it. This is outfit would not be acceptable to wear to work on a Jeans Day and so I told Sarah not to dress like that to class anymore because it was setting a bad example. She is saying to the class that they can dress the way she did when in all actuality they can not or they will get fined for it. This made me really upset when she came into class looking like this I wanted to be like SARAH!!! NO ONE ELSE CAN DO IT WHY DO YOU THINK YOU CAN!! If your boss at work walked into work one day looking like a slob you would think that you could do it and get away with it too. Alicia also confronted Sarah about being dressed like that and Sarah told Alicia,"Ya I know I am not supposed to be dressed like this but I slept at a guys house, you can talk points off my grade." I think it was good that Sarah admitted it was her fault but I do not think she should have said she slept over at a guys house that is not something that anyone in the class needs to know or is appropriate for the workplace. It is vital that leaders lead in an example and use the process of leadership to get things done through people.


http://www.pinetreeweb.com/whatis.htm

Cheney, G, Christensen, LT, Zorn, T, & Ganesh, S. (2004). Organizational communication in an age of globalization . Prospect Heights: Waveland Press Inc.

Qualities of a Good Leader

With the help of the websites listed at the bottom I chose some of the most important qualities one should have to be a leader. It has always been hard to define exactly what a leader is so the best way I have found to do this is to define what qualities a leader should have. Although not all leaders may possess each one of this characteristics they should strive to. A leader does not have to be put into a leadership role to be able to step up and take on the leadership. Leader are not born they are created and transformed. I was not born to be trustworthy instead my parents taught me to learn what being a trustworthy person is. There are also many people that believe that they are a leader and many other people do not see them as one. It is a fine line to cross and there is one person in particular in our class that believes she is a leader but many people in the class find her annoying. Yes she does posses some of the leadership qualities such as high self esteem, has a vision, creative, dedicated to the job, and is assertive but she also posses the qualities of being unfair, manages more than she leads, and does not have humility. These three qualities tend to override her positive leadership qualities because it makes others annoyed with her. Leadership qualities are highly important to the simulations class because each group has to have a key leader to stand up and take on the responsibility. Without leaders in this class the class would be a complete chaos.

My Top 15 Qualities of a Well rounded Leader

1. Inspire people to work towards a vision
2. Be self aware and insightful about your impact on other
3. Accept responsibilities for your actions
4. Lead verses Manage
5. Have high self esteem
6. Has a vision
7. Has integrity
8. Dedication to the job and the employees
9. Magnanimity- meaning giving credit where it is due
10. Having humility
11. Be Fair
12. Be assertive
13. Have a sense of humor
14. Be creative
15. Be Trustworthy
    

http://www.leadership-and-motivation-training.com/qualities-of-good-leadership.html
http://www.hrworld.com/features/top-10-leadership-qualities-031908/

Doulgas McGregor's Theory X & Theory Y

Theory X

• dislikes work and attempts to avoid it
  
• has no ambition


• wants no responsibility
  
• would rather follow then lead


• resist change


• is self-centered and does not care about the organization's goals


• assumes people only work for money and security
  

Theory Y

• work can be as natural as play and rest


• people will be self directed to meet their work objectives if they are committed to them


• people will be committed to their objectives if rewards are in place that address higher needs such as self fulfillment


• under these conditions people will seek responsibility


• make work truly enjoyable

Everyone that works in an organization, with a group, or in a team has dealt with people of type of theory x and theory y people. Some people in corporations today just identify them positive or negative people when they are at the work place but it is much more than that. The outlook of society seems to be mostly Theory X people because most people claim that the only reason they work is to make money to support themselves or their family but what about that small percent of people that go to work because they love their jobs and enjoy being there everyday. These are the Theory Y people who are self directed and truly enjoy everyday of work. Although I can not pick out one person in our simulations class that is theory X and theory Y many of the students are theory X because it is a class and it is senior year. Although these are just excuses and everyone has tendencies of both theories. For example as cycle two began it was much more natural and relaxed, most of the students seem self directed because they know their grade depends on it, and make the class enjoyable this is because many of the students felt more comfortable in what they were doing so they adapted more to the theory Y characteristics. As I have gone through the motions of the class I feel as though I have been more of a theory Y person but at times I am very much a theory X person too. For example when I walked into this class I was a theory X person because I do not like change, I did not want to take responsibility because I was unsure of what that entailed, and assumed I just needed this class to graduate. As the semester went on become a theory Y person because I believed that even if I did get fifth place on my presentation I need to find the positive in this class or I was just going to make it miserable for myself. As the second cycle began I decided to take on more responsibility by being on the GCB as well as being self directed to motivate me the the other GCB members. Outside of this class my Dad, Bill Waite, is a good example of an overall Theory Y person. He run his own business, has to deal all of his employees on daily basis and even his customers. He loves his job and it is completely natural to him. He has been working at "Waite's Dry Cleaners" since he was 16 and will most likely continue to do it until he retires. He makes changes and just recently bought out another cleaners to soon make it Waite's Dry Cleaners as well. He also have to motivate his employees with rewards and make them as self directed as he can so he does not have to watch over them everyday to make sure that the clothes are going out of the store the way that he wants them to.

Overall, I feel as though everyone has a little bit of McGregor's Theory X & Theory Y within themselves and it is all about they way that you approach a situation as to what type of characteristics you will hold.

http://www.netmba.com/mgmt/ob/motivation/mcgregor/

Cheney, G, Christensen, LT, Zorn, T, & Ganesh, S. (2004). Organizational communication in an age of globalization . Prospect Heights: Waveland Press Inc..

page 45

Challenges to Organizations Identity

There are three different challenges to organization identity(118-122) according to the book. There are many more struggles than just these three but I felt that these three challenges also related to the challenges we went through as organizations/corporations in class.

1. Struggling just to be heard- the quantity of messages around us, corporations struggling to stand out and be heard. I relate this struggle to the trade fair and how there were so many different corporations and products that each corporation was trying to be heard by all of the students. Also at the trade fair each corporation was trying to fight to talk to all of the student that walked. There was a big amount of student in attendance at the trade fair but every corporation was still trying to go out of their way to talk to each and every person because the more student they talked to the more potential buyers they had. It was also hard to be heard because the corporations have to convince the buyers and if they are not convinced by their product they will just move on to the next corporation.
   
2. Blurred Boundaries- merges make the name of the company have blurred boundaries, partnerships, alliances, and even creating closer relationships with stakeholders. Although we did not have blurred boundaries between the corporations there was definitely blurred boundaries within the corporations and between what each persons duties were. For example our corporation's Public Relationship Officer did not cover all of her duties. I, the sales manager had to do the advertisement for the newspaper and the brochure which was not part of my duties. The boundaries were blurred between individuals during the first cycle especially because we were unsure of exactly what we were doing and we were overwhelmed by all of the information that each position was supposed to be presenting on and accomplishing.



3. Growing Stakeholder Scrutiny- interest groups, growing media attention to scandals and hypocrisy, and new demands for so called "political consumers" challenge identity of organizations. I relate the scrutiny of the stakeholders to the scrutiny each corporation has on each other. Although their thoughts may not be vocalized outside of their corporation each corporation has opinions of each other. I also relate scrutiny to the rankings because scrutiny is a type of judging and so is ranking. No one wants to be judged,scrutinized, or ranked but that is part of this class and the competitiveness of it. As the GCB I am one of the people doing the rankings or the scrutinizing this cycle and although some people may not agree with their ranking it is not their actually grade so I believe that is why there is not so much drama with it.

Cheney, G, Christensen, LT, Zorn, T, & Ganesh, S. (2004). Organizational communication in an age of globalization . Prospect Heights: Waveland Press Inc.

Functional Theory

The functional theory assumes that all task groups face similar task and relational obstacles to effective decision making and that certain functions, or vital activities, are necessary to overcome these obstacles(Cheney,Christensen, Zorn, and Ganesh, 57). The functional theory explains how all groups have to go through some of the same functions. There can be problems in a group or there can be obstacles. Communication is vital for this reason so that the group as a whole can overcome the obstacles and fix the problems. Communication can have inhibiting or facilitating influence on effective group decision making either by exacerbating problems or overcoming obstacles(57).

• Assessing the problem: groups must explore thoroughly the situation they face. During the first cycle we all had to learn how to assess the information we were receiving through the handbook. We had to assess how we were going to all pass the test as a class together. We have previously taken it three times.


• Specifying goals: groups should considered a range of alternative ways to solve the problem. Our teacher got in front of the class and asked us all after the third test we failed what we were going to do to solve the problem? We all starred at her blankly not being able to think of what we could do as a class. Our goal was to pass the test as a class on the same test and to work as a team to get the goal accomplished.
  
• Identifying possible solutions: groups should consider a range of alternative way to solve the problem. As we sat in the classroom completely confused as to what she wanted us to come up with. We decided that we all need to study together so that we could learn something from each other. So we set up times the evening before class and the morning before class for people to meet and study together. Or the alternative could be that we all just continue on with what we are doing.


• Evaluating the positive and negative features of the alternative: groups should consider the pros and cons, the advantages and disadvantages of the alternatives under consideration. When evaluating the positive and negatives of the alternative we all decided that the most negative thing we could do would be to stick with what we were doing and not accomplish our goal. The positive of meeting before class is that studying together could help us hear other answers or parts of the workbook that we did not study before. The negative of our a solution we came up with is that maybe someone could not meet at either of those times.

If I had to come up with another aspect to the function theory I would add putting the final solution into action. The reason I say this is because if you think of all of these great ideas to accomplish you goal and never put them into action you may never actually meet you goal. For example to get the whole class to pass the test at the same time on the fourth test we assessed the problem, figured out our goal, identified solutions, evaluated the positive and negatives and then our teacher asked us to put it into action. We were all then again very confused because we were going to put it into action when we meet the evening or before class but she meant before then. So finally Sarah Freund stepped up and went to the front of the class and sent out an email through WebCt. This was the action that our teacher was talking about because with any goal you have in life you have to make some type of action to accomplish it.

Cheney, G, Christensen, LT, Zorn, T, & Ganesh, S. (2004). Organizational communication in an age of globalization . Prospect Heights: Waveland Press Inc..

Why is Simulations the Capstone Class....

One of my other teachers asked why I liked this class as our capstone of the major. It took me a few minutes to think of an answer. This is our capstone class because it allows us to act out what we have learned in 2650 and 3650. I had no idea why we had to learn all of the theories and different people in these classes and yes some of them I have forgotten. I received an A in CMN 2650 with Professor Mills and a B in CMN3650 with Dr. Rod. Neither one of these classes were classes that stood out to me in my communications major like my interviewing class or my persuasion class. As I sat in both 2650 and 3650 I felt as though these were the type of classes where I would learn all of this information and forget it right after the semester was over. One of those classes that I would look back on and wish I did not have to take because it was a waste of my money.

From this class I have learned that even though I do not remember everything from 2650 and 3650 they were not a waste of money or my time. That have made me into the type of speaker and soon to be businesses person I am going to be. These two classes have also set us up to know how to survive in the Simulations Process. This is our capstone class because it allows us to expressed what we have learned in all of our other classes. We have to show that we know how to work together no as a group but as a team, that we can be competitive and want to do well so we can succeed as a team. We also have to show that we know how to speak and present as a communication major. Another important part of this class is to show that we can be creative for example you have to be creative as a group to think of the type of product or service you are going to sell. Selling is also vital to this class because if you do not know how to sell your corporation will no succeed at the trade fair. All of these aspects that are important to the class are important to the job world. For example you have to know how to work as a team, be competitive, and creative to impress employers.

Without this class in our major we would leave Eastern's campus without a way to showcase our talents as communication majors.

Getting Middle Age People to the Trade Fair

Cycle 1 corporations markets to college students. This was an easier demographic to get at the trade fair because they just went and talked to classes to have hem come. Not only did they do a good job of getting college students at the trade fair but they got a whole lecture class full of students much more than we expected.

This cycle the corporations are marketing to middle age people from the ages of 35-55 or round about. So we as the GCB have to get middle age people to the trade fair on a Tuesday morning from 9:30 to 10:45. The GCB decided we would let the class choose who they want to market their product to because they are the ones that are going to have to see it. Their choices were the Elderly,Athletes, High School Students, and Middle Age People. They chose middle age people this is the one group that we as the GBC would not have picked but they did so we had to find the people to come. It would have been much easier to go to a nursing home or go to a high school but that was not our decision.

We decided our best bet to get middle age people to the trade fair was to especially hit up the communications department because they will understand what we are doing in the class and will come if they do not have class at that time. We also decided to walk around to many other departments such as the business department, health services, financial aid office, the union, family and consumer science, and many many more. Many of the professors we talked to were very receptive and said they would come. So we are hoping to have a good number of people come because I as well as the rest of the GCB feel as though our grade from the class is dependent on how many people we get to come to the trade fair. We also made tickets to pass out the morning of the trade fair to get people to come to the trade fair the day of. Also I think the location of being on the third floor of the union might hinder getting people to the trade fair but we are going to try our best because that is all we can do.

Drama Drama Drama

Dictionary.com defines Drama as, "any situation or series of events having vivid, emotional, conflicting, or striking interest or results."

When I think of Drama in a class it think of it being about two people who know each other or a group of people who do not like the other group of people. Instead with Simulations the competitive nature of the class can bring about drama between different groups or corporations. Cycle 1 contained no drama at all as we were all trying to figure out what was going on and were not so worried about all of the little details. As cycle 2 began so did the drama. The GCB was sitting in the lounge area just discussing what was going to be happening with the trade fair and the order of the CM speeches when A.J. ,our professor, walked in and said "did you hear about the drama yet?" My first thought was ohh nooo I really wanted this whole semester to go without any drama just as last cycle did but we obviously could not get that lucky. There was one corporation who felt as though another corporation was trying to listen in on their ideas. They asked to go first when presenting so we as the GCB allowed them to do that but also told the corporation that was worried that whoever has the better presentation and show a better understand of what they are going to sell will receive their first choice. This drama then faded out because they got their first choice and the corporation that was apparently listening in received their second choice.

Other drama that is going on right now is the dress code policy. We started off with the rules of no old navy gross flip flops, no shorts, no Capris. As many of the community members began to come to class in shorts and capris we decided we were going to be more lenient. So we, the GCB, announced to the class that they were allowed to wear shorts and capri as long as they looked nice and did not look like they just rolled out of bed. We never dressed the gross flip flops that some people wore because it was not a reoccurring trend. As the GCB we are supposed to be an example to all of the other corporations and community member as to the dress code policy. This is where a problem came in Sarah who is on the GCB did not follow any of the dress code rules one day to class and explained herself as I stay over at someones house so I did not have my own clothes. This is not acceptable because no one else is allowed to just wear their pajamas no matter where they sleep. It was embarrassing to have her show up to class like that and I hope it reflects in her grade and not our over all group.

As the cycle isn't over yet I am sure there will be much more drama to come.

Ranking Corporation Speakers

I knew that being part of the GCB meant that I was going to have to rank each speaker but from the beginning I knew it was going to be something I dreaded. I hate judging people on speeches because I may feel as though they did worse than what they thought they did and I do not want to ruin someones day or make them feel defeated like I did when I received last place on my speech. As the first speakers from the corporations, the Corporate Managers, began to speak I had no idea how I was going to rank them. As I ranked them I wanted to ask Sarah and Caitlin the other GCB members what they were going to rank them but I decided it wasn't fair to do that. I had to follow my own instincts as to who I thought should be ranked first and who should be lost. I also learned that I can't always worry about upsetting people this is a class and it is my job to rank the speakers in the corporations. They may not always agree with the decisions I make but I have to stick to them. I never thought I would learn this much about myself from just ranking speeches in a class. I have always had a hard time following my own instincts and worrying too much about hurting other peoples feelings. It is also hard ranking people in the class because I have so many friends and people in the class I know in the class. I don't want my friends to be mad at me outside of class because I ranked them lower than they thought they deserved. There has not been nearly as much drama with the ranking process and my friends as I thought there would be. We are all around 22 years old and realize that what happens in class should not be taken outside of class. Overall, I have realized that I enjoy ranking the speakers because it challenges me to decide who deserves first and who deserves last.

Our Presentation

Our Presentation was March 25, 2010. We decided to present that Thursday that way the cycle could get started as quickly as possible because we did not have much time till the end of the semester was over. We started with an overview of what we were going to being talking about as any good speech should. Then we went on to discuss the schedule because we believed that was the first thing everyone wanted to know. After Sarah opened for us and talked about all of that Kaitlyn began talking about the dress code. We did a joke to the whole class that we were going to make everyone dress up in business attire everyday to class and then we put JUST KIDDING. Everyone breathed a sigh of relief because they did not want to have to dress up everyday to class just as we didn't. We decided that everyone should wear jeans and nice outfits everyday to class and then on the days they present they are to wear business attire. The rules we created for every other day but their presentation day was that shoes could be flip flops but nice one, nice shirts no tank tops, and the jeans should not have holes in them or look raggedy. We are pretty lenient with the dress code because we know it is getting toward the end of the semester and everyone is ready to be done with school. As long as they look nice and do not know that they look like they just roll out of bed then it would be okay. Kaitlyn then talked about the attendance policy that we set and the attendance violations. The last thing she talked about was the speech evaluations we did not make a slide for each position like the previous GCB did because we assumed that everyone would know what should be in the their speeches by now and if they had questions they could always come and ask one of us. I then talked about the hiring and firing of employees the last GCB did not talk about this but we as a GBC thought it was important because we wanted each corporation to know that they are not stuck with a member. Then I stood in front of the class and asked the corporations what they wanted their target market to be. We all felt like they should have the decision to decided because after all they are the ones that are going to have to be selling a product or service to this market. The class picked middle age people and this was not the age group I would have picked because I think it is going to be hard to get this age group to the trade fair. I then summed up the speech with talking about a small business grant, the budget, advertising cost, the little bit of information we had about the trade fair, and finally our contact information. I did not conclude the speech very well and also asked for questions before the class applauded. I felt defeated again the same way I did after my speech before but I realized that it wasn't a big deal I just need to learn how to conclude speeches better than I have before. Over all we got a 93% on our speech and overall did a good job of being funny yet still getting our point across.

GCB Me!

Before the first cycle was even over I knew I wanted to be on the GCB. It is hard work but it is hard work in a different way that being on a corporation. The final day before spring break after the IS Speeches, A.J.(our teacher) decided we were going to decide who was going to be on the GCB. There were nine of us in class that day that wanted to be on the GCB so she gave each one of us a number and did the random number finder from the Internet. As you could say I was one of the lucky 9 that got to be on the GCB. The other two members of the GCB are Sarah and Kaitlyn. Sarah and I were in the same corporation last cycle and got along pretty well so I was not worry about working with her and Kaitlyn and I had previously known each other before class and get along well so I also wasn't worried about working with her. I was happy with the members of the GBC and I felt that we would not only work well together but be on top of thing and get our work done. The GCB is in charge of setting up the schedule and this was our first big task. We decided to make every Tuesday a work day or a day to meet with the GCB and every Thursday a presentation day. This allowed every group to have time to discuss what each person was going to talk about before their speech that way they would not have to meet outside of class if they got everything done in class. The GCB is harder work than I expected everyone made it out to seem really easy but it has its difficult part too. You are still working with a group not of four but instead three. You also have to be the bad guy and set rules and regulations for every corporation to abide by. Being on the GCB is something that going to be an on going process until after the Trade Fair and the IS Speeches. We as a GCB are trying to make things run smoothly for all of the corporations.

Why did I go to School?

Why did I go to school? This is a question I have asked myself a million times when I get frustrated and fed up with school. I start with the reason I go to school is to get a degree but why do I need a degree? Is it because it is expected of me from society or is it because I felt it was my only option after high school? I did not go to college because I felt like it was expected of me because my Dad told me that if I wanted to start my own business he would help me. I decided against that idea because I wanted the college experience and I wanted to say I had a degree. I am very happy I made that decision now because now I can graduate with a degree and have an upper hand on other potential employees of companies. The degree I receive and spent so much money on is for a career that I enjoy. To be happy with my career so that everyday is not miserable. I also got a degree so that I could get a job that makes enough money starting off to support me and Robert(my boyfriend) and after awhile enough money to save up for a weeding and a family. Money does not give you happiness but is sure does help to support a family. I went to school to make my family proud and be the first person in my family to graduate from a four year college. I also went to school because I want to be a good example to my sisters. College was the next step for me after high school and although it seemed natural I am happy for the decision I made because it will allow me many more opportunities to provide for my family and have a career that I love. and this is why I went to college.

What has been going on this semester

This semester is my last semester in college and to explain everything that has been going on would take me hours to write. There are a few big things that I am going to talk about such as spring break, moving on, job hunting, classes, and relocating for love.

Moving on...
It is hard to believe that four years of school as come and gone. Everyone always said how fast it would go but I never seemed to believe them. There isn't one part of my college experience I regret. I had fun, got my work done, and made friends that will be in my life for forever. It is crazy to think that I won't see these people everyday and I won't only have class til noon and then have nothing to do but my homework. I am going to miss this lifestyle, Charleston, and all of my friends but it is time to move on. I am getting to that period in my life where I am ready to take the next step and move on with my life outside of college.


Spring Break:
Spring break is something I have participated in the past three years of school the first year my mom, sister, and me went to Mexico and relaxed for five days,the third year of school I went to Italy through the FCS department and took classes. Also when I went to Italy two of my Roommates went but those were the only people I knew. Since I had not done a spring break trip with all of my girl friends I thought it would be a great idea to go my senior year as one last hurrah. We booked our trip in October and planned it from Saturday to Saturday. As the semester went on I realized that I was a little nervous about going with 12 girls on a trip for 7 days. When we got to the airport I realized that the traveling was going to be the hardest part because everyone was trying to take charge and getting frustrated with each other. Other than the traveling part we all had a great time together got along great and even got a good tan. When we got home my mom asked me how it was and I told her it was a trip I will always remember with my friends from college but I was glad I only did it once.

Job Hunting:
Job hunting began early this semester because I did not want to graduate without a job. I began applying for anything that seemed interesting and that might pay well I figured it was work a shot. I had two interviews with Prudential and end up not liking the job they were offering me. As well as they gave me an assignment to list 200 people that I know to put into their system before I even began working for them. I thought this was crazy and was definitely not doing it. I also had an interview with ADM and they then called me back about 2 weeks later to tell me they filled the position internally. I also had an interview with Enterprise for the management training program. After none of these job interview went through I began to get very frustrated and my Dad told be to just let things fall into place.

Relocating for Love:
I got this title from one of the MTV documentaries and thought it was clever. After having all of these interviews and nothing working out Robert (my boyfriend of 6 years) got a job with a grain company called DeBruce. He asked me if I would go with him and I gave it a couple of weeks to decide what I really wanted not what he wanted me to do or my parents wanted me to do. I came to the decision that I wanted to go with him. The company that he is working for is not telling us where we are going to be located until April 19th. So until then I am on stand still for looking for a job and for finding us an apartment. This is a really big step in our relationship but I am comfortable with where we are at and excited for our new adventure together.

Class:
I have five classes this semester and find myself wishing I had less. This semester has been a lot of work with classes that have a lot of group work. At the beginning of the semester I was very motivated to finish strong for my last semester of collage but now as it is all start to wind down I am beginning to get senioritis. I have no desire to do any of the work anymore but I know that the sooner I get it finished the sooner I will be done. I can't wait to not have all of the homework, test, and papers to do but I am going to miss the lifestyle too. Also a lot of my teacher are loading on the work before the end of the semester and it is only stressing me out. I am trying to take care of things before we find out where we are going to be leaving so that once we find out I am not stressing about school as much too.

The end is bittersweet... I am so excited to get my life after college start and I know there are only good things to come but I am also sad to be leaving the life and the friends I have known for four years.

What makes me happy?

This is a very hard question to answer but as I think about it there is a lot. First I am going to start with the people that make me happy and then I am going to go into the things that make me happy.

1. My Mom: makes me happy and drives me crazy at the same time. I couldn't ask for a better Mom who always worries about me and would do anything for me in a heart beat. I hope I can be half of the mom she is to us girls


2. My Dad: is the person I go to when I need an opinion but I don't want a judgement. He has taught me how to be level headed and not always let me emotions get in the way.


3. My Sisters: are by best friends and always know the right thing to say to put me in a better mood. They are goofy when I am too serious and always keep the house laughing.


4. Robert: my boyfriend, is also my best friend who I talk to all day everyday. He know what to say to make me mad and he knows how to be there when I just need to cry. He is the first person I would go to about anything and is the love of my life.


5. My Grandparents: Although, I do not always agree with everything they do I have learned to appreciate them for who they are and what they have given me. They are a part of my family who have taught me about my religion and about who I am today.


6. My Boyfriend's Family: Although, they sometimes get on my nerves I appreciate who they are and how much they have welcomed me into their family. I also appreciate the son they have raised Robert to be. I always love going over to their house and catching up with them all.


7. Whitney: seems to know the exact days to call when I really just need someone to talk to. She is an amazing listener and someone who will always make me feel loved as a friend.


8. Mackenzie: I feel like we have been friends forever but don't talk everyday. She is the friend that when we get together we always catch up right where we left off. She knows how to be excited for me but always knows how to give me her honest opinion too.


9. My Roommates: My roommates at school have been a part of my everyday life this year and some last year too. They are my rock and are amazing friends. I will be lost without them when we graduate.
   

I am sure I left some people out but those are the people right now if my life that make me happy and who I am. I believe that everyone you come in contact with shapes who you are and the people that make you happy are in your life for a reason.

I attached this song in dedication to all the people who have made me happy and have shaped my life. Each one of you "came into my life for a reason bringing something we must learn and we lead to those who help us most to grow if we let them and we help them in return. I know I am who I am today because I knew you. " Wicked
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Jx3rjS_vSM4

Things that make me happy:

My Bed: I love to sleep and take naps. My bed is something that makes me happy because it allows me to wake up with a positive attitude every morning.

My Dog: Bella is our family dog and I look forward to seeing her every time I come home. Dogs are someone who love you no matter what and she is always excited to see me.

Traveling: is something my parents have installed in me since I was little and I love to explore and see new places.

Volunteering: I love to volunteer for many different types of organizations. I makes me feel happy to be helping someone else.

Ice Cream: ice cream is my comfort food and always makes me happy. For some people its coffee or chocolate for me its ice cream.

Although these are some things that make me happy I believe that first of all you have to make yourself happy before anyone else or anything can make you happy. :)

Who am I in the Simulations Class?

Someone who is....

• scared to mess up in front of the whole class


• quite yet speaks up when I have to


• wanting a good grade but doesn't know how to get it


• hiding behind my opinions


• easily annoyed


• sometimes bored with the simulation


• excited to see the new corporations of cycle 2


• curious about how people will work together


• always trying to take charge secretly


• scared of the change


• unsure of how we are going to get middle age people to the trade fair


• hoping to impress our class as the GCB


• disappointed in my past corporation


• not disappointed because we didn't do well but because we didn't work well together


• excited to have it all over with


• happy to have had the experience


• struggling to finish


• looking forward to others speeches but not my own


• not liking to rank other people speeches
  

Overall this is just a little bit of who I feel I am in this class during this semester. At times I have felt very down on myself because of this class and at other times I feel a sense of accomplishment. I believe that this is how you are supposed to feel during this semester because when you are in a actual corporation you will not only feel as sense of accomplishment but sometimes feel as though you couldn't have done worse. I believe that this class has taught me how to get back up when I don't do as well as I think and still continue on so that our corporation can succeed as a whole. This is what you have to do in the real world. A good example of this is when my Dad invested a good amount of money into a water bottle business. This business was where he bought water bottles and put different labels on them for different types of business or events. This business did not end up being profitable and although he enjoyed it, it wasn't worth doing if he did not make money. So I understand how this class is not trying to make us feel bad about ourselves but instead prepare us for the job world.

Overall Ratings & Comments

Our Corporation Sports & Beyond was rated over all 4th because we had a total of 1600 points.

Although, we did not get last I was disappointed in not getting a higher rating. Basket Cases Corporation was ranked first and I believe that they deserved it because they had the best product that most people wanted to by. They also had very good team members that all did a good job of presenting.

We each person in the corporation received bonuses for their ranking on their own speeches.
Sarah got 2nd- giving here 400 bonus points
Megan S. got 5th-giving here 100 bonus points
Megan M. got 3rd-giving here 300 bonus points
I received 5th as well-giving me 100 bonus points

This gave us 900 bonus points total. Which also set us at 4th in the overall rankings of the corporations presentation bonuses.

We also received 200 dollar bonus for our advertising campaign which put us in 4th place as well.

In our corporate success bonus we received 400 points which put us in second for our overall income.

For the overall best trade fair booth we received 100 bonus points which put us in last.

My overall grade after cycle one with over test is a 79%. I am not necessarily happy with this grade but I know that being on the GCB next cycle and working hard will allow me to bring this up. As well as this paper will help me get a better grade if I put the time and effort into it.

Comments:

Sports & Beyond: Seems really fun! Nice booth and sales pitch. Somewhat over priced for this area but really creative!

Packages on one side and activities on the other but relationship between specific activities and packages not on display

Costs don’t seem a value for purchasing packages

Typical cost for these activities is below and others charge for individual activities. The advantage of packaging with an additional cost without additional service seems questionable from a consumer’s perspective

Your package cost is an additional $30 over your competitors for the “pairing package” and $130 more for the “extreme package” without offer any additional service (at least no additional service was noted in the conversation and none are discussed on the handout)

Sports and Beyond did a great job of coming to me and told me what they were selling. Sports and Beyond also did a great job of giving me the history of the company and telling me their own experience of what they were selling (i.e. they’ve all done what they are selling).

•I really enjoyed reading all of these different evaluations that we received from the teachers that came through and even the student who attended. I agreed with most of the comments that we received such as it was over priced for the area but with the type of product we were selling you could not go much lower or the prices would not be reasonable. I also agree with the fact that we should have found a product that was not just focused on one niche group of extreme people because in real life I am not one of those people and would never have bought our package unless for a gift. We did a good job of telling our customers that they could split the packages up and give part or all of it away for a gift. Overall I was glad for the feedback because I think it would show us what to do if we were all together as a group in the second cycle.