Final Class Meeting

This is my final official classroom blog post for this semester. This course has been a good learning experience for my final semester here at UIS. My favorite part of the class was our elluminate sessions. I liked how we were able to meet in class without actually being face to face. My recommendation for next years class is to implement more elluminate sessions with more presentations. Thank you for this class. I had a great time and I am very thankful I decided to drive to Peoria to take a Monday night class like this one. Once again thank you and have a great summer!!

Fighting at work

My final project is on managing conflict at work. I found this video on Youtube last night and have to share with you all. This is NOT the proper way to manage conflict at work. I hope you enjoy it as much as I do.

LPGA State Farm Classic Logic Model

This is the logic model I presented last night in class. Please feel free to comment and leave suggestions for improvement as well as suggestions for the tournament. Thank you!

Logic Model for the classic

I found it interesting to use the Logic Model in comparison with my internship the LPGA State Farm Classic. I had to do some very hard thinking to fill in the model to fit the tournament. It was also neat that this tournament would fit in each of the categories. I was able to break it down into the different sections. i am looking at the tournament a little differently now because in my mind it is broke down into smaller pieces. The three main parts of this model are inputs, outputs, and outcomes-impact. I will try to post my version of the model tomorrow. Here is the original logic model used in class from the University of Missouri Extension.

Twitter Video

The twitter video suggested for us to watch today was very interesting and informative. I finally learned what it meant when people would put (#) before their tweets. I also really liked it that you can search topics and use twitter as a search engine to see what is being said about popular events around the world. I was always the person who said that twitter is a fad and it will eventually fade out like Myspace did but after this video I think it might be here to stay. Here is a link to the video for your viewing pleasure.

http://bb.uis.edu/webapps/portal/frameset.jsp?tab_id=_2_1&url=/webapps/blackboard/execute/launcher%3Ftype%3DCourse%26id%3D_13088_1%26url%3D

Resume Help

The resume website I found to be the most help to me is http://www.freeresumehelp.net/. They offer help from Certified Professional Resume Writers and their colleagues. A great aspect of their website is it offers a FREE e-course in writing the perfect resume. This course will help you learn the secrets that will transform your resume. Everything they offer is free which is a huge plus. I know this is only one of many free resume helping and building websites but I found this one to be the most informative.

Request for Proposal Example

Sample Request for Proposal for External Quality Assessment Services

January xx, 200x

Ms. XXX
c/o ABC Assessment Firm
123 Any Street
Anytown, FL 00000

Dear Ms. XXX:

This letter is a Request for a Proposal (RFP) for an External Quality Assessment (QA) of ABC Company Manufacturing, Inc. Internal Audit Services.

Background: ABC Company, a public company, manufactures and markets specialty medical surgical devices. Manufacturing facilities are located in three Mid-Atlantic States. Distribution facilities are located in Pennsylvania, Indiana, Louisiana, and Nevada. Sales are made through an outsourced sales organization. In the fiscal year ended Aug. 31, 200x, net revenues were approximately $2.2 billion and assets exceeded $2.5 billion. Further information is available on our Web site: www.abccompany.com.

Our Internal Audit Services Department consists of ## professionals, including the vice president who reports to the president/chief executive officer (CEO). The vice president has access to the chairman of the board and the audit committee.

The audit function provides an independent appraisal of key financial and operational controls. The audit department also shares best practices that promote operational efficiencies and cost saving opportunities. Our audit plan is the result of an annual risk assessment. A copy of the approved FY200x Audit Plan is enclosed for your reference.

Review services to be provided: This RFP is for an external quality assessment of Internal Audit Services of ABC Company. The selected independent party will:

1. Assess the IA Activity’s conformity to The Institute of Internal Auditor’s International Standards for the Professional Practice of Internal Auditing.

2. Evaluate the IA Activity’s efficiency and effectiveness in carrying out its mission (as set forth in its charter and expressed in the expectations of ABC Company management).

3. Identify opportunities to enhance the IA Activity’s management of resources and work processes, as well as its value to ABC Company.

The response to this RFP should identify the membership and credentials of the review team, and the primary contact’s information. The review team will include manufacturing internal audit experience.

The review will be confidential, with the results only provided to designated ABC Company representatives. The independent party shall prepare a written report upon completion of the external quality assessment that is addressed to the CEO and the audit committee. A presentation on the external quality assessment results will be made to the audit committee.

Fee Estimate Assumptions: Your fee estimate should incorporate the following assumptions:
• The project will be performed in Month, 200x, with a preliminary report submitted by April 28, 200x, and the final report issued by May 15, 200x.
• Fees should include the cost, plus any estimated expenses.

Submission and Selection: Proposals for the external quality assessment must be submitted by Jan. 20, 200x. Internal auditing and our quality assessment oversight committee, which is composed of our chief financial officer, chief legal officer, and a member of our audit committee, will review each proposal. Selection of the provider vendor is tentatively set for Feb. 1, 200x, after interviews of finalists. Additional information requests should be coordinated through my office at +1-000-555-0000.

Other Matters: Please provide references.

We are looking forward to working with you, and please do not hesitate to contact me if you have any additional questions.

Sincerely,

David P. Auditor
Vice President, Internal Audit

Attachment
cc: President/CEO
Quality Assessment Oversight Committee

Assignment 2: Structured Blog Activity

1. I follow certain bands on Twitter and Facebook. Their activity on these social media websites has allowed me to see previously unknown aspects of their lifestyles. An example of this is the band Skillet. They post a video podcast on their Facebook fan page as well as on itunes and YouTube. This podcast shows the behind the scenes of concerts, bus rides, and their lives. I also follow individual members of this band. Some members of Skillet post pictures on their twitter. It makes these people seem more like human beings and not some fictional character you hear on the radio. Evan’s Ladder of Engagement is creating content by posting photos, evangelize offering consists of the actual fan page, consume content is reading updated posts and curate content is watching videos posted on the fan page.

2. The two distinct brands of social media are Twitter and Facebook. I am interning at the LPGA State Farm Classic and I am in charge of the social media. I never realized how important these two websites were to a business until I started interning. We use this to inform every fan and follower of the breaking news and tournament updates. The goal is to expand the amount of friends on Facebook in order to establish a larger fan base.

Amazing Social Media Popularity

This week we are covering social media and how popular it has become. Some people think it is a fad and there are facts to back those thoughts up but I do not believe that at all. Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, and Wiki's are here to stay. The video below will show you some of the staggering stats of these social media networks. The numbers are huge and unbelievable but they prove to us that social media is here to stay.

Phrasal Verbs

Phrasal verbs are something I do not remember learning about in high school or even college to this date. I found it interesting that short phrases can be eliminated and fixed so easily. For example, the phrase "stick up for" can be easily eliminated with the word "defend." I like how this can be a very small cure to the wordiness problem most college students see in their writing styles. Here is a couple links to websites for more information on phrasal verbs and other fixes to wordiness. Thanks for reading!

http://www.learn-english-today.com/phrasal-verbs/phrasal-verb-list.htm

http://isucomm.iastate.edu/wordiness

My Thoughts on the Class Presentations

I really liked the way we did our class presentations. This format made me pay more attention to each individual's country and their cultures. The countries discussed were Brazil, Canada, Italy, Sweden, and Australia to name a few. I learned a lot about Australia. A couple of the main things I learned was how strict they are with littering, women are referred to as love just like men are called mate, and I didn't know people in Australia were such straightforward people. This was a good opportunity for everyone in the class to broaden our horizons on other countries. When we graduate and move on to bigger and better things some of us will be faced with working on the global scale. With this opportunity comes an even greater challenge. You must understand the culture of your international business partner or you run the risk of failing miserably. Do the research because it will pay off in the long run. I guarantee it!

Learning About Australia

This week we are to start looking for information about any country of choice. The first country that came to mind was Australia. Knowing Brent and Wade have really helped me with this decision. They made Australia sound very interesting during my two years of baseball with them. The problem is I only knew their side of life but not enough to do this presentation. This made it the perfect fit for a country to explore and do research on. It gave me a reason to learn about some of the history and the inner working of this great country.

Week 5 Comments

I found it very interesting throughout the discussion board assignment on memos. I have received many memos in my tenure here at UIS. I did not know there was an official outline and rules for these such things. Doing this gives me comfort to know that I am learning essential things for me to use when I get in the workforce.

Week 4 Comments

I never knew there were so many rules that apply to making and presenting power points. While looking through the readings for week 4 I noticed that I am somewhat incompetent to all of this. The Digital Video Literacy power point and the Effective Presentation video were two extremely helpful tools. I liked how it broke down the right and wrong things to do during presentations.

Empathizing while listening really works!

I found it interesting this past week when we studied how to listen first and acknowledge the problem of the person talking. I also found it unique to empathize with the one who has the problem. This has been a particularly hard week for me. I have had credit card problems, viruses on my computer, and school stress all in the matter of about four days. It was hard for me to focus without getting mad or upset at the things going wrong in my life. I ended up talking to one of my friends about it and she did exactly what we studied. She listened very carefully to everything that was going wrong in my life and showed a great deal of empathy towards my problems. She then later brought it to my attention how lucky we are to live in America and how fortunate we are to just be alive period. She later talked to me about Haiti and how my problems were only minuscule compared to theirs. This was a huge help to me. It is always nice to study something and then notice that what you are reading about isn't just some false facts or information. It really works. Thank you.

digiquality.biz = identity theft

I know this has nothing to do with class but I just want to warn everyone who is reading this to check their bank statements. My card was just taken for only $4.91 but it is very frustrating. The name of the so called business is "digiquality.biz" When you call the number on the statement it is a recording of a lady answering the phone. Very weird accent also. Anyways I just want to warn everyone to watch out for this. Tax returns are coming and this is prime time for thieves to strike. Please let me know if this helps at all and if you have any other info please share. Thank you and God Bless!!

-Chris-

Here is a link to another blog with some info on this as well.

http://inforodeo.wordpress.com/2009/12/09/identity-theft/

Business Communication Journal Summary

This article tells of the growing number of mobile workers here in the United States. It stated some facts of the future growth expected in this industry. This rise is even being seen in the amount of email each American sends per day. The article is wrapped up with a warning to employers of the legal risks involved with mobile technology, stating that Businesspeople need to consider the strengths and weaknesses of mobile workers before adding them to their companies.

Article URL: http://bcq.sagepub.com/cgi/reprint/73/1/106

Test Post

Just making sure this works.