Blogging

I visited two “official” corporate blog websites which were Dell and Disney. On the Disney blogging website, I noticed it was focused on a variety of topics. It went from subjects such as the show “Dancing with the Stars” to “Child Labor in India.” But, when I visited the Dell blogging website, the blogs mostly focused on computer issues and upcoming computer technologies. But, when it comes down to it, both were used for a means of communication. The writers wanted to give information out to the public that they felt was either interesting or important to them. They also wanted to attract others opinions by the reader commenting on their blogs.

The first time I learned about blogging was through myspace. I thought it was fun and exciting. It gave me an opportunity to write about a topic that was on my mind at the time and let my friends know about it. But the difference between blogging through myspace and corporate blogging is on myspace the only people that can view your blogs are your friends and on corporate blogging your blogs are viewed by the world. By having the world view your blogs, it makes it more difficult for you to post a blog because you need to ask yourself do you want the world to see what you are blogging as on myspace it is your friends that are only viewing your blog.

I feel blogging is a great way to communicate and express information. This course showed me how useful and interesting it can be. I feel it can be beneficial because some may not feel comfortable speaking about a topic verbally in class but rather want to express themselves through writing. Therefore, blogging is a great way to express your thoughts through writing.

With the different assignments that were given in class, blogging let me share my information with other classmates and let me view their information posted. It also gave me an opportunity to share my opinion on what they have blogged by commenting my opinion. It showed me different outlooks people take on different subjects. The assignments also showed me different scenarios and made me express my feelings toward it and the steps I would take to approach a situation.

I also learned that many corporate websites have a blogging website. I feel this will help me learn more about companies that I may be interested in the future. It may give me a different insight of a company. I am aware that blogging is just information stated on a website for the public to see and it may not always be true. But, I know in the future, I am very interested to see what different people blog about on various subjects.

Ethical Leadership Or Would You Work Here?

There are many companies that a good amount of people would not be willing to work for and hold a leadership position in because they find their products or services to be unsavory or unethical. But, when I ask myself that question it leaves me in an indecisive state of mind.

If I was unemployed at the present time, I would not apply for a tobacco company because I hate cigarettes for many reasons. First of all, they are unhealthy and many people die from them. Also, I can not stand the smell of it and I am a heavily believer of second hand smoking. But what if I was offered a position with a pay that I was looking for, what do I do then? That is tough question for me to answer.

Several questions will then run through my mind with that one question asked. One, is if I work for a company that is selling something I feel is bad for customers, am I supporting it? Am I willing to work for an unethical company just because the pay and position is what I am looking for? My answer to all these questions is no, I would not decide to work for a company that sells something that kills people everyday.

But what if a position came along from a beer company like Heineken, would I work for them? I would probably say sure why not. Why would I say yes, because I am an occasional drinker and I think it is not so bad? Well I am wrong by saying yes. Everyday more and more people die from drunk driving. But, now when I look at it like that I would probably say no, I would not work for a beer company either.

Since I would not work for a beer or tobacco company, is it wrong that people do work for these types of companies? No, it is not. Even though as I stated I can not stand cigarettes, do I want that business to fail? I would say yes why not. But then should a beer company be ban from business? No, because what would I do if I can not have a beer here and there. So, again I am wrong by wanting a beer company to continue and a tobacco company to fail.

Overall, I feel there is nothing wrong with working for an unethical company such as tobacco and alcohol. After brainstorming unethical companies, I would work for an unethical company after all. I would not go work in the marketing department but I would do something in my field such as the financials for the company and let them know where they stand. It is up to the other folks though of how they would want to increase or decrease their revenue.

But, the way I look at it, is if a person wants to use these services it is their choice. As stated in the Wall Street Journal, “the government hasn't come up with any proof that” the tobacco industry has used advertising as targets to smoke. (Gruber, 2005) With the advertisements, companies are not forcing people to go ahead and smoke or drink. It is all up to the customer with what they want to do.

There are even other companies out there such as fast food chains. They are unhealthy too. But, is someone putting a gun to the customers head and telling them to go eat a hamburger because it is so good. No, it is the customer’s decision if they decide to put that cigarette, drink or even hamburger in their mouth. My suggestion is if it does not bother you to work for an unethical company go ahead work for them. Do not let anyone stop you. It is your decision. The same way a person wants to use an unethical company’s service it is up to them.

Youth-Smoking Targets Sought. (2005, May 11). Wall Street Journal (Eastern Edition), p. D.4.

The Business of Blogs

Blogging is a new invention on the internet. In July 2005, about 40,000 blogs were posted each day and over 9 million blogs were already on the internet. Each year more and more blogs are being posted on the internet. “The biggest battle for most small business owners is getting enough people to see your work. Often that battle is won or lost online, without you even knowing it's happening. Not very encouraging news. Here's the solution: Build a blog and learn how to use it to zero in on your audience and market your services effectively.” (Dawson 2007) Everyday people use blogs to put themselves out there and let the public know their opinion on various subjects.

Although the grapevine typically is thought of as occurring with a given organization, blogging is a form of gossip that can reach beyond an organization’s borders. Blogging changes the way that companies are affected by gossip. It is published on the internet for the public to see. It is a written document posted on the internet. There are a few ways that companies can prevent this from happening. They can have employees sign a confidentially agreement stating they will they not provide company false and actual information through any means of communication. Also, they can have the company monitor blogs sites daily to maintain blogging in regard to the company. Even though, there are over a million blogs posted each day and it can be hard to depict a blog posted about a company, it might just happen that one day they will be able to catch that one blog that has information on the company.

Although companies would prefer to reduce blogs that speak negatively about them, what about blogs that detail mistreatment of employees or illegal work practices by upper management? Employees should not post these types of blogs even though they may be reprimanded or terminated as a result. If an employee notices that an employee is mistreated or illegal work practices are being made by upper management, they should immediately contact their supervisor, human resources or the ethical hot line. This negative type of information should not be publicized on the internet by an employee. Employees should not only be terminated but should be penalized if they are sharing this type of information to the public especially if they signed a confidentially agreement.

It is ethical for companies to actively monitor blogs to gain marketing information. Once information is posted on the internet every single person has a right to read that blog for any purpose they desire. Blogging is an option on the internet used to publicize information. The purpose of blogging is not to post private information that a blogger does not anyone to know about. It is a communication aspect used on the internet to share information. By companies monitoring blogs, they are not invading privacy. Bloggers are inviting corporations to gather information because of the public nature of the postings.


Ron Dawson, Tasra Dawson. (2007, October). Effective Marketing with blogs. EventDV, 20(10), 26-28,30,32.

Group Processing - The Movie 300

A good example of group processing is the movie 300. Group processing has five distinctive stages which are forming, storming, norming, performing and adjourning. The movie 300 utilizes these five stages throughout the movie.

The first stage the movie uses is forming. Forming identifies the group’s purpose, structure and leadership. It is only complete when each member of the group recognizes they are part of the group. In the beginning of the movie, this occurs when the Persian leader arrives to Sparta to discuss with King Leonidas, the leader of the Sparta, how the Persian leader wants Sparta to submit to their rule. Leonidas disagrees and immediately throws the Persian leader into the well. By King Leonidas doing this, the Spartans automatically know this means war and they will have to fight together to keep Sparta independent. With that, the Spartans recognize they are in a group. This completes the first stage of group processing which is forming.

The second stage the movie emphasizes is storming. Storming encompasses intragroup conflict. It occurs when the group accepts the existence of the group but there is disagreement of who will be the leader of the group. When this stage is complete, the group will have clearly identified the leader. In the movie, this occurs when the Spartan council does not agree with King Leonidas to go into war with the Persians. With the trust of King Leonidas, the Spartans go ahead and follow the King Leonidas and go into war. With this being done, they are completing the process of storming by identifying that King Leonidas is their leader.

The third stage the movie recognizes is norming. Norming occurs when the group develops a strong relationship and identity. This process is complete when the group recognizes the equal expectations of what the appropriate behavior is for each member of the group. In the movie, this occurs when they are out in war and they have different groups of people offering help to the Spartans. Since the Spartans are well trained and confident, they rejected each offer. With confidence, they acknowledge they are the Spartans and they are ready to defeat. With this approach, the Spartans are showing that they have the same expectation that completes this process.

The fourth stage the movie uses is performing. Performing occurs when the group is completely functionally and accepted. The group has surpassed from recognizing each other and is at that point that they are peforming. This is identified in the movie when they defeat each group the Persians sent to fight the Spartans. At this point, they know what their plan is which is to keep defeating as the groups come in.

The final stage of this movie is adjourning. Adjourning prepares the group for discharge. The group’s main goal is no longer high performance. It is when a conclusion needs to be made. Each group member response varies during this time. Some may be happy with the accomplishments and some may feel upset over the group not being with each other any longer. Sometimes groups do not even reach stage five. It all depends on what type of group it is. In this particular movie, adjourning occurs when King Leonidas decides to send the one eye man back to the town to let them know what occurred during war. The reason King Leonidas went with this approach is because at this point he knew the 300 soldiers will not be able to defeat the Persians. He knew the Sparta did what they can and by him sending the one eye man back he can send word the war is not over even though the 300 soldiers that went to war died. The 300 Spartan soldiers accomplished their goal because they fought until they died to prove to the Persians they will not give up and who they truly are.

Are American CEOs Paid Too Much?

CEOs in the United States make a significant amount of compensation per year. According to the Academy of Management Journal, “The compensation of the chief executive officers (CEOs) of major U.S. corporations is a subject that receives wide attention.” (Miller 1995) United States CEOs compensation is extremely greater than CEOs in other countries. “The typical CEO of a Fortune 500 company didn't do quite as well, but at $10.8 million didn't do so badly -- that's more than 364 times the pay of an average employee. Forty years ago, top CEOs earned 20 to 30 times what average workers earned.” (Reich 2007) CEOs earn at least one million dollars per year in compensation which is not based on the company’s stock performance.

Personally, high compensation of US executives is not a problem to me. US executives have every right to make how much they make a year. It takes a great deal of work and effort to become a CEO. It is not something that you just wake up to. A person needs the knowledge and experience to become a CEO. They need to build a reputation with the company. It takes long hours and hard work to achieve a position as a CEO. According to the New York Times, “there's an economic case for the stratospheric level of CEO pay which suggests shareholders -- even if they had full say -- would not reduce it. In fact, they're likely to let CEO pay continue to soar. That's because of a fundamental shift in the structure of the economy over the last four decades, from oligopolistic capitalism to super-competitive capitalism. CEO pay has risen astronomically over the interval, but so have investor returns.” (Reich 2007)

Some may feel the high compensation a CEO receives is a problem. “About 80% of Americans polled by the Los Angeles Times and Bloomberg in early 2006 said CEOs are overpaid.” (Reich 2007) If he or she feels it is a problem, the blame lies with the shareholders and boards that knowingly allow the practice, not the CEOs. The shareholders and boards are the ones that are supporting the compensation they are receiving per year. An ethical CEO will not disagree and not accept the pay if it is being given to them. A CEO should feel they earned every penny of what they receive. They should not think they are being unethical in anyway unless they are stealing money from the company or doing some thing to that extent. By CEOs being paid that amount, they are not stealing because without them the company would not be where they are today.

Some may feel CEOs are greedy. Why are they greedy because they are accepting money that they worked hard for? If someone believes a CEO is greedy what about the celebrities and athletes that receive an insane amount of money per year. What do they do that they deserve to be making that amount of money? CEOs at least have a company to represent and manage. What does a basketball player have to do to gain that much money? They only need to make sure they win a game and if they do not they are still making an extreme amount of money. If someone feels CEOs are overpaid they should consider paying attention to others that make more than they do.

Robert B. Reich (2007, September 14). CEOs Deserve Their Pay. Wall Street Journal (Eastern Edition), p. A.13.

Miller, Daniel J (1995). CEO salary increases may be rational after all: Referents and contracts in CEO pay. Academy of Management Journal, 38(5), 1361.

Are Americans Overworked?

Quality of life is lower in the United States compared to many European nations due to employment hours. In many European nations, the required number of hours to work per week is 35 hours. Compared to the United States, they have as 40-hour workweek and increasing. “In the past 15 years, the typical adult’s leisure time has shrunk by 40% - down from 26.6 to 16.6 hours a week. And the work week, after decades of getting shorter, is suddenly 15% longer.” (Harris, 1989) If the United States government increased the minimum number of vacation days or limited workweek hours the quality of life would increase. Americans would have more time to spend with their family and at home. Their lives would not revolve around work. Seemingly, employment can become a person’s number one priority. This can negatively affect their personal life.

I feel the French parliament was not right by eliminating the 35-hour workweek limit because the French will end up like Americans. As you increase the mandate hours to work, the number of hours will keep increasing gradually as the years go by. The quality of life will suffer significantly. Daniel Yankelovich states “The job is now the center of excitement in American lives” (Harris, 1989) The French will begin to see that with the elimination of the 35-hour workweek limit.

Employers may or may not have an obligation to watch out for the quality of life of their employees. It all depends. Employees will volunteer to work overtime to make extra money or to meet the demands of their workload, etc. Employees need to take care of themselves and know when it is too much. But in some cases, employers may give an employee an extreme amount of work to complete that the employee is forced to work many hours. The employee may well fear that if they do not abide by their employer they can lose their job. In this type of scenario, the employer has complete obligation to watch out for the quality of life of their employees. By employers decreasing the number of hours of an employee and reducing the employee’s workload, it can protect employees from being overworked and stressed out.

It does make a difference that the unemployment rate in Europe is roughly double that of the United States and that Europe’s gross domestic product (GDP) is about half that of the United States. The high unemployment rate may be due to Europe’s better unemployment package. It includes free health care, more generous unemployment benefits and greater focus on leisure than work. Americans seem to have a greater work ethic. They are more willing to work than Europeans. The United States is a nation that is competitive and strives to be up on top. In order to make more money in the United States, you need to work more and have less leisure time. Many Americans not only work in the office but bring work home. Some Americans tend to put all their focus on work and leave behind the greater things in life like family, friends, travel, etc. Unlike Europeans, they put all their mind and effort into the quality of life.

Harris, T George, Trotter, Robert J. (1989, March). Work Smarter, Not Harder. Psychology Today, 23(2), 33.

Professional Sports: Rewarding and Punishing the Same Behavior?

The type of reinforcement schedules that random drug testing represent is the variable interval type. This type of schedule is done randomly and unexpected. It is typically effective because athletes are unaware of when these tests will be taken place. Therefore, athletes are unprepared. This is unlike a fixed variable reinforcement schedule. Athletes have a fixed time of when the tests will be scheduled so they can prepare and make sure their systems are clean before the test takes place.

An example of a behavior in a typical organization that supervisors reward but may actually be detrimental to others or to the organization as a whole is baseball players taking steroids. When baseball players take steroids to enhance their performance abilities, they are misleading their managers and their fans. Initially, it may be rewarding because everyone involved gains from the profitability, i.e. revenue from increased game attendance, sports merchandise, increased popularity and success. But in the end, when it is discovered that the baseball player achieved recognition with the aid of steroids he destroys the teams reputation and the loyalty the fans had for the team. As a manager, in order to avoid this quandary, if I was made aware of someone using steroids, I would do a random drug testing as soon as possible instead having the whole team suffer for that one insubordinate team player.

If I was the commissioner of baseball, there are several steps that I would take to try to reduce the use of steroids in baseball. First of all, I would reinforce to all the athletes that if someone is caught using steroids they will be thrown off the team. Second, I would continue to do random drug testing. Punishment is not likely to be the most effective deterrent. This will only cause athletes to stop playing and taking steroids for a certain period of time. But it will not teach them that they should not use it again.

No, it is not ever “okay” to allow potentially unethical behaviors, which on the surface may benefit organizations to persist. For example, if a baseball player is taking steroids, doing exceptionally well on the team and if the team is aware he is taking steroids, even though the team will not do well without this player they should ban that player from the team. It is the right thing to do. Even though the player is causing harm to the team, the player is causing even more harm to himself. If the player does get caught doing steroids, it may be publicized and it will give the fans a bad perception of the team.

I found this article on steroids very interesting. It talked about a “secret steroid” which drug testers discovered later after the steroid was used by many athletes. No one knows who made this steroid (THG). “Secret steroids” are one of the sports physicians’ biggest fears. Everyday more and more athletes are taking steroids and when a steroid cannot be detected this causes problems. Luckily, the drug testers were able to develop a test that can detect this steroid. Athletes believe they can get away by either not taking steroids months before a testing or just using a steroid that cannot be detected but there are new developments everyday for steroids. I believe that this is not the only “secret steroid” used among athletes but if an athlete is using a non detectable steroid I recommend they stop before they get caught.

Jonathan Knight (2003). Drugs bust reveals athletes' secret steroid. Nature, 425(6960), 752.