thinkPhD

I just turned in Assignment #5 and my mind needs recharging. The questions at the end of the case were very involved and each one could have been a paper! The GE and PCBs case dealt with environmental issues and since my education is related to this subject, it was hard to not go off on a rant. I did not like the way the questions were organized and so I hope Dr. C. is able to figure out my answers – I did not always answer them in the order they were presented.

Son came for a visit yesterday evening and we had a nice visit today through lunch. He left mid-afternoon to go see a friend’s new PlayStation. I went right to work on the paper again and worked until now – 9PM. Am I crazy or what?

I am going to hang it up for tonight and turn on the TV. I don’t know what is on, but I am sure it is something that I can knit to and I don’t think I have to write a paper about.  I am teaching myself how to knit continental style, which is different from the method of throwing the yarn which is what I learned back in the dark ages. I am getting a little better but it does feel awkward. I am trying to teach an old dog new tricks!

Read Business and Society Chapters 13-16. Review the following case studies and answer all discussion questions at the end of the cases: Case #23 “Societal Impacts of Marketing” and Case #25 “The Hudson River Cleanup and GE.”

It’s always a little tricky to figure out the similarities between the two cases and build a paper around them together. The first article is about an importer who must make a decision about asking tribal artisans to modify their handiwork to appeal to a broader market base. Case #25 is about GE and cleaning up PCB’s they dumped in and around the Hudson River. Any ides on how to pull these together?

Today is the day after Thanksgiving – “Black Friday” is what retailers call it because they move from the “red” to the “black” today. I think it is Black Friday because I get to work on this paper! 🙁

Assignment #4 included reading four chapters in the text and analyzing Case #21 Pizza Redlining – Employee Safety or Discrimination? This Case was involved perceived discrimination and it was tricky not to get too preachy in the paper. On the other hand, it was tricky not to second guess everyone’s motives. I was able to pull out some of the fallacies and a 100% on this paper. Dr. C. turns around assignments very quickly and I am grateful for that! Now, on to the next Case….

I received Assignment #3 back this afternoon and Dr. C. had written some very-appreciated compliments on the paper. “Excellent!” makes my heart sing! I earned a 100% or 40/40. So far, I have received super marks on my papers in MGT5019. I am so very excited. I spoke to Son today and he told me he is proud, too. I have gotten several hugs from Husband. This is the first paper that I did not ask him to proofread and he said, “you don’t need me to proofread your papers!”. He was just kidding and he knows that I am going to force him to keep reading my old boring papers!

I turned in Assignment #3 last night. This paper is another Case Study and is based on Case #9 Phantom Expenses and Case #11 Just Between Friends? P2P vs. IP.

The paper was 11 pages, with 2 pages of References, 1 page Abstract, title page and cover page. In this class, all of my papers have been very long and take hours to complete. My strategy has been to read the case(s) and then the chapters, using the technique with sticky notes that I offered in a previous post to mark relevant passages. In my mind or on paper, I sketch out an outline for the paper. I log into the ELRC (Northcentral’s online library) and begin searching. When I get ready to write, I make sure that I have hours of uninterrupted work-time. I want to start a paper and complete it in one sitting, as I have to re-look up all of my sources a second time if I start and stop. Typically, I will take a vacation day (yes, a vacation day) or a weekend day (yes, I know I am crazy) and write the paper. Most of the time, I will get Husband or Daughter to read over it. I also send it to Turnitin.com (I have an account there) to make sure everything is perfect. Once it is fully reviewed and corrections made, I normally wait until the next day to post it after a final reading. Too much review and revision? I cannot possibly turn in a paper that is not my “best work.”

Oh and by the way, I found a “Perfectionist Quiz” on the internet last week and guess what – I am a perfectionist! 🙂

If you are in school and struggling over writing papers, be sure to try several different methods before settling on one. The method above works for me, although it may not work for everyone. When I work on an assignment, I am not doing it for the grade. I am doing it for the LEARNING. My focus is on pulling out all of the information that I possibly can so that I can use it in my personal or professional life.

Later today, I will begin the reading for Assignment #4, which included reading chapters 9-12 and an analysis of Case #21 Pizza Redlining – Employee Safety or Discrimination?.

Right now, I have to grade papers for a class I am teaching at the University. The students have turned in their very first PowerPoint presentation as well as an summarizing/paraphrasing/quoting APA style activity.

I received the second assignment back today and was very pleased with the 100% that Dr. C awarded. This paper was an analysis of the Case 3B in the text: The Body Shoppe International PLC (1998 – 2001). I had heard of The Body Shoppe previously but this paper gave me the opportunity to take an in-depth look at the company, which portrays itself as eco-friendly in all respects. I was surprised to find that the public image is very different from the true picture of this company.

My B.S. degree is in Environmental Science and I believe that I understand ecological issues reasonably well. The Body Shoppe has some ethical issues that must be resolved before I shop there. It seems the owner has used the company as a platform for her own political agenda. Recently, the company was purchased by L’Oreal which will use The Body Shoppe in a marketing campaign to corner a particular advocative demographic. Researching the paper was very interesting and Husband and I had some good discussions about The Body Shoppe. He sees all ethical issues in “black and white” or “right or wrong.” I mentioned our discussions to Dr. C. when I turned in my paper and he wrote the following on my returned copy:

Very good paper and very well researched. Also, in your note to me you indicated that you had a good family discussion about this assignment – I would have liked to have heard what the general family consensus was.  Also, don’t be afraid to throw in your personal opinions- it not only shows a practical understanding of the issues but it adds to the “character” of the paper as well as makes it more interesting to read.

I have always steered away from inserting personal observations or opinions into academic papers, but it appears as though Dr. C. would like to have some of this in the assignments. This will feel a little strange but I will certainly make a point to add some “character” to my next paper. Since this is an Ethics class, he wants to see the impact of our study on our personal selves.

Today is voting day in my community. Voting is a privilege and an honor for every citizen of the United States. Be sure to study the issues, not the hype from media or attack ads on TV. Arm yourself with facts and your vote will be all the more precious.

Vote with a friend or family member. My husband and I go to the polls together. I love to stand by him and show the world that we are both active citizens in our community. I am ready to vote – are you?
V O T E

My October was filled with going back and forth to the hospital – Mom had complications with her knee replacement surgery in September. She is much better now and very happy to be home!

MGT5019 began October 1 and runs through December 23. There are eight assignments and my plan was to tackle them throughout this time. Unfortunately, this has not happened, and I am playing catch up. So far I have turned in the first and second assignments, and received a grade back on the first (100%). I have also completed the first entry (out of five) in my Journal, which is one of the required assignments. So far, I have done a lot (!!) of reading and pulling info together for the papers. I hope to finish assignment #2 this weekend.

Wish me luck!