Reflection on the Ethics Assignment

For our ethics assignment, Casey and I looked at a memo written by Adolf Hitler to the Nazi party speakers, which were basically the party leaders that made public speeches. He was addressing them regarding their membership to a church. In the memo, Hitler explains to the speakers that they should immediately leave the church because their only loyalty should be to him. He says in the memo that leaving the church would be "voluntary," however, if you've ever read history about the Nazi regime, you know that nothing was "voluntary." If the party leaders refused to leave the church, they most likely would have been punished severely by the Nazis. It is amazing to me to read historical memos that are so unethical, yet influenced so many people. Hitler had so much control over his people that he basically told his party officials that they could not go to church to worship a God that is more powerful than him. They could only worship him. Ultimately, it is seen in history how successful Hitler was at manipulating people into following him. It is evident in his writing that he was a mastermind of controlling others. He was able to convince the entire Nazi party that the extermination of the Jewish population would lead to a greater Germany.

Response to "Ethical Lapses Distract US Workers"

This article was a shocking article in my opinion. It is disappointing to read that 73% of Americans who are employed full-time report encountering ethical lapses on the job. Ethical lapses cause problems in the workplace that make it difficult to interact or communicate with coworkers. Ultimately, this dissonance in the workplace is distracting and can decrease a company's productivity. This article stresses the importance of having shared values in the workplace. It is important to educate workers on these values and the company's expectations regarding compliance with these values. The article also describes the importance of creating a corporate culture with a value system so that workers can be encouraged to engage in appropriate conduct which will ultimately result in increased performance. I also found it interesting when the article said that one in three workers who dealt with ethical lapses said that these ethical lapses happen at least once a week. Workers lose motivation to be productive in the workplace when inappropriate behavior is occurring around them. Another issue that the article addresses is the fact that not only do ethical lapses decrease productivity in the workplace, but also workers lose satisfaction with their jobs. It is difficult to be motivated to do well and be productive in the workplace when you are not happy with your job. The article also spoke about the distraction for workers that comes from disagreeing with coworkers on how to handle the ethical issues. The main argument is whether they should handle it themselves or report it to company management. When workers are having to spend their energy on how to deal with ethical issues, they are wasting time in the workplace in which they could be productive. I found that this article was very important considering the alarming statistics involved with encountering ethical lapses in the workplace. It is commonplace to find these ethical lapses in the corporate environment. Therefore, businesses should address these issues at the beginning in order to create an environment that is focused on ethics.

Web Writing

Writing for the web has become a very important way of communication in the business world. The accessibility and speed of the internet is necessary in today's rapid paced, modern business world. Writing on the web is similar to writing on paper in many ways. Both have distinct purpose and a specific audience that they are trying to reach. Written work on paper and on the web both require research to back up ideas. It is important that both are written without grammatical errors so that they can reach their audience in a more professional manner. There are also differences between Web writing and written work on paper. Web writing is for fast paced readers. Web audiences want to read the information quickly. Web writing also uses a more simple style and is written more concisely. Although web writing tends to be more informal, it is important to remember that web writing is representative of your business and product. The web also uses hyperlinks to get to other pages of content. Because web writing is for fast reading, headings, subheadings, and bullets are used to break up information and make it easier to read.

Togo Africa

Next fall I am going on a medical missions trip to Togo, Africa. I am very excited and and grateful for the opportunity to be a part of this. I am going on this trip through my church at home. Several students from MUSC, Doctors, and Physician's Assistants are going on the trip. Togo is a thin strip of land situated in West Africa. I have wanted to be involved in medical missions for a long time, and finally have the opportunity to go. For about 2 years, I have been interested in joining the Peace Corps in Africa. I feel that this trip will be a stepping stone. I also have a passion for medical missions and hope that one day medical missions will be a large part of my life and career. I am a health major and am applying to PA school in the fall, so medicine is the career path that I am seeking. I think that this trip will be an eye opening experience and will give me clinical experience in a different environment. I look forward to this experience and can't wait to get going!

Response to Lying on Your Resume

This article talked about the repercussions of lying on your resume. It is really difficult for me to think about lying on your resume...which is probably naive of me. I can understand the pressures of trying to make your resume more appealing to employers. I am currently experiencing the stress of trying to work on my resume for PA school. The article speaks about the fact that companies are now better at finding out when someone lies on their resume. Background checks are conducted to explain why an employee's performance is not up to par.
The article talks about the most common resume lies. Many resume lies are about academic credentials or making dates of employment look like you weren't unemployed for extended periods of time. Some people exaggerate about their job titles, or embellish their job responsibilities and achievements. The article also spoke about why people lie on their resumes. Some people feel desperate when they are unemployed for long periods of time and cannot seem to be hired.
There are many consequences for lying on resumes. When someone lies on their resume and make themselves look more qualified for the position than honest job seekers. Also, if someone lies on their resume, they will have to live with the fear of being caught. If they are caught they will be fired.
The overall message of the article was to let readers know that no matter how stressful applying for jobs are or how long one goes without employment, there are ways to be hired and to make your resume the best it can be without lying. The moral of the article is that it is not worth it to lie on your resume!!

REsponse to Presentations

I thought all of the presentations were very interesting. Each of the presentations stuck out to me in various ways. The presentation about Trans fat was very interesting to me because I am a Health Sciences major and have taken Nutrition classes. Ever since hearing the presentation, I have been obsessive about double checking nutrition labels on food to see if it contains "partially hydrogenated coconut oil". Surprisingly, everything that says it contains "Zero Trans Fat" actually contains the partially hydrogenated oil which means that it has Trans Fat. This just makes me more careful about what I eat. I also liked the presentation about Hershey chocolate and how to taste chocolate. I didn't know that chocolate was like wine and the taste should be savored. Also, I didn't know that Hershey's anniversary was coming up. The presentation about mules was extremely entertaining, as well. The graphics on the slide show were hilarious and the way that the information was presented was very interesting. It taught me a lot about the importance of mules. I thought it was interesting to know that one of my classmates has trained mules. The presentation on obesity and physical activity in adolescents was also interesting. One of the topics that we discuss pretty regularly in my major is how to solve the obesity epidemic in this country. The statistics and ideas for solving the problems were interesting, as well. Overall, the presentations in the class were all very interesting. It is always interesting to see the various topics that people present on and how everyone has different interests.

Mock Interview Reflection

Today I had my mock interview to practice for a job interview that I will be having this summer. I am applying for a job as an Emergency Tech at a hospital in Charleston, and the mock interview focused on this particular job. I eventually want to attend PA school, so I need a job that can give me firsthand clinical experience in the medical field. I thought the interview was very helpful. I was able to practice being confident and calm during the interview. Mrs. Rogers asked questions regarding the type of positions I had held in the past, what previous experience I had in medical care, what I am studying at Clemson, etc. I felt like the interview went smoothly like a normal conversation. I have had interviews in the past with other summer jobs, but have never had to interview for a position in the medical field. The questions that Mrs. Rogers asked me helped me to feel more prepared about the types of questions I may be asked when I actually interview at the hospital. I also had my resume and cover letter critiqued with some helpful hints on how to make them more effective. I thought the interview was fun, not scary at all, and it was very helpful in allowing me to have some practice for my actual interview.