Summary Reflection

The part about writing that I find difficult and causes me to spend hours writing a paper is coming up with ideas and organizing those ideas so that it makes sense to the reader. So writing persuasive essays or research papers are not my favorite. Summaries on the other hand don’t require the writer to come up with his or her own ideas or opinions. The purpose of a summary is simply to put the key points of someone else’s paper into a short description of what the article is about. This way if someone wants to find out what a paper is about without reading the whole thing they can just read the summary. Summaries can be really useful tools for people doing research on a particular topic.

The other reason I like summaries is because they are generally short and to the point. There isn’t any filler information, random facts or anecdotes. If someone writes a summary that is almost as long as the original paper then the summary is pointless because it would be better to read the article at that point. This means that summaries are required to be considerably shorter than the original piece of writing whereas if I were to write a rhetorical analysis on a journal article they would probably end up being closer to each other in length.

Lastly, I think writing this summary helped me understand the article better because I had to find all of the main points and try to understand the full article before I could begin. Writing summaries can be really helpful if you are trying to understand an article or want to use it for research because not only do you have to break the article down and read it many times but once you have a completed summary you can reference it later more easily when you have more than ten sources.

Memo

SFD (Software for Dummies) is a start-up company that connects small businesses with developers to make improvements to any software their business uses on a daily basis.

To: All SFD Employees                       

From: Joseph Hage, CEO

Subject: New Partnership with SAE

Date: January 28^th, 2014

Greetings,

As I am sure many of you are already aware, we have been in contact with Iowa State University’s SAE for a couple weeks now and I am pleased to inform you that their president Ali Daly has just decided to use our company to improve their baja car design software. Ali Daly is a mechanical engineer and she is very devoted to her work so I expect you to show the same kind of devotion. Please make sure your contact with her organization is informative but brief and make sure we do everything possible to meet their needs. SAE is the customer and so the answer is always yes. If you have any questions please feel free to contact me. Thank you for all your hard work.

Joseph Hage

SFD Chief Executive Officer

Writing in My Field

            If I wanted to learn more about how communication works in MIS I would start by talking to different upperclassmen of MIS club, hear what they have to say and then also try to figure out who they would recommend I talk to. After narrowing it down to a few professors or other people to talk to I would go talk to them to find out as much as I can so that I feel confident going out on my own to research communication in my field. I’m sure there is plenty of information online but without talking to anyone first I would have no idea where to begin or what to search so that I find relevant and credible information.

MLA Citations

Daim, Tugrul U. "Exploring the Communication Breakdown in Global Virtual Teams." Exploring the Communication Breakdown in Global Virtual Teams. Science Direct, Feb. 2012. Web. 15 Feb. 2014.

Bostrom, Robert P. "Successful Application of Communication Techniques to Improve the Systems Development Process." Successful Application of Communication Techniques to Improve the Systems Development Process. Science Direct, n.d. Web. 16 Feb. 2014.

Thought Piece #2

            I have always found academic reading to be really boring. Even the article itself wasn’t very interesting at first until I realized that I was the audience and I could relate to a lot of the author’s struggles. When I have to read something for a class I usually try to read it as quickly as possible and hope that I remember enough to say I read it. But this article really did offer some new insight into academic reading. I was always encouraged in high school to read things multiple times and divide it into sections to understand meanings so that part wasn’t new. Reading something multiple times definitely doesn’t make it more interesting that’s for sure. But when Rosenberg says that before trying to understand an article I should try to figure out why I was assigned to read it that made a lot of sense to me. As obvious as that seems, it is not something I usually do. I just assume there is a purpose and leave it at that. But as the reader, if you don’t know why you are reading it then how do you know what to look for? You have to make it interesting and challenging somehow in order to stay awake. When I read a book because someone tells me it is really good I start reading and even if it is not interesting at first I keep reading and waiting for the “insane” part of the book that they told me about. It’s the same with academic writing; if you know what to look for then it gives the reading purpose and if it has a purpose then it is worth reading. While you may have to trick your brain into thinking that the reading has a purpose, sometimes that is the only way to learn the information effectively without reading it and forgetting all the information right away.

Summary

Exploring the communication breakdown in global virtual teams, by Tugrul U. Daim and his research assistants, focuses on how developers communicate with each other when they are spread out across the globe. It also analyzes multiple causes of communication failure among these developers. Previous research has shown that teams of developers working in the same region tend to be more effective than teams spread across the globe. By sharing his findings, Daim hopes to educate others on how to avoid communication breakdown.

            Daim and his research assistants studied five criteria that they found to be the main causes of communication breakdown: cultural differences, interpersonal relations, leadership, technology and trust. Each of these causes can single-handedly cause communication breakdown and thus are equally important. Technology contributes to many of the issues because technology is behind every type of communication whether it is e-mail, video-conferencing or social media. People of different cultures also have different expectations, values and behaviors. This makes it hard to build interpersonal relations among team members, which can lead to an overall lack of trust. Team members that work in the same office have a lot more in common than members from different cultures and because of this members are less likely to share ideas with each other. The last major criterion discussed by Daim is leadership. Daim says that the team leader needs to be enthusiastic about the work and also be in constant contact with every member of the team. This ensures that everyone is on the same track and workings towards a common goal. The leader is also in charge of making sure each member of the team has an effective relationship with each of the other members.

            After laying out these five criteria, Daim mentions many complaints brought up my members of global virtual teams. These complaints vary depending on if the team communicates in real-time virtually or if they communicate through e-mail and face-to-face. With teams that communicate by e-mail and face-to-face many people complain that e-mail is a waste of time and ineffective in trying to get an idea across. They also argue that there are a lot of meetings and not many decisions being made. When they do make decisions at these meetings it is hard to keep track of the decisions being made because there is no record of it. Because of these reasons and also the challenge and cost of bringing everyone together face-to-face, many teams choose to meet in real time virtually. However, many people find that meeting in real-time virtually consumes a lot of time and invades on their personal life. These meetings are generally US dominated and are not usually very productive because they either happen at the beginning or end of the day. One of the biggest difficulties is remaining productive and continuing to communicate when not meeting in real-time. Daim used in-house software developed at Portland University to combine answers to all the questions interviewees were asked and also weigh each answer in importance. Daim found that across all of the professionals interviewed responses remained consistent, which shows the accuracy of his findings.

            In conclusion, Daim offers a few ways to combat these issues since global virtual teams are necessary in today’s global market and cannot be eliminated. Firstly, building and integrating company culture into teams helps members relate to each other faster. Secondly, learning how to effectively use the forms of communication offered will make team members more eager to communicate with one another. Lastly, ensure the leader of the group has a good, positive attitude that will foster good relations among the team members.

           

Visual Rhetorical Analysis

            The image above came from the website of a company called ServoGlobe Inc. They provide asset monitoring and protection to businesses in order to make managing assets easier, faster and more secure. The image is on the company’s “About Us” page and is intended to show potential customers how their business operates. This visual is related to management information systems because ServoGlobe employs people in my career.

            In order to break down this visual and analyze it I approached it from many different angles. First, I analyzed color and why they chose blue as the main color. Then I looked at all the different shapes and objects involved; the people, the Earth in the background, all the lines streaked across the visual, the squares stemming from the center of the visual, the circles that seem to ripple out from the globe and lastly the different pages overlapping each other behind the people. I also observed that the entire visual is a graphic design, which means it is a digital image that was created with a computer.

            After I divided the image into all the different parts I was able to look at why each aspect was included and the affect that it has in conveying its message to the audience. Color is a big aspect in any visual whether it is a graphic, art or a photograph. If they had used red it would have given off the impression that their business is very intense and stressful. Blue represents calmness and ease. ServoGlobe wants to make people’s lives easier and save companies money by decreasing the amount of time spent managing assets. The other main color used is white which represents peace and happiness. This makes the audience feel good about ServoGlobe and curious as to how they make things easier and simpler. Shape is also important, especially for artists and graphic designers because shapes are what make a visual interesting but also help focus the audience’s attention towards certain aspects of the visual. The visual has a lot of people communicating with one another. They are also spread out across the entire visual, which connects with the globe behind them because ServoGlobe is a global company with many people communicating from across the world. Some of them are carrying briefcases, which implies they are traveling, others are talking on cell phones and many are communicating face to face with other people. On the far right of the visual is one person running which makes me feel like the company will do anything to get things done in a short amount of time to make their customers happy and keep their businesses running smoothly. Adding to the idea that ServoGlobe works at a fast pace is the streaks across the visual. Usually lines are used to show movement and fast speeds. After noticing this I realized one of the main purposes of this visual is to influence businesses to think that their company gets things done quickly. Then there are all the squares and circles surrounding the globe. I think they are meant to represent communication across the world. The circles represent a signal being sent out and all the squares are like a grid that divides up all the different areas. ServoGlobe operates worldwide so they will work with businesses across the world. Communicating with these businesses and staying in contact is important in order to meet all their needs as the economy changes and businesses adapt and evolve. The last two aspects, the overlapping images and the visual being a graphic image, required more analysis and thought as to why they were chosen. I think the overlapping images show that ServoGlobe is capable of working on many projects at once and is capable of maintaining relationships with many companies. It is a subtle addition to the image because otherwise it would be overwhelming and distract the audience from the focal points of the image, which are the globe and the people. Lastly, while they could have included photographs in the visual since ServoGlobe is a technological company that develops software and applications it makes sense for it to be digital.

            Overall, the image gives off the idea of worldwide communication and a company that does not waste time getting the job done. I think the image is very effective at achieving this goal because it has many aspects yet it is simple enough that it is not overwhelming to the viewer. All of the things discussed that ServoGlobe is trying to convey with this visual are very important to management information systems. A career in MIS means communicating with companies and people to find out what they need and then tell the developers how to accommodate their desires in the best way possible.

Works Cited

“About Us.” ServoGlobe Inc. 2014. N.p, n.d. Web. 9 Feb 2014.

Rhetorical Analysis By Surprise

When I meet someone for the first time I always look at his or her appearance and make an assumption about his or her character. After that I pay attention to mannerisms, facial expressions and speech. But then I talk to him or her and find out a lot more about them, which is fair because I wouldn’t want anyone to judge me based on my appearance. However, when I judge someone based on his or her appearance I am using rhetorical analysis because I am using my surroundings and the information I am given to make an assumption. My assumptions are usually pretty close to the truth however I would not know that unless I talk to them. In rhetorical analysis we may never find out whether are assumptions were correct or not for various reasons. The author of the piece of writing or art may be inaccessible or have been dead for many years.

            One instance in particular where this happened was with my roommate right now. We actually went to the same high school so I have known him for three years. But I graduated with just under 700 people so as you can imagine it was hard to be friends with everyone. I had a few classes with him but didn’t know much about him other than he was in band. I usually saw him with lots of people though so I assumed he was a very social person and that he had lots of friends. I have always been an introvert and usually only have a couple friends that I hang out with so when I heard he was coming to Iowa State I asked if he wanted to be roommates because he could help me meet people. I should also mention that I am a weird person and I like doing goofy things and being silly and he seemed more serious and into sports. Now that we have been roommates for 6 months I’ve come to realize that my assumptions were very wrong. He turned out to be a lot like me; a goofy introvert. He actually thinks of me as the more social person and it is because of me that we have most of the friends that we have now. It turned out really well for both of us because we have become really good friends since the start of the year. I would argue he is even goofier than I am but I guess it depends on the day. We do a lot of crazy stuff and have lots of prank wars too. My favorite prank so far was putting caution tape all over someone’s door. Unfortunately this resulted in a well-planned counter-attack. They switched out one of our room keys for a bathroom key, came into our room in the middle of the night and turned everything upside down. After that I never let me keys leave my sight again.

MIS Communcation Links

http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0263786311000779

http://www.sciencedirect.com.proxy.lib.iastate.edu/science/article/pii/0378720689900050

Portrait of a Writer

            Algebra, statistics, chemistry and physics; if you are like me these were your favorite subjects in school. Your favorite subject was definitely not history, English or creative writing. But English is one of the most important subjects in school because no matter what career path you choose or where you go you will use knowledge you learned from your English class. It even helps you learn other languages because many languages have similar grammar rules and concepts. So unfortunately everyone has to take English. For those that excel in English, writing is a breeze. The ideas, the grammar and the vocabulary come easy. For everyone else, staring at a blank screen and putting it off until the last minute is common.

            The problem with this is that as human beings we love to compare ourselves to everyone around us. Who’s smarter, funnier, better looking and nicer are some of the most common ways we compare ourselves to everyone around us. Add who’s a better writer to the list, and you have a good representation of me anytime I try to write. I know I wasn’t born a writer and therefore don’t write if I don’t have to. The only time I enjoy writing is when I am writing on a particular topic or issue that I am passionate about. I like to write about technology, religion and even political issues on occasion. Other than that I don’t write. Unless you count really long text messages which most of the time I try to talk to them on the phone before I send a 1,000-character text message.

            In my last blog post I realized that sometimes I choose not to write just because I don’t think it will be good even if the topic does interest me. It helped me to realize that I will never know the outcome if I never try. The only thing left is to find ways to connect with the topic of the paper to make it interesting for me. For a research paper or papers with more flexibility that should be pretty easy but a literary analysis or a documented essay? I don’t think so. So I decided there must be another way to get me motivated to write these types of papers.

            As I was thinking about this I started thinking about how I brainstorm and what I do for prewriting. To be honest, I can’t remember the last time I did any kind of brainstorming on paper or wrote down ideas before starting to write. Usually I go at it right away and figure it out as I go. In other words, I take a long time to write papers because I’m constantly changing my ideas and the organization. I edit the paper as I write it so by the time I’m done I usually call it good and don’t want to even look it over because I didn’t want to write it in the beginning and I definitely don’t want to write it again.

            For all I know, I could be a pretty decent writer but most of the time I don’t give myself a chance to do my best because I don’t have the patience for the amount of time that it takes to write a paper. It’s not the grammar or spelling that gets me because I actually do really well whenever I am tested on either of those. I also like editing other people’s papers and have done it numerous times for my younger sisters because I have a pretty good sense of when something doesn’t work or doesn’t sound right. It really comes down to thinking of ideas and putting words on paper in a way that gets my message across and is worth reading.

            One of my goals for this class is going to be pushing myself to put more effort and thought into my writing. To spend more time brainstorming and also writing all my ideas down on paper so that I can refer to them later. Most importantly, I’m going to work on managing my time better and planning a schedule so I don’t procrastinate and write the whole thing a few hours before it’s due. While I do work well under pressure, it doesn’t work for my writing and my ideas are generally incomplete. Even worse, I don’t get to finish writing all the things I should have because I run out of time. Right now you are probably hitting yourself thinking, “Why would you wait until the last minute and then not even finish your essay?” that’s a good question, I don’t have a good answer to that other than I just didn’t want to do it. It’s not like I plan to wait until the last minute; when I get the assignment my intention is to start it right away but something always comes up and no matter what it is it takes priority over writing a paper. Same with the brainstorming, it crosses my mind but then I convince myself it isn’t going to help much and so I skip it.

            If you related to any of this I hope you decide to change your ways and see what you are truly capable of. Give yourself a chance because you won’t know what the world has to offer until you put yourself out there. I haven’t even been in this course a week but I already feel like I have come to realize a lot about myself as a writer. I’ve admitted my weaknesses as a writer and now I hope to turn those weaknesses into strengths. Maybe I’ll even start to like writing but I think we can both agree that’s a stretch.

Thought Piece on Goodman's article "Calming the Inner Critic and Getting to Work"

I have never been someone who enjoys writing. When I get a writing assignment I put it off until the last minute because in my mind I think: it’s not going to be good anyways so why spend a lot of time on it or write multiple drafts? “Calming the Inner Critic and Getting to Work” by Allegra Goodman gave me new insight into this dilemma I have with writing. My inner critic tells me “you are not good enough.” As I compare myself to famous writers in history and the authors of my favorite books I realize I have nowhere near the amount of creativity they have. But Goodman’s article covers all the excuses one could think of for procrastinating or not finishing one’s work. When I run out of ideas I will go out into the world and just observe instead of racking my brain and staring at a blank screen. All ideas come from past experiences and knowledge throughout one’s life. Just by observing the world you have access to an unlimited amount of information and ideas. This is where writers get their inspiration. Once you have the ideas the only thing holding you back is your natural desire to sit inside your comfort zone where no one can see your writing or judge you for your writing. But the world has endless opportunities and you have the ability to create brilliant and original ideas. By sitting inside your comfort zone you are keeping those ideas locked inside and no one can benefit from your knowledge. Each person is unique and will have different ideas from the next person so give yourself a chance. You have everything to gain and nothing to lose. If no one likes it, just try again. Maybe the world just isn’t ready for your brilliance yet.