Who Yoked the YOKE?

Our team was pretty good when it came to this task. We knew exactly what the our goal was... We all had a say in what our contraption was going to look like, and we all agreed on a few things like who was going to drop the egg. The area we could have used a some improvement on was identifying what we were good at and bad at. But, we might have figured them out eventually because everyone started to shout out a job they didn't want to do, and then we worked from there. We knew our resources was the same as everyone else's so we agreed that if another team could figure something out, so could we.

The team's planning process took quite a while, but we successfully planned our contraption and had a good idea of how we wanted it to look. Within the planning phase, we looked at the objective and just thought logically. We knew the egg had to some way stay protected while crashing into that bucket. Once we fully understood that, we started drawing designs we thought would work. We ended up incorporating elements from each of our ideas; taking the strongest elements and turning it into one super-egg protector. We went through the physics of the entire contraption and felt tour contraption was the best way to safely deliver the egg into that bucket.

Even though the contraption didn't succeed, I still think it was a better design than the rest of the classes. I think the only way we could of had more success is if we had more time and a few test runs...

DA POEM

Dear Management,
I have a problem
Dear Management,
help me to solve'em

You see,
my manager thinks I'm lazy
sometimes maybe,
but this time he's just crazy

You see,
I do my job well just at my own pace,
I'm not always on time but never too late.
I always try but he always hates.
Please Management come down and put him in his place.

My Thoughts on Blogs...

1) I definitely feel that this blog component provided a way for students to learn from each other in terms of our activities and class subjects. I feel that we where much more open with each other on the blogs than in real life… That’s the only thing I regret, but than again it’s a pretty large class. Many of the times, I didn’t know who I was commenting on. Maybe if all of us where required to have photos up, it would help a great deal.

2) The blog activities definitely got me thinking about our class sessions. This is because the assignments forced us to sit down and really reflect on what we did and come up with valid entries and responses.

3) As far as introducing several management topics, I was not aware of any because I did not visit professor Kurpis’ blog. I did not know that we had to… However, I will get on that!

4) I absolutely do feel that the blogs were great opportunities to control the 20% of our grade. However, I did not know that we would loose substantial points for being late or missing a blog entry. Regardless, the blog assignments where a plus in my book.

5) I don’t know if I would continue using “this” particular blog… I personally don’t see myself posting things up about school or work etc… I have a radio show to do that!

I feel that the blog component should remain a part of this course. It’s a great way to up your grade and a great form of class-mate interaction.

DISC!

After the leadership/management diagnostic, I was pretty surprised to see that I was a type D. Although I do have type D characteristics, I thought I would lean more towards type I. I don’t think I am a definite type D but a mixture of both D and I. For example, I dislike control and supervision, I like new and varied activities, and I desire power, all of which is type D characteristics. However, I also aim to make good impressions, I like to entertain and like social recognition, all of which fall in the type I category. If it was up to me, I would like to take on some type C characteristics. I am more of a creative thinker than the analytical type. I feel that being able to analyze situation with accuracy and demonstrating diplomatic ability is a very important skill in life. I found that this test is helpful “initially” to understand where a person is coming from and would prepare you for better interaction. Such as myself, I don’t think every person is a definite D, I, S or C types. People are dynamic and share many qualities, however, this test can help an individual gain some idea of other peoples traits in-turn creating healthier interaction in the workplace.

McDoozies Managment Process

Part 1

Step 1: I knew I needed to find a McDonald's quickly. Evidently, there was one right by my train station so I made my way there before I went to school.

Step 2: As I approached the counter with my money, I had a feeling that this “special” order would be met with puzzled looks. I asked “Hi, can I have one small hamburger with EXACTLY four pickles AND one small order of fries with NO salt. AND can I have a receipt showing four extra pickles and a small order of fries with no salt.” The cashiers face was of confusion. She asked me to repeat the order so I did. She responded by saying that she couldn’t do it. I did not give up and urged her to try. Of course the manager was beckoned. I repeated my request to her as well.

Step 3: Upon my request, there was a lot of side talk (in Spanish) and perturbed looks towards my direction. The manager yelled to the lady that makes the burgers to put four pickles on my hamburger and told the French fries lady to put no salt on my order. I thought I caught a sneer from the French fries lady… At this point I had been at that cash register for almost ten minutes explaining my instructions. I check the time and it was about twelve o’clock and some change, lunch time… I turned around and there it was a line right behind me a few bodies shy from the door. I was met with stabbing glares. To be honest I was a little embarrassed and I tried to avoid eye contact.

Step 4: As I checked my order, surprisingly, they did what I asked. There were exactly four pickles on my burger and my fries seemed salt-less. However, I looked at the receipt, and it was all wrong. They got the “no salt on fries” part but they only documented one extra pickle on the burger. I was disappointed; I asked them if they can redo the receipt. The manager said no. She stated that they can’t print receipts without placing an order. I had no choice but to place another order. They got it right the second time around.

This whole management process was a little frustrating but interesting. I was frustrated because my instructions were very clear but it still took them about 15 minutes from start to finish getting my order right. Surprisingly, I was not mistreated or disrespected. The stares and looks towards me were negligible.


Part 2

As I witnessed the management process, the McDonald's staffs’ reaction was predictable. I had a feeling that my request was a little strange and would cause some confusion. I just didn’t know it was going to take longer than 15 minutes.

If I were to rate the staffs manufacturing process on a scale of 1 – 10, I would give them a 9. They just take the order and make the burgers, they do there job pretty well. If I were to rate the communications, I would give them a 6. There was some miscommunication up front but my order came out the way I asked. However, they did screw up my receipt. The coordination was good enough; I give them an 8 being that it is not a complex structure. Lastly, I give the customer service a 7. Yes there was some confusion but they were patient with me and plus I didn’t feel mistreated, even if I’m four dollars poorer.

If I were brought in as a consultant to McDonald's in efforts to improve their efficiency in regards to special orders, I would suggest one thing. Just like supermarkets that have express lines; McDonald's should have a Special Orders line with a cashier who is trained in taking particular orders. Depending on the size of the McDonalds, I would also add and express line. This would enhance efficiency during peak hours such as lunch. People buying one or two items can shoot straight to the express line; people with specialized orders can join the Special Orders line and all regular orders to the regular lines. During non-peak hours, all registers are open for any order. I think this would be a great plan.

My Vision...

I only realized recently how important vision is... As a child I always felt discouraged because I thought you had to get good grades or be well off to get anywhere. How wrong I was... The video "The Power of Vision" inspired me, although it was a little old. I've been recently thinking to myself about my goals... my vision... One of my goals is to buy my parents a house. Another one of my goals is to make a name for myself in ent/media. I guess thats where my vision comes in. It just clicked one day as I was listening to music, "music video director." I always thought to myself, "wow I can picture the video in my head" as I listened to music. I've always loved music, and at that, I've always been creative. I feel that those two qualities are essential for a music video director... I think all I have to do now is act towards my vision...

Let Me Fall Back...

During our class on Monday, I had a feeling the professor was setting us up for an exercise. After the professor gave us the opportunity as a class to adjust our test and pick and choose different options, I knew all hell would break loose. As the clamoring started I decided to sit back and see the different options that came up. Being one of the many that received a low grade, all I wanted was a curve and the dropping of the lowest grade. Those two options came up relatively quickly. Therefore, I think the method I chose was closest to avoidance. This wasn’t because there was no chance of winning but due to the fact that what I wanted had already been covered; anything else was extra. A few things that I did notice was the way males and females differ in how they express their ideas and suggestions. The male students seemed straight to the point and showed leadership whereas female students showed more emotion. If I could choose another method in this decision-making process it would probably be collaboration. Since it is a large class, I feel that it would have been much more effective if we divided the room into sections and have each group collaborate with each other to come up with an ultimate decision.

That's Life...

I came into college thinking that I had all the time in the world... I couldn't be more wrong. It seems that senior year just crept up on me. As a college student venturing into the real world day-by-day, time management is crucial. I know I'm having issues in this area. Balancing school, friends, work and other matters is stressful. I have school Monday - Thursday from mornings to evenings. I also have the responsibility as one-half of the production team at the radio station. Fridays and Saturdays are dedicated to work. On sundays I really try to go see my family.. friends... I am also facing another problem. The rent in my building just went up which is a pain in the a$$ because now I need to look for another place and looking for another place takes more time... CAN ANYONE FEEL MY PAIN!? lol