Assignment One

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Comment [D1]: This was a fantastic assignment! Your enthusiam and commitment to the topic really showed throughout your observations, descriptions, and interview. In addion, your observations were incredibly thorough; it was easy to get a clear sense of what was going on throughout your observation times. For the final portoflio, here is what I would like for you to add/revise: Add some sort of list for bank customers to help them get the most out of their banking experience. What you may do is divide your list up according to different banking tasks-applying for a loan, deposits, etc. Create a map that shows the typical traffic patterns in the bank. You may even mark specific artifacts or actors that are particularly important to the functioning of the bank. Great work on describing your personal interest in the topic--this worked really well. I would like to use your assignment as example of what students should shoot for in their revisions if that's okay.

Rules and Conventions The figured world I will be observing will be the banking workspace. The name of the company I will be observing is called Uwharrie Bank, a company in the small town of Oakboro, North Carolina. The banking workspace is considered to be an extremely professional environment where business is conducted. While banking is basically the only business conducted in this figured world, many different activities are conducted in this workspace. The employees are constantly doing different jobs to ensure the satisfaction of the customers that come into the bank. One example of what different activities are involved in this environment is when a customer comes in to request a loan. The staff members will have to comply with this request to ensure proper satisfaction. Among other examples, a clerk might have to balance the cash in their drawer, or an employee might have to make a spreadsheet to keep up with different transactions. In this figured world, professionalism is expected of both the employees of the bank and the customers that walk in. Customers are expected to come in and communicate with the employees in a civilized manner. Anything other than professionalism is considered inappropriate. Technology is encouraged and is necessary in this figured world. The employees must be able to have access to the internet so they are able to contact other coworkers electronically or higher-up employees in different branches. The use of cell phones by employees is typically not permitted however. Loud sounds are typically not welcomed and usually are avoided in this environment while customers are present. However, while customers are not present, this can change, but overly excessive noise is not acceptable. The employees of the banking workspace are also required to dress professionally; men typically wear suits and ties and women dress in slacks, blouses or suits. During my observations, I will be observing the different tasks the employees of the banking environment and the different times at which these tasks take place. Why I Chose This Figured World The reason I chose to observe this figured world is because I have future ambitions in life of becoming a banker. I enjoy the calm environment of the bank workspace and I also like working with the public. I have also enjoyed math for my entire life and the banking workspace requires you to be proficient in math. I am currently enrolled in the Belk College of Business at the University of North Carolina at Charlotte and I am majoring in Accounting. I plan on earning a degree at UNCC to get a job in my hometown of Albemarle, North Carolina. I hope to make a good name for myself in Albemarle and get a job at a major bank in Charlotte, North Carolina.

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Actors Actors are the people that come in and interact with the figured world. There are many different kinds of actors in the banking workspace. While there are indeed customers that come in and interact with the environment, the employees in the workspace all have different jobs to ensure that they get their job done and the customers are satisfied. Customers customers are the actors that come into the bank and interact with the environment. Customers can make basic transactions such as cash a check, request a loan, request receipts and many other different kinds of transactions. Tellers these employees work on the front line of the bank. These actors interact with their figured world by complying with transaction requests from customers. These transactions can include anything from checking and saving deposits or loan requests. Tellers also occasionally refer the customers to other employees in the workspace if they cannot comply with the request. Drive-thru Tellers these actors do the same job as tellers. However, they help customers that come through the drive-thru portion of the bank. Customer Service Representative deals with different types of problems within the workspace. These problems include assisting customers with problems with transaction, why a transaction was made, or any other type of miscellaneous transaction problems. Account Executive this actors job is to assist customers in opening all types of deposit accounts, whether it is checking, savings, retirement, or investments. This actor can also help with the making of schedules for employees, and hold meetings to inform employees of security and day-to-day operations. Manager this actor is probably the most important figure in the banking workspace. The jobs of the manager include, among other things, keeping in contact with the managers of the different branches. The manager is also responsible for ensuring that all of the employees are doing their jobs, dealing with higher up officials, making spreadsheets for business and scheduling meetings.

Discourse Communities Discourse communities are groups that form within a figured world. They include actors that share common goals and interests and solve issues. Public Representatives the employees within the public representatives discourse community help assist the public with basic transactions such as cashing checks, saving deposits and loans. They also deal with problems in the workspace such as customer

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issues or account errors. The employees that create this community are the tellers, drivethru tellers and the customer service representative. High-end/Managerial Positions the actors within this discourse community hold the most important jobs within the banking workspace. These employees deal with jobs such as counting the vault, creating meeting agendas, scheduling meetings, keeping in contact with other branches and ensuring the other employees are doing their jobs. The employees that make up this discourse community are the account executive and the branch manager.

Artifacts The artifacts within a figured world are objects that assist the actors with completing a job. These artifacts, however, are not limited to physical objects. The artifacts that make up a figured world include spreadsheets, calculators, computer systems, checks, cash, the teller drawers, the vault and the telephones. All of these objects help the employees keep in communication with each other as well as help to assist customers. Literary Practices The idea of a literary practice is to combine all of the actors, discourse communities and artifacts and use them all efficiently to complete tasks. In order to complete tasks in this workspace, the employees need math experience as well as business experience. These skills combine to help employees make transactions for customers and record them on the computer system. These help the company move successfully and efficiently. My Observation Experience The time I spent at Uwharrie Bank was truly an eye-opening experience for me. I never knew how much work an employee at a bank had to do until I observed this bank for almost the entire duration of the work day. There are a lot of activities going on at once in this area and it was extremely tough to keep up with what all was going on. I was frantically travelling back and forth between the different areas within the bank so I could be as detailed in my notes as possible. While this was indeed a lot of work, I feel as though my passion for the banking work field has gotten stronger. This is due to the fact that the work that the employees do for the duration of the day captivates my attention. I have enjoyed learning and working with finances and that is what a banking job is mostly about. While some parts of the day were more exciting than others, I was never once bored as there is always something to do in this environment, whether its assisting a customer, counting a drawer, or talking to customers over the phone. My favorite part of the observation process was observing the Accounting Assistant. This is so because I found her job to be the most interesting. The Account Assistant has many jobs such as opening bank accounts and cashing checks. They also work closely with the manager to assist them with making schedules and creating meets. I feel as though that the Accounting Assistant job is a potential career choice for me.

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Observations Disclaimer: All of my observations take place within an hour and a half time period. This is due to the fact that the most important events of the day in a business workplace take place at certain times during the morning, lunch time (around noon), and afternoon. I have changed my observation notes to reflect these important time frames. 1) Observation One: Morning (August 30, 2013) 8:30 At this time of the day, the employees are entering the workplace and start to turn on their computers and open the building. Most employees use this time to check their voicemails at their office desks and return various calls to customers. 8:45 Most employees at this time are preparing for customers to start coming in. One employee checks the safe and makes sure it is secure and everything is accounted for. Other employees are usually looking to see if there are any check reorders from customers that need to be accounted for. This is also the time where most employees, including the manager, will check their emails for any information from the main office in Albemarle, North Carolina. These emails can include anything from important meetings that the employees must attend or any checks that are to be delivered to their branch. 9:00 At this time, the bank opens and customers start coming into the building to make transactions. Most customers were coming in to cash checks. At the time that I was observing, the employees that were not attending to customers were calling for deluxe check reorders. The manager of the branch was checking his spreadsheets for miscellaneous information. This includes loans that were due and basic transactions from customers. 9:15 While some of the employees were returning various calls to customers, customers started coming in the bank to open a business account. The customers were asking different questions to the teller and the manager came out of his office to oversee all of the activities that were happening in the bank. He also came to talk to the customers that were opening the business account in a friendly way, asking how their day was. 9:18 One of the employees got a call about check reorders and had to put the order in. 9:30 One customer came in to close their bank account at the branch and made a transaction to another account. Meanwhile, the funds for the account closed are to be distributed to another bank. 9:35 The manager of the branch started working on planning a branch meeting for tomorrow. He did this by making a Word document to plan what was to be talked about and main ideas that were to be discussed. Meanwhile, one employee was on the phone with a customer and another employee was helping a customer open up an account. 9:45 A customer comes in to meet with the branch manager. However, I do not know what the meeting was about as I did not want to invade on their privacy. 9:50 Customers stop coming in for a short period of time. Employees use this time to check their emails for any important information from the main branch. 10:02 The manager finishes his meeting with a customer and gets back to work on making the agenda for the branch meeting tomorrow. Meanwhile, a customer comes in the bank to check on copies of receipts for 2012.

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2) Observation Two: Lunch Time (August 30, 2013) 11:03 Customers start coming in again after a slow down period. Some employees start taking their lunch breaks as the other employees run the front line. One employee puts out new pamphlets for the company near the entrance. The manager is on the phone with another customer. 11:07 The drive-thru portion of the bank suddenly receives a spark of customers. While the teller that was running the drive-thru was on lunch break, one of the employees is forced to move from their position at the front of the teller line to run the drive-thru. 11:10 The phone rings as an employee is asked questions over the phone about credit cards as the rest of the employees are busy with customers.. 11:17 As the customers stop coming in for a brief period of time, the employees take this time to balance their teller drawers. This is used to ensure that they have not made an error in their transactions. 11:30 The manager of the bank finishes the meeting agenda that he was working on earlier in the day. He prints out a copy for all of the employees of the bank. Meanwhile, the tellers are still balancing their drawers. 11:35 After handing out a copy of the meeting agenda for each employee, the manager starts working on an end of month checklist for August (most banks have special tasks that they must do at the end of the month to ensure that all of their resources are being used effectively and that each drawer balances out for the end of the month). 11:43 The employees have all finished balancing their drawers for the day so far. Not many customers are coming in at this time, so the employees take this time to check their emails once again. 11:51 - A customer comes in and has a complaint about a charge being made on their account. The teller refers the customer to the customer service representative. I will not go into more detail as I respected the privacy of the conversation. However, the conversation between the banks customer service representative and the customer was very professional and calm. The situation was handled efficiently. 11:56 An employee starts ordering more checks. 12:00 The employee that was running the drive-thru comes back in from their lunch break as other employees, including the manager, get a chance to take a lunch break. Various calls from customers are taken. 12:06-12:30 Many customers start coming into the bank. Noon is a typical time where many customers start coming in since most of them are on their lunch breaks. Many different transactions are made during this time. One customer comes in and makes a deposit for their business. Most of the customers however are there to cash checks and make various other deposits and withdrawals.

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3) Observation Three: Afternoon (August 30, 2013) 2:30 By this time, most customers have stopped coming into the bank for a while. The reason behind this is because most regular customer have returned to work at their job space and do not have time to go to the bank and make a transaction. The Account Executive has already begun to count and balance the vault. The manager has also finished the checklist for the various activities the bank must do at the end of the month. The manager tells me that the employees will have to stay an extra hour after work tonight to ensure that this checklist is completed as it is a very extensive list. This takes place at the end of every month. 2:37 - A customer comes into the bank and an employee must assist them in notarizing a car title. 2:43 The Account Executive has finished balancing the vault and confirms that the vault does indeed balance out with various transactions. She starts working on a Saturday transaction spreadsheet as other employees take other miscellaneous phone calls. 2:47 The computer system for the bank shuts down. Thankfully, while the banking business has mostly turned to technology to record transactions over the years, the employees know how to manually record transactions. As a result of the system crashing, all of the transactions are to be recorded on paper and put into the computer system when it comes back online. 2:51 The manager makes a call to the IT department about the system crashing. 3:02 A customer comes into the store to close their account with the bank and move it to another bank. 3:12 The computer system is booted back up and the employees record whatever transactions were made during the time the system was crashed electronically. 3:25 The employees have electronically recorded all of their transactions. 3:28 A customer comes in to ask a question about a new car loan. 3:39 The Account Executive continues work on the Saturday transaction spreadsheet. 3:43 A customer goes into the Account Executives office to discuss a new business account. 3:45-4:00 While business has died down considerably during this time, most of the employees use this time to begin to count their drawers to make sure they balance with their transactions. During this time, the employees tend to any customer that walks into the bank, answer calls and make sure that any calls from customers are returned.

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Interview For the interview, I have chosen to interview the Account Executive at this bank as I find her job to be the most interesting in the bank and a potential career choice for me. When I went to observe the bank, I asked if I could email the Account Executive a list of questions for an interview I was to conduct and if she would respond. She faithfully agreed to this and emailed me back the same day I sent her the questions on a Word document. 1. What is your job here in this figured world? I am an Account Executive for Uwharrie Bank. My job is to assist customers in opening all types of deposit accounts, whether it be checking, savings, retirement, or investments. I am also the branch Service Leader. I make schedules for employees, hold meetings to inform employees of security and day-to-day operations. It is also my responsibility to make sure our branch runs efficiently for our customers and our company. 2. How do you interact with your co-workers? Your customers? I have to make sure my co-workers are being efficient and helpful for our customers. I hold a monthly meeting and address concerns or changes going on with our company, customers, or our daily operations. I interact with numerous customers daily. I may open accounts, notarize documents, balance accounts, or simply assist customers with their banking needs on the telephone. 3. Why did you choose this figured world? I have always enjoyed working with numbers and the public. It is also a challenging job at times which keeps me on my toes and I enjoy staying busy and up to date on the changing banking world. 4. Tell me about a pleasant experience that you've had in this figured world. It is a fulfilling job knowing that I am assisting people with their financial needs. There are times when I may have a customer who has lost a loved one and it is my job to help them take the necessary steps they have to make next. They are always very appreciative for me making these steps a little easier for them. 5. Explain how co-workers communicate with each other in this environment. What types of communication is used? We all have to communicate well with each other, otherwise we have not done our job very well. We all need to follow the same policies and procedures that are laid out for us from the bank. We may not always agree with policies, but it is our job to work together as a team and follow all procedures. If we are not all working together as a team, we have not only let ourselves down, but also our customers. 6. Tell me how the customers communicate with the workers in this figured world. We deal with customers on a daily basis. We make deposits, withdrawals, payments, open accounts, take loan applications and assist the public with their financial needs. 7. What language is used? Civilized business language is used in the banking environment. We have to be respectful of our customers otherwise, they will not bank with us.

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8. Explain the dress code, if any exists, in this environment. Our dress code for men is a suit and tie daily. Definitely no tennis shoes are to be worn. For women, we are to dress in slacks and blouses or suits, no tank tops, no open-toed shoes, no capris, no jeans, and if you wear a dress it is to be below the knee and stockings must be worn. 9. Typically, are people doing more than one task at once in this figured world? When we are not dealing with a customer in person, we may be answering numerous calls while working on spreadsheets, scanning checks, or counting money. However, when a customer comes into the office, you are to stop what you are doing and the customer will take priority. 10. Do jobs change around this environment as the day progresses? Jobs do change as the day progresses. I have certain tasks that have to be completed by a certain time daily. I have to have all NSF's (non-sufficient funds) paid by 10am every day. I have spreadsheets that are to be completed by 9am daily. Checks have to be scanned all during the day. Teller drawers have to be balanced daily before leaving. The vault has to be counted and balanced by 3pm daily. Night deposits have to be taken from the night depository vault and counted by 10am daily. A cash flow sheet showing the cash from the previous day is to be completed and submitted by 10am daily. I have numerous projects I have to work on daily. These projects may not have a deadline on that particular day, but there is always a deadline that has to be met.