Jessica St.

Cyr MGMT 226 June 15, 2011 Chapters 5 & 6 Session 3 Assignment Chapter 5 Participation

New Manager Self Test - Page 132

Self and Others My score is 2. A score from 0 to 3 points would indicate an other orientation associated with a utilitarian or moral-rights approach and level 2 or 3 moral development, suggesting little likelihood of coming across as a jerk. Discuss: When I am faced with tough ethical choices I usually base my norms and values to guide my decision making. I believe I tend to lead more toward the utilitarian approach where the decision maker is expected to consider the effect of each decision alternative on all parties and select the one that optimizes the benefits for the greatest number of people. I say that I am a level 2 of personal moral development. I tend to live up to expectations of others. Fulfill duties and obligations of social system and uphold laws. Chapter 6 Participation

Apply Your Skills: Experiential Exercise - Page 171

Whats Your Entrepreneurial IQ? I had a total score of 47. A score of 30-50 indicates good entrepreneurial possibilities. My chances of starting a successful business are good if I have the desire and motivation. Discuss: A future career goal of mine is to run my own business. My score indicates that this would be possible for me. Going back over each question, I thought of changes I might make to become more entrepreneurial. Out of all the questions, there were four that I answered a (2) which indicated I disagree with the questions. The following were the

questions: 6. I have always enjoyed spending much of my time alone. After thinking this question over again I realized I answered it incorrectly and was not thinking about the business aspect of the question. I never minded spending much of my time alone. I actually prefer to be alone when I am at work. When I am not working I rather not spend much of my time alone but with friends and family. 7. I have reputation of being stubborn. I can definitely say I do not have a reputation of being stubborn. Awareness of passing time is important for entrepreneurs because they want things moving immediately and seldom procrastinate. I am famous for procrastinating and often work better under pressure. But if I want to run my own company one day I need to learn to be more stubborn about me sense of urgency. 10. I usually keep new year resolutions. Im not the type of person to set new year resolutions. I feel that if I need to make any personal commitments to myself I can start anytime and just make it happen. Next year I think I might test myself and actually set a resolution. This way I can determine my level of need to achieve. People who have high achievement needs like to set their own goals, which are moderately difficult. So in order for me to determine my need to achieve I will begin setting goals for myself and see how I do. This way I can determine any weaknesses I may have and work at improving those skills that would make my a higher achiever. 14. Tired of same routine day in and day out. I hate being tied down to a 9 to 5 schedule and am the type of person that rather work a

more flexible schedule which allows me to work from home if not needed in office. When I am able to focus on the companies objectives I have a high-energy level and will work long hours if needed to get the work done. Even though I am not paid I will bring work home if needed to make sure I get the work done. My manager that did not allow me to work from home between the hours 8:30 to 5:00 Monday thru Friday. This really frustrated me because senior management approved me to work from home because they knew I had a high-energy level that meets companies objectives. I did not want to make a big fuss over it so I continued the same routine day in and day out schedule until I got burned out and quit. Chapter 5 Assignment

Discussion Question 7 - Page 142

7. Do you believe it is ethical for organizational managers to try to get access and scrutinize the Facebook pages of employees or job applicants? Discuss. Online reputation is an important role in personal and professional life and has become significant factors in making hiring decisions and monitoring employees. Employers are now using the practical approach, the sidestep debates about what is right, good, or just and bases decisions on prevailing standards of the profession and the larger society. This ethical and legal concern involved with the restrictions as to what information can be used to influence job candidates and monitoring of current employees are increasingly becoming a topic amongst many today. Ethics is a system of moral principles. The rules of conduct recognized in respect to a particular group, culture, etc. Moral principles as of an individual. Ethics set standard as to what is good or bad in conduct and decision making. While some ethical people are not concerned about online reputation checks, others face ethical dilemmas and are

uncomfortable with the idea of a company poking around in their personal history. Ethical dilemmas arise in situations concerning right or wrong when values are in conflict. Employers could unearth information that is irrelevant, taken out of context, or just plain wrong. Some information may report information that is illegal to use for hiring purposes or which comes from questionable sources. An online reputation is the publicly held social evaluation of a person based on his or her behavior, what he or she posts, and what others share about the person on the Internet. (Guardian) Irrelevant information on job applicants or employees can be found on social networking sites such as MySpace, Facebook, Twitter, and many more. A October 2007 survey from Vault.com found 44% use social networking site to obtain information about job applicants while 39% have searched sites for information about current employees. (Vault.com) Online reputation information is increasingly becoming a factor in recruiters decision process for accepting or rejecting applicants. More companies are leading towards the utilitarian act which states that, when faced with a choice, we must first consider the likely consequences of potential actions and, from that, choose to do what we believe will generate the most pleasure. Companies are obtaining information based on individuals actions and comments made on Facebook to decide whether they should hire job applicants or reprimand employees. (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Utilitarianism) Virtue ethics describes the character of a moral agent as a driving force for ethical behavior rather than rules or consequences which derives rightness or wrongness from the outcome of the act itself rather than character. This approach has led to job applicants or employees use of social networking and do they hold a online reputation that may

affect how a company may view them as a worker or applicant. The individualist enters into society to further his or her own interests, or at least demands the right to serve his or her own interest, without taking the interests of society into consideration. The individualist does not lend credence to any philosophy that requires the sacrifice of the self-interest of the individual for any higher social causes. It is important individuals look at the moral-rights approach, the concept of ethics that all actions that do not interfere with others rights, and do not coerce, are moral and ethical. To approach these actions individuals can either refrain from posting content, restrict their access to their personal web sites, and search online for information posted about them so they can fix any negative information that may be posted. Employees who use electronic mail as a right and responsibility must ensure that e-mail is only used for good of the company and not used in a unlawful or damaging way. (Guardian) A lot of companies have made online screening a formal requirement of the hiring process. Employee monitoring of electronic is also become a policy among companies. This justice approach holds that moral decisions must be based on standard of equity, fairness, and impartiality. Because the private actions of employees can now embarrass companies in ways that make headlines and spread around the online world in minutes hiring processes have changed to include inspection of candidates behavior, not just how someone is performing on the job. Concerns about lifestyle, inappropriate comments, and unsuitable photos and videos top list of reasons of rejecting candidates. With social networking because an increasingly poplar necessity among many it is important for companies today to maintain the company professional reputation and image by monitoring their job applicants and employees on online networking sites.

Sources London, Melanie. Vault.com. Vault Career Intelligence. Future Bosses Now Snooping on Facebook. New York, November 7, 2007. Web. June 15, 2011. <http://www.vault.com/wps/portal/usa/aboutvault/for-media/Future-Bosses-NowSnooping-on-Facebook?id=63> Roper, Maxine Frances. Guardian.co.uk. The Guardian. The bosses who snoop on Facebook. Wednesday March 24, 2010. Web. June 15, 2011 <http://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/2010/mar/24/bosses-snoop-facebook-twitterblogs> Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia. Utilitarianism. Utilitarian Ethical Theory. June 10, 2011. Web June 15, 2011. <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Utilitarianism>

Chapter 6 Assignment

Discussion Question 4 - Page 171

4. Consider the six personality characteristics of entrepreneurs. Which two traits do you think are most like those of managers in large companies? Which two are least like those of managers in larger companies? Answer: The six personality characteristics that are absolutely necessary for entrepreneurs to see in themselves are as follows: 1. Internal Locus of Control - The task of starting and running a new business requires the belief that you can make things come out the way you want. An internal locus of control is the belief by individuals that their future is within their control and that external forces will have little influence. An external locus of control is the belief by individuals that their future is not

within their control but rather is influenced by external forces. 2. High Energy Level - Starting and running a business requires considerable energy and the ability to focus on your objectives. Most entrepreneurs report struggle and hardship, but they persist and work incredibly hard despite distress and obstacles. 3. Need to Achieve - In almost every case, successful entrepreneurs are individuals who are highly motivated to achieve. They tend to be doers, people who make things happen. They are often very competitive. Many researchers have concluded that the most consistent trait found in successful entrepreneurs is the sheer will to win, the need to achieve in everything they do. 4. Self-Confidence - Self confidence is a key entrepreneurial skill for success. A successful entrepreneur believes in his abilities. He is not scared to explore un-chartered territories, take risk and take difficult decisions. Self-confidence, however, is not a personal trait that either you have or you don't. A person can have high self-confidence in one situation and totally lack in another. This is one of those skills that can be developed by training. Successful entrepreneurs try to take full responsibility for their actions. They know that what they are today, and what they are going to be tomorrow, depend solely on themselves, as it is the outcome of their own choices and decisions. They are proactive people, who set goals, walk an extra mile to achieve them and rely, primarily, on their own resources and abilities. 5. Awareness of Passing Time - Successful entrepreneurs are persistent and hardworking. They master self-discipline to such extent that if a work is important and related to their goals, they will, eventually, complete it. Getting things done is the vital link between motivations and their outcome. At times, entrepreneurs force themselves to choose work

over fun. This requires a self-control that many people simply fail to develop in them. 6. Tolerance for Ambiguity - Tolerance of ambiguity is the ability to accept contradictory or unexpected evidence of something while keeping an open mind. Low fear of failure can lead to pushy, goal-dominated behavior but, in fact, is the opposite of need for achievement. The anxiety caused by the fear can sometimes be strong enough to cause the individual to deliberately bring about the failure that is feared. Low fear of failure means that the entrepreneur is prepared to risk things going wrong and can handle setbacks without being deterred. High achievement motivation is a great driving force but low fear of failure may be very useful in times of business chaos and uncertainty. There is a tendency for high need for achievement people to come from very supportive backgrounds and for them to be motivated to achieve in different areas. ( http://www.caycon.com/blog/2010/09/six-personality-traits-of-serious-entrepreneurs/) The two entrepreneurial traits I think are most like those of managers in large companies are the need to achieve and high self-confidence. The need to achieve, the interest in personal achievement has long been identified as an important motivator for entrepreneurial action. This means they are motivated to excel and pick situations in which success is likely. People with high achievement needs like to set goals that are moderately difficult. People who run a business or act as manager must act decisively and need confidence about their ability to master the day-to-day tasks of the business. Entrepreneurs have a general feeling of confidence that they can deal with any complex, unanticipated problems that may arise. The two entrepreneurial traits I think are least like those of managers in large companies

are internal locus of control and high energy level. Entrepreneurs must process internal locus of control because the task of starting and running a new business requires the belief that you can make things come out the way you want. Manager are individuals whos future is not always within their control and can be influenced by external forces. Sometimes managers can not make things come out the way they want because senior management may want it another way. High energy level. Most entrepreneurs report struggle and hardship, but they persist and work incredibly hard. Half of new business owners work 60 hours or more per week. Only 23 percent work fewer than 50 hours. (www.open forum.com) For managers in large corporations, this wont be as important because their wont be as many problems because the business has already been established. Although their will still be obstacles and issues that may cause long hours at work it wont always be needed like for an entrepreneur who is just starting his business and working out the issues and resolving ongoing problems without any assistance from senior management. Sources Zwilling, Marty. Cayenne Consulting. 6 Personality Traits of Serious Entrepreneurs. September 24, 2010 Web. June 28, 2011. < http://www.caycon.com/blog/2010/09/sixpersonality-traits-of-serious-entrepreneurs/> Levine, Shira. www.openforum.com. Business Insider. 6 Characteristics of an Entrepreneur. October 13, 2010. Web. June 28, 2011 <http://www.openforum.com/ideahub/topics/lifestyle/article/6-characteristics-of-an-entrepreneur-shira-levine>