Professional Practices Midterm

Moore’s Law

Speed and capability of computers doubles every year due to transistors a microchip contains. Number of transistors in an integrated circuit doubles every two years

1940s

First computer built, first punch cards

1956

First harddrive disk, stored less than 4 MB

1991

Space shuttle had 1mHz computer

Unexpected developments - Cellphones

• texting and driving

• ruin quiet time

• location tracking

Unexpected developments - Kill switches

• remote entity disables applications, deletes files

• used for security, raises concerns for autonomy

Unexpected Developments - Social Networking

• businesses connect with customers

• organizations seek donations

• groups organize volunteers

Unexpected Developments - Comms and the Web

• blogs started as a way to express ideas, now monetized

• cheap video equipment resulted in amateur videos

  • videos on web infringe copyrights

Unexpected Developments - Collaboration

• wikipedia

• watch-dogs

Unexpected Developments - E-commerce

• web has enabled peer to peer economy

• lower overhead, ease of comparison

Unexpected Developments - Trust concerns

• paypal

• encryption

• better business bureau

Unexpected Developments - Free stuff

To fund services, sites collect information about online activities to sell to advertisers

Unexpected Developments - AI

John Searle argues that computers cannot be intelligent

Unexpected Developments - Robots

• devices that perform physical tasks usually done by humans

• can operate in environments dangerous to humans

Themes

• old problems in new context

• adapting to new technology

• varied sources of solutions to problems

• global reach of Net

• tradeoffs and controversy

Ethics

• study of what it means to do the right thing

  • rules to follow in our interactions and our actions that affect others

Deontological

rules are to be followed whether they lead to good or ill

Utilitarianism

consider the consequences, benefits and damages to all affected people

Natural rights

respecting a set of fundamental rights

Negative rights

rights to life liberty and the pursuit of happiness

Positive rights

obligation of people to provide certain things for others

Golden rules

treat others as you would want them to treat you

Ethics distinctions

• right, wrong, okay

• differentiating wrong and harm

Why companies care about ethics

• set the standard of ethical business conduct

• company reputation

• competitive advantage

Recipe for ethics

• establish an enforceable code of conduct

• initial and ongoing training

• regular communication

• outlet to report issues/concerns

• follow up: enforce

• reward employees that live the culture
  
  if possible, separate ethics from compliance

Key aspects of privacy

• freedom from intrusion

• control info about yourself

• freedom from surveillance

Types of privacy threats

• intentional

• unauthorized use

• theft

• unintentional leak

• our own actions

Types of privacy risks

• anything done in cyberspace is recorded

• big amounts of data is stored

• people are not aware their data is collected

• software is complex

• leaks happen

opt-out

person must request that company does NOT use information

opt-in

collector of information may use information only if person explicitly consents

Fair information principles

• inform people when you collect info

• collect only the data needed

• offer opt-outs

• keep data only as long as needed

• maintain accuracy of data

• secure data

• develop policies for law enforcement requests of data

How to mitigate AI concerns

• robust data protection regulations

• transparent AI systems

• ethical AI development guidelines

• user consent and control mechanisms

• regular security audits and testing

Why do corporations want to look for people that will add value to an enterprise?

• grow enterprise

• more productive and profitable

• more nimble and flexible

• attuned to customer needs

Attributes and behaviors of an ideal employee

• action oriented

• intelligent

• ambitious

• autonomous

• leader

• cultural fit

• upbeat

• confident

• successful

• honest

• detail oriented

• modest

• hardworking

• marketable

• passionate

Internal communication

exchange of information and ideas within an organization

External communication

carries information in and out of organization

Effective communication benefits

• faster problem solving

• stronger decision making

• increased productivity

• steady workflow

• stronger business relationships

  • improved relationships between professionals

Techniques for effective communication

• provide practical information

• give facts rather than vague impressions

• present info in a concise efficient manner

  • clarify expectations and responsibilities

• offer compelling arguments and recommendations

What employers expect

• organize ideas and info logically

• express ideas and info coherently

• reading and listening to extract intended meaning from other’s messages

• communicate effectively with diverse people

• use communication technologies effectively

• follow grammar rools

• civil communication

• ethical communication

• adhere to regulations

• use time productively

Communication process

1. sender has an idea

2. sender encodes idea as message

3. sender produces message in a transmittable medium

4. sender transmits message

5. audience receives message

6. audience decodes message

7. audience responds to the message

8. audience sends feedback

6 themes for good communication

1. ethical communication

2. adopt an audience centered approach

3. improve intercultural sensitivity

4. give/respond to constructive feedback

5. be sensitive to business etiquette

6. use communication technology effectively

Ethical communication

includes all relevant information, is true in ever sense, is not deceptive in any way

Unethical communication

• plagiarism

• selective misquoting

• falsifying numbers

• distorting visuals

Ethical dilemma

choosing among alternatives that aren’t clear cut

Ethical lapse

a clearly unethical or illegal choice

How to ensure ethical business communications

• ethical individuals

• ethical company leadership

• policies and structures to support ethical choices

Audience centered approach

focusing and caring about the members of your audience, respect them

What is culture

shared system of symbols, beliefs, attitudes, values, expectations, and norms for behavior

How to practice intercultural sensitivity

• assume differences until similarity is proved

• withhold judgement

• show respect

• tolerate ambiguity

• look beyond the superficial

• recognize your own cultural biases

• be flexible

• emphasize common ground

• deal with the individual

• learn when to be direct

• observe and learn

• review travel guidebooks

High context culture

less verbal comms, more nonverbal

Low context culture

more verbal comms, less nonverbal

Ethnocentrism

judge all other groups according to your own group’s standards

Xenophobia

fear of strangers and foreigners

Stereotyping

assigning generalized, distorted views to an individual without considering their own unique characteristics

Cultural pluralism

accepting multiple cultures on their own terms

Written intercultural skills

• plain english

• clarity

• proper addresses

• cite numbers carefully

• be brief

• use transitions

• avoid slang

• keep paragraphs short

Multicultural speaking skills

• speak clearly

• look for feedback

• rephrase if necessary

• clarify your meaning

• do not talk down to others

• learn important phrases

• listen careful and respectfully

• adapt your conversation style

• check for comprehension

• clarify what will happen next

Constructive feedback

focuses on the process and outcomes of communication

Destructive feedback

delivers criticism with no effort to stimulate improvement

Etiquette

• respect

• courtesy

• common sense

Communication technology

• keep technology in perspective

• use tools wisely

• connect with people

5 guidelines for drafting effective online content

• build trust with intended audience

• adapt content for global audience

• include reader oriented content

• use concise format

• include effective links

3 elements that help readers find their way through long reports and proposals

• headings and links

• transitional devices

• previews and review

3 steps for integrating visuals/text

• create and choose the right visuals

• consistency and clarity

• embed visuals with context

Synopsis

brief overview summarizing entire content

4 tasks involved in completing business reports and proposals

• revising

• producing

• proofreading

• distributing

Report/proposal - Introduction

• report context

• introduce subject/purpose

• preview main ideas

• establish an overall tone

Report/proposal - body

• presentation

• analysis

• interpretation

• support

Report/proposal - conclusion

• emphasize main points

• summarize benefits

• refer to overall structure

• bring action items together

Elements of a report introduction

• authorization

• opportunity/purpose

• scope of coverage

• background

• sources and methods

• terms and definitions

• limitations

• report organization

Elements of a report body

• explanation of problem/opportunity

• facts, stats, trends

• results of investigations/studies

• discussion and analysis of potential actions

• pros, cons, costs, benefits

Elements of a report conclusion

• summary

• conclusions

• recommendations

• action plans

Strats for a successful proposal

• demonstrate knowledge

• provide examples and information

• research competition

• prove proposal is feasible

• relate proposal to reader

• package proposal attractively

Elements of a proposal - introduction

• background

• solution

• scope

• organization

Summary

shortened restatement found at the end of a report, focused on conclusion