My Advice to You

Dear Future/Potential Second Life Students,

Spend at least a little time in Second Life before the class gets started. It is not easy to keep up with your lectures because it is basically a chat room you are trying to follow. Get used to Second Life so you can pay attention to what is going on in class instead of being distracted.

KEEP UP TO DATE with your work. I found it helpful to write down what I have to do each week on paper. This way, I could check off what I have done and see what I have left to do without going to the website. It is easy to fall behind because you get several new assignments each week.

Enjoy the blogging. Try not to see it as another assignment that has to be done. Instead look at it as a way to express your thoughts on a variety of subjects.

Don't hesitate to ask Mrs. Rogers for help or questions. She is great about responding to emails and she is always willing to help. She is a great teacher who seems to love what she does.

-Ned

Ford's Lack of Ethics

Between the years of 1971 and 1976 Ford Motor Company produced and sold the Pinto, a cheap, compact car which they knew would erupt in flames from any rear collision. Before the car was ever sold to the public, Ford watched it go up in flames in nearly every collision test they performed. The Pinto was planned and produced in under half the time it normally takes to produce a car. The reason for this was to compete with similar cars from other companies.

It would take $11 per car to fix the Pinto, but according to their calculations, this would be more cost than their profits. They chose to produce the Pinto the way it was.

I don't care how long ago it was, there is a good chance I will never buy a Ford in my lifetime. This is just one example of how people deny ethics because of selfish motivation. However big or small the decision is, I hope people learn from Ford. I don't know what the legal punishment is for lack of ethical decision making, but I think it should be steep. I have not been able to find official writing from Ford on this issue but I am curious if it acknowledges the possibilities of death. Ethics in business are essential.

-Ned

Ethical Lapses in Workers

The percentages stated in this article are really surprising to me. After spending a semester in the working world, I can see how there are ethical lapses but I did not realize it was this common. One thing that stuck out to me from this article and my experience is that an ethical lapse by one person can demotivate other people. This is especially true when a boss makes a decision unethically.

I wonder about the causes of so many ethical lapses. A few causes I would predict would be personal gain which might include doing someone a personal favor that cheats the company. Another cause that would not surprise me is because many things are easier when you ignore ethics. The company may have a set process to go through when it would be easier to skip some of those steps.

After reading this article, I want to know before I take a job that my boss abides by ethics on every decision. I will be more cautious in the workplace then I may have been before reading the article.

-Ned

Writing on the Web vs. Writing on Paper

As our society spends more and more time on computers, we have naturally moved towards all digital writing and away from books. For example, the vast majority of college students write research papers with solely digital sources. Not too long ago, books were the only thing people used to research.

Being the hands-learner that I am, I prefer to have a written document in front of me. With a printed piece of paper, I can visualize where I am on the page and I can make marks on the page to remember things. I also get distracted much easier if I am reading something on the computer screen.

A printed piece is more concrete and tangible. This means you can handle it, you can mark on it, and you can have an original piece. However, writing on paper takes longer to duplicate. It is also harder to reach as many people with a hard copy. It takes a long time to get from one place to another. Writing on the web can not be marked on, and it depends on internet connection and speed in order to get it. The good thing about writing on the web is that one copy can be viewed by an unlimited number of people at the same time. It takes no time to get from one person to the next and it can be posted instantly. The time issue has the biggest impact on its popularity. There is no time involved.

When transferring a piece of writing from paper to the web, it is important to include all of the structural characteristics as well as the text. It is easy to leave out the formatting on the internet, but that is an important part of a document. You also have to remember to document where the original source came from.

So even though I like to have a hard copy that I can mark on, I usually find myself sacrificing that for the speed and ease of reading something on the internet.