Advice

For those of you who are going to take business writing with Mrs. Rogers, you are thoroughly going to enjoy the experience. This class was one of my favorites so far during my time at Clemson. Not only was the class easy (if you do your work) but you really learn a lot of useful information that will help you in the real world. The tough part of the class is remembering to do your assignments on time. You have to remind yourself because Mrs. Rogers leaves it up to you to complete your work. As long as you give an effort and turn things in on time, you will have no problem getting a good grade. Most of the assignments are very simple however the business project at the end of semester takes some time. You have to be able to work with your classmates and put all your ideas together to make a successful business plan. Luckily, I had two good group members that worked well together, so we ended up doing good on our project. Well that's all I have to say about the class. Mrs. Rogers is an extremely nice and helpful person so don't be afraid to ask questions because she would be more than happy to help. I hope you enjoy it as much as I did.

Ethics Assignment

The Ford Pinto was a subcompact car produced in the U.S. by the Ford Motor Company in the 1970’s. During the early part of its production, the Pinto became known for its dangerous design which led to many safety issues. The design of the Pinto allowed the rear of the car to be damaged severely due to the lack of a rear bumper and other structures to help protect the rear end. Because of this, if a Pinto was in an accident in which the rear end was crushed, the gas tank would be pushed forward into other structures which would puncture the tank. This led to many explosions and deadly fires which were extremely dangerous for passengers. Many injuries and even deaths were sustained from accidents involving the Ford Pinto. A couple of the engineers working for Ford at the time were interviewed and were quoted saying, "This company is run by salesmen, not engineers; so the priority is styling, not safety." Another engineer stated, "“That's all true. But you miss the point entirely. You see, safety isn't the issue, trunk space is. You have no idea how stiff the competition is over trunk space. Do you realize that if we put a Capri-type tank in the Pinto you could only get one set of golf clubs in the trunk?"
After reading about this subject, I really could not believe the company would not take responsibility and fix the problems with the car. It seems like a company as popular as them would not want a negative view from the public. I believe it is a pretty serious ethical problem when the production and sales of a product becomes more important than the safety of those purchasing it. The quotes from the engineers show me that the company had no respect for the human beings buying the Ford Pinto. It is a shame that these people were allowed to continue producing such products without putting safety first.

Ethics

As several of my classmates have said, it was very surprising to see the statistics on how many people are effected by ethical lapses at work. It's not really something you would think about otherwise. I can see how ethical lapses can cause problems within the workplace, but I do believe these problems could be kept to a minimum. When you are hired by an employer to do a job, you are expected to do everything you can to keep things working efficiently and organized. However, you are also responsible for being able to interact with fellow employees and keep things on a professional level. If a ethical problem comes up, you should be able to react to the situation with responsibility and with moral standing. Looking back over the years, I have seen many accounts of ethical lapses on the job. The distraction it causes can be very unhealthy for the business and other employees. I think after reading this article I will be more aware of ethical interactions between the people I work with, and I will attempt to help keep ethical lapses to a minimum.

Writing on the Web/paper

Writing on the web and writing on paper have both similarities and differences. Over the past few years, writing on the web has become the more convenient and easy way to write. Whether it is through an email or posting blogs on the internet, writing on the web is quick and saves a lot of time. Sending a letter through the mail takes much longer to receive and reply compared to sending and receiving emails in seconds. Because of the mindset of the world today, people want things fast and easy to figure out. Therefore, I believe writing on the web has become more informal. People tend to abbreviate and shorten information to keep things to the point. Usually writing on paper is more formal and intended for a specific audience. Anyone can read documents written on the web.