Monthly Archives: September 2013

Business Ethics Post

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The article linked below asks the question “Does India have business ethics?”

http://www.thehindubusinessline.com/opinion/india-lacks-business-ethics/article5093688.ece

One of my eventual goals in life is to travel the world, and India is on the list of countries I mean to go to. Or at least it was, after reading this I’m not so sure. One of the points the author raises is that India’s tourism industry has been hurt because of poor customer service. That’s really bad in an industry where customer service is one of the most, if not the most, important things.

The interesting thing about this article is the proposal that a moral degeneration in Indian society has lead to disrespect in business life. I’ve heard people cry that there’s a corruption of moral’s in the U.S., but I can’t really point to an instance where I’ve talked to someone rude who worked in retail, or customer service. In the United States there’s an expectation that when you go to a job, you’re supposed to act professional. I’ve never heard anyone question that before, not when I worked as a teaching assistant or when I worked in radio. It seems fairly simple.

I think that Indian management should be clearer on what is expected of their employees, and that India’s government needs to clamp down on bad business practices. And I agree with the article on that the business culture of India needs a major reevaluation.

Microsoft abandons Web Development

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I was originally going to write about Microsoft’s buyout of Nokia, but I found this much more interesting.

http://designisphilosophy.com/microsoft-expression-web/microsoft-abandons-expression-web-and-front-end-web-development/#.UNPZ9iGO448.facebook

I agree with the author’s sentiment that this is plain idiocy and Microsoft’s part. Why would MS assume that they will be able to get by on Windows 8 apps alone? Most of the world still operates on Windows XP, and according to the article below, Windows 7 is still selling better than 8 by leaps and bounds. You know, the operating system that DOESN’T use gimmicky apps for internet browsing?

http://thenextweb.com/insider/2013/09/01/windows-8-rockets-to-7-41-market-share-as-windows-xp-falls-below-35-mark/

This is a bad business decision for Microsoft. They put too much faith that Windows 8 would sell like hotcakes, disregarding the fact that most people are happy with former Windows OS’s that use traditional internet browsers. There was no reason for them to kill off their web development team, when according to the original author’s article Expression Web was a fantastic program. What MS should have done is actually market the product. I’ve talked to so many tech savvy friends who never heard of Expression Web until I told them. If the software had sold more, then Microsoft would have had a huge foot in the door of Web Development, because they had a well designed program in a growing market.

Technology in the classroom (COMM 101)

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Based on my own experiences in high school, I feel that often technology such as laptops, smartphones, tablets, etc…usually distract more from learning that help. It’s an idea that’s also present in some of my current classes such as COMM 292. That being said, I think it’s integrated really well into COMM 101. Because so much of the class is discussion, I feel motivated to actually use the laptop for research purposes. On Thursday’s class, my partner and I looked up info on Russia’s new Vodka rules which was helpful because I hadn’t read that particular story ahead of time. Thanks to that we were able to have a discussion.

I also feel that business students learn primarily from example. If we want a look at successful business practices, then looking at a real world example is much more helpful than looking at the practices as theoretic. The available technology helps us quickly look up examples to help better understand the concepts in class. If any students are looking to be entrepreneurs, it will be helpful to remember where other companies have had success. It’s also a lot more engaging to be looking up info on a laptop than reading it out of a textbook.

I’m really looking forward to the next class.