BUS576-4

Individual Assignment 4

            A concept that surprised me this week that was related to our group projects is the different types of diversity.  I just assumed the obvious diversities, such as sex, age, and race, as the article that I read describes as surface-level diversity.  These are the only diversities that I though existed.  I never opened my mind enough to realize that there is more to the word diversity than just the physical attributes.  The article we choose for our group project this week describes deep-level diversities as well.  The diversities that are describes in this type are personalities, knowledge, and values.  People can have diversities in their educations and the cultures that they are surrounded by as well.  I found this to be an interesting article because it took into consideration deep-level diversities as well.  I enjoyed becoming more aware of the range of diversities that can and do exist in our world today. 

 

            The other concept that I found very helpful to have learned this week was the interview by Linda Babcock and her colleague, “Women Don’t Ask.”  Not only was it a learning experience this week, but I think that I can use the knowledge I received to help me in my future as well.  many of the traits that they describes that women have, such as thinking of others and not their selves, was something that I possess myself.  I have not always negotiated what I want in my current position and could be part of the problem with some of the issues that I have at work.  Having watched this I know now to research a position and what the average salary is for that type of position.  This will help me to be able to negotiate a more appropriate salary.  Another point is starting with a higher value that what you want, this way leaving room to negotiate.  I found the interview to be influential and helpful in my own personal future career endeavors. 

            In the article, “Nissan CEO: Don’t Fear Making Waves,” Nissan’s CEO Carlos Ghosn explains the challenges he faced when taking over the company when it had twenty billion dollars in debt.  Many of the points made in the article are similar to ones that I read in Hard Facts.  Ghosn did not rely on any consulting firms, instead in went and learned the business for himself from the employees.  He exuded confidence in his expectations which helped him as well.  The article does not go in depth to explain why Ghosn lead Nissan in the direction that he did, therefore, it is hard to say if he did this based on facts.  However, the results show that his tactics worked, making four billion dollars in profit this year.  I think that some of the article can be related to evidence based practices because they are related to the ones discussed in the book. 

            After realizing the depth that diversity can entail, I’m looking forward to exploring and researching our group’s topic more in the coming weeks.  I enjoyed the videos this week and besides Linda Babcock’s video, I appreciated William Ury’s presentation as well.  I thought he had good examples of how to resolve conflict.  Overall it was a week of helpful learning experiences.