Comments on 3s108-2012.blogspot.com :
I really enjoy your post as you are able to link your stand to our curriculum. For example, you explained how our school's OP relates to Google's success, in your Point of View. I also like how you explain about your preferred management style, as you acknowledge the kind of work which suits the system which we, Singaporeans have been going through, but also state how much you dread having to work in a company which is exactly like Lenovo, where you do not have a say. Fortunately, most companies in Singapore encourage their employees to propose new ideas on how to improve the company and they also have someone who gives instructions on what to do, which suits your working style! Also, I like the many examples you quote in your journal and also both sides of an argument in every of your point. Thanks for sharing your journal with me!
Comments on 3s110-2012.blogspot.com:
I would like to point out the fact that you do have quite a number of grammatical and spelling errors which I hope you can change in time, for example, the spelling of "etc", and also I think that "employee orientated" should have a "-" in between the words. Going back to the topic, I feel that it is good of you to present Apple as another example to support your claim that the working cultures does not reflect the respective societies. However, I think that your main focus should be on Lenovo and Google as this is what the question is asking for. Next, I would like to commend that you did quite a good job in explaining why you wanted to choose the Google's way of working style and how it will help in your development of your creativity. Also, I fully agree with your point of view about the three companies and that the working style does not really reflect the respective society. Thank you for opening up another point of view for me about the fact that the working style does not really shows the respective society.
Monday, January 30, 2012
SES Reflective Journal 2
The Google style of management is more or less employee-orientated as they give their employees a lot of freedom, believing that this will give them the motivation to come out with great ideas, for example, their employees are provided with very good facilities for them to relax and enjoy and they also have the freedom of choosing their work time. Google also has the 20% rule where employees are believed to be motivated to finish their work using 80% of their work time so that they have 20% of spare time to think of their passion and possibly come up with a good project. However, I feel that this may just be a one-sided belief on Google’s side that their employee who be independent and make good use of the freedom and facilities they are provided with. Another side of the argument would be that the employees take advantage of the 20% free time and just relax while using the resources Google have for them; therefore, I feel that Google should be careful in monitoring the actions of their staff.
Google is a company which started in America and the working culture and management style of Google clearly reflects the American society. Firstly, the American society is recognized as a society which believes a lot in freedom and this can also be seen from their national symbol of the Statue of Liberty. Linking back to Google, their employees are given a lot of freedom and decision-making opportunities like choosing their work time and planning their own work schedule so that they can work hard and play hard. As the American society believes that their citizens are able to govern themselves well and thus, should have the freedom of doing what they think is right, Google which shares the same beliefs can be seen as reflecting the American society.
In contrast, the style of management in Lenovo differs greatly from that of Google. In Lenovo, the style of management closely follows one of the principles of Confucian teachings, which is to obey one’s superior and follow the orders of their boss. However, I feel that this should not be the case in any company as it stifles creativity and only the opinion of one person is heard in the company, which may slow down the development of the company as no human is perfect and when the decision-making person makes a wrong decision, the company’s development would be affected as resources are wasted.
The Chinese society has always been one where subjects obey and carry out whatever their superiors ask them to do, usually without asking for the objective. No doubt this kind of management style is more efficient, effective and organized compared to that of America, as there is only one voice and there would not be any disparities and arguments, there are also disadvantages to this kind of management style. I feel that China, being a country with a huge population, should not rely on this kind of management style as they have the advantage over many countries of a huge population, and would definitely be able to reach greater heights if they have creativity.
Personally, I feel that I am more inclined to the working culture and management style of Lenovo. I deduced that I am more suited for the working culture of Lenovo from several examples.
Firstly, I feel that I am very reliant on notes given out by my teachers as I prefer to be told what to study on, and I would probably fail my tests without the notes. This fits the working culture of Lenovo where people are instructed on what to do.
Another example would be because in Singapore, Singaporeans do not really have a say in much things. Narrowing down to our education system, we have a fixed curriculum which the school would come up with and it was impossible for us to just stand up and say that we do not wish to have this curriculum. Being exposed to this kind of environment from young, I am very used of not having a say and thus, would suit the working environment of Lenovo where people just follow instructions.
Lastly, I personally do not like to have too much freedom as I feel that people would become over-relaxed and end up having low efficiency. Also, I do not like to have too much autonomy as there would be many disparities and everything would not be in place as people have different point of views of things and chances would be that things are not done because whenever a point is raised, there would be someone having a different point of view opposing it. Therefore, I feel that I suit the working culture and management style of Lenovo.
Word Count:795
Google is a company which started in America and the working culture and management style of Google clearly reflects the American society. Firstly, the American society is recognized as a society which believes a lot in freedom and this can also be seen from their national symbol of the Statue of Liberty. Linking back to Google, their employees are given a lot of freedom and decision-making opportunities like choosing their work time and planning their own work schedule so that they can work hard and play hard. As the American society believes that their citizens are able to govern themselves well and thus, should have the freedom of doing what they think is right, Google which shares the same beliefs can be seen as reflecting the American society.
In contrast, the style of management in Lenovo differs greatly from that of Google. In Lenovo, the style of management closely follows one of the principles of Confucian teachings, which is to obey one’s superior and follow the orders of their boss. However, I feel that this should not be the case in any company as it stifles creativity and only the opinion of one person is heard in the company, which may slow down the development of the company as no human is perfect and when the decision-making person makes a wrong decision, the company’s development would be affected as resources are wasted.
The Chinese society has always been one where subjects obey and carry out whatever their superiors ask them to do, usually without asking for the objective. No doubt this kind of management style is more efficient, effective and organized compared to that of America, as there is only one voice and there would not be any disparities and arguments, there are also disadvantages to this kind of management style. I feel that China, being a country with a huge population, should not rely on this kind of management style as they have the advantage over many countries of a huge population, and would definitely be able to reach greater heights if they have creativity.
Personally, I feel that I am more inclined to the working culture and management style of Lenovo. I deduced that I am more suited for the working culture of Lenovo from several examples.
Firstly, I feel that I am very reliant on notes given out by my teachers as I prefer to be told what to study on, and I would probably fail my tests without the notes. This fits the working culture of Lenovo where people are instructed on what to do.
Another example would be because in Singapore, Singaporeans do not really have a say in much things. Narrowing down to our education system, we have a fixed curriculum which the school would come up with and it was impossible for us to just stand up and say that we do not wish to have this curriculum. Being exposed to this kind of environment from young, I am very used of not having a say and thus, would suit the working environment of Lenovo where people just follow instructions.
Lastly, I personally do not like to have too much freedom as I feel that people would become over-relaxed and end up having low efficiency. Also, I do not like to have too much autonomy as there would be many disparities and everything would not be in place as people have different point of views of things and chances would be that things are not done because whenever a point is raised, there would be someone having a different point of view opposing it. Therefore, I feel that I suit the working culture and management style of Lenovo.
Word Count:795
Thursday, January 19, 2012
Reflective Journal 1
Reflective Journal 1
Feelings about SES before attending the first lesson
Before attending the first lesson of SES, I was very puzzled about what this subject is about and also wondered why the others have their IHE subjects while I don’t. I went to the internet to do a brief research on SES and found out that SES generally refers to the “use of economics in the study of the society” in a very general term. Well, I began to worry about what lies ahead as this topic seems to be really, really broad and it is no longer like the Sciences where I can just study and get my straight As.
However, what strikes me most is that this is a very unique subject, not because it is only offered to CSE-SMTP pupils, but because it enable us to really link what we have learnt in school to what is happening around the world and somehow understand how some things work. This made me look forward to my first lesson of SES.
Introduction
Socio-Economic Studies (SES) is a subject introduced to CSE-SMTP students who are believed to be stronger in Math and Science. I feel that the reason behind introducing this new subject into our curriculum is to raise our maturity level on how we view both local and global issues, so that when we become leaders next time, this set of skills can come in handy.
Syllabus
After going through the first tutorial, I took a glance at what we will be learning for the year and found out that it will mainly be discussing about the East and the West as they are expected to be the world’s two major economic powerhouse, with China (East) developing very quickly now and so, I feel that studying this subject would definitely put me in a better position when it comes to looking for a job, or even clinching business deals.
Expectations
With regards to my expectations, I must admit that I do want all my A grades which will prove that I understand what is going on in class. However, I would also like to broaden my horizons and really understand how economics and the society are inter-linked, and also I hope that through this year’s study of this subject, I would be more skilled and abled in analyzing different case studies critically. Lastly, I hope that the lesson would not be too dry but instead, have a lot of group work or discussion carried out so that the lesson would be not only enriching, but also captivating as well.
Mode of Assessment
Firstly, 20% of our SES marks comes from class discussion. For this component, I feel that it isn’t really a worrying issue for me as I just have to get used to my new Secondary 3 environment, before I start speaking up in class. However, I feel that this component really requires everyone to do their homework before coming to class, so that they have something to say and discuss with the class. Also, to score in this component, I feel that it is important to listen what others I saying so that you do not repeat what others have said.
Moving on, there will be a five minute presentation which I feel that if proper research is done, it should be quite OK as I suppose everyone has experience presenting a speech in Secondary two for language arts which is three minutes long, where most people complain about the lack of time for them to present. Then, we have to do a 1000-word assignment to be submitted after the presentation. This 1000-word assignment should also pose no huge problem as it is mainly just putting whatever that was presented into words.
However, my main concerns would be with the 10-minute presentation where we have to lead the class in a discussion and also the research paper, which till now, stays a mystery. As I have never led a class in any discussion, I am extremely worried whether what I would have prepared for that day is sufficient and also whether it is captivating enough. As for the research paper, it really seems to be very hard and tedious and I hope that before I do the research paper, I would already be equipped with the necessary skills to complete the paper.
Conclusion
In conclusion, as I missed the first “proper” lesson, I am still not really sure what will be done for SES but I hope that it is going to be very interesting and although I am very worried about the syllabus and the mode of assessment. However, I believe my teacher, Ms. Yeo would be able to offer me great assistance when I am in need so that I would not be lost and I look forward to my next lesson!
Word Count: 791
Feelings about SES before attending the first lesson
Before attending the first lesson of SES, I was very puzzled about what this subject is about and also wondered why the others have their IHE subjects while I don’t. I went to the internet to do a brief research on SES and found out that SES generally refers to the “use of economics in the study of the society” in a very general term. Well, I began to worry about what lies ahead as this topic seems to be really, really broad and it is no longer like the Sciences where I can just study and get my straight As.
However, what strikes me most is that this is a very unique subject, not because it is only offered to CSE-SMTP pupils, but because it enable us to really link what we have learnt in school to what is happening around the world and somehow understand how some things work. This made me look forward to my first lesson of SES.
Introduction
Socio-Economic Studies (SES) is a subject introduced to CSE-SMTP students who are believed to be stronger in Math and Science. I feel that the reason behind introducing this new subject into our curriculum is to raise our maturity level on how we view both local and global issues, so that when we become leaders next time, this set of skills can come in handy.
Syllabus
After going through the first tutorial, I took a glance at what we will be learning for the year and found out that it will mainly be discussing about the East and the West as they are expected to be the world’s two major economic powerhouse, with China (East) developing very quickly now and so, I feel that studying this subject would definitely put me in a better position when it comes to looking for a job, or even clinching business deals.
Expectations
With regards to my expectations, I must admit that I do want all my A grades which will prove that I understand what is going on in class. However, I would also like to broaden my horizons and really understand how economics and the society are inter-linked, and also I hope that through this year’s study of this subject, I would be more skilled and abled in analyzing different case studies critically. Lastly, I hope that the lesson would not be too dry but instead, have a lot of group work or discussion carried out so that the lesson would be not only enriching, but also captivating as well.
Mode of Assessment
Firstly, 20% of our SES marks comes from class discussion. For this component, I feel that it isn’t really a worrying issue for me as I just have to get used to my new Secondary 3 environment, before I start speaking up in class. However, I feel that this component really requires everyone to do their homework before coming to class, so that they have something to say and discuss with the class. Also, to score in this component, I feel that it is important to listen what others I saying so that you do not repeat what others have said.
Moving on, there will be a five minute presentation which I feel that if proper research is done, it should be quite OK as I suppose everyone has experience presenting a speech in Secondary two for language arts which is three minutes long, where most people complain about the lack of time for them to present. Then, we have to do a 1000-word assignment to be submitted after the presentation. This 1000-word assignment should also pose no huge problem as it is mainly just putting whatever that was presented into words.
However, my main concerns would be with the 10-minute presentation where we have to lead the class in a discussion and also the research paper, which till now, stays a mystery. As I have never led a class in any discussion, I am extremely worried whether what I would have prepared for that day is sufficient and also whether it is captivating enough. As for the research paper, it really seems to be very hard and tedious and I hope that before I do the research paper, I would already be equipped with the necessary skills to complete the paper.
Conclusion
In conclusion, as I missed the first “proper” lesson, I am still not really sure what will be done for SES but I hope that it is going to be very interesting and although I am very worried about the syllabus and the mode of assessment. However, I believe my teacher, Ms. Yeo would be able to offer me great assistance when I am in need so that I would not be lost and I look forward to my next lesson!
Word Count: 791
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