My Experience Thus Far in the Huntsman School of Business

        In the short time that I've been in the Huntsman School of Business, I have been impressed with everything about it.  The few classes I've taken have been very helpful and informative, and I am convinced that each faculty member is focused on fulfilling the mission, vision, and purpose of the Huntsman School of Business.
        The first class I took in the Huntsman School of Business was ECON 1500, or Microeconomics.  I was very skeptical of the class and I didn't think I would enjoy it.  However, my professor, Randy Simmons, made the material understandable and the class enjoyable.  Through the use of humor and excellent real-world examples, he helped me learn how microeconomics affects me and why I should care about it.  Because of this class, I have become very interested in economics and finance and I plan on learning a lot more about each.
        The vision of the Jon M. Huntsman School of Business is to prepare students to "add immediate value to the organizations where they work" and to prepare them "for increasing leadership roles in the organizations and communities where they choose to serve." (1)  I feel that the faculty of the Huntsman School of Business is fulfilling this and more, and I am proud to be a student here.


Source:
1) http://huntsman.usu.edu/htm/about-the-school/vision-mission-and-goals

How can a blog be used to professionally present yourself in a job interview?

        When preparing for job interviews, people generally follow the same pattern-- prepare a resume and a cover letter, read over questions that could possibly be asked, research the company, etc.  Something that many people may not realize, though, is that maintaining a professional blog can also play an important role in the actual interview.

        Employers looking to hire new people have been known to use internet search engines to see if they can find anything out about prospective employees before interviews.  This bodes well for prospective employees who maintain a professional blog about relevant, interesting topics because the employer would see characteristics that are vital for success in business, such as organization and professionalism.  A prospective employee may also bring up his/her blog in an interview to support an answer to a question that may be asked.  For example, the interviewer could ask, "Why do you think you are more qualified than the others who have applied?"  The person being interviewed could then use his/her blog to illustrate his/her experience and knowledge gained through research and writing.  His/her impression on the interviewer would be immediately enhanced.
        In the competitive world of business, people are always trying to figure out how to put their selves a cut above the rest.  Maintaining a professional blog is a simple way of accomplishing this goal and can greatly increase one's chances of landing a job.

Current Collaboration Technology and its Application in Group Work

        Effective collaboration can be difficult at times, but with the current technology that is available to us, group work can be done with relative ease.  Google Docs, Wikis, Facebook, and Twitter are just a few of the collaboration technologies that make working together so much easier for businesses and for anyone else involved in group work.

        I was recently involved in a group project with two other people and we decided to set up a wiki.  A wiki is a website where people can add, edit, and retrieve information (Wikipedia, "Wikis").  This made collaboration for our project so much easier than having to send emails or text messages back and forth.  We were able to line up our hours of availability so we could easily see the best time to meet.  We also posted outlines for our individual sections of research as well as links to websites that we came across that were relevant to another person’s section.  When we met together, all of the information we had gathered and organized was right there, all in one spot.

        Wikis are just one example; Google Docs is another collaboration technology that works very similarly.  For those interested in real-time updates and communication, there are websites such as Twitter and Facebook.  Twitter can be described as mass instant messaging and can be effective in discussing brief items.  Facebook can be used to form group pages where discussions can take place.

        Collaboration is vital to the success of businesses, and being able to collaborate effectively is vital to anybody wanting to succeed in virtually any industry.  Technologies such as Google Docs, Wikis, Facebook, and Twitter provide fast, convenient mediums wherein people can collaborate effectively and contribute to the success of businesses and organizations.

What can professional blogs do for businesses?

Professional blogs are becoming more and more popular in the business world.  Originally blogs were used more for personal interests such as journal-keeping, but businesses have discovered how effective they can be in conveying information both to those within businesses as well as to the consumer.

Through professional blogs, businesses can relay internal information within businesses.  This is especially effective for corporations that are spread throughout the country or even throughout the world.  Internal information may include company policies, announcements, news, etc.  And even though members of a corporation may get news and announcements through email, they would be able to read more in-depth about them through a well-kept blog. (Wikipedia, "Blog")

On the other hand, businesses can also use blogs for marketing and advertising.  Blogs provide a very cheap and simple way to keep consumers and followers up-to-date on the latest information regarding products and services.  In fact, blogs are typically free.  And business blogs are generally written in a professional manner but are not stringently formal, which provides an appealing presentation for the consumer.  People can even visit websites that are dedicated to posting the latest professional business blogs, such as iBlogBusiness, where one can find the newest posts from businesses almost immediately after they are posted.  Overall, blogs, when written professionally and when updated regularly, provide an effective way to keep businesses up-to-date and to keep the consumer savvy satisfied. (Wikipedia, "Blog")