Globalization and Business IT

1. Globalization and Business IT Week One Dr Claire Davison

2. Agenda • Getting to know your classmates • In-depth discussion of the assessment tasks • group formation for assignment • Referencing • TurnItIn

3. Where do you live? • North • South • East • West • CBD

4. Course Co-ordinator • Dr Paul R Cerroti paul.cerotti@rmit.edu.au • Course guide

5. Assignment One • Your first assignment is a reflective writing exercise about a specific topic pertaining to Global business and IT. Specifically, you are required to reflect on the sessions two, three and four of this course: • Globalisation and Business IT • Social Media • The Role of IT in Global Business

6. Assignment One • Due: Week 5 • Tuesday 19 August 2014 in class OR • Friday 22 August 2014 in class • Marks allocated: 10% of final mark

7. Reflective Journal Writing Prepared by Lila Kemlo Manager Student Learning Support

8. What is Reflective Practice • process of thinking about experiences, often new, with a view to learning from them • a form of personal response to experiences, situations, events or information by reflecting on their meaning. • This process enables you to better understand what you have learned and to gain new insights about yourself, others, and situations. • These new insights may result in a change of behaviour, perspective or new action. • There is neither a right nor a wrong way of reflective thinking, there are just questions to explore.

9. What is the purpose of reflective journal writing • To record the development of your ideas and insights, concepts, experiences • To reflect on these thoughts and experiences as a means of increasing your understanding of both yourself and what you are observing • To analyse what you learn and your self development – may lead to change

10. What are the benefits of reflective practice? • Life skill – by documenting experiences, thoughts, questions, ideas – develop an approach to thinking and learning - able to be transferred to all aspects of life • observe, analyse & reflect your responses to situations • opportunity to challenge ourselves, what we do and to explore ways to do it differently and better • understand course material & gain skills related to your discipline • recognise the acquired knowledge & skills developed • enhance your employability as these skills are invaluable and attractive in the workplace and to potential employers.

11. Reflective writing is NOT • just conveying information, instruction or argument • pure description, though there may be descriptive elements • straightforward decision or judgement (e.g. about whether something is right or wrong, good or bad) • simple problem-solving • a summary of course notes • a standard university essay

12. Simplified Learning Cycle Record (what) . New action Reflect (think) Analyse (explain & gain insight) The Learning Cycle Source: Adapted from Kolb’s Learning Cycle 1984 by the Study and Learning Centre 2002

13. Step 1 in Learning Cycle: Record what • Summaries of the main points from the guest speakers’ presentations • Immediate thoughts/responses to what you are hearing from the speakers • Describe the experience you are having while listening to the speaker

14. Step 2 in Learning Cycle: Reflect (think) • Which speakers had the greatest impact on me? Why? • What were the areas from their presentations that influenced my thinking? In Business? On self? • How did I relate what the speakers said compared to what I believed/thought prior to the presentation (Relevance to me...beliefs, values, attitudes, assumptions) • Did the speakers demonstrate any common characteristics/themes? What were they? • How did what I heard link in with what I am studying • Where there any surprises/challenges for me? What were they?

15. Step 3 in Learning Cycle: Analysis • Analysis in a reflective journal may involve three things: - Analysis of experience or content - Integration of experience with theory - Demonstration of improved awareness and self-development

16. Step 3 in Learning Cycle: Analysis • What questions you have since that experience? • What can I use and apply from this experience in my business practice/ management/life? • What I have learned about myself? • What have I learned about the ways in which I interact with others? • What aspects of myself could I change/ develop as a result of what I have learned? • Conclusions you have drawn.

17. Step 4 in Learning Cycle: New Action • Comparisons and connections between • your prior assumptions, preconceptions and prior knowledge • your new knowledge and experience • How new ideas challenge what you already know • What will I change about..... • How will I go about changing...... • How will I monitor/evaluate the effectiveness of these changes?

18. Style of writing • Mostly subjective. In addition to being reflective and logical, you can be personal, hypothetical, critical and creative. Write in the first person. • includes description (what, when, who) and analysis (how, why, what if)…. often resulting in more questions than answers. • A reflective task may allow you to use different modes of writing and language: • descriptive (outlining what something is or how something was done) • explanatory (explaining why or how it is like that) • expressive (I think, I feel, I believe) • questioning • Keep colloquial language to a minimum (eg, ‘kid’, ‘bloke’, ‘stuff’).

19. REFLECTIVE WRITING • DEIP handout • Using the four steps of reflection: • Who is someone you admire and what does it mean to you?

20. BRW Research Report (Individual or Group) • Students will select an organization of their choice and conduct one or two site visits, interview the relevant person(s) and write a magazine article regarding the organization as a whole or a department of the organization. • This article should be written with the intention that it will be published in BUSINESS REVIEW WEEKLY.

21. Assignment Two • Due date: Tuesday 23 September or Friday 26 September (submit in the class you are enrolled in) • Worth: 40% • Length: 4000 words • Group: No more than 2 people or individual

22. Choosing an organisation • In choosing an organization students should carefully consider the need to address the specific requirements of the assessment. The choice of organization is very important. If in doubt please contact the lecturer. • In your choice, also consider an organization, which is of manageable size and complexity for the project. • When approaching an organization, it is essential that you make it clear that the project is for educational purposes only, and forms part of your assessment ISYS 2394 Globalization and Business IT

23. Choosing an organisation • Name some organisations? • What networks do you have? • Who do I contact in an organisation? • Look on the website • Media relations or PR department • Human resources department

24. 1001 facets of business … • Where to begin? • Lecture topics • What interests you? • Read magazines and newspapers to see what the current topics are … • What are some current business trends? • Your topic can be about the business or the person (a profile). Some good assignments have been about the personal experiences of successful business people

25. Business Review Weekly • http://www.brw.com.au/ • Some articles are focused on: • 3 myths about your millenial staff, busted. • Avocado smoothie, anyone? How Boost Juice and Sumo Salad have expanded offshore • If physical retail is dying, someone forgot to tell Dick Smith CEO Nick Abboud

26. Other sources • Fast Company • Wired • Inc. • Forbes

27. 1001 facets of business • Some topics we have had in the past: • Cross cultural management in International hotel • Career path of celebrity chef • Chinese female entrepreneur • Accommodation entrepreneurs • Oarsome Foursome (Olympic rowers) • Lord Mayor of Melbourne John So • Entrepreneur story - Paul Rubens • System implementation at SAP

28. How to get started on the report? Brainstorm ideas Investigate network Read, read, read Talk to people You will need to collect Secondary data (Background information) Primary data (via interviews/surveys)

29. Some advantages of qualitative methods Understanding/explaining personal experiences of individuals Focus on subjects' own understanding and interpretations Researcher experiences issues from a participant's perspective Reports presented in a narrative rather than a statistical form – more interesting/understandable for non-experts Useful in examining personal changes over time Focus on human-interest issues that are meaningful to managers 29

30. Some qualitative methods In-depth interviews Small number of subjects Checklist rather than a formal questionnaire Tape-recording + verbatim transcript 30 minutes to several hours; repeat interviews possible. Group interviews/focus groups Conducted with a group Interaction between subjects + interaction between interviewer and subject. 30

31. Collecting your information • Read about the topic and organisation before you go to the interview. Be prepared. • You will need to organise an interview with the relevant person/people in the organisation you have chosen. • A well planned 30 minute interview should use about eight to ten questions, any more and you’re not allowing the subject enough time to elaborate. To create a 4000 word paper you’ll probably need one hour (around 15 questions). • You may need to be flexible with time and content

32. Wording of questions avoid jargon simplify wherever possible avoid ambiguity avoid leading questions ask only one question at a time (avoid multi-purpose questions) 32

33. Asking your questions Start with easy questions Start with 'relevant' questions Leave sensitive questions until later Be aware of reader/user – interviewer or respondent? Compactness (eg. single page) = ease of handling 33

34. How to write an article Create an outline for your articleYour article should include a headline, introduction, body, conclusion and resource boxHeadline - make this as catchy as possible because your reader will read this first and decide if they will continue reading the rest of the article. i.e. "7 Highly Effective Ways to Gain Instant Traffic to Your Web Site".Introduction - introduce the topic you will be discussing in your article or write a short story of your experience with the topic/issue.

35. Planning and Drafting – What not to do Don’t just summarize sources Don’t string quotes together and hope that it tells the story. Instead, add your analysis and thoughts surrounding that quote. Don’t write in the form of “The first issue was … and this was followed by …” (step-by-step narrative) Instead, focus on the results and analysis of your research. This is the juicy information and could be the story of your analysis/results. Don’t plagiarize – use direct quotes or paraphrase. 35

36. How to write an article Body - discuss all the aspects of the topic that you outlined in the introduction. Break up each point into separate paragraphs and keep them to about 5 - 8 lines. You may want to create a sub-heading for each point. This makes it easier to read as most people will scan your article.Show, not tell – this is the golden rule of all writers

37. How to write an article Conclusion - this should include a brief summary of your article and a call for the reader to take action. i.e. "Be sure to include article marketing as one of the top strategies for promoting your web site. It's a self generating marketing machine that produces a constant flow of visitors".Resource box - this is the place you can add extra information about your topic that is not strictly linked to the article. Eg background information about a topic Write with style - write in an informal style, like you would explain your topic to a friend but formal enough that it is not written in the first person.

38. How to write an article When you finish writing, put it aside for some time. Let your mind cool off a little, and then try to take an independent look at what you have written. If you can’t, ask your family member/friend/anyone whose opinion you value to read your article and give feedback.

39. Format of report • Must be formatted in the same way as a magazine article • The use of graphs, visuals and photographs are essential to your piece of work. • Content, layout, neatness, originality of presentation are important to the overall final product.

40. Referencing • Harvard style of referencing. • Use online resources • Endnote

41. TurnItIn – http://www.turnitin.com

42. What are you interested in? • Social Media • Global supply chain and logistics • Business in China • Online security • Cross cultural understanding in business • Globalization • Ethical issues in business