Emphasis Competencies
#1 Demonstrate effective written communication skills
Self-Assessment |
Artifacts |
Where did you
create this artifact? All of the artifacts for this competency were created during course COM
525 – Managerial Communication and Ethics while I was enrolled at the
University of Phoenix. At the time me and my colleagues began collaborating on this paper the
topic of healthcare was not yet part of the national debate but in our
research on problems facing small business it was a topic of concerns so we
chose it in a effort to shed some light on topic. What I Learned,
How did you learn this? The COM 525 Managerial Communication and Ethics course has afforded
me the opportunity to learn the writing skills needed to achieve academic
success throughout the degree program.
I expect that many of my future courses will require that papers be
written and submitted. The skills
acquired in American Psychological Association (APA) style formatting will be
valuable in all future writing assignments. Understanding what plagiarism is
and how to avoid it by properly citing research sources will certainly be
useful knowledge throughout. Other writing skills I learned during the course
were how to develop a problem statement, Identify and evaluate information
sources. In Com 525 I was able to become familiar with the functionality of
the on line University Library, The Center for Writing Excellence, and the
online tutorials. Why this is
important: Communication is highly valued in my work place. It has always been a very high goal to make
sure high-level decisions are communicated everyone. We use quarterly State
of the Business meetings, mass voice mails and emails, staff and business
units meetings and change control to accomplish our goal. Unfortunately we do not always succeed. There has been the occasion or two where
too much focus on the day-to-day activities has caused someone to not inform
all relevant parties up a up and coming change that
will effect large groups of people. We see communication as a very important
aspect of our jobs and understand that we are not great at it and continue to
strive for improvement. How can you apply?
Bauman’s article on the many forms of
citation formats confirmed for me what I had begun to conclude for myself,
that citing source material can be a complicated and confusing process. I
learned that in additional to MLA (Modern Language Association) and APA
(American Psychological Association) there are two other formats CM (Chicago
Manual of Style and CBE (Council of Biology Editors). In our discussion on plagiarism I was of
the opinion that most case incidents were probably due to incorrect use of or
lack of understanding of the APA or MLA formats. I found comfort in Bauman’s (an academic
author of textbooks on writing) frustration on the in-ability of the academia
world to develop a common simple standard that all could use. I hope to effectively be able to apply the
knowledge obtain on research writing in Chapter 25 of Dietsch’s
book throughout my MS program. What challenges
& obstacles did you overcome? The challenge for me in my first graduate level writing course is
that when doing research papers I often feel inadequate at completing the
task. It seems that there is so much
information available, I cannot help but to wonder if I reviewed all the
pertinent information. At times it
seems like a daunting task to find all the correct sources, develop a thesis,
shift through the facts and come to a
logical conclusion that you can support , all while keeping your citations in
order. I certainly respect the
professional research writer’s job and agree that a really good paper require
extensive time and commitment. The
peer review process seems like an excellent way to ensure that information in
a research paper is accurate. Most
individuals respect the opinions of their peers and a peer review should help
to keep everyone honest. REFERENCES Bauman, M. Garret. (2001, November 9). The devilments of
style [Electronic Version]. Chronicle
of Higher Education, 48 (11), B5. Abstract Retrieved March, 17, 2005,
from Academic Search Premier database. Dietsch, M. B. (2003). Using Sources and Writing a research Paper
[Electronic Version]. Reasoning and
Writing Well: A Rhetoric, Research Guide, Reader, and Handbook, (pp. 378
– 408). Mcgraw-Hill. Abstract Retrieved March, 17,
2005, from https://mycampus.phoenix.edu/secure/resource/resource.asp |
·
RESEARCH
PAPER:
Can Small Businesses Provide Affordable Health Care to Employees And Still
Maintain Profits And Margins ·
DISCUSSION: Cultural
Values and Personal Ethics ·
PRESENTATION: Can Small
Businesses Provide Affordable Health
Care |