Essay or no Essay. That is the Question.

Wow. Should've known that the exercise was all part of a bigger plan.  The first sign of suspicion was when the Professor stepped back after just a few words.

Looking back on that day, I feel that we, as a group, didn't do too poorly in terms of reaching a final decision. Reaching a consensus is difficult to do when there are many members with different wants.  The main issue at hand was whether there should be an essay on the next exam and how much it should be worth.  I think the class was too focused on the details of the next exam that we failed to think of a way to help those that scored poorly.  I myself didn't do too hot so I was thinking of ways to boost my own grade: I had the idea that we lower the worth of the first exam and increase the worth of the second.  However, the idea was shot down by those who scored high.  After that, there wasn't much discussion about the first exam because we had already decided as a group that we wanted both a curve and extra credit.  I was much happier just with the curve and wasn't too focused on methods to boost it even higher.  

I fall into the category of a "compromiser" because of what was at stake (the curve and extra credit).  I felt that if we had a lot of dissonance, we might lose everything and I couldn't afford that.  Most of us couldn't anyway...

I feel that the discussion was led by those that scored high because when the suggestion was bought up to lower the worth of the first exam, it was immediately rejected... I'm surprised that no one spoke up for it seeing that the class average was so low in the first place. But increasing the worth of the second exam would mean studying/pressure for the 2nd exam. 

I think the most people fell in the avoidance category because it seemed that there were only a handful of people that spoke up constantly (and those were mostly the compete-to-win type).  I saw a lot of people clicking away on their laptops/cellphones and others commenting on how pointless this activity was and how they wanted to go home.

The idea of splitting the class into groups did come to mind but I dismissed it because if two groups of people had completely polar ideas, there would be even more chaos than we had that day.  An argument between two people is better than a war between two groups of people.  I do see where the professor is coming from though, because if we were split into groups, more people would have been involved and more ideas would have been discussed.  But like many said, we didn't have much time to discuss anyway.  

I am just glad that we agreed on something and that the class voted unanimously on the final proposal.  The reason we were so focused on the essay is because many of us lost a lot of points on the essay portion alone.  I myself lost the most points on that portion.  For this reason, this was the main topic of discussion.  Personally I'm opened to an essay as long as I know the topic beforehand... but I guess we didn't agree on that provision.

Eggin' the basket. And by basket, I mean the garbage bin.

My group was called "Eggin' the basket" because our idea was to wrap half of the egg and then add a  final loop creating a "basket" for our egg.

What led to our final design was the fact that if you squeezed an egg from the tips, it will not break, so we thought that if we created a heavy bottom, it would fall on its end and still be in one piece.  So based on this, we wrapped the straws on the bottom of the egg so that it would be heavier on the bottom and would straight down.  Or so we thought.

Let's see what went wrong with our Planning Process.

Step 1: Defining Goals & Objectives

I think we achieved this.  We wrote down our objective--to keep the egg from breaking and to do so without breaking any of the rules (drafting a design within 10 minutes, covering less than half of the egg etc.)

Step 2: Evaluating resources- identify skills/weaknesses

I think we were overconfident with our plan that we neglected to see the weaknesses to our plans.  Yes, it is true that if you squeeze an egg from both ends, it will be difficult to break.  However, I don't think its impossible to crack it provided that there is enough pressure.  What's more is that half of our egg is exposed and that our egg might not have fallen straight.  It could have tipped over (I think it did actually).  

Step 3:Developing alternative strategies

Like I said, we were too focused on this one plan that we were confident that we would succeed.  Even though one teammate objected to this plan, we as a group decided to stick to it because we had already come so far with the idea.  That teammate didn't exactly offer an alternative idea though; he was just skeptical of our plan. 

Step 4: Creating a tactical plan-what actions were made?

We decided that one person (the group member with the original idea) will mainly be in charge of creating the device for our egg so that it would be handled carefully.  The rest of us helped out in creating the "basket".  Because there were flaws with our idea to begin with, no course of action could have saved our egg.  However, I feel that the actions we took to execute our plans were as good as we expected.  We were able to build the device on time, had excess tape & straws, and it appeared as we had envisioned it to be.

Step 5: Implementing the plan, Measuring progress, revising the plan.   

After we saw so many groups fail, we were pretty certain that our plan would fail too.  Of course, at that point, we couldn't make any changes.  But I think many groups had the similar idea that the straws would provide a cushion for the egg but apparently this was not that case.  

To sum up our planning progress, I feel we did a good job in creating a plan and executing it but we lacked back up plans & alternative ideas.  What we could have done differently was consider everyone's opinions/ideas and reason with each other which would be the best thing to do rather than just agreeing with the majority.  

My Experience in China

I am an Chinese-American born and raised in NYC.  I am what people call an "ABC" (American Born Chinese) not only because of my lack of Chinese-speaking skills (both Cantonese and Mandarin) but also because I am not as in  tune with the Chinese culture as I should be being that I am the 1st Generation.

My parents are native to China; my mother is from JiangMen (江门) and my father is from TaiShan (台山）both of which are located in GuangDong (广东), a southern region of China.  It was only this past summer that I went back to visit their hometowns.

While I was in China, I felt uncomfortable because I was in an unfamiliar environment and I wasn't sure how to communicate with people due to language barriers (I can only speak conversation Chinese and have an extremely limited vocabulary).  But despite this, now that I think back, the people I encountered didn't seem too different or strange.

Some differences I encountered include:
1. Food- I can't tell you how much I miss the food. Because I couldn't communicate well with others, all I could do was stuff my mouth with authentic Chinese food.  Among the less odd dishes (fish, crabs, vegetables) I was able to try several "exotic" dishes including Roast Goose (which is a rather popular dish), Fried Snake (it was delicious!), and farm-raised Pigeon (it tasted just like Chicken).
2. Structure of the town/City- JiangMen, I believe, is a city but unlike New York, people don't seem to be in a rush but perhaps it's because there aren't trains there (at least not to my knowledge).  There are buses though and they seem to come pretty often (more often than the B4 nearby my house).  I think, however, bikes and mopeds are the most popular ways to commute. 
3. Toilets- The toilets in most places in China are just holes in the ground. (Google for an image if you're curious).  Only in 4-5 star hotels are there "regular" 'American' toilets. And that was something that took a while to get used to.  When I think about it though, the Chinese restrooms are much more efficient because (1) they're easier to clean and (2) less material is used to construct them
But it makes me wonder if China has a sewer system.  Or does everything get deposited into the ground?
4. Exercise Routines- In JiangMen, we stayed at a hotel right by a park and my father dragged both my brother and me to go running with him and we did this everyday around 7-9 in the morning while we were in the area.  And everyday, we would always see a group of people performing a routine to soft music playing on a stereo nearby.  Others who did not participate walked around the park, clapping their hands together repeatedly in wide motions (I started doing it myself but of course, after I returned to the US, it would be considered strange to do such a thing).
5. Overly Aggressive Salespeople- A friend of mine brought me to a mall and as soon as we walk into a store, a salesperson would trot right up to ask and start asking whether we needed help. When we replied that we're just looking, instead of giving us some space, the salespeople often would remain there and watched our every move.  As soon as we picked an item up, they would not hesitate to tell us how great the product is and how the product is fitting for me and how the price is a steal...etc.  
6. Table Manners- When my family dined in China, I recall my father's friends fighting over who pours from the teapot (Tea is the main beverage in China).  I guess pouring tea for others is a respectful thing to do.  Tapping your finger on the table after being refilled is the way to thank the the one pouring.

In class, we mostly discussed cultural differences in terms of behavior but I feel that the people I encountered weren't too different in their actions.  People in China greet each other similar to the way you and I do with either a handshake, a 'hello', or a 'how are you'.  One difference, though, is that encounters seem less intimate (no hugging or kiss on the cheek is exchanced).

An Introduction

Hello all,
My name is Susan and I am currently a sophomore at Baruch College.  I am currently an Accounting major but that may change depending on future accounting classes.  I am not particularly interested in any other majors... (perhaps Actuarial Science, but I am afraid the major might be too difficult for me).  So far my experience at Baruch hasn't been too spectacular but I think that is expected since I am rather inactive.  This year, I hope to join more clubs and make new acquaintances so that I will feel more connected to Baruch.

I am often described as a shy person but if you know me well, I am not quiet at all.  Perhaps I will even make a good friend in the seemingly carefree environment of MGT3120.  :)