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Doing Business with the Community:
Business Ethics/Case Studies |
Excerpts from Student Reflection Journals
Jenny Scavone '05: Excerpt from final journal entry dated 5/04
"It's easy to say you go to Clark University. As we all know, saying and doing are two different things...It's easy to turn your head and 'flee by disclaiming expertise.' To actually say that you had an impact on Clark and its surrounding community means something so much more. Being active in service learning extends far beyond the classroom and, through these service learning projects, Clark University can give back to the local community.
I wouldn't go as far as to say that I was forced out of my comfort zone during this project. I have always been active in community service; however, this is my first experience with a service learning project, and it was a good experience. We did more than just offer our services to the local community. We provided them with our knowledge, experience and skills and learned many valuable lessons that could not have been taught in a classroom."
Todd Mathewson '05: Excerpt from final journal entry dated 4/04
"...Throughout the entire service-learning project, Rick [Todd's contact at Tanorama, the business his group picked for their team project] was skeptical before signing any documents without reading them through thoroughly. Rick realized that these business decisions had real consequences, and I am beginning to realize that as well.
I also discovered that I could 'flee by disclaiming expertise' but did not do so. I will be the first to tell you that I have never made business cards, never written a contract and never had to distribute business cards to other businesses. Each of these processes was a challenge. I was forced out of my comfort zone. However, in the future, as a manager, there will be many times that I will be forced out of my comfort zone. I can't just run from problems. I need to take a stand and do the best I can. We made the business cards, wrote a contract and distributed the cards to the very best of our ability. As a manager and as a person...you can't shy away from problems and challenges. You have to meet them...
As the semester draws to a close and this service-learning project ends, I just hope that Rick got as much out of this project as I did...I want to thank you [Professor Boyle] for pushing us to have a successful service-learning project. I want to thank my group for working hard to complete the project in a satisfactory fashion. Lastly, I want to thank Rick for giving us the opportunity to help his business."
Bhavya Kapoor '05: Excerpt from final journal entry dated 5/04
"...I believe that there are many concepts and lessons that one can learn by working in a group, by dealing with a client, and by thriving on making a difference in the community. Toward the beginning of the year, all of us were good friends with each other and supported each other's ideas.... As the year went on, there was more rivalry among some of us in terms of who got the leadership in the group. For example, even though person A had a really good idea for the project and everyone else agreed with him or her, if person B had a personal issue with person A, he or she wouldn't accept the idea just to show [his/her] own power. This was quite an issue sometimes. However, when it was almost the end of the year, we left behind our differences and leadership 'needs,' and focused totally on the project. We excelled in our own areas and, at the end, made this project a success.
Through this service-learning project, not only have I learned how to manage differences in a group and deal with group norms and values, but also how complex things can get in the real world. For example, even though people have mission statements for their companies in which they talk about helping [and serving] the community, in reality, their intentions are different and more self-centered. Learning this lesson was one of the major aspects of this project that I will always reflect upon when in future projects and also [when I am] in the work place."
Maria Melas '05: Excerpt from journal entry dated 3/04
"Since the last journal entry, things have been moving along very quickly within our team. Team meetings have been very successful; for the most part, everyone still contributes a lot to the group and does his or her share of the work. As I mentioned in the previous journal, I have had a lot of team experience, so my ability to work with others has improved a lot. But the new challenge with this project is not how to work with a student or professor, but with someone who is part of the community, an outsider, such as a store owner...
From previous experience with teams I have learned that it is important that I pay every member attention and include him or her in the decision making. And since I do not like letting people down, I always feel that if anything, I should get my work done for the team. To do this, I related my personal attitude to our readings about 'managing up and across' [which said]: 'Get as good as you give.' That is why I always try to do my best, so that my team members also give me their best. I don't know if we will evaluate each other at the end, but it's interesting how important it is that one must not only show the boss that he or she wants to do well and succeed, but must also impress his or her coworkers so that they too will want to work [together] to meet goals...In conclusion, knowing how to manage across is very important in team situations."
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