More Related Content Similar to TWC Portfolio (15) TWC Portfolio2. 2
Table of Contents
Capstone Reflection pg. 3-5
Informational Interview I pg. 6-9
Informational Interview II pg. 10-13
Civic Engagement Reflection pg. 14-15
Midterm Self-Assessment Form pg. 16-17
Work Samples from Internship pg. 18-29
Student Email pg. 19-20
Employer Email pg. 21-22
Abandoned Email pg. 23
Blog Post pg. 24
Analytics PowerPoint pg. 25-29
Work Samples from Course pg. 30-39
Midterm Assessment pg. 31-36
Case Study pg. 37
Ecolab Supply Chain Logistics Model pg. 38-39
Academic Course Syllabus pg. 40-44
3. 3
Capstone Reflection
When I first came to Washington D.C., my goal was to be an awesome human resource
manager in a large corporation. I began an internship with a small start up company at the
beginning of this summer, which was really against what I wanted for my future. However, I
really wanted the chance to grow in more areas than just human resources. I did not expect to
change in a substantial manner either professionally or professionally throughout the summer; I
was extremely wrong.
My first day at WorkAmerica (my current internship site) I was given three different
projects. I had extreme autonomy on these projects, which I found was important to me. This is
the first thing that has changed for me professionally. I found that autonomy and task variety
were both extremely important to me. I had never realized this before, but it only increased my
love for human resources. Human resources has many different areas, and if I learned anything
in LEAD, it was that it is very important to make sure that your values match with that of the
company you are striving to work for. That is a value that I have just recently found as
extremely important.
During these new projects that I was doing, I really got to have a say so in a lot of other
things that were happening in the company. I get to sit in on meetings and learn things about
other aspects, such as finance, IT, and design of the website. I’ve gotten the chance to give my
perspective on things from a human resource perspective, and that is extremely intrinsically
exciting for me to be able to use my previous knowledge within the workplace. I’ve gotten the
chance to learn about analytics from six plus different sites. I am responsible for presenting
these numbers to the team every Monday, and that makes me feel important. I have a main
presentation in one of our team meetings, and it really gives me satisfaction to know that the
work that I’m doing is actually important.
As I found out in our original values session in LEAD, knowledge was my number one
value. I definitely still agree with this, as knowledge is ongoing within my field. I have gotten the
chance to talk to multiple HR managers as well as professors within the human resource field. I
have gotten the chance to hear world renowned chief human resource officers speak to a
crowd of 15,000 plus people here in D.C. My eyes have been opened to the many different
paths that I can take, which previously I was not aware of.
One of these paths is graduate school. I have thought about graduate school previously,
however, this program has given me the chance to really get involved in different programs. I
have gotten to sit through grad school panels and visit grad schools around the area. This has
given me the opportunity that I don’t feel as if I have in Pensacola. I have also changed in this
area. I have decided that I want to go to grad school. I haven’t determined where, however, I
have seen how many people in my field do have these degrees. I have seen how much
knowledge these people learn in grad school, and that aligns with my values.
I have met so many people through this program that are extremely intelligent, and
almost all of these people have different leadership styles. This program has backed my opinion
of my leadership style; I have not changed in this aspect. Typically, I am the one that is team
captain or leading the group. I enjoy being able to lead people and pushing them towards the
end goal of the class or company. However, something new that I have learned about my
leadership style is that I need to work on my confrontation skills. My customer service skills are
great, however, I need to be able to confront people in order to be a strong leader. I envision
4. 4
myself being a well cultured leader in every area regarding people skills in order to be the best
CHRO or CEO that I can be. That leads me to my next point.
When I came here, my goal was simple; become a successful HR professional. Now, my
goal is to become an international corporation’s CHRO or CEO. I feel like this really portrays
how I’ve grown both professionally and personally. I feel so much more positive about being
able to do these things thanks to participating in this program. I have always been a determined
student with a substantial amount of drive, however, I now truly believe that I could do this
with the companies that are my goals as future career choices.
My future goals include having more of an impact on others within my field, successfully
find a career within a company that challenges me and aligns with my values, complete
graduate school, and make my company a better place because of what I do on a daily basis. I
plan on running for president of The Society of Human Resource Management UWF student
chapter this upcoming semester. I feel as if I could really have an impact on other students as
being a leader and leading them by example. I want them to be as excited about HR as I am! I
have narrowed my list of companies that I am interested in to three: Google Inc., Tesla, and
Ecolab. These companies really align with my goals, and they are extremely ethical and
economical. I plan on putting in applications with all three companies after my graduation. I
have been looking more and more at graduate schools, however, I haven’t made a decision on
what schools I am going to apply for quite yet. Making my company a better place will have to
come in the future, however, being president of SHRM will definitely help my leadership
development and increase the amount of skills that I have.
Washington D.C. is a very small, large city. Someone told me that my first day here, and I
immediately said that that didn’t make any sense. I now completely understand what that
person meant. D.C. is a pretty big city in the form of there is a lot packed into one place,
however, it is a small place in the form of minds. The city is extremely political in everything
that happens. This increases the competitiveness and drive of people within the professional
realm.
Pensacola, Florida is a relatively small place, compared to D.C. The crime rates are
lower, the living is cheaper, and the people are different. I experienced a terrifying event within
D.C., however, this event really changed my views on a number of different things. The
perceived active shooter situation that we had recently terrified numerous students and
created mass hysteria within the TWC community. I found myself with my back against the wall
(literally) with 4 other people who didn’t know what to do in this particular situation. I had no
idea what to do, however, I could do one of two things; I could be a leader, or I could
potentially let people around me get hurt. I chose in this particular moment to be a leader. I
learned a bit about myself in this moment; I work well under extreme pressure. I was terrified,
along with everyone else. But really, this made me angrier than anything. I have now changed
my opinion on important social concerns such as gun reform. I know that things like this event
do not only happen within D.C., however, they don’t happen often where I live. So, this is
something that happens “only in D.C.” that really changed my perception and how I go about
my everyday life.
Overall, Washington D.C. has been great to me. I’ve made some really great friends,
done and seen some amazing things, and learned so much about not only myself, but others as
6. 6
Informational Interview Reflection I
Interviewee – Stephanie Goetsch
Stephanie@sparkcareerstrategy.com
Company: Founder of Spark Career Strategy
A little background on Ms. Goetsch and I’s relationship:
I had the wonderful privilege of attending The 2016 National SHRM Conference this year in DC.
Ms. Goetsch was a delightful speaker as she spoke to young professionals of SHRM on how to
build your tribe. Ms. Goetsch is a graduate of the University of Wisconsin-Madison and the
founder of Spark Career Strategy. She has worked for companies such as Chevy Chase Bank,
Adecco Technical, and U.S. Pharmacopeia in many fields of HR. She was a very motivational
speaker, which made me want to explore more about her and how she stumbled upon HR and
career coaching. She is a young, successful woman who has gotten to where she is by working
hard and demonstrating her knowledge in a way that portrays human resources as being both
useful and important within a workplace. I had the pleasure of sitting down with Ms. Goetsch
and asking her questions about the HR field and her professional successes. Below is a compiled
list of questions that we spoke about.
1. How has your experience in HR made you a better career coach?
a. I don’t know how you would do this job without knowing how the hiring process
works. I don’t know how a person would coach and offer direction to someone
without having been there and actually done that. Credibility and experience is a
main concern when it comes to people listening to you.
2. What is your favorite thing about working in human resources?
a. My favorite thing about human resources is that it is people based. I’m not really
a systems and processes person. Being good at relationships makes human
resource work so much more fun and interesting to me.
3. Could you go through your HR career from the beginning until now again for me?
a. Well, you can see my previous employers on LinkedIn, however I started with
being on the staffing side, moved from external staffing to in house recruitment,
then moved to smaller teams and recruitment, and moved onward to
compensation, benefits, and training. The experience of all of those together, as
a whole, makes me a better career coach.
4. If you could change one thing at any point in time during your career to better
yourself or your career, what would it be?
a. Well, as an entrepreneur, I would have taken more marketing classes. It involves
a lot more marketing than I had originally expected. Whether these are in a
professional learning environment or just a simple online course, I would have
done more. I would have spent more time studying that particular field.
5. Are there any tips that you could give an upcoming HR professional on how to succeed
in this field that you wish you would have known?
7. 7
a. Try a lot of things! HR is a large field, but dive deep into an area and wide. Avoid
generalist roles. People ultimately want expertise. Be in a team that allows you
to experience other areas. Understand compensation and employment law.
Expand your horizons. Look for a team that allows you to do and touch other
items within HR. Smaller teams offer greater opportunity. Do it early! Dive into
everything very early in your career, because it will be worth it in the end!
6. As you have stated in previous talks and on your LinkedIn profile, I have noticed that
you don’t have a master’s degree. Would you say that a master’s degree is required to
be a part of top management in HR?
a. Experience, leadership, and technical knowledge trump knowledge every time.
The ability to walk into a room with top executives and have confidence and talk
clearly served me very well. Know when to stop talking especially when around
top management. Top executives love working with me which allowed me to
have advocacy across the organizations that I have worked for. Getting my PHR
certification was very helpful for my career as well.
7. What were some challenges/surprises that were involved when you first started in
HR?
a. What surprises me is that there are brilliant people in big companies, but HR is
very undervalued. HR is there to serve them in a very secretariat way in their
minds. HR does not do a good job at showing value for themselves most of the
time. It made me insane because I worked really hard towards making HR a
bigger part in these organizations that I worked for. Companies walk all over HR.
As talked about a lot at the SHRM conference, HR is starting to come up more
and more in these large organizations. As HR professionals, it is important that
we push HR and show our importance. Companies bring me in to consult for
them, and their HR department is very far behind. We have to be business
people and start bringing up metrics. Metrics work for top management every
time. They want to see numbers, so be sure to bring them that!
Ms. Goetsch is very motivated in the field of HR, and I feel as if that is a common
leadership style in any top management position. She has this passion for ongoing
learning that I see in myself. That is a great motivational factor to see similarities with
someone as successful as Ms. Goetsch. I think that acclimating to change is one of the
best and most important things that someone in the human resource field can do. As
Ms. Goetsch said, diving in deep and wide in HR is extremely important to building the
foundation of a successful human resource career.
As I did learn at the SHRM conference as well as in many classroom settings, HR does
have a difficult time presenting itself as a relevant field in large organizations. This has
been one of the main pressing issues presented to HR professionals across the world.
However, I was surprised to hear it from Ms. Goetsch as an issue from a career coach’s
perspective. Ms. Goetsch has a very interesting view because of her involvement in both
8. 8
large organizations and entrepreneurship. Hearing her talk about how HR devalues itself
simply makes me want to learn more and be a better leader to help push HR in the
direction that it needs to be going. As an upcoming business professional, it is my duty
to increase the want and need of HR professionals within the workplace around the
world.
I don’t think that I could picture myself being an entrepreneur as Ms. Goetsch has so
bravely done, however, HR is one of my biggest passions. I love the ongoing learning
that it ensues, and I certainly love the people that I have came across since delving into
this profession. I have gotten so many opportunities, such as the SHRM Conference, to
network, learn, and develop a different way of thinking because of this area of business.
I definitely plan to continue my education in this career in the future, however, Ms.
Goetsch opened my eyes about graduate school. I think that her statement about
experience, leadership, and technical knowledge is going to help me further myself
professionally. Who knows, maybe I will fall into a love of entrepreneurship after I have
worked for large organizations and have a broader view of the human resource
profession. As of right now, I have more of a passion for working towards increasing
HR’s presence in large organizations, specifically in training, development, and
employment law.
I learned that the best strategies for breaking into HR is to really divulge yourself into
not only the knowledge, but also the culture of your workplace. It is extremely
important to have both soft skills and hard skills within HR, and I feel like I can offer both
of those. I want to completely submerge myself into all aspects of HR, and I am excited
to begin that next stage in a large organization!
Ms. Goetsch mentioned that marketing was more important than she had originally
thought, and that she wished she would have studied more of that earlier on. I have
actually considered myself quite well rounded in the business field, simply because I
have taken accounting, finance, and marketing courses as well as HR. I can definitely see
how marketing is exceptionally important in career coaching when it comes to target
audiences and things alike. However, marketing is also important within the HR
profession, especially when it comes to analytics. I am handling an analytics campaign in
my internship currently, and big data has a lot to do with the larger picture of a
company. Therefore, it gives human resources an “in” to the big table with the big
conversations with top executives. As Ms. Goetsch stated, as HR professionals, we have
to push our way into the “important” executive positions by presenting metrics, and this
is one way to do that. I believe that my internship is really helping me grow in the field
of big data, as well as continuing my education, conducting informational interviews,
and attending panels on HR topics from different areas of the world. I feel as if these
things really submerse me into the all around culture of HR.
This informational interview did not necessarily change the way that I perceive my
immediate future, however, it did open my mind to other things besides “The American
10. 10
Informational Interview Reflection II
Interviewee – Dr. Kristie Abston
kabston@uwf.edu
Career: University Professor
A little background on Dr. Abston and I’s relationship:
Dr. Abston has been one of the most influential leaders that I have met thus far in the human
resource world. I met her through the University of West Florida where she teaches human
resource classes. She actually started her career with a bachelor’s degree in Biology. Luckily, she
came to Washington this summer for the annual SHRM conference. I was so pleased with my
informational interview with Dr. Abston, simply because she has so much to teach young
professionals that want to enter this field. Below is a compiled list of questions that we spoke
about.
1. What made you change your mind about Biology and turn to HR?
a. I never really considered HR until my manager at my first real job (lab technician
doing research and development at a chemical company) asked me to consider
what jobs the company had that I thought would be a good fit for me in the long
term. He was only four years older and had a PhD in chemical engineering from
Princeton. I am still astounded that he was thinking ahead for me because I
wasn't doing it myself. I had taken a couple of courses toward a Masters in
Education so that I could eventually teach, but my heart wasn't really in it. When
my manager began that career planning dialogue, I seriously considered the
different jobs that were available. I chose HR because they seemed to be
involved in all areas of the company and were just so helpful to everyone. In that
stage of my life, I got bored easily, so the task variety was very appealing to me.
2. What made you decide to get your PhD and become a professor?
a. I was downsized at my last full-time HR job, and the economy was bad. I was
unsuccessful in finding another job. A vendor I had used for training offered me a
sales job at her company, but I declined because selling training didn't seem like
a good fit. She was considering going to graduate school herself, and she
suggested that I look into it because I had time on my hands. She was the first
person to tell me about graduate assistantships and tuition waivers. So, I applied
just in case I didn't find something better to do. Oddly enough, that vendor did
not get accepted into the program. I was lucky to get an assistantship at the very
last minute. I believe that God gets the credit for me ever going to graduate
school. If I had found a job after that downsizing, I would probably not have gone
back to school. I was pregnant with my daughter when I finished my master's
degree, and the director of my assistantship wanted me to stay on another year
because I was helping him with the coordination of an academic conference. He
said I could work from home, and there were several doctoral courses that were
online or met on a few weekends. So, I thought continuing my academic work for
one more year would buy me a year at home with my baby, and then I would
decide what to do. I was being paid $1,000 per month for my stipend in addition
to a tuition waiver. Seemed like a decent part-time gig considering I didn't have
11. 11
any other prospects. By the time the second year rolled around, I was enjoying
the courses, and I got assigned to my major professor for my assistantship. She
was a tremendous person. I learned a great deal in the 3-4 months that we
worked together. The political climate in the department was so horrible that
she ended up quitting in December of that year, so I had to go back to working
for the original director (and the source of the political climate!). By the end of
the second year, I thought I had too much invested to turn back (escalation of
commitment!). I spent another three years working on my dissertation and had
another baby along the way. In total, I was a graduate student for 7 years. All
that to say that I never planned to become a professor. I just wanted to have a
decent job in HR somewhere. I think God had different plans for me, and I had to
learn them the hard way. I always enjoyed training, so teaching at the college
level was not a huge stretch. It just wasn't anything I considered until I started
my PhD program.
3. What do you find unique about HR?
a. This career field offers more flexibility than many others, which is a strong
positive. It is also a field that has greater ethical, moral, and professional
responsibility than most. Professors are given the future leaders of the world as
captive audiences on a daily/weekly basis, and making the most of that
opportunity is a tremendous responsibility. Some of us take it more seriously
than others!
4. Do you feel as if a master's degree is extremely important for top management to
have?
a. I believe that a master's degree will become essential for top managers in your
generation. A bachelor's degree is common nowadays. I believe the MBA will be
equally common by the time you are in your 40s. Having strong academic
credentials as a foundation for progressive professional experiences makes a
person irrefutably qualified for upper management. Having one without the
other leaves room for unproductive speculation and doubt, whether founded or
not.
5. What sacrifices have you had to make to succeed in this field, and do you feel the
sacrifices were worth it?
a. In academia, the main sacrifice is personal time. Work-life balance has been the
biggest challenge for me in this career. The job is 24/7 for me, but that's not the
case for everyone in this career. I am undecided if it's worth it at the moment!
In HR, I had to develop a "thick skin" because employees, like students, will say
hurtful things when they are upset. In that career, one has to be friendly but not
be friends with the employees (and other managers for that matter). In small
communities, these relational things can be very challenging as you will run into
employees as the grocery store, at the movies, etc. So, I would say a HR
professional has to be willing to sacrifice, at times, personal feelings,
opportunities for friendships, and anonymity. I felt it was worth it when I was
doing the job full-time, but I am not sure I would feel the same way now. Part of
the "worth it" question would depend upon the total rewards package!
12. 12
6. What entry level jobs offer the best opportunities for the greatest amount of diverse
learning in HR?
a. A larger company with generalist positions is naturally going to offer more
opportunities for a wider range of learning (breadth of tasks and exposure to
best practices across a number of areas of HR). However, smaller companies
where fewer people do each job can also offer wonderful learning opportunities
because of the depth of learning (significant development of skills on a few
functional areas of HR).
7. What is the most important thing that someone planning to enter into this career
should know?
a. I cannot choose just one most important thing! One big thing is that HR is
constantly evolving with new laws, best practices, etc. In order to be successful,
a good HR professional is in a constant state of learning and then proactively
sharing that learning with his/her organization (which is not easy). This career is
not ideal for those who have a strong preference for equilibrium or maintaining
the status quo. Another big thing is having the courage to confront other
managers, even executives, when they are not managing properly. Being an
advocate for the employee while also keeping the company's best interests as
the focus can be a tough balance to strike.
I think that a common leadership style in HR is the transfer of learning and succession planning.
As Dr. Abston is a professor, I think she does both of these although one may be unknowingly.
As I have taken multiple classes with Dr. Abston, I can personally say that in order to pass her
courses, you have to genuinely learn the material. Memorization does not work in her courses.
The transfer of learning of course occurs when she is teaching. She is bringing her knowledge
and expertise to the classroom, and the students have the privilege of taking in that material.
Succession planning is important in the field of HR simply because it is important that top
companies have the next line of top managers properly prepared to take on their roles. I say
that Dr. Abston has prepared myself and her other students exceptionally well on my future
career in HR. Dedication and time management are extremely important in order to acclimate
to these leadership styles. You have to be willing to work the extra hours and volunteer for
those extra projects to get to where these other leaders are, and promote leadership within the
company to your other coworkers. I think that Dr. Abston is a wonderful portrait of a leader,
and I have certainly learned so much from her.
Dr. Abston has a very odd career path into HR. As stated by Dr. Abston in this interview, she got
her bachelor’s degree in Biology. I found it surprising that her reason for getting into HR was for
the task variety. I can list multiple reasons as to why I chose HR as my career field, but task
variety wasn’t on my list until this interview. I do feel like that is an extremely important factor
in choosing a job, especially with Millennials. I also found it surprising that Dr. Abston wasn’t
sure if getting her PhD and becoming a professor was worth it. I’ve never thought to ask her
this question (although we’ve talked about a thousand different things in the past). This topic
just never came up. I’m currently debating where I want to take my career path, and teaching
was on that list. Dr. Abston has not necessarily made me rethink that, but she has made me
13. 13
think more about if it is really worth it or not. The continuation of learning is definitely worth it,
but I can understand what she means when she said that you constantly have students as well
as other professors that aren’t so nice and appealing. I think that this is an issue in every field,
not just mine. I am glad that she is so open with me about how she feels about her current
position, because it helps me understand the pros and cons of her field.
I definitely want to follow in Dr. Abston’s footsteps in the means of getting my Masters and
possibly my PhD. However, I don’t think that I want to go into teaching. I would love to be able
to be as great as she is with the transfer of learning, however, I would want to do this in an
organizational setting. I want to be able to teach new HR managers that have already graduated
these things. My goal is to become the CHRO and possibly even the CEO of a large, international
organization that I can better with my knowledge of the business world. I think that Dr. Abston
is one of the most intelligent people that I have ever met, and her ability to teach is
outstanding. I am so glad that I had the opportunity to take her class, which in turn means that I
am extremely happy that she chose to become a teacher. She has certainly made my decision
final that HR is exactly what I want to do with my career and life.
In my first informational interview, I asked what were the best breakthrough options to break
into HR. She told me that I shouldn’t go for a generalist position because I wanted to really get
deep into the knowledge that HR has to offer, and generalist positions do not allow you to do
that. I agree with that, to a degree. Dr. Abston, on the other hand, had something else to say.
She said that a generalist position is a good thing. However, she also has said previously that
being a generalist isn’t something that you do your whole life. Typically, there is one piece of
HR that draws you close, and you realize what you love. I haven’t decided what I love yet, so a
generalist position would probably be best for me. She also said that a small company may have
more to offer because you get to see all different aspects of a company. I 100 percent agree
with this, as I am doing now in my internship. Currently, I am interning with a start up company,
and I’ve learned so much about the whole company; not just HR!
I think that Dr. Abston is correct in saying that HR is constantly evolving. I think that I could
learn more in every aspect of human resources and not just one. I would love to continue to
learn about compensation and benefits, employment law, staffing, training, and development,
etc. I think that learning is a skill in itself, because it takes dedication, internal strength, and
drive to get to where I want to be in top management.
Talking with Dr. Abston is always a pleasure that I greatly enjoy. She has molded me into this
person that has a great love for HR, in all aspects. My main goal during this interview was to
decide if I wanted to attend a master’s program directly after my bachelor’s degree, or wait. I
think that Dr. Abston has given me a reason to go to grad school directly after I graduate, simply
because of her reasoning that she stated. Basically everyone has a bachelor’s degree now; why
not get your masters? It is in a field that I love, and I will always continue learning in the field.
So, in a way, Dr. Abston has changed the way I perceive my immediate future by pushing me to
continue my love of learning through attending a graduate program in HR.
14. 14
Civic Engagement Project Reflection
The social issue that I have chosen is freedom from discrimination. Freedom from
discrimination is very self explanatory, however, I mean the ability to walk around as any race,
religion, etc. and not be looked down upon, judged, or punished for being that way. This
discrimination happens in both personal and professional lives. This happens to mainly
minorities, such as women and African Americans, however, it affects the majority as well. The
negative effects of discrimination affect everyone, even when it is not noticeable. This is a large
issue because it affects everyone, not just one class, race, religion, etc. This affects people’s
everyday life. I think that discrimination is very largely and well known within the United States,
however, it has not been resolved.
Being in human resources and studying discrimination within the workplace has caused
this issue to be near and dear to my heart. I don’t think that there is any one way to solve
discrimination. We will always have people that hate on others for a variety of reasons.
However, I do think that not only raising awareness, but really making others understand and
have empathy for people that are being discriminated against will help this issue. Just because
people know about a social problem doesn’t mean that they can empathize with people or
understand what they are going through. I think that if we can bring to attention how much this
really affects people on a day to day basis, then we will begin to get somewhere. For example,
women making less than men for doing the same job. This issue is constantly brought up,
however, only women that have been through this understand completely how this feels. So,
how do we make men understand? We really make them understand what it would be like in
our shoes. We give them situational examples as well as statistics that really hit the soft spot.
In SMLS this semester, we talked about what happened in Orlando. A large portion of
that conversation was about diversity within the United States. We talked about how
separation is affecting our country and the citizens within it. I completely agree with this
statement. One example that was given was Trump’s idea of a wall and how crazy this idea is.
We are already struggling with separation issues. Creating more of a separation than the
already apparent two party system would cause a larger increase in discrimination within our
country. If we remain separate as a nation, then why would we come together to solve an
issue? This has to be solved before we can move forward with this movement to have freedom
from discrimination.
For my direct service, I chose cultivate the city. I helped clear a lot of weeds, painted a
significant amount of flower pots, and mixed fertilizer to fill eco friendly bags. This may not
seem like much, but because NOMA is a BID district, it is. These districts are being updated to
maintain safety within neighborhoods with higher crime rates. Statistically, nicer
neighborhoods have lower crime rates, therefore, the point of making these neighborhoods
nicer is extremely important to D.C.! I think that my direct service was important because every
helping hand matters. I spent six hours attempting to make my community more beautiful. I
spent six hours with people that I don’t know that all had the same goal: environmental
empowerment. It’s extremely intrinsically rewarding to do these volunteer activities.
I think that this has something to do with freedom from discrimination because there
were people there from all different religions, races, ethnicities, and we all came together for
the betterment of our community. Nothing else mattered, other than the betterment of our
community. We all had one goal. If we could all want the same goal of freedom from
24. 24
WORK SAMPLE 4
For my fourth work sample, I chose a blog post that I wrote for our website.
4 steps to Impress Recruiters When They Call
Want to know how to make a great first impression when recruiters call? We have four simple
steps that you must start doing today!
Our job is to help you stand out from the crowd and help you find the perfect skilled trades
position for you. So, how can you nail that call and land an in-person interview?
• Step 1. Keep your contact information up to date.
• Step 2. Set-Up your voicemail – Make the greeting simple but professional. Don't just let
it be your phone number. If you don't know how to set up your voicemail, google how to
do it!
• Step 3. Be Responsive – If a recruiter calls and leaves a voicemail, call back right away.
• Step 4. Be Polite – Just pick up the phone and say “Hi, this is << Test First Name >>,
how can I help?”
Don’t be nervous when picking up the phone. REMEMBER, you know yourself better than
anyone else, be confident!!
Need more help? Listen to Tracy Goodwin's advice on phone etiquette below!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wYSrIRqavoM
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WORK SAMPLE 1
My first example for my international business course is my midterm assessment that I
completed on the company called Ecolab.
1) In international trade, the main purpose of inter-governmental organizations is to use
rules rather than force to settle economic as well as political conflicts and provide
some kind of world order and standardization. Since multinational corporations are
actors within the international trade, these inter-governmental organizations play a
major role in supporting and protecting multinational corporations. Your CEO has
asked you whether inter-governmental organizations, like the United Nationals and
(U.N.) and World Trade Organization (WTO), could help grow your company’s
business. You have been asked by your CEO to draft a response on why your company
might benefit from activities within the WTO and/or the UN. Select three issues that
are currently being debated within either the WTO or the UN to help you illustrate
your position.
Mr. Baker,
I believe that inter-governmental organizations such as the United Nations would help grow
Ecolab’s business. I say this because of three important issues that the UN is currently
addressing that have relevance to what we do within our corporation. By doing business with
the UN, it would increase our global recognition in our goal for international sustainability,
increase the amount of responsibility Ecolab has on a global level which in turn would increase
interest of consumers, increase access to global leaders and world markets, and could
potentially increase the amount of countries that we are currently conducting business in. We
are currently in approximately 150 countries, meanwhile, the UN is in 192. All in all, the UN is
just good business. The UN shares the same overall sustainability goal as Ecolab, which was a
large part of my analysis and how I came to this decision. The UN has created a list of
sustainable development goals that are to be achieved by year 2030. These goals include topics
such as water, environment, and energy; all of which we are largely dedicated to improving
around the world.
I will start by talking about the goal for water. The sustainable goal for water is to “ensure
availability and sustainable management of water and sanitation for all” (UN, 2015). A
significant amount of stress for water comes from population growth, pollution, and the
demands of the agriculture and other industries. Since our company goals are to “use less
water, re-use and recycle water, manage water to increase operational efficiency and reduce
cost of operation, treat water to meet environmental discharge standards, treat for health and
safety, and protect and extend asset life”, we are already agreeing with this want and need to
meet this goal (Ecolab, 2016). As we continue to strive to meet our goals, population growth
and the demands for industries using water should not be an issue due to our ability to
decrease the amount of water usage. The coverage of water remains low in Africa. 40 percent
of people without improved water live in Africa. Since we do have locations in Africa, we are
helping with their economic development, therefore, slowly increasing the amount of healthy
water in the country. Another of our goals is to “improve water availability for people around
the world”. I believe that the UN could help us do that by getting us in touch with the right
32. 32
leaders and figuring out the best way to do this and help these people in desperate need for
clean water.
The next goal I will be addressing is the environment. The sustainable goal for the
environment is to “inspire and guide the peoples of the world in the preservation and
enhancement of the human environment.” The UN is promoting the safe management of toxic
waste along with the prevention of water pollution. Our goal is to keep people safe, lower the
total cost of operations, and reduce the environmental impact of what we do. We do this by
improving safety, conserving resources, and reducing waste. Additionally, we provide
“environmental stewardship through customer solutions and our own operations” by making
sure that everything we do is following not only the legal regulations of keeping the
environment safe but also the ethical values which we at Ecolab hold near and dear to our
hearts (Ecolab, 2016). Once again, our goals align with the UN. We want to preserve the
environment, and we show that through doing our best with managing toxic wastes and
preventing water pollution: two goals that the UN is reaching for.
The last goal I will be addressing is energy. The sustainable goal for energy is to “ensure
access to affordable, reliable, sustainable, and modern energy for all” (UN, 2015). At Ecolab, our
goal is to “help our customers use less energy – and reduce their environmental footprints – by
identifying and treating process-related problems and providing them with products that
minimize energy use” (Ecolab, 2016). Since our main focus is on clean energy within the energy
field, I feel as if this really aligns with the UN’s goal. We want to be able to provide reliable
energy to as many people as possible. What is more modern than the green movement where
we conserve sustainable energy as much as possible?
My main point, Mr. Baker, is that the UN and Ecolab have the same goal: sustainability.
They can provide us with an opportunity to truly improve our company as well as not only meet
our goals but also create larger goals. We are a steadily growing company, and this could be a
great way to grow productively. Thank you for your time.
2) Review the three links posted in Schoology on the United Kingdom’s (U.K.) exit from
the European Union (EU). Your CEO has asked you whether the U.K.’s exit from the EU
will have a negative impact on your business. You have been asked by your CEO to
draft a response that outlines and explains three negative impacts on your business.
Mr. Baker,
As you have asked, I have done research and conducted an analysis of “brexit” and the
negative impacts that it will have on Ecolab. I have found three significant issues that will affect
our company from this detachment in the U.K.: Price concessions, expatriate assignments, and
movement of products, people, and money.
I will first begin by talking about price concessions. The U.K. will have to ask Ecolab for
price concessions on their products. They will be forced to renegotiate contracts due to force
majeure. Frankly, the U.K. just won’t have the money needed for the current contracts. This will
decrease our annual revenue within England, Britain, etc. and cause us to have more
employees in England for longer periods of time (which costs us more money and assets).
Europe will also most likely have to do the same which also will decrease profits within Europe.
33. 33
The U.K. is going to need help during the beginning of this adventure they have decided upon.
However, do we help them even if it causes us a decrease in profits?
My next point is talking about the increased costs of expatriate assignments. Since the
money in the EU and the U.K. is losing value over this, it is actually going to increase costs for
expatriate assignments. Inflation within Europe and the U.K. will cause increased costs for
everyone. Stipends will need to be increased to make up for the increased costs within the
country. Expatriate assignments are already extremely expensive for us, between the training
and travel costs. We may have to decrease the amount of people that we send on these
programs due to increased costs. Currently, the euro is down from a typical stipend of 2100
euros to 1800 euros in value. 300 euros per month is a substantial amount that we will have to
address when we are determining whether to send our people abroad for long periods of time.
My next concern is that this brexit is going to make it more difficult to move products,
money, and people around within the EU and the U.K. Products are going to be more difficult
due to new laws and new quotas, tariffs, etc. We don’t know exactly what the laws will be for
the U.K. as of now when it comes to trading. This is definitely a cause for worry as the tariffs
could potentially increase our costs for doing business within the U.K. Before, we could easily
transport items between countries thanks to being able to travel all over the EU without a
passport, however, now people will need passports to travel between Europe and the U.K. This
is going to cause issues when trying to move people from one of our facilities in Europe over to
the U.K. We are going to have to pay for these passports, which again, increases our costs.
Money in the U.K. is going to be different and valued differently as well, therefore, it is going to
be more difficult to move or use money within the two countries. Before, all 28 countries within
the EU accepted the pound and the euro because they were easily accessible and
exchangeable. This is no longer the case because of the brexit. When the U.K. officially breaks
off from the EU, you will no longer be able to use the pound interchangeably with the Euro. It
will make it harder to conduct business transactions as well as to handle money between the
U.K. and Europe.
These three issues could be huge for our company. We need to evaluate what to do if these
situations do arise and create a plan. The brexit will definitely affect us, and we need to be
ready when it does. Thank you for your time.
3) If you were representing your company in negotiations with the U.K. over addressing
the negative impacts for the U.K.’s exit from the EU, what kinds of concessions would
you ask the U.K. government for? What would you offer as incentives? In your report
to your company’s top management regarding the deal, which points would you
emphasize as most important? If instead you were representing U.K. government in
the negotiations and reporting to top state leaders, what would be your negotiating
goals and the focus of your report?
To Whom This May Concern within Top Management,
When asking for concessions, we should seek out lower tariff costs on our products. In
return, we are willing to negotiate the contracts that we currently have. We are willing to
decrease some of the costs in exchange for having longer contracts to make up the loss of
money on our part. We also want to ask for the availability to cross borders without passports
34. 34
or with some cheaper form of validation. This would not only cut costs for Ecolab, but also
make it easier to cross the border and deliver products. We should also ask for governmental
help with expatriate domicile. This could be anything from housing to transportation help to
tax reductions for these people. By sending expatriates to these countries, we are increasing
their economic cash flow, therefore, we have leverage here. This could cut our costs for
expatriate living which may allow us to keep the stipend at the current amount. In return, we
are willing to help grow the economy within the U.K. by providing our services at lower costs
and in more areas. Our goal should be focused on sustainability within the U.K. and increasing
how safe and comfortable the U.K. citizens feel about this separation from the EU.
I think that the decreased tariff costs should be the most emphasized. We can pay for
passports or increased stipends if need be, however, tariff costs could cost us much more
money. If we can get tariff costs to below what we were paying when they were a part of the
EU, this will actually save us money and allow us to give larger stipends and pay for passports.
This should be the main focus of our negotiations. Remember, we are negotiating these
contracts and decreasing our costs for them. We have a good argument for this. Thank you for
your time.
To Whom This May Concern within top leaders in the U.K,
As we all know, this separation is going to be a difficult one. We have to negotiate with
the corporations and organizations that have been with us for centuries to determine our new
laws. Our main focus is sustainability. We need to be able to stand on our own two feet with
what we have currently available. Let’s keep this main focus in mind, and we will be able to not
only please our people but also have a successful future. Any laws or negotiations should be
had with this main goal in mind.
A lot of companies will be asking about tariffs and quotas; we need to continue pushing
forward with these company’s negotiations. If they have something of use to us, we will
negotiate terms of certain tariffs or quotas for them. We will not be able to meet all of their
wants and needs, so that needs to be kept in mind as well. We want what is best for our
country and our people, so ethical correctness needs to be kept in the front of your mind when
you’re making these decisions. We want to be seen as strong and ethical. This will keep our
people pleased and keep the faith within our government. Thank you for your time.
4) Suppose U.K. agreed to your proposed concessions. The agreement would produce $5
billion in new wealth for your company’s home country, as well as $10 billion for the
U.K. (which are political allies but economic rivals). Which advice would a mercantilist
give your company’s home country leaders about making such a deal? What
arguments would support the advice? How would economic liberal advice and
arguments differ?
A mercantilist would suggest that the U.S. accepts this deal, but only because we are
capitalizing on the weakness of the U.K.’s current situation. Since economic results matter so
much, a mercantilist would think that in the long-run, we will have exponential growth. We are
leveraging them with small incentives that we can offer. In turn, this allows us to grow
exponentially when their economy becomes strong. This allows us to have the upper hand in
35. 35
doing business later on. Doing this now is good business for Ecolab, because when they make
money, we make money. It is a good investment.
We need to make sure that we are the ones that are controlling all of these negotiations
and contract deals. The U.K. needs to know that just because we are allowing the negotiations
of these contracts, it does not mean that Ecolab will be taken advantage of in the future.
Economic results matter intensely in the next 10 years or so, as our profit and what we are
getting out of this is the most important.
We need to make sure that we are protecting our country as well as our own interests.
Make sure that this is the right move for us and that the numbers are working out as they
should. Always have someone watching the back of the company to make sure that things are
running smoothly and as wanted in the U.K. Have a back up plan if this fails.
An economic liberalist would warn Ecolab’s U.S. leaders to keep the focus on the long term.
In the long term, the contracts will be able to be renegotiated once the U.K. gets fully on their
feet. This would give us the first foot forward. We helped them when they needed it, and now
it is our turn to get what we want. Not only will this allow a long-term relationship within the
U.K, but it also allows us to have a good name in terms of our willingness to help countries in
need. This causes an increase in our profits long-term.
We will probably lose money in the beginning, but in the long run, we are creating an
alliance and maybe even a possible monopoly in the U.K., which makes it worth it. Although the
U.K. is getting more money for their government out of this deal, that is alright because we
have many more resources already available for us in the United States. We want the U.K. to
succeed and be successful so that we can be a main driver in their market when it becomes
strong.
There are multiple mutual benefits from these economic exchanges. The U.K. will be good
to have business with in the future, and that is what we are focusing on. We want to cooperate
as much as possible with the U.K. in their time of need, because that is our duty as an ethical
company as well as for possible future endeavors with them.
36. 36
Reference Page
Abundant Energy. (2016). Retrieved July 06, 2016, from http://www.ecolab.com/about/our-
vision/abundant-energy
Clean Water. (2016). Retrieved July 06, 2016, from http://www.ecolab.com/about/our-
vision/clean-water
Global issues, africa, ageing, agriculture, aids, atomic energy, children, climate change, culture,
decolonization, demining, development, disabilities, disarmament, environment, food,
governance, humanitarian, refugees, women. (n.d.). Retrieved July 06, 2016, from
http://www.un.org/en/globalissues/index.shtml
UN. (2015). Sustainable Development Goals .:. Sustainable Development Knowledge Platform.
Retrieved July 06, 2016, from https://sustainabledevelopment.un.org/?menu=1300
37. 37
WORK SAMPLE 2
My second work sample is a case study that I completed and had to turn in.
Intel: A Case Study of Foreign Direct Investment in Central America
1) What was the problem in the case study?
a. I wouldn’t necessarily say that there was a problem in this case study. We were
merely evaluating if companies moving into different countries was a positive or a
negative thing. In this case study in particular, we studied Intel and if their move
into Costa Rica was a good or a bad thing for both the company and the country.
2) Who were the major actors, i.e. countries, companies, individuals, non-government
organizations, in the case?
a. Intel, Costa Rica, The Presidency, the Ministry of Foreign Tiade, CINDE, the
Ministry of Education, the Costa Rican Technology Institute, ICE, Rodríguez-
Clare, European Union, Program for Higher Technology Multinational
Enterprises, PROCOMER
3) What were the competing interests in the case study?
a. Intel and competing companies that aren’t named. Costa Rica and other countries
around the world. This isn’t really a typical case study where there are two
competing interests. Mainly, we are talking about how Intel’s integration into
Costa Rica has helped the economy.
4) How were these interests addressed?
a. In this particular case study, they addressed the impact of FDI on Costa Rica.
They addressed direct effects, macroeconomic effects, fiscal effects, and the
impact of productivity. They looked at the overall growth, which has grown since
Intel has put themselves in Costa Rica. They also looked at imports and exports;
which Intel has increased profits within Costa Rica from a deficit to a surplus.
They did surveys asking other companies if they think that Intel has helped or hurt
in different ways. They asked about the wages and if other companies had to
increase their wages due to Intel coming into the country. They also asked if other
companies thought that Intel had increased productivity together. These
companies, for the most part, had very positive things to say about Intel.
5) Consider possible outcomes. What strategies would you have recommended in this
case to create a favorable outcome for all of the actors in the case study?
a. I think that this case was handled very well. Intel made a decision as to enter into
Costa Rica based on multiple important factors. These factors included “political
stability, highly educated labor force, relatively corruption-free environment, and
the credibility of the legal institutions”. I think that Intel based their decision on
relevant factors, and there wasn’t another way to handle it.
38. 38
WORK SAMPLE 3
My next work sample is a project that we were assigned in class. I had to create a logistics
supply chain for Ecolab on a product of my choice. I chose oil.
One of Ecolab’s largest products is oil. In order to create oil that abides by legal
standards, oil must go through multiple different stages of the supply chain. The supply chain is
important because it allows us to see how oil is produced and distributes within Ecolab around
the world.
The supply chain begins with determining the product that you want to create. In this
case, we want oil. We have to explore the best ways of doing this and where. We find that
drilling oil offshore is the most efficient way. Ecolab already has offshore drilling rigs, therefore
we don’t need to design and construct oil rigs. We then start the drilling. We drill the oil from
our offshore rigs and store it in large containers to be shipped to our refineries.
Chevron for example is one of our refineries. Once the oil has reached the refineries, it
can be made into many different things: gasoline, medical supplies, plastic, organic chemicals,
refined gases, and lubricants. The oil that we pulled out of the ground is distilled, and separated
into chemicals that we use to create each of these items that I named previously. These
chemicals are then treated to remove impurities. Once this is completed, the proper chemicals
are passed along to the proper chemical plants to create all of these items. Once at the
chemical plants, the materials are made. The items are transported either to a storage facility, a
power plant, or directly to manufacturing companies. This can be done by pipeline, airline,
boat, truck, or train.
The oil that is to be blended with ethanol and additives is sent to a terminal until it is
ready to be blended or shipped to another country. Trucks, boats, and pipelines provide this
blending or distribution. They are then either blended and distributed to their point of sale or
shipped abroad and blended abroad. The distribution could be to a hospital, gas station, or
other companies/stores that sell our products.
40. Academic Course Syllabus
The Washington Center for Internships and Academic Seminars
1
ST16-4843 International Business: Case Studies in
Strategic Trade Management
Instructor: Dr. Eugene Laney, Jr.
Email: e.clifflaney@gmail.com
Phone: 202-251-7476
Meeting Time: Monday, 6:30-9:30pm
Course Description
The course examines multinational corporations’ strategic and managerial challenges in the area
of international trade by focusing on a series of case studies that will help students better
understand international business and trade interface.
For each case, topics include customs and security regulations, climate change policies, import
safety, export control, financial services, intellectual property rights, e-commerce, market access
and technology transfer. Corporate Social Responsibility is considered from an international
business-government relations perspective.
Course Goals
This course is designed to provide an understanding of the relationship between multinational
corporations’ activities and government policies from a global perspective. It would be helpful for
students to have previous familiarity with international trade policy and business.
Student Learning Outcomes Objectives
By the end of the course, students will demonstrate competency in the following areas:
Knowledge
Knowledge of the role of multinational corporations in the international trading system.
Knowledge of the regulatory regimes that govern international trade.
Familiarity with corporate compliance policy and strategies.
Skills
Improving business writing and presentation skills.
Applying problem-solving skills to policy-related problems.
Interpreting multinational corporations’ strategic and managerial challenges in the area of
international trade.