Blog due 4/2

Responses to Academic Situation that Call for Performance might seem to be an unusual choice to describe the field of business communication, but for in this case it explains the discipline the best.  In the article it discusses how this part of the four metagenres is usually used for students and teachers who work in the field of art, design, and rhetoric.  However, this relates to communication, because it discusses how in this part of the genres that it teaches a person “collaborative skills that allow them to work productively with other writers or specialists to produce effective texts and presentations.”  In communication it is important that one learns how to work collaboratively, so that in the work place a group of people can work towards a common goal and get the best outcome possible.  Also, when they have to send out memos or give presentations it is important that whoever creates the memo or presentation is able to show a clear idea and express their thoughts in an accurate way.  Another point in the article discusses how there is not a specific way of doing something that makes it correct, but rather there are a set of guidelines that one must follow to be able to produce something that everyone in the field can understand and see where the person who is producing is coming from.  This is important, because in communication you might be asked to create a presentation that will show another company how and why a person’s current company is loyal and will produce the most profit for the company.  There must be some guidelines in the presentation making sure that the person presenting shows how and why their company is the best.  However, it does not matter the way that they show those points as long as those points are presented are argued well.  This is similar to rhetoric, because rhetoric is the art of persuasion.  In business communication there is a great deal of persuasion needed in deals made and in decisions made.  If a CEO of a company makes a decision that effects the entire company the CEO has to be able to back up that decision and be able to persuade his employees that the choice was the best option for them.  For these reasons that is why business communication best fits in the genre of Responses to Academic Situation that Call for Performance.

Blog 7 proposal number 2 analysis

Analysis of Proposal Number 2

            The objective of this assignment was to make an effective proposal that persuaded the audience the author was addressing to support the proposal.  In this proposal, it was trying to convince the audience that the SRC, needed to charge less for fitness classes and needed to find ways to allow students to take a variety of classes without being charged for every single class.  The proposal tried to show that if the SRC could either charge less or make package deals it would allow a greater amount of students to participate in the SRC classes and therefore bring in more revenue. 

            However, after analyzing this proposal I agree with the argument, but found it to be an extremely weak argument.  The author made points about how more successful businesses made package deals to make it so a great amount of people would be able to buy their items.  Although, the author did not point out what businesses or what kind of package deals they could give out so it left the reader wanting more.  To make this argument stronger the author could have found sources of other businesses and shown actual businesses and how by using package deals ultimately helped the company make more money. First, the author of the proposal was a student attending ASU.  This helped with her ethos, but then she did not give any more information about herself to make her seem more credible, or have a higher character value.  If the author of the essay could have explained her situation and how she wanted to take classes at the SRC, but they were too expensive or how she could afford the classes, but she had friends who couldn’t.  That would have allowed the audience to gain a better understanding of where she was coming from and would have helped make them want to continue to read what she had to say. 

            Also, in the assignment sheet the author was given it states that the proposal needed to be organized and have a good introduction and a good conclusion.  In this proposal it was repetitive about how the SRC charged $30 - $60 depending on whether or not a student bought session a or b or both sessions.  In place of some of the times this information was expressed in the essay, there could have been a quote from an ASU student who regulary attends fitness classes and one that does not attend.  Then there could have been information regarding how they felt about the price and their opnions.  This would have strengthened the argument and would have shown the audience that many students at Arizona State University agreed with the proposal given by Bonnie Nelson. 

            This audience that the author wrote to were the people that found no problem in the price of the fitness classes at the SRC.  Some of their interests were about how the SRC could maximize their revenue coming in therefore charging $30 per session.  If the author could have given more examples and statistics of how charging less and arranging a package to work with college students and the amount of funds and time they have that would have helped strengthen the argument along with relating to the audience’s logos and pathos. 

            Overall, I do not think that this is a good argument for the proposal assignment.  There was not enough in depth analysis of the problem along with not enough compelling evidence to convince the reader to agree with the proposal.  The only reason that I agreed with the proposal is because I felt that the prices should be lowered before reading the proposal.  Although, if the author could go back and add in student testimonials, statistics about businesses doing well with package deals, and names of businesses and how they implemented a similar thing in their business as the proposal that would make it a strong argument.  Therefore making it a good model for this proposal assignment. 

BLOG #6

Trying to find a solution to the technology problem is definitely challenging, but I think possible to find.  One of the first issues to the technology problem is that they say they could take the place of doctors and teachers.  For me I think this would be a huge mistake!  With both doctors and teachers you need face to face interaction, along with someone giving you the feeling that they care and are there to help you.  With technology a computer would not be able to comfort you before you go into open heart surgery, or be able to give you a look of confidence that helps you mind feel at peace.  Along, with technology would not be able to take the extra time to make sure everyone in a classroom was learning.  Especially at early development of a child’s brain it is important for someone to take special care in each child in order to help the child become the greatest person they can be!  Another kind of outlandish idea would be for the people that become unemployed, because of the technology in their work they could work for service organizations.  Some how service organizations could be funded and then they could pay employees to go to Africa to help with clean water, or help homeless in the United States, or plant trees, ect… This would allow a person to still have a job along with being able to help America and others in the process.  Overall, I think that technology is great, but should not take over positions that have to do with people an there feelings, and how they develop.  Psychologically humans are complex and without human interaction people would go crazy.  

BLOG #5 Technology in the workforce!

     Technology is a great thing, but sometimes too much of a good thing can become a bad thing and in this case a life changing bad thing!  Some jobs that technology could potentially take over are teachers; they could have a computer talk to students therefore, taking away thousands of jobs.  Also, factory workers, because technology would be made, so that the human labor would not be necessary anymore.  This would be a tragedy in my opinion, because then people would miss out on human interaction and would then be learning from a more stagnant perspective.  Along, with our country as a whole would no longer be able to prosper as it once did.  As technology gets more advanced there has been given great predictions that about 50% of the work force will be taken out.  If this happens there will be great distress on our economy.  To have a stable and well running economy you need the number of producers and the goods they make to match up the amount of consumers and the amount of goods they can buy.  If fifty percent of our current work force is put out of jobs they will no longer be able to contribute to our economy.  Therefore we will see a great amount of surplus in almost every good.  Also, it could affect children detrimentally.  The reasoning behind this is that if children’s parents can’t afford food, shelter, school supplies, after school sports, ect. how will that effect the children psychologically?  Also, then the government will be expected to feed those families, because the amount of people on welfare in America will go up exponentially!  That will have a huge effect therefore, leading into even more problems.  The technology movement is great, but we need to find a way to have technology and people be able to work together and not compete for the same job! 

Analysis of Obama’s Speech

            When making an un-bias decision on whether or not Obama’s speech was a well given argument or a poor one there are a few things we need to consider.  Obama knew going into the conference that he was going to be speaking to an audience that disagreed with his views on government and religion and that believed strongly in their religion and faith.  Therefore, as someone analyzing one must be careful that he discussed his topic in an ethical way and gave an argument that talked about the topic and not the people on the opposing side of the argument.           

            At the beginning of his speech Obama thanks them for speaking about justice and poverty and putting pressure on the government to find solutions to these problems.  He then makes a reference to the bible that speaks about poverty and how it relates.  This relates to the pathos of the audience showing that he understands the bible just like them, and therefore making them less guarded and more open to listening to him.  He explains how Mr. Keyes had called him out and said that he was not a true Christian.  Then he goes on to talk about how he is a true Christian and how religion is important in America because 90 percent of Americans believe in God.  This relates to the audiences ethos, because he is showing him his back round, character, and why he is a good person to listen to when discussing religion in politics.  This makes him seem like he is on the side of the audience, which further more helps his argument.

            Further down in his speech he starts to discuss how some of the greatest leaders were religious and gives examples of Martin Luther King Jr. and Abraham Lincoln, but then goes on to explain how faith is important and helps a person make their decision, but it should not be a part of the government.  This relates to the audiences logos, because the statements that he has made makes logical sense and gives a good argument that you do not need religion in government to lead people.

            Overall, Obama makes a good argument. Whether or not a person agrees or disagrees with the position he shown his audience how they can trust his judgment and character, along with relate to him and think like him.  He showed all the rhetorical strategies of ethos, pathos, and logos.