Reflection

I truly enjoyed this class this semester. I really felt that this class is what the honors college should be all about. I really enjoyed the classroom environment. After a while you really felt like you got to know everyone in the class and the professor. I like how the class was mostly a collaborative discussion where everyone shared input and ultimately took out a lot of output knowledge. The class was a nice break from all my finance and accounting classes. I really liked working on the project with all its parts and then getting to see it completed at the end and share with the whole class.

Thanks for a great semester everyone and have a restful happy holiday winter break!!!

Ch 6 Tobacco and Death: When is a Cause Not a Cause?

Ch 6 Tobacco and Death: When is a Cause Not a Cause?

Situation: Millions of people have died a slow painful death from cigarettes and furthermore the tobacco industry knew about it.

Tobacco and Death vs. Challenger disaster:
the Challenger disaster was an obvious ethical lapse as seven astronauts died suddenly and violently in front of millions.

the Smoking disaster is quiet. Smoking kills individuals through lung cancer which leads to months of painful and progressive debilitation until death usually in a hospital witnessed only by nurses and a few family members.
Smokers life expectancy is also lowered from 10 to 20 years. (less concrete and emotional)

CAUSE:
millions of death due to lung cancer from smoking does not outrage us like the Challenger disaster because:
1) Probabilities and Populations rather than certainties and individual persons.
-causation is a direct and mechanical matter to people
-statistical causation--> a probability of what will happen to a population or group but says nothing about particular individual cases.
-w/ statistical causes, the immediate cause and effect is often not immediately seen and not intuitively obvious.
-
2) Causation from another angle (an unethical angle)
-The tobacco industry has engaged in an aggressive program of misinformation, obfuscation, denial, and opposition that has clouded the connection b/w smoking and disease in the minds of the public
-they have continually asserted that the existence of a "controversy" about whether smoking really "causes" disease, when in fact there was no controversy except of their own manufacture.

Statistics is one of the most important tools of medicine and public health in modern times, revealing the probabilistic causes involved in many kinds of diseases and disorders.

John Stuart Mill, one of the 4 methods of logical inference.
"concomitant variation" by which an increase in an independent variable leads to an increase in a dependent variable, and a decrease yields a decrease.
*even though the specific mechanism at work might not be known, we are justified in concluding that one causes the order.
EX) Son of an iron smith is strong.

-with statistics you never really prove anything, you only fail to disprove or disprove.
This is why most people know smoking is deadly and human caused "Global warming" and why other people are able to reject both.

tobacco industry is similar to sophists
sophists debated only to win and get what they wanted. They manipulated language to meet their own end. Our ethical judgments of them has been negative.
SOPHISTS"clever users of words to manipulate and deceive"-interested in winning arguments, prevailing in debates, and achieving favorable judgments for oneself-the techniques of the sophists as traditionally represented do seem to closely resemble those of the tobacco industry, and our ethical judgment of them is similarly negative-sophists insist that every topic has two sides worthy of argument, and their reputation for contention for the sake of contention and for the sake of thier self-interest

DOCUMENTS

-public witch hunt of the tobacco industry with lawsuits based on: damaging health effects, addictiveness, and advertising methods.
-Charges against Tobacco Industry (on an unprecedented magnitude):
fraud
conspiracy
negligence
false advertising
product liability
Industry:
-sophists causation used in their own self interest
-scientist who quibble on causation
-profitability which gives the industry huge amounts of resources.
Claimants:
-have few resources
-have limited time
-tobacco industry usually settles cases thus no precedent is every set for further cases
The Case:
The legal system as been building a case with tens of millions of pages of documents but they are hard to understand b/c the industry is:
-highly secretive
-closed
-guarded
so the documents are worded in obtuse and contorted ways to disguise their substance.
or,
-loopholes:
"They made sure all discussions about health research and about policy decisions were made in the presence of lawyers so that they could be hidden from discovery under the rules of lawyer-client privilege."
-hide "smoking guns"
"Files were purged and potentially incriminating documents were shredded" and the remaining documents were not indexed on lists to be discovered by claimants

1950s
-several reports linked smoking with lung cancer. (Dr. Wynder in the The Journal of the American Medical Association)
- Tobacco Industry took a defensive strategy based upon creating better public relations.
-their plan was to form a research group of "independent" scientist to to get the real facts.
1st causation - "there is no proof" which may be true but the ethical issue is how to represent this lack of absoluteness.
the RESULT:
-“A Frank Statement to Cigarette Smokers” published in all the major newspapers:
1st - it articulates a position central to the industry’s subsequent justifications of its activities (causation and proof have not been demonstrated
2nd - it shows frank disdain by the industry of scientific, medical, and technical research accepted by nearly all medical and scientific professionals outside the industry
3rd - it attempts to lay upon industry a mantle of scientific honesty and rigor that has been found to be false and deliberately misleading
* it is a technical documents that portrays the industry as the protector of public health and an authority on scientific rigor. (BIASED)

Victim Stance- is taken by the industry, but in reality the public is the victim. (this is popular sophistic method)

- 4 points in document
1st - lung cancer has many possible causes (doesn’t mention smoking was extremely common)
2nd - “no agreement among the authorities”
3rd - “no proof that cigarette smoking is one of the causes”
4th - conclusions drawn from statistics can be misleading or confusing


1960s
The US Surgeon General became involved and theTobacco Industry running out of reputable scientists willing to endorse them
- Nicotine is stated out right to be addictive
- Tobacco Industry principal interest is to protect itself over health of public (pg 170 excerpt).

1970s
- the use of filters?
would be admitting harmful health effects of smoking, tradeoff may be more desirable by public
- solution?
told public that it was done because of perception of public that smoking is linked to health problems
-pg 171 excerpt
Tobacco Industry “technical documents” "acknowledges" health hazard (misleading) then denies it based on "controversy".
- repeatedly claim that controversy and disagreement exist
- used "belief" in a deceptive, self-serving use
- public and government kept in the dark by (lawyer-client confidentiality)

1980s
- page 173 excerpt
"the intent here is to reinterpret or re-represent a scientific finding in such a way that would be less damaging to the industry"
- Control over information tightened even more to controlling the entire reporting process and whole documents
- Documents show J. K. Wells of B and W sent instructions for the purging of potentially incriminating files. unethical information control)
- Lawyer-client confidentiality was used all the time

1990s
- Secret documents come to light from whistleblowers and disenchanted insiders
- Tobacco Industry backed into a corner from private and public perspective
- Liggett Group (Major Tobacco Company) admitted nicotine was addictive but other tobacco companies distance themselves away from it.
- States start suing Tobacco Companies successfully

A SINGLE WORD
- Management says they don't "believe" nicotine is addictive, but documents appear that indicate otherwise (management knew as well)
- because of the word believe the department of Justice did not pursue perjury.
- Industry defers to public health authorities by putting statements such as “Smoking causes cancer.” on boxes but not necessarily agreeing with the statements

GRAPHICAL IMAGES
- Words difficult to pin down regarding their meaning, interpretation, and ethical significance. Graphical Images are even harder (photographs, etc.)
- R.J. Reynolds: launched campaign geared towards children (ages 9 to 24) to smoke his brand of cigarettes after studies showed that most people were faithful to the first brand of cigarettes smoked
- David McLean (Marlboro Man) was forced to smoke up to five packs of Marlboros a day in order to get the right advertising effect
- Graphical images also used to teach children about the harmful effects of smoking

ETHICAL APPRAISAL
Aristotle.
does not approve of the tactics used by the Tobacco Industry. The industry was unethical and was dishonest in their debate for why smoking is not unhealthy. Debate was pointless because the truth of whether smoking cigarettes is harmful to one’s health is already apparent.
Kant.
tobacco documents are clearly unethical because they do not act in a manner which could become a universal principle applying to everyone. The Tobacco Industry has not treated everyone in a way which they would want to be treated. They have continually opposed those working for the public good for the benefit of their industry. Utilitarian.
Utilitarian perspective weighs cost against benefits. Question is to whom? The Tobacco Industry’s plan follows that idea; however, few people outside the industry would view it as ethical.
Feminist Perspective and Ethics of Care.
Industry are unethical because they are impersonal corporations driven by their own goals and do not care that many people die a slow, painful death as a result of smoking.

Ch 8 Ethics Exercises

Ethics Exercises:

CASE ONE: LASER GLITCHES

Discussion

Variation

APPRAISAL,

CASE TWO: FREEDOM

Variation

discussion

APPRAISAL,

CASE THREE: CONFIDENTIALITY

Variation

APPRAISAL,

CASE FOUR: BURIED INFORMATION

APPRAISAL,

CASE FIVE: WHISTLE-BLOWING

APPRAISAL,

CASE SIX: GOVERNMENT ETHICS

Discussion:

APPRAISAL,

Ch 7 Star Wars; Hope vs. Reality

Ch 7 Star Wars: Hope vs. Reality

Star wars or Strategic Defense Initiative (SDI)

what was it? A missile defense system designed by the U.S. government. The Rumsfeld Commission found a real thereat from "rogue states" in the near future.

important to know:
The SDI program was never was deployed and so much of the technical communication about the software had to do with prospective future and not the real present.
so... the technical communications-and the technical communicators behind them-therefore had to speculate about what would develop in their field rather than simply presenting objective information about existing devices. (most technical communication is aimed toward achieving future goals.)

it gave the U.S. public hope against the fear of nuclear attack, but this hope was based on unrealistic technical possibilities.

not unethical
more ethically responsible to have consulted more thoroughly with recognized technical and scientific experts on the feasibility of SDI.
The claims for the effectiveness of SDI intermixed past and present technical reality with future goals and wishful expectations.

___________________________________________
claims for the the Star Wars system were:
-exaggerated
-selectively represented
-misrepresented

technical communication:
-vague
-misleading

why?
because they were dealing with the hopes and speculations, not realistic expectations

CONTEXT

OVERVIEW OF SDI

A Complex System

CONGRESSIONAL OFFICE OF TECHNOLOGY ASSESSMENT
The report presents four "misapprehensions" regarding the stated goals of the president's plan:
1) Individual, seperate devices such as lasers are not the same as the total system in which they would be used together, whcih would be extremely complex.
2) SDI is unlike any prior technical program such as the Manhattan project.
3) Hopes for entirely new technologies cannot be realistic. "Such breakthroughs are not impossible, but theri mere possiblity does not help in judging the prospects for the perfect defense"
4) Accurate predictions canot be made about hte performance of this complex system. There is, and can be, no realistic test of the system beforehand; all posssible outcomes cannot be anticipated.

The chapter on software draws these three conculsions from a total of eight:
1) The nature of software and our experienceswith large, complex softward systems, including weapons systems, together indicate that there would always be irresolvable wque3stions about how dependable the BMD software was, and also about the confidence to be placed in dependability estimates.
2) No matter how much peactime testing were done, there would be no gurarantee that the system would not fail catasrophcially during battle as a result of a software error. Furthermore , experience with large, complex software systems that hvae unique requirements and use technology untested in battle, such as a BMD system, indicates that there is a significant propbability that a catastrophic failure caused by a softward error would occur in the system's first battle.
3) No adequate models exist for the development , production, test, and maintenance of software for full-scale BMD systems.

CONGRESSIONAL HEARING

SDI DOCUMENTS, PRO AND CON

Pro

Con

Parnas

STAR WARS BOYCOTT PLEDGE:

Patriot: Small-Scale SDI

Technical Claims about Air Operations

ETHICAL APPRAISAL:

Aristotle.


Kant.

Utilitarianism

Feminist Perspective and Ethic of Care.

CONCLUSION:

pg 303-334

The Basics of a Cover Letter

Steven Graber

Your cover letter is a marketign tool!
It allows you stand out and intice the reader.
- too many are just an additional piece of paper

to be effective: you must act as an advertisment, attract an employer's attention by highlightng the most attractive features of the product.

have a nice sales pitch.

Both format and content are important.

FORMAT:

1st impression is appearance.

The parts of a Letter:
proper format = credible candidate.
2 styles:
Business style: (Block Style) vs. Personal Style.
only difference is in business style where all elements begin at the left margin vs. centerline and indented paragraphs.

Return Address:
your address should appear on top margin, w/o your name, (flush left or centered depending on style)
-avoid abbreviations.
-include your phone number

Date:
2 lines belwo the return address (flush left or centered depending on style)

Inside Address:
4 lines beneth the date, give addressee's full name.
give personal title
company's name,
company's address,

Saluatation:
2 lines beneth the company's address. beginning dear mr./ms. (last name):

Length:
3-4 short paragraphs.

Enclosure:
enclosure line used for formal or official ocrrespondences. Not wrong to use it (not necessary)

Paper Size, Paper Color and Quality:
standard 8 1/2 by 11 inches, has a nice weight and texture, white or ivory color.

Typing and Printing:
word processor with a letter quality printer.
Envelope:
standard business-sized envelope matching your stationery.


CONTENT

Personalize Each Letter
try and determine the person you are writing the letter to. Contact the head of the department in which you are interested.

Mapping it Out
3-4 paragraphs. (don't repeat what is in the resume). Goal: give an overview of your capabilities and show why you're a good candidate for the job. To distinguish yourself highlight 1 or 2 of your accomplishments)

First Paragraph
state the position for which you are applying.

Second Paragraph
indicate you could contribute to the company and how your qualificatons will benefit them.

Third Paragraph
show how you not only meet but exceed their requriements.

Fouth Paragraph
close by saying you look forward to hearing from them.

Complimentary close
2 lines beneth the body of the letter, aligned with your return address and date. Keep it simple!

don't forget to sign it!

TIPS FOR SUCCESSFUL COVER LETTERS

What Writing Style is Appropriate?
polite, formal style with a balance of confidence in yourself and respect for the employer.
should be clear, objective, and persusaive.

-Tone: Reserved Confidence Is Always in Style

-Emphasize Concrete Examples

-Use Powerful Language
your language should be hard hitting and easy to understand.

Avoid Catchprases
may be tempted, but avoid. pg 311

Mention Personal Preferences?

Proof with Care


COVER LETTER BLUDERS TO AVOID

Unrelated Career Goals
tailor your cover letter to the position you're applying for.

Comparison and Cliches
avoide them! b/c they distract from your letter's prpose.

Wasted Space
only 4 paragraphs so every word and sentence needs to count.

Form Letters
don't mass mail a form letter to a large number of employers.

Inappropriate Stationery
only white and ivory paper color. No graphics

"Amusing" Anecdotes
imagine an interview setting. You don't know your interviewer, don't joke

Eroneous Copany Information
verify the accuracy of any copany information

Desperation
sound determined not desperate.

Personal Photos
never include, unless for performing

Confessed Shortcomings
never emphasise your flaws rather trhan your strengths.

Misrepresentation
always stick to the facts, misrepresentation can lead to dismissal.

Demanding Statement
demonstrate what you can do for the employer, not what he or she can do for you.

Missing Resume
fatal mistake not including all materials you refer to.

Persoan Information
do not include: age, health, physical charactersitics, marital status, race, religion, political, moral beliefs. Only list things relevant!

Choice of Pronouns
using 1st person Iis preferrable

Tone Trouble
to find: read your cover letter, after each sentence ask "does this statement enhance my candidacy?" have a 2nd person ready your letter

Gimmicks
dont use, conventional cover letter is best.

Typographical Errors
easy to make errors (misspelling, forgetting to change info)
easy to be instantly rejected.

Messy Corrections
always retype in case of error.

Omitted Signature
dont forget to sign!

COVER LETTERS FOR SPECIAL SITUATIONS
there are numerous situations. so always emphasize your strengths.

RESPONSE TO A "BLIND" ADVERTISEMENT
do not list employer information. so... your letter should tell of your knowledge and qualifications.

COLD LETTERS
Where you directly contact potential employers w/o referral or previous correspondence.

BROADCAST LETTERS
candidates can advertise their availability totop-level professionals in a particular field. Candidate intends to intice the potential employer to consider their impressive qualifications for available positions.

LETTER TO AN EMPLOYMENT AGENCY
They provide sercies to a weide range of job-seekers (mainly for clerical or support staff). The letter focus on who you are, what type of position you seek, in what industry, your strongest skills. Mention preferences.

LETTER TO AN EXECUTIVE SEARCH FIRM
They mainly recurite candidates for client companies, but you can still write in. This can alert the recuriter of your availabilty. Highlight yourself and list your preferences.

NETWORKING LETTERS
They refer to a 3rd party contact to garner the reader's attention and induce him or her to assist you in your job search.
Tone: if not very familiar, tone as business like.

THANK YOU LETTERS
Is a must. Handwrite on a note card. Typed letter is always safe.
proofread and send promptly.

Your Resume On the Internet

Margaret Riley Dikel and Frances E.Roehm

Part 5: pg 275-305 Harty - Resumes

Part 5:


recruiting managers are the toughest audience

* they all differ!



with resumes and cover letters the reader quiclkly glances over for:

-written & oral communication skills

-computer skills

-interpersonal skills

-self reliance and initaitve

-a sense of what the world and work demands

-specific skills

-a sense of business/personal ethics

-time mgt

*you are not expected to excel in all areas!



like all writing, all the formating and and techniques in world will not make up for the message!

it is the message that is most important.

you can have the best looking resume in the world but it has to have the "message"



what is the message for a resume?

the reason the people reading are reading them.

!what can the candidate do for us?!!!



Why use a resume?

purpose is to convey a message!

**there are tons of conflicting advice***



Giving your message?

your language is "I want"

employee language is "I need"

to be effective you can create resues and letters in your language that will be read by employers in theirs.



learn as much about the industry as possible so that you will be better able to understand the company needs and ways in which you could be helpful.


Even if you are going to approach the employer in person, practice writing a letter

Focus on the interviewer's needs, not your wants

The Importance of Knowing what the job is all about:
using prose can help you put into words the things you want to convey to the interviewer



LETTERS OF APPLICATION

hard to figure out

Resumes should be well organized, neat, professional-looking and free of grammatical errors

Paragraphs should outline who you are and what you want, why you wrote to the employer and areas of mutual interest, special talents, and should suggest a course of action

Hard Work and Attention to Detail Make ofr a Good Letter
Editing and rewriting is very important

Don't Delegate the Job of letter writing
Write your own letter, and use an outline

-The value of a resume is often in the practice more than the document itself






__________________________________________________

RESUME PREPARATION


-Using single spacing can draw less attention to less-than-impressive items

-Organize your qualifications into relevant groups and be sure to have a good reason for including a qualification or work experience

Nancy Jones- A Good Resume Made Better
fig 2 pg 288


Janet Smith- The Proper Use of Headlines
fig 4 pg 293
she needs to describe what she did so they can tell about her qualifications.
Key, Act like a newspaper editor.


Mark Meyers- The Functional Resume
Mark Meyers got the job because he created a resume based on function pg 299 fig 5

Covnetional way may be problematic
Meyers wanted to emphasis his public relations and promotion experience.

Preparing a Resume for a Specific Job
they should cater to the employee and what they are looking for and how you can meet those needs. You may have to adapt and think outside the box.


Bruce Gregory Robertson- A Resume Reflecting an Active Mind and Body
Employers look at Potential! Not what they know but what they can learn!

pg 300

Michelle Trio- The Curriculum Vitae
The course of life in Latin.
It is a resume for academic positions and as such does not need a statement of goals or interest.

Focus on employer needs (Same)
but employers are not just looking to hire people who can teach, but rather who bring prestige to the program!

The Job Objective
a resume should open with an objective

CAREER INTEREST is a good title for this section because it leads directly to the purpose
pg 303

One Page or Two?
1 page is preferred if at all possible

Additional Advice About Resumes
f-test it out
-have freinds read it
(especially if that friend is in the industry you are applying for)
ask:
what qualifications does this person have
what do you see these people doing with these qualifications
what kind of employer would want to hire this person
does the resume project an image of a certain kind of person.

Multimedia Ideas

For Kyle and my multimedia component of our final website project, I thought about shooting video and pictures of things pertaining to Clemson Tailgating.
some ideas of videos:
-different tailgates/atmospheres
-activities
-Clemson traditions ex) Alma Matter, cadence count, etc
-cooking clips with tips