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“By failing to prepare, you are preparing to fail.” – Benjamin Franklin
Life can be crazy at times between balancing work, school, extracurricular activities, and social obligations. Taking the time to create schedules and checklists of all the things that you must complete in a day makes the hectic week more bearable. During the school year I work at Fox Advising as a peer advisor and an ombudsmen. In the beginning of every semester I input my schedule into my calendar on my phone. I place alerts for when I am suppose to be in class and when I am suppose to be in work till I get use to my new day-to day schedule. When I know that multiple deadlines are approaching at the same time, I try to complete assignments a couple days before they are due so that I have sufficient time to review my work. Lastly, I try to prioritize my friends and family so that I have a good balance in my life.

To balance school work and my internship, it’s most important for me to keep a to-do list and to have reminders set on my phone and laptop. I have a to-do list for both this class and for my internship, and they both really help in keeping my mind focused on the tasks that need to be completed. For class, I have a homework app on my cell phone that acts as the to-do list. For my internship, I have Sticky Notes set up on my home screen that act as my to-do list and other helpful notes to remember. Finally, reminders are so important. Again, on my phone, I’ve set up reminders so that I won’t forget to complete assignments. For work, Microsoft Outlook sends reminders about upcoming meetings and more. So, if my mind is ever wandering and I’m veering off course, these reminders will help reel me back in.

Balancing school work and an internship can be a challenge. However, being aware of what needs to be done can make it more easier. For example, at work we utilize Microsoft Outlook which organizes any meetings I have. I also have a to-do list at my desk so I always glance over it to make sure what i need to do is being worked on. For schoolwork, I have an application on my cellphone that reminds me when assignments are due. It is also helpful to look ahead in the calendar just to see upcoming meetings or assignments so you get a sense of what is coming in the upcoming days.

Hey Kayla,

I completely agree, to-do lists are the most simple yet most efficient way to stay focused on completing tasks!

Before taking this internship, I was already working part time in an office. I have been working part time and balancing school work for the past two and a half years. The only difference with this internship is that it is full time and I generally have a longer commute. If I plan on doing school work after getting home from work, I have less time due to having a longer commute. However, I do get most of my class work done towards the end of the week. What helps me stay on top of things is having a to do list with set deadlines. I am not sure how I am going to manage my time with my capsim class starting this week as it is appears to be a demanding course.

Balancing out all the things you have going on in your life can be a difficult task. I think the only way I have been able to get more things done this summer is by proper goal setting, planning, and scheduling. Every morning, as daunting and annoying as it may sound, I try to write down the top goals I have in each of the things going on in my life for the summer. I then break those goals down in actionable, piece-by-piece steps that add up to how I plan to accomplish each of those goals. After I have got several list items of what I have to complete, I then figure out what I have to accomplish first (prioritize) and estimate a time for how long each task will take. So then, each day I write out what my schedule is going to look like leaving in extra buffer times for tasks that may come up unexpectedly or for some free down time. This method may sound very extra and obnoxious but it has really allowed me to be more productive, stress less, and have more free time for myself.

I was having trouble with this balance of schoolwork and internship. I realize that time management really comes handy. I created a schedule for my whole week since all day will be the same until the semester is over. In order to help me with this schedule, I keep track of the time I am doing my schoolwork after my internship and the time that I need to study. Also, school work due dates are critical for us students and we do not want to miss any of it. In order to keep up with the due dates, I set alarms a week before the due dates so I can have time to work on it and I order them in level of difficulty. I did not like the time management and follow schedules. However, by doing it everyday I realized that I have more free time at the end of the day.

J&J’s email system is based in Microsoft Outlook. I have never used this application before, but it has proven to be very helpful in scheduling 1:1’s, blocking out time for lunch/assignment completion, and meetings with my team or supervisor. My Outlook calendar already is pretty full until the end of the internship. Although it may seem overwhelming, I am taking the internship day by day. Having the Outlook calendar already filled out is helpful as it lets me mentally prepare myself for the rest of the day, or even week. Another thing that I found particularly useful is being vocal with my supervisor about my school coursework. He is very open to giving me some time in the day to complete assignments, and at times, even helps me if I have a specific question about a job function or would like him to briefly look over my assignment. Communicating my responsibilities was very helpful because it made my manager be more understanding about my position as both an employee and student.

For me, having a space to write my thoughts, ideas, to-do items, appointments, etc. is essential in making sure I stay on top of everything. For school and homework, I use an app called MyStudyLife. I can log in with my Google account, so if I ever switch phones all of my assignments and classes are synced. It tracks tasks and assignments and alerts me a day before they are due. I schedule class times in there so I always have reminders at the start of the semester where I’m supposed to be headed. I highly recommend the app if you are looking for something to help organize your school life. As far as organizing my work and social lives, I keep track of work meetings in my Outlook calendar. I have that calendar synced to my Google account as well. This way I can open up the Google calendar app and have my personal calendar, work calendar, and family calendar all in one space. As an MIS major, I enjoy using technology as a tool to organize my life.

Thank you Shray. You seem like you are on the right path to success. Good Luck in all your future endeavors.

Hi Andrew,
You seem very organized and have great time management techniques. I will definitely try to keep a daily log of what I complete at my internship so that it becomes easier to complete the reports we must submit. Thank you for the advice, good luck at your internship!

This is actually one of the most laid-back summers I’ve had in recent memory Don’t get me wrong, between my 40-hour/week internship, my part-time side job, school work, and trying to expand my freelance portfolio, I am quite busy. However, during past summers and semesters, I have been enrolled in 3-5 classes on top of all of those other things, making literally every minute valuable. For work-related tasks, my company uses a PM software called TeamWork, which helps me stay on-target. For schoolwork and other tasks, I use Trello religiously, and good old fashioned post-it notes on my bedroom door. And like most other people in the thread have said, finding a good balance is absolutely important! Thursday nights are my one-night per week where I totally and completely unplug from work and school for a few hours and practice with my band. It’s been a hobby of mine since elementary school and it is usually the highlight of my week!

I never found the perfect balance between work and my internship because it all depended on my work load for the specific week and if tests or exams were present. When I thought I mastered time management I always found myself making some sort of adjustments to either how I handle school or the internship. My best advice is to plan ahead and keep a schedule. By doing this I was able to allot my time to different activities and know best when to have them achieved. Looking at the class syllabus for school was convienent as well as knowing future projects at my internship.

I think that the most important aspect of technology in the workforce is the fact that it is constantly changing and is changing more and more rapidly as time goes on. Every day, there are new technologies that are making previous ones obsolete. I think that this is a big concern for businesses because they are going to have to stay up to date with all of the newest technology. For example, a few years ago, not all storeowners had the ability to swipe your credit or debit card and you could only use cash. Recently, the “chip” was invented and businesses that had just gotten machines to swipe credit and debit cards now have to throw those away and get new ones that have the chip function. This is just one example of how technology is changing too quickly for some to keep up with.

I believe some of the most important aspects of technology in the workforce is how it enables us to do our jobs better overall. Primarily, I will focus on the topics of security and efficiency. In terms of security, MIS and technological advancement allows for information to be harder to access and breach. For example, I work at a wealth management firm and in order to access clients’ account information, one most have multiple log in credentials as well as a live fob that updates momentarily and each fob is linked specifically with a certain person. Without this information and fob, it is nearly impossible to breach information. Next, for efficiency, with tools and platforms like CRMs and SCM, we are able to better our relationships within the company and outside with our customers. Jobs can done quicker, more effectively, and allow us to overall form a stronger bond within and outside.

I think the most important aspect of technology in the workforce is the increasing demand placed on business employees and leaders to understand how to utilize it to improve performance. Those who do not understand how to leverage the technology available to their firms, for example, will now be at a huge disadvantage, and so will those who do not know how to communicate their needs in technological terms. So I think a key element to shape my future outlook will be to keep up with technological advances by reading relevant articles on the subject regularly, staying curious, and continuously decoding how these rapid changes may impact the industry I am in, and how to adopt these advances to stay ahead in my particular field.

After spending the last few weeks learning all about MIS, from the basics to the systems utilized, I believe that the most important tool for workplace efficiency is adaptability. In a tech-heavy world that is constantly changing, it is important to be able to grasp all new trends and apply them to your work place. In addition to adaptability, it is also important to be technologically savvy, not in the way that you are a pro at all things tech, but more-so where you must have a strong grasp of tech at an intermediate level. As tech trends progress and become more and more complex, it is important to have a strong foundational eduction in order to be progressive in today’s business world.

After spending the last few weeks learning about MIS. I found that its going to be important to keep up with the changing technology. Since new things come out every year that could help better a company. I also liked the learn it homework. I thought it was cool we could see that people were visiting out site and where they were both around the country and the world. Yes, I think that utilize technology in the workforce to be efficient and effective. Right now at my job we have a new technology to help clients find their correct shade of makeup, it takes the guessing work out of trying to match a client to a shade of foundation. I think everything that we learned with passed semester will help me both at my current job and in future ones as well.

After spending the last 6 weeks learning about how business professionals utilize technology in the workforce to be efficient and effective, I think the most important aspect is connectivity. There are so many different platforms, systems, applications, etc., and it is incredibly important that everything fits together. For example, as CRM and SCM systems are both crucial in increasing profits, it is important to implement both to increase revenues and reduce costs, while simplifying the process. With all of the different systems, it would be easy to focus on one and not the rest, but they are all important, and they all need to function together. Technology must be up-to-date and interconnected.

My biggest take away from the class is definitely the pieces with SCM and Artificial Intelligence. For starters it’s the part of the class that I struggled the most with so I would like to better myself and learn it even better. I will have a new found appreciation for the systems my work puts in place to make everything run more smoothly. It’s easy to take a CRM or ERP for granted. I will definitely also like to use swim lanes more. The key elements that I will take away are being prepared and doing your hardest. It’s a basic fundamental but one that’s easily forgotten. It’s the key to success.

My biggest takeaway from this class is the understanding of how technology is being used in the workforce, and how much technology’s role in the workforce and in society is going to continually grow throughout our lifetimes. I think the most important aspect of technology in the workplace can be with organization, as well as automating tedious tasks that a human would take hours doing, but a computer software can do in minutes. I can take the knowledge i gained about technology and its use in the workforce to help better prepare for any situation that may arise in business. I learned to have a more technological outlook in which I can make sure i don’t waste time or money on any business tasks that some sort of technology can do faster and more efficiently.

My biggest takeaway from this class is working on the Max Labs. I found them very interested and I learned so much. It came in handy. I am working as a Strategy Account Intern for Garfield Group and they have a similar software that Salesforce is the parent of. I got to impress my boss with my knowledge on Salesforce when I was asked to help with a campaign they are running and they wanted automated Thank You messages. That was a PLUS!

My biggest take away from the class would have to be understanding how a CRM system works. The current company i work at uses a CRM system; by taking this course I now understand the logistics of a CRM system and why/how it is so essential in a companies day-to-day business.

I’ve learned a lot in this class and I think the things that will stick with me the most are ERDs. I have never used an ERD before and I run my own business. When we first started out we were very unorganized, but the simple solution was to create and ERD and we have been making order after order with barely any mistakes at all. It was great information learning about this and I’m sure it will benefit me in the future with my business. You guys can check it out at http://www.thefitrelgion.com

I am really glade that MIS 2101 is a required course for my major. One of the most important course for any business or non-business major student. In today’s technology world, we need a course like this. Since today’s workforce has faced a complete shift in how we use our time. Now, we use less time and get more. Employee productivity have improved with more precision and creativity. With proper CRM system, our lives are easier, but employer expect more from employees.

I think the most important aspect of technology in the workforce is that it makes businesses run much smoother and more efficiently. This not only benefits the company, but also its consumers because it allows for an environment less prone to making mistakes such as not having enough inventory or having the wrong customer information. Some key elements that will be useful to me will be swim lane diagrams. As an accounting major, I will be dealing a lot with transactions from many different people and places which could ultimately be hard to keep track of. A swim lane diagram will help keep the entire process simple and organized so in the event of a problem it will be easily solved. Also, learning about SCM and CRM was really beneficial because it taught me how important is to be efficient and precise with what you are producing while at the same time maintaining good relationships with customers.

I think the ability to give your employees tools to become more efficient is the most important aspect that a company can take away from technology in the workplace. Giving your employees the ability to be the best version of themselves and incentivizing them to help you cut costs, allows you to grow as a company and stay ahead of your competition. I plan on using the knowledge acquired in the past 6 weeks along with my 6 years of sales experience to expand the array of jobs that I can pursue.

In my opinion, the most important aspect of technology in the workforce is to get familiar with this modern technology. For the past generation, technological discoveries and developments seem to be introduced every week. Technology allows companies of all sizes to do business all over the world. As for business professionals, technology makes it possible to telecommute, work from virtual offices and interconnect with businesses and individuals across the globe. It’s a new step in a business world, where almost everything is possible. The world of technology became part of our lives and I don’t think that there will be a return to a traditional method of conducting business. I learned a lot in this class, about ERD, ERP, Data, SCM, CRM, Platform, and AI. It really opened my eyes into how business can utilize technology and be efficient in the business world. This class is important in any business major and I am glass I took this class.

I am happy to be in the class of MIS in this summer, the CRM system gave me a thoughtful stream to analyze the relationship between complex things. I am using Google Drive, Google Document, and Drop Box a lot in transfer and storage Documents very often currently. I believe the development of technology will benefit everyone in the future in the workforce.

I think the most important aspect of technology in the workplace is staying up to date with technology. Technology is constantly updating and improving in the workplace to make the task at hand easier and fast. Just from my experience alone I can see improvements over the past few years. In 2015 I had a tax season internship. During this internship a lot of the files I had to save and store onto my computer. If my boss would need a file I would have to send him the file via email. At my current internship we use a website called sharepoint. Sharepoint is a cloud service that lets you share files through. So for my internship my boss can just log into sharepoint and see what I posted.

The important aspect of technology is that it keeps advancing and changing every day. It is important to update the knowledge of technology because you can utilize technology in the business field. It is tough for many companies because they may have employees that do not like change or are not as quick to adapt to the changing technology as other people. So in a way, it becomes difficult to bring the technology into the workforce with efficiency. CRMs and SCMs can help build and maintain relationships with companies as well as customers. It creates a sort of process that everyone can follow and bring upon results.

After spending the last 6 weeks in this class, the biggest takeaway that I got in this class is to always try your best to keep the customer happy. While this may seem easy, there are many different components that go in to making a customer happy. Whether it be making sure that they got the right item, or keeping items readily available for customers. This utilizes every part of the business from CRM’s to Supply Chain Management, they are all equally as important as the rest in keeping the customer happy. A key element to making this outlook happen is to always be on top of yourself and to have a unified form of data.

My biggest takeaway from this class is my new understanding of the importance of organizing data and how it directly correlates with the success of your business. Management Information Systems are crucial to successful businesses since they put everyone in an organization on the same page. Technology in the workforce will continue to advance and new systems will be implemented to improve businesses. Without this class, I would not appreciate the importance of information systems and how technology is used to help companies in a variety of ways.

I think that my biggest takeaway from this class is just how much technology is influencing the business world. I have seen some of the changes in recent years, but as technology and globalization have grown dramatically in the last decade alone, I am understanding a bit more of the tools that are currently available to use these developments to increase efficiency and data within various functions in a company.
While I understood how important technology was to the future of a company – I now know that having the knowledge as to what separates these technologies from each other is just as important. Before this class, I did not quite understand the details of the options available and how those variances could have such great impacts on the end product.

As an accountant I believe the most important aspect of technology in the workforce is data storage. The ability to store data on the cloud or server and have the ability to access the information in a few seconds helps streamline multiple business processes. The key element I can use is the ability to store data of for example future clients, I can store their data on a cloud service and access it from anywhere as long as I have internet connection. It allows me to have my office in almost anywhere in the world.

The most important aspect of technology in the workforce, I believe, is being able to adapt to the changing environment. The technology used in the workforce, from ERDs to CRMs, is incredibly useful to provide any business with the tools they need to be successful. However, this technology is constantly changing and advancing so if you are not adapting and keeping up to date with the new technology you will lose crucial opportunities to put you above your competitors.

The important aspect of technology in the workforce is to keep ourself up to date with the technologies. Technologies is part of our life that most of us can’t live without as it helps us to solve a lot of business problem and also bring us a lot of convenience. Having high adapting skills and also a fast learner to stay up to date with the constant growth and improvement of technologies increase the productivity and efficiency of the business.

What I took away from this course is that technology doesn’t essentially make money for businesses. Technology helps businesses become way more efficient and in the process money is saved and proper steps are taken for better investments. Having a efficient business with the right software, helps companies have closer relationships with customers as well as having a good idea of where recourses are in the loop of manufacturing.

A decision tree could be used to help businesses find out which products in their company are the most profitable among consumers . The decision tree can answer questions on whether age plays a factor, or socioeconomic status. Will a product be more popular among one race or another? Cultures and Values? These questions can determine product profitability as well as how the company should target, place, and market certain products. The most important key component is choosing predictors that will influence the most positive (least error) outcome.
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A decision tree can be used to get better estimates on what type of people are more likely to purchase store brand types of comestibles. Some good variables to use in this decision tree could be the income and whether or not the individual has children.

A decision tree could be used to understand the chance a person would buy a certain product from a business. One needs to collect data by getting information from previous customers and observe on what they buy. On picking the right predictor variable, one should pick the variable that creates the least amount of mistakes, or error.

The questions would be should we write off an account payable or invoice. The decision tree could break down the factors or predictors that would help the business in knowing whether they should still expect payment or write it off and move on. To select the predictors you would want to use information that directly relates to repayment like how long has the account been past due, have they not paid in the past, how large is the balance, etc.

1. Where should a hospital devote resources to prevent Hospital Acquired Infections (HAIs)? The data I would collect are patient ID, diagnosis, procedure, equipment used, HAI acquired (Y/N), Type of HAI, if acquired.
2. I would advise to think first of the most direct variables related to the business problem at hand. If HAI’s are your business problem, you could choose the patient’s age, however HAI’s affect patients across all ages-therefore age is likely not a direct cause of HAIs. Instead focus on the process inputs like the procedure and equipment which are more likely to have a direct impact on the patient’s likelihood of contracting an HAI.

One business question we could answer is whether or not a person would eat at a new vegan restaurant. We could use factors such as gender, age, income, martial status, lifestyle, kids, etc. Some advice on choosing the right predictors is to chose the ones that are statistically significant. Basically, chose the relevant predictors that make a difference in the output. If a factor, such a person’s first name, has no effect on whether he or she will eat at the restaurant, then it shouldn’t be included in the decision tree.

Use decision tree to decide whether to deliver gym advertisements to people’s e-mail. We may use the data about their salary, age, height, weight and their work time, etc. In my opinion, salary is the first factor to be considered to be the predictors.
When we chose predictors, we should think about what factors can divide different groups significantly and properly.

(1) A possible business question that can be answered through a decision tree could be whether a company wants to expand by opening up a new business location. The predictor variables that I think would be needed are: how is the economy looking for the location you are interested in (that city perhaps), population in the location in which your business is interested, the demand for your product in that location, and what business competition would look like in that area.

(2) I think these predictors would be a good start for the decision tree but it would ultimately depend on more specific parameters depending on the business and where they aspire to reach as far as their goals are. I think the advice necessary for this situation would be to narrow down the specifics for that individual business and their market environment.

I would think a good example of using decision trees would be helping a school district decide if there needed to be more public school added to a particular district.
Business questions: Do more public schools (K-12) need to be added to the school district of Philadelphia County?

Possible predictors/variables wold be: Census data: household income, household members, ages of each; proximity to a public school for the household; proximity to private schools for the household; availability of bus routes (public/private) among others.

I would advise the collector of data to avoid obtaining information irrelevant to the analysis. Things such as SSN, Name and other personal information are irrelevant to this analysis. Also to canvas the designated area as completely as possible, using the most up to date census information. Outdated data will skew the results as population keeps growing and census screen are done only every 10 or so years.

A decision tree could be used when asked: Should I send my advertisement via email/
The data I would use is age, income, phone carrier with details ( could be null).
I would use age because many elderly would rather receive an advertisement through the mail. Income is important to decide whether they have the capability to check their email daily. Phone carrier details are important to see whether they can check their email regularly on the go.

To pick the right predictors you should split them until you get one statistically significant outcome.

A decision tree could be used to find which city someone should move to. The data needed for this could be job type, income, level of education, age, married, and number of children. To select the best predictor you should keep splitting until the data is together and the data is not so different from one another.