What I've Learned This Semester in MGM 535

I have to admit that when the semester began I had some reservations about how an online course in an MBA curriculum would go.  I had only taken one on-line course in the past, and we didn't interact with our fellow classmates at all in that course.  In fact, we really only logged on to view recordings of the professor lecturing, and to take tests and quizzes.  I was, however, pleasantly surprised with how both of my online courses went this semester here at Kutztown.

One of the best classes that I've ever taken in my college career was at West Chester, and it was called Race Relations.  I came from an incredibly small town that lacked a lot of diversity, and that class opened my eyes to other's perspectives in a way that nothing I have ever been taught out of a book did since.  We had discussions every week on various topics, and would all have a chance to ask questions and hear each other's perspectives in an honest, open, and respectful manner.  It shaped a lot of the respect that I have for those who are different than myself, regardless of the characteristic, and made me aware of how much different my experiences in this life have been than others around me.

That has been the most interesting part about this class for me this semester, as well.  We're all from different backgrounds, are different ages, and have had different work experiences to this point in our careers, and each of these perspectives is incredibly unique and can teach us all something about how we should interact better with one another.  Especially when it comes to a class like human resource management, where so much of the focus should be on how to better communicate and treat your employees, I'll definitely remember the perspectives I've heard from everyone and use them to better communicate with, and understand, co-workers of mine in the future.

Take care, everyone, and I wish you the best of luck in whatever it is you decide to do in the future.

The Keys to Successful Labor-Management Relations

The vast majority of literature, opions, experiences, etc. out there involving this topic of labor-management issues seems, unfortunately, to be overwhelmingly negative.  Many times the two sides to this relationship are at odds with one another, with both parties never fully being able to see eye to eye or meet in the middle to a degree that leaves either one feeling as if they've been understood or gotten the fairest deal possible out of their relationship.  One side always seems to be the good guy, and the other side always seems to be the bad guy.

This has been the case with recent issues that have occured between Northeast DCP, which is a trucking company owned by Dunkin' Donuts franchisees, and the Teamsters Local 25.  The issue between the two sides hinges on the Union wanting a requirement of every employee within Northeast DCP to become a Union member and also be required to pay union dues.  The two sides walked away from the bargaining table last summer, and the issues between them are still unresolved.  There are many articles on this issue, however this is the first one that I found if you're interested in learning more about the details.

The reason that I included that specific link is because a similar link to that article was actually present in another article that I found recenlty about some of the keys to successful labor management.  This article is much more positive in nature, and has a lot of very good examples of how these two groups can work together to make the workplace more enjoyable, profitable, and respectful for everyone.  Hopefully companies and the unions can use this type of advice to make it through the tough economic times that we're now in the midst of, and labor relations issues can begin to decrease in the future.