strategies of business communication discussion board

1. For discussion 1

This is my response for unit one discussion

With the development of technology and the pollution caused by automobile exhaust to the environment, many car companies start to manufacture new energy vehicles, new energy vehicles also become common. According to data, the cumulative production and sales of electric vehicles from 2013 to 2020 exceeded 5 million in China.

The concern I have is although new energy vehicles solve the pollution caused by exhaust fumes, but how to deal with the condemned batteries is a big problem. The power battery life of China's operational new-energy vehicles is 3-5 years, while the power battery life of private passenger vehicles is 5-8 years. Up to now, the earliest promoted new-energy vehicles have entered the power battery recycling period. However, there is still no large enterprise in China to recycle waste batteries, so nearly 70% of the waste batteries are put into small workshops. In order to make money, some people drain sulfuric acid and other solutions in batteries directly into the sewer through the toilet, which will surely cause serious pollution.

1st classmate’s response for reference and reply

The problem I wrote about in the first discussion board was the current humanitarian crisis in Yemen. The Yemeni people are being affected by numerous issues including homelessness, hunger, disease, and civil war, and desperately need help bringing their country back from the brink of eradication. 

What I think may be an effective way to address this crisis is by having numerous organizations working together to tackle individual issues. For example, I would pair prominent, world-renowned organizations like Unicef, Doctors without borders, Rescue.org, and so on, with smaller, local organizations to raise global awareness to this issue  through the lens of a more authentic perspective and provide aid to those in need, while preventing monopolies and encourage competition. Each pair could focus on a separate issue, like hunger, building homes, and providing medical attention instead of them all trying to tackle every issue at once. They could provide more care and help more effectively if each had a singular focus.

Having local organizations working alongside the larger ones would intensify enthusiasm because of course the local people would be more passionate about putting in proper work to help because they’d be helping save their home and they’d know what it’s like to be directly affected by the crisis, which could inspire the international help to feel the same and work harder because of the personal connections they've made to Yemen. The larger organizations would also have much better access to resources because of their reputation and platforms, and could help the local organizations put in the proper work without having to cut corners financially. 

I think that team work and collaboration are the most important factors when dealing with any type of problem, because it never hurts to have a variety of ideas and solutions, and more hands make lighter work. Everyone thinks differently and you never know what you may come across that could potentially work when solving a certain problem. No one could save the world entirely on their own, even with the best idea. We all need to work together in one way or another if we truly want to see a change.

2nd classmate’s response for reference and reply

On my first discussion board, I talked about how animal testing and how it is wrong. One minute into the ted talk he asks the audience what are they doing about the problems that are bothering them. This is am an important question to ask because we can say we are bothered by the things that are happening in the world but it does not matter if we do not do anything about it. During his talk he mentioned Steve Jobs and he brings up the point that what he did was seen as revolutionary and looking back, people wonder how they lived before Apple but it did nothing for the people that are actually struggling. Just like Jeff Bezos he created Amazon and enforced free 2-day shipping. He is so wealthy and has the opportunity to solve world hunger but yet chooses to do nothing. The points he made were very interesting and very obvious but I never really thought about it. He mentioned that we teach people in poverty skills that will let them remain in the same social class. If people who have it better off we should be rooting for them and give them the same treatment and opportunities that we have. I think it is important to know where your money is going. As a fashion student, I have the responsibility to enlighten people about fast fashion and the harmful effects. The price people pay for an article of clothing they are paying more than they realize. A place like India can never move forward in their society because of the working conditions to supply us with clothes and many people do not know the depths of what they are doing. As he mentioned with McDonald’s being able to feed 1% of the population we have the power because we have the money they are only as powerful if we support them. 

By using all of the points the speaker talked about it would make people think more and be more passionate about the problems we are facing. It would result in asking more questions and wanting more answers. Realizing that the way things are right now is not okay and that there is work to be done. Just because we may not be affected by it, it does not mean that we should not care. By applying his points we will be able to push the wealthy companies and people to use their money to good. Rather than focusing on themselves we can focus on each other and build a better life. This is important because it is our job as humans to care for one another and create a world where everyone is treated equally.

2. For discussion 2 reply

1st classmate’s response for reference and reply

I can see the concerns on both sides of the debate regarding if colleges should open for in person classes or remain closed and continue to have online classes. On one side, remote learning does not provide the same experience and benefits of in person classes. Due to the unpredictable start of the pandemic, most professors that are now required to teach virtually have not been trained to do so. Many students were not equipped for the fast transition, making it difficult for them to adapt to a new way of learning as well. Despite both the professors’ and students’ efforts, online communication can not begin to compare to in person discussions that would occur in the classroom. However, although the learning experience is not the same, it is absolutely necessary for everyone’s safety. 

A great deal of my friends’ colleges have reopened for the Fall 2020 semester and some are unfortunately already seeing the repercussions of this. I believe that the success of reopening a campus is dependent on the students’ behavior. Although college serves both educational and social experiences, many schools that have reopened have appropriately limited social interactions. Sadly, I have friends who attend schools that the students were not following the guidelines sent and have already been sent home for a two week period or more. It is unfortunately difficult to place trust in students to not have social gatherings that lead to the spread of the virus. With some colleges’ decisions to open campuses causing an increase in cases, it very well could lead to affecting 2021 reopening decisions. After many colleges that reopened for Fall 2020 having already transitioned to remote learning after a month into the school year, they will now take this into account for the 2021 decision making process.

I am grateful that FIT prioritized their students and faculty’s health and safety by continuing remote classes this semester. Although I miss being in the classroom and the experiences that in person classes bring, I understand that it was the action necessary to keep everyone healthy.

2nd classmate’s response for reference and reply

I think that this is an issue that would have to be assessed on a case-by-case basis.  As we have seen from the beginning of this fall semester, there have been some schools that decided to re-open for in-person classes and student housing and have seen terrible consequences.  Famously, the University of Alabama had 500 new coronavirus cases within the first week of classes (CNN).  This is just one example of a horrible university re-opening story.  If you google "coronavirus university" you will see lots of stories from campuses all over the country about how quickly the virus has spread throughout the campus.  If you consider the nature of the virus and the fact that it can be transmitted by asymptomatic people, and then you combine that with the nature of young college students, who are likely to socialize with one another in spite of social-distancing protocols, the outcome is likely not going to be a good one.

That being said, there are probably some schools that re-opened in a very responsible way and have not seen widespread infections.  Schools in smaller, more rural areas may be better off in this case.  If the college can ensure rapid testing, social distancing, etc., then re-opening for in-person classes may not be such a bad idea.  The video brought up the issue of a lack of tuition revenues leading to permanent closures for schools, which I hadn't considered.  I knew schools were going to lose a lot of money, but I hadn't thought about the fact that many may be forced to shut down permanently as a result of this pandemic.  This would be terrible, of course, but I can't think of a solution other than government aid.  The price of tuition is already exorbitantly high, and students shouldn't have to pay such high costs of education when they are only taking classes online.  Unfortunately, the lower enrollment rates and increased number of "gap years" will have a huge impact on colleges for years to come.  Hopefully, this won't make schools raise their tuition even more, as that would be a fatal blow to a higher education system that is already deeply flawed.