Interview with an STC-SWO Member
by David Michel

Diane Alexander has been a member of the STC since 2004 and is a student in the Master's program in Technical and Scientific Communication program at Miami University. Prior to enrolling in this program, Diane earned her B.A. from Miami in Speech Communication and Public Relations in 2001. After completing her Bachelor's degree, she served as Assistant Managing Editor of Equestrian magazine, the official publication of the United States Equestrian Federation, before joining Messer Construction Company as a Corporate Communications Specialist. She has spent the summer in Miami University's Summer Business Institute (SBI), an intense "boot camp" business course for students who are not business majors. The course is six hours a day, four days a week, and lasts for six weeks. The SBI program, with Diane’s experience, was recently featured in the Cincinnati Enquirer:
http://news.enquirer.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20050612/BIZ01/506120340.

I conducted an interview with Diane via email.

The article mentions that organizational behavior was your favorite subject. Why?
To me, organizational behavior is the one constant no matter what industry you're in, because everything that transpires in business happens in the context of human behavior. Better understanding the principles of organizational behavior will make me a better technical writer, because it gives me more insight into audiences' needs and behaviors. In addition, I found organizational behavior fascinating from a psychology standpoint. By better understanding my own behavior in an organization, my individual needs and personality, and the influences of organizational behavior on my work, I think I'll be a much more satisfied and effective employee. It was really useful stuff.

How many professors were there?
Nine professors taught the course collaboratively. They shared teaching duties for lessons on human resources, operations management, economics, organizational behavior, accounting, finance, marketing, information technology, supply chain management, and entrepreneurship.

Please tell me about a visit to an off-campus office or factory that your class made.
During the first week of SBI, we went to Toyota in Georgetown, Kentucky, where we learned first-hand about inventory management and just-in-time production. We also went to TQL (Total Quality Logistics) in Milford to talk about supply chain management and logistics; we were able to sit with employees there and experience their jobs first-hand.

What insights or new knowledge did you gain that you did not get from previous experience?
Though I worked with accounting staff in my previous jobs, I had a very limited understanding of what they really did (as I think many of us do). Their work isn't just about cutting checks and paying bills, just as our work is not about rearranging words. I have a much greater appreciation for the larger context in which accounting and other organizational departments work, thanks to the SBI program.

Could you give me some examples of the projects you did?
Our "capstone" project required our teams to perform a strategic analysis for a proposed new product. The project included analyses of company and industry strengths and weaknesses, target markets, competitive advantages, implementation concerns, and the company's financial position; a complete communication plan, including both internal and external audiences; and a formal recommendation on the proposed product's viability. The capstone culminated in a formal 15-minute presentation.

Any suggestions for improvement?
I'd really like to see them add a unit on project management. Working in the real world and teaching Business Writing at Miami, I've found that most people have received little or no training in project management. As you begin to tackle more complicated real-world projects, particularly working in groups, that weakness really begins to show. Project management is a vitally important skill for real-world success in any discipline, yet most degree programs never address it. I don't think there's a student in the SBI program who couldn't benefit from a session on project management, and it would really help students with the capstone project. As with all Miami courses, we completed course evaluations at the end of SBI and were given the opportunity to make these kinds of suggestions for improvement.

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