Dr. Çetiner’s Blogs (Dr. Beytullah Gültekin Çetiner)

Some keypoints of Engineering Management Topics that we learnt in the first week are:

1. We had a seminar on online activities. We have covered many things for online activities in this session
2. A proper description of Engineering (old definition and modified ABET definition)
3. Identifying engineering as a profession and not an art
4. Description of Management
5. Description of Engineering Management
6. Some important facts about engineers and managers
7. Definition of Systems as a whole
8. Definition of Engineering Systems
9. Definition of Management Systems
10. Description of 9 elements of a system namely inputs, outputs, interfaces, constraints, boundary, goal of system (common output), components (subsystems), interralations, and environment
11. System analyst approach to engineering problems
12. 3 system errors namely a) Goal Displacement b) Functional Distortion c) Functional Distraction
13. 3 Management Levels (1st level, midlevel and top level management) their titles and roles
14. Skills required for different management levels (interpersonal skills, technical skills and conceptual or analytical skills)
15. Skills needed by different level of managers
16. Difference between effectiveness and efficiency
17. Difference between leader and manager
18. Clarifying ‘doing the right things’ and ‘doing the things right’ with regard to leader and manager
19. Managers’ roles to be played at different levels: Interpersonal roles (figurehead role, leadership role, and liaison role), Informational roles (Monitoring role, Disseminator role, and Spokesman role), and finally most important roles namely Decisional roles (entrepreneurial role, negotiator role, resource allocator role, and disturbance handling role)
20. Now we have to take Course Entry Exam (which will be closed within week)
21. We have also Quiz (Introduction to Engineering Management), Forum 1: Introduction to Management (Graded), and Engineering Management Puzzle opened starting from this week.

I hope it will be helpful.

I will try to keep this blog as an example to Engineering Management Journal Activity for Engineering Management (IE256) course thorughout the semester Spring 2007.

The purpose of Sample Journal for Engineering Management Student is to help other students write their journal entires. I hope it will be useful.

I think it is necessary to see an example of this kind since many of the students will experience blogging first time.

P.S. You can access journal activity from First journal (e-portfolio)

Everyone who has kept a personal blog knows that writing is a therapeutic process that helps integrate seemingly unconnected life events. Some believe the process works because the physical act of writing (using your hand-eye coordination) occupies your left brain, leaving your right brain free to access emotions, intuit connections, and create new insights.

How else can blogging help?

• Blogging reduces stress by getting ‘monkey mind’ thoughts out of your head. Mind chatter is a powerful stressor, stressor is a powerful health-buster, and blogging the chatter is a proven chatter-buster.
• Writing about problems gives your right brain food for creative problem-solving. It’s amazing what happens when the creative part of your nature starts working on a problem’you’ll soon find solutions bubbling up from your subconscious.
• Keeping a daily diary is one of the best techniques for discovering patterns, particularly those that are self-defeating. For example, a diary kept over the course of several months will clearly show any reoccurring difficulties like overeating, stress eating, poor (but similar) choices in relationships.
• Want to better know yourself? Blog. Writing can help clarify your thoughts, your emotions, and your reactions to certain people or situations. In addition, as you read back through past blogs, you’ll have ample evidence of the things that make you happy and those that are distressful.
• Blogging can help clarify events, problems, or options. When you’re beset with a mind full of fuzzy, disconnected thoughts flitting here and there, writing about the event or issue will help bring focus and clarity. It will also help you decide on which action to take, or option to choose.