· Which life span period do they think they belong to (offer them the names, not the ages, of the life span). For example, ask, "Would you consider yourself to be a part of young adulthood or middle adulthood?" Ask them to explain why.  · Tell them a little bit about the chronological life span they belong to and ask them if they can relate to the characteristics associated with that period.  Why or why not? · Point out specific facts or studies you learned about for their specific stage of the life span and ask them their thoughts. Do they agree or disagree? Do they have a similar experience they can share?  · Explain nature versus nurture and ask them which one they feel influenced them most. · If appropriate to the life stage, ask if they ever experienced: midlife crisis, ageism, gender bias. · Show one of the videos and ask your interviewee what their thoughts are. Do they agree or disagree? · Ask them what advice they would give to someone entering their stage of the life span and explain why. · What challenges do they face at their life stage? Do they feel these challenges are common among others within the same life stage, or do they feel unique in these challenges? Discipline Investigation Outline Introduction – * overview of the field being investigated (what) and the writer’s connection to this discourse community (why) * brief preface to who was interviewed for the assignment (“name” and specific job title) * brief map of the organization of the paper to follow (preview statement) Interview Report Background and Career Path -- How the informant began his/her “journey” in the career: * Initial interest and requirements and skills needed (“stepping stones” - education, training, etc.) * Expectations and any “surprises” or challenges the informant experienced along the way * Any additional reference to enhance this discussion of the field Roles and Responsibilities -- the informant’s detailed job description *Overall qualifications and responsibilities + how the position fits in the overall structure of the company (macro-level) * Smaller day-to-day tasks and skills involved (micro-level) * Challenges of the job and how the informant deals with them * Other types of jobs/positions related to the profession * Any additional reference to enhance this discussion of the field Communication Skills * The types of reading and writing mostly done on-the-job * The typical audience for written communications * The most important communication aspects of the job (especially in regards to writing) * Any additional reference to enhance this discussion of the field Conclusions * A reflection of what was learned through this D.I. – new insight(s) the writer gained, and any “surprises” that differed from or added to the initial expectations of the field * A discussion of what the writer believes is still needed in his or her preparation and development for the profession Works Cited.

1. · Which life span period do they think they belong to (offer
them the names, not the ages, of the life span). For example,
ask, "Would you consider yourself to be a part of young
adulthood or middle adulthood?" Ask them to explain why.
· Tell them a little bit about the chronological life span they
belong to and ask them if they can relate to the characteristics
associated with that period. Why or why not?
· Point out specific facts or studies you learned about for their
specific stage of the life span and ask them their thoughts. Do
they agree or disagree? Do they have a similar experience they
can share?
· Explain nature versus nurture and ask them which one they
feel influenced them most.
· If appropriate to the life stage, ask if they ever experienced:
midlife crisis, ageism, gender bias.
· Show one of the videos and ask your interviewee what their
thoughts are. Do they agree or disagree?
· Ask them what advice they would give to someone entering
their stage of the life span and explain why.
· What challenges do they face at their life stage? Do they feel
these challenges are common among others within the same life
stage, or do they feel unique in these challenges?
Discipline Investigation Outline
Introduction –
* overview of the field being investigated (what) and the
writer’s connection to this
discourse community (why)
* brief preface to who was interviewed for the assignment
(“name” and specific job title)

2. * brief map of the organization of the paper to follow (preview
statement)
Interview Report
Background and Career Path -- How the informant began his/her
“journey” in the career:
* Initial interest and requirements and skills needed (“stepping
stones” - education,
training, etc.)
* Expectations and any “surprises” or challenges the informant
experienced along the
way
* Any additional reference to enhance this discussion of the
field
Roles and Responsibilities -- the informant’s detailed job
description
*Overall qualifications and responsibilities + how the position
fits in the overall
structure of the company (macro-level)
* Smaller day-to-day tasks and skills involved (micro-level)
* Challenges of the job and how the informant deals with them
* Other types of jobs/positions related to the profession
* Any additional reference to enhance this discussion of the
field
Communication Skills
* The types of reading and writing mostly done on-the-job
* The typical audience for written communications

3. * The most important communication aspects of the job
(especially in regards to writing)
* Any additional reference to enhance this discussion of the
field
Conclusions
* A reflection of what was learned through this D.I. – new
insight(s) the writer
gained, and any “surprises” that differed from or added to the
initial expectations of the
field
* A discussion of what the writer believes is still needed in his
or her preparation and
development for the profession
Works Cited/References – list of outside sources used
* full citations of sources included under “Works Cited” or
“References” at the end of the report
– no separate page needed
** A minimum of 2 sources to supplement information about the
career/discipline must be integrated into the report – these
references may occur in any section(s) of the body of the paper.
Sources cited in-text should follow a consistent citation style.
Source: R. Joseph
Choosing a person to interview for the D.I.
When choosing a person to interview, keep in mind the purpose
of the interview:
· to gain insight into your future discourse community
· to explore the types of work and opportunities available in
your chosen profession
The person you choose must be:

4. · a professional in your field (preferably working in a job you
hope to do in the future)
· someone with experience (minimum three years experience in
the field, to be able to give you a broad view of the field, work
and opportunities)
· someone who you can interview in person (at least the first
interview should be in person), preferably in English (this
makes it easier to write about in English)
· someone willing to share information about their background,
career path and knowledge in the field particularly on the
communication skills required for the field. (This should not be
a problem since most people do like to talk.)
(The first two are requirements; the second two make for good
interviews)
Do not interview your professor unless you plan to become a
professor. (In some cases, you may have a professor who has
worked or is still working in the field. In such cases, you can
interview the person, but only about work in the field. If your
professor has not been in the field for a long time, it will be
better to find someone who will have current, working
knowledge of the field.)
Finding a person:
Talk to your professor (in your major) for suggestions (your
best source, they often have
strong contacts in the industry)
Talk to family members
Talk to peers, seniors who have started working (their boss
could be a good candidate)
Talk to members of a fraternity or association you belong to
Talk to friends, neighbors (a student of mine found someone by
talking to her
hairdresser, who referred her to another client of the
hairdresser)

5. Adding research to the DI
Requirement—Two references from different sources (given in
the DI assignment guidelines)
· Use references to support points you make – what you have
learned from the interview
If you say that the job is very well paid you could cite some
source that gives average salaries in the field
· Be sure the reference really supports the point
If you say the job is well paid and your reference gives low
numbers, the reference is not effective
· Be sure the reference is connected to the point
If you are talking about salaries the reference should be about
salaries and not some other aspect.
The job is very well paid. In an article it states that today there
are many jobs in the field.
· Be sure the reference furthers/ strengthens the point, it
contributes to the point being discussed, and has not been put
there simply because it is required.
XYZ shop is doing well since it is located downtown. XYZ is
situated on First St. The website for XYZ states that the address
is 2100 First St.
This is a totally ineffective addition, and has been thrown in
only to fulfill the requirement of two references.
· References should be worked into the paragraph. There should

6. be a flow and the reader should not feel the reference has been
abruptly thrust into the paragraph.
In this paragraph the reference is tied to the point being made
and there is a flow:
1) According to the article, “Royal Clinical Medical Record
Analyst / RN - Registered Nurse,” a registered nurse must “be
prepared to produce an outline of time spent; organizing a chart
for review, gathering documents pertaining to the record as
needed, research as indicated.” In other words, a Registered
Nurse must have the ability to write routine reports and talk
about it in front of members of the health teams. Mrs. C said
that she had to everyday write reports about her patients’
illness, how they were feeling, and the types of medicine they
took. After that she had to report it to the juries.
· If the quote needs explanation, be sure to explain it and
connect it to the idea in the paragraph.
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LLD / ENGL 100A
Discipline Investigation Assignment
2020
Purpose and Audience
Purpose: To investigate a discourse community* (e.g.

7. profession) you hope to join and to learn about the kinds of
texts (genres) that community uses.
This assignment will enable you to identify some of those rules
or patterns by interviewing a professional in your field of study
and by doing outside research
Audience: Your instructor, your classmates, and other faculty
members on the 100A portfolio committee.
*Discourse Community: Any group of people who form a
community—a family, a neighborhood, colleagues, practitioners
of a particular profession—and establish informal and formal
rules regarding who gets to join their community and how
spoken and written interactions (i.e. discourse) occur within the
community. Anyone who wants to join that community has to
learn its discourse rules and patterns.
Writing Steps
Step 1: Interview
For this assignment, you will interview a professional in your
future career field to gain insight into your future discourse
community. Try to select someone at a senior level, with at least
five years of experience working in this field, who can provide
you with a broad view of the types of work and opportunities
that are available to you. Your professors in your field of study
may be able to give you advice on finding a suitable
interviewee. Unless you hope eventually to become a faculty
member at a research university, you should not interview one
of your professors.
It is preferable to interview the subject in person. The interview
should cover 1) your subject’s background and career path; 2)
your subject’s current role and responsibilities; and 3) your
subject’s insight on the types of communication skills required
for advancing in your field.

8. In preparation for the interview, you will work in class to
develop a set of questions for your particular interviewee. You
will also discuss various interviewing strategies. Before the
interview, you will need to discuss with your interviewee the
confidentiality of the interview. Because people sometimes
share sensitive information in an interview, you may assure
them that the information will be confidential and that you will
not use their real name or the name of the company without
their permission.
Step 2: Outside Research
Find a minimum of 2 outside sources (articles, journals) that
give you additional information about your future discourse
community – for example, what types of work or jobs someone
in that field would have, or what the requirements will be for
those jobs in the future. The outside sources must be
citedwithinthe Discipline Investigation report. Make sure that
the outside sources you add are relevant to the content you are
discussing in that specific section and are meaningful. You must
also provide in-text citation where you add these sources. You
might also research additional genres of writing that might be
used in your field. Note: Step 2 can be done while you are
arranging the interview. You do not have to wait until your
interview is done.
Step 3: Prepare Report
Your Discipline Investigation will report the information you
learned during your interview and outside research, providing
an introduction and conclusion to share how your own
expectations about the field may have changed or broadened in
doing this assignment.
Suggested Organization
INTRODUCTION
Your introduction should include a brief overview of the
discourse community you investigated for this assignment and
provide a very short background on why you chose your field of

9. study and what your expectations were before you conducted
the interview and outside research.
INTERVIEW REPORT
Background & Career Path
Introduce your interview subject, giving details of the subject’s
background and education to show why the subject chose that
profession and how he/she got started in the field. You will also
need to give some explanation of the subject’s career path so
far, highlighting particular positions or stepping stones to the
current role. Possible topics to discuss in this section include:
· What requirements or skills were needed before entering the
field
· The expectations and surprises your subject had in entering
that profession
· Jobs your subject had leading up to the current position
Outside sources (articles) that add additional or supporting
information may be used in this section.
Roles & Responsibilities
Provide an overview of your interview subject’s current role at
his/her place of employment, explaining the responsibilities of
that position and how it fits into the overall structure of the
company or organization. Your subject should also give you a
general sense of the types of jobs and career paths common in
that field. Possible topics to discuss in this section include:
· The subject’s job responsibilities in his/her place of
employment
· Types of jobs people in this profession have
· The skills and qualifications your subject’s job requires

10. · The biggest challenges the subject faces in this job
Outside sources (articles) that add additional or supporting
information may be used in this section.
Communication Skills
Explain the types of reading and writing typically required in
your field of interest. Provide an overview of the
communication skills that are most important in your field. For
example, some occupations demand the ability to work
collaboratively on reports, while others may require an ability
to respond clearly and concisely to time-sensitive email
inquiries. Possible topics include:
· The types of reading and writing required in your subject’s
daily responsibilities
· The typical audience for written communication (co-workers,
clients, general public, etc.)
· The communication skills your subject finds most important in
his/her role
Outside sources (articles) that add additional or supporting
information may be used in this section.
CONCLUSION
Share your thoughts on what most surprised or interested you
about your interview and research. Did it change your
expectations about your chosen field? For the remainder of your
undergraduate studies, what further skills, knowledge, or
experience (such as an internship) will you need to develop to
help prepare you for the start of your career?
REFERENCES
Include a list of your outside sources (at least two are required).

11. Use the style that is used in your field of interest (for example,
APA, MLA, etc.). Do not forget to include in text citations in
the report.
Format Guidelines
Your final draft should be approximately 1500 words, with 1-
inch margins and 12 point font, Times New Roman. The report
should have headings (in capitals and bolded) to guide the
reader. Please number your pages.
Peer Review
All students must bring the following to the peer review:
· A draft of the complete report; include links to the outside
sources you used.
· A copy of the interview questions you used
· A copy of the peer review sheet; remember to include any
questions which you would like your peer reviewer to answer
about the content and organization of your draft.
During the peer review session, you will provide written
feedback on his/her paper.
Teacher Conference
Use the feedback from your peer to revise your writing in
preparation for a conference with your instructor. Bring to the
conference:
· A draft of the final report (you will annotate both the
document and your own report based on your instructor’s
feedback); include links to the outside sources you used and a
list of the interview questions you asked;
· A copy of the peer review.

12. Important Dates
First draft due (1300 words min); Mandatory peer review
Conference with instructor -- bring a 2nd draft based on peer
review (1400 words min)
Semi-Final draft due on Canvas (1500 words)
Things to Keep for the Portfolio
· All drafts produced for this assignment
· A copy of your instructor’s comments and your peer’s
comments on your earlier drafts
· A clean (unmarked) copy of your final draft.
� This assignment has been adapted from a similar one
developed by Julian Heather and Fiona Glade at CSU
Sacramento.
3
Discipline Investigation
D. Vo
April 3, 2013
Introduction
The popular stereotype of a Certified Public Accountant (CPA)
is not all that there is when describing this profession. The
typical description of accountants are detached, calculating and
impersonal. Being part of accounting discourse community,
accountants can prepare financial reports and statements, apply

13. concept of accounting principle to analysis financial
information, and do with the numbers. My interview with Bob
Smith, a seasoned professional within the accounting field,
proved that this depiction is not always right and there is much
to learn about the finer details of this type of work.
Being an accountant was my accidental choice. When I was a
child, I liked to play with the numbers although I did not think I
would be an accountant. After graduation from high school, I
applied to University of Technical Education for electrical
engineer major. Then I studied there for four years but I did not
graduating. When I came to the US, my brothers and sisters told
me that accounting is not difficult to study and get a job, so I
chose this major. My first worries disappeared since I have
taken some accounting classes, and I found out that I love it.
The purpose of this essay is to relate my gathered interview
information to demonstrate what I learn from the interview.
This essay will give a report that communicates important
information regarding the many differing aspects of this career.
I will explain in detail the background and career path of my
subject before describing the roles and responsibilities of Bob's
work. I will also comment on the necessary communication
skills that are required to be an accountant.
Interview Report
Background and Career Path
Bob was drawn to accounting and proclaimed that he fell in love
with the numbers when he began taking finance and accounting
classes and the lifestyle that accompanies it. He received his
bachelor’s degree business in accounting and got his job at a
factory managing a warehouse. Eventually Bob went back to
school and received his MPA degree. Then took CPA tests and
had this certificate, making his transition into public
accounting. Bob has been employed as a tax accountant for 5
years before he was an accounts receivable clerk.
Bob told me that private accounting jobs are stereotypes,
boring, and little human interaction because he did not meet and
talk with a lot of people. When he worked at an accounting

14. receivable, in his department had three people work for a $320
million dollar per year division. Bob believed that this was too
much work to do for this size of a group. He was overworked
and did not like it.
Bob believes that public accounting fits his personality better
because accountants only are busy in January or February. Bob
enjoys his time and takes a break after tax season is over. He
feels that he can relax and learn the new tax laws for the next
year. The pacing of this job feels right to him.
Bob expressed that there are some difficult obstacles to getting
hired as a CPA. These requirements which are depend on the
companies. His firm requires that he has a CPA and have MPA
degree. At the other companies which Bob worked for, he must
have only an associate’s degree in accounting in order to do his
job. Earning your MPA is essential if you really want to take
your career to the next level. His coursework earning his MPA
was more enjoyable than his undergraduate work due to his
accumulated experience he gained before being accepted into
that program.
Roles and Responsibilities
Bob's job description is varied and entails many challenges. His
business' structure requires that he travels around to meet with
his clients, so they do not have to go for hours to some offices
for their taxes done. Bob spends a lot of his time at his clients’
locations preparing and working through tax forms.
Furthermore, he also consults with them about how certain
transactions in their taxes are made and how much tax return
they can get or pay. According to Dubin et al (1992), third party
accountants
"are not just passive scribes whose function is limited to
relieving their clients of the mechanical requirements of return
preparation. To varying degrees, they provide information on
legal requirements and the penalties for their breach, develop
strategies for reducing tax liability, provide counsel on the risk
of executing such strategies and inform clients of topical
enforcement priorities" (p. 75).

15. Bob is essentially a tax consultant with a negative stereotype
surrounds the profession. He thinks that many people believe
accountants to be stuffy people who do not get out much. This
is not the case with Bob as he spends many hours traveling
around the state to get agreeing or refusing by his clients.
During tax season things can become intense, so Bob also
enjoys spending long vacations with his family when it is over.
Traveling and meeting with clients, according to Bob, is the
best part about the job. Bob stressed that it is very beneficial to
have a firm and complete understanding all of the new tax laws.
He finds this task of researching and locating new laws very
interesting. Getting ahead of these rules and knowing them
thoroughly helps him stay competitive, so he can be predicted
when a certain unexpectedly happen.
Shattering another stereotype of the accountant, Bob tells that
his job can be very unique and exciting. Bob's day to day
routine satisfies his personal approach. He certainly enjoys the
satisfaction that he receives when he completes a long and
complicated the package of tax forms about a hundred pages
long. After that his clients can get their refunds. Bob's CPA role
is varied and this allows him to have a change in his day to day
routine preventing it from getting old and tedious.
The seasonal approach to this job is definitely something that
one must appreciate to be successful in this type of profession.
He is quite busy during tax season, but to him it is not a
problem because he garners much job satisfaction from his
current career. There are problems at his work, and it can be
stressful at times, but there is always a light at the end of the
tunnel for Bob. He motivates himself by always looking forward
to late April when tax season is over, so he is able to pay more
attention to his family and friends and rewarding himself with
some more time.
During the months of January and February, his time is limited
and has the bulk of his year's work in this tax season. Bob
claimed that he seems to be overwhelmed and might be making
four or five trips per week, staying on the road for extended

16. periods of time away from his family. During this heavy tax
season, spending Saturdays in the office is normal. Bob knows
that this is a cyclical event and he will be rewarded for his hard
work later in the year as his company offers extra vacation time
for those who spend over time working during this season.
Bob feels as though he is very well compensated for his efforts.
Bob receives an annual salary of $79,800 per year. In the article
“Best Business Jobs Accountant” in the US News website states
that “According to the Labor Department, the median annual
salary for an accountant was $62,850 in 2011. The best-paid 10
percent earned roughly $109,870.” Bob also receive a bonus
which totaled nearly four thousand dollars on top of his salary
if he meets certain expectations. The more work Bob can get
done, the more he will see at his end of the year bonus.
Bob said that the qualification his current job requires a CPA
degree. He would recommend accounting as a career if you hold
the right personality and are not discouraged from the negative
stereotypes that usually follow accountants. CPAs should be
able to work with figures, numbers and regularly meets
customers. These two qualifications seem simple but they are
very necessary in order to achieve some success within the
field. Bob feels there is a certain natural aspect to his attraction
to this type of work and feels that he was drawn to it in a
mysterious way. Regardless of this fact, Bob truly enjoys his
work and it is perceivable. Overall, during our interview he was
very excited and informative, acting almost in a proud manner
but not bragging about his accomplishments.
Communication Skills
The type of reading and writing that are required in his job are
reports, letters, e-mails, and narratives of financial statements.
For example, He writes letters to his clients, government
agencies, and his professional fellows, and they are written
about his clients’ tax situation and information need for an
audit. The letters are also about the agreement and management
advisory. His writings are clear, completed, easy to understand,
logical, friendly, and showing specific concept of accounting or

17. tax laws which he applies. His reports are the analysis of an
accounting problem and application of accounting principles to
his clients’ situation. Moreover, he usually writes memos and e-
mails to his supervisor and co-worker. He always double-checks
everything which he writes about grammar, spelling, and words
before he sends them, and he always makes sure his documents
are polished and professional.
Additionally, Bob job requires communication skills because he
works directly with his clients. In order to get the trust from his
clients to allow him to discuss their tax return with the IRS, he
has to have good oral communication skills. Bob emphasizes
that communication skills are also very important to his job. If
he wants to have the clients, he has to use his great
communication skills so that they believe on his knowledge of
tax law and accounting. Whereas he does not have these skills,
he will lose the clients. Thus, he has a lot of clients, and he is
very successful.
Conclusions
I was very pleased and quite surprised after my interview with
Bob. It appears that being a CPA is not only not boring, but
also can be exciting and fun. What struck me most was Bob's
attitude towards his work and his insistence that he was born to
do this type of job. This is a very comforting and discomforting
feeling at the same time. As someone who is considering a
career as a public accountant, I am beginning to realize that it
takes a lot of internal motivation and drive. The numbers and
legal aspects of this career seem almost secondary to the fact
that one must be enjoying their work to some degree in order to
be successful at it.
Through discipline investigation assignment, I know that I have
to improve my communication skill and writing a lot in order to
get a job in this career. That is the reason why I am taking LLD
100A course, and register in Writing Center at SJSU for help me
developing my writing. Furthermore, I have to look for an
internship in which I can practice a lot about communication
and give me more experience in this field. Last, I will take some

18. more Public Speaking courses which also help me to improve
my communication. Hopefully, after I have done all of these
things, I would have a very good preparation for my job in the
future.
Works Cited
Jeffery Dubin et al. “The Demand for Tax Return Preparation.”
The Review of Economics and
Statistics (1992): 75-87.
State University.com Website. "Public Accountant Job
Description, Career as A Public Accountant." Viewed on
March7, 2013. Retrieved from
http://careers.stateuniversity.com/pages/189/Accountant-
Public.html
U.S.News Money Website. “Best Business Jobs Accountant”
View on
March 7, 2013. Retrieved from
http://money.usnews.com/careers/best-jobs/accountant
George Mason University Website. “Effective Writing: A
Handbook for Accountants (2003)”
View on 7 March 2013. Retrieved from
http://classweb.gmu.edu/WAC/somguide/accounting.htm
2
Kim H.
LLD 100A, Section 9
Sanders
Semi-final (3rd) draft
April 15, 2017
DISCIPLINE INVESTIGATION ASSIGNMENT
INTRODUCTION
A Discipline Investigation essay is a type of essay which guides
students to explore the profession that they hope to join. After

19. interviewing a professional of a particular field of study and
doing outside research, students will learn the rules and patterns
of a specific field that they wish to start their career in.
I choose business administration with a specialization in
international business because I want to take a leadership role,
such as a manager or a chief officer in a company. Since
globalization has become a trend in doing business, an
international business degree would provide me with sufficient
knowledge to do business with people outside the U.S. This
degree provides me with necessary skills to plan, organize,
direct, and control an organization. Throughout the program, I
will be studying theories and principles of accounting, finance,
statistic, marketing, management, economy, and decision-
making. All of the knowledge in my major will provide me with
a framework to achieve my goals in my future career path, and
the understanding of business administration encourages me in
dealing with entrepreneurs such as the chief operating officer,
business owners, managers, customers, etc. One of the reasons
that leads me to choose this career is that I want to stand out
from the crowd. I am a fluent user of many languages such as
Vietnamese, Mandarin, Cantonese, and English. Therefore, I
want to take advantages of knowing multiple languages since I
believe multilingual users have competitive advantages when
they do business internationally. I know that being a manager of
a firm is very stressful; however, it pays a high salary. Most of
the time, managers have the opportunity to travel abroad for
business. By traveling to different countries, managers would
have a chance to learn new things and meet with people from
different cultures.
My interviewee is Mr. Ivan, and he is now the Chief Operating
Officer (COO) at company X. Company X is in the medical
device industry. He has worked in the medical device industry
for ten years. In this Discipline Investigation Assignment, I will
introduce Mr. Ivan’s background and career path, his role and
responsibilities as a COO, and his communication skills. At the
end of this assignment, I will share my thoughts about what I

20. find in my interview and research.
INTERVIEW REPORT
Background and Career Path
Mr. Ivan is Chinese-Vietnamese. He can speak Vietnamese,
Chinese, and English. He immigrated to the United States of
America when he was twenty-two years old. Life was not easy
for him when he first came to the USA. He encountered many
difficulties like language barrier, culture barrier, financial
difficulties, etc. It took him eight years to obtain his first
college degree in Mechanical Engineering from UC Berkeley
because he had to work and study at the same time. I asked Mr.
Ivan what motivated him to pursue higher education since he
had to work full time to survive. He told me that he believed
education is proportional with income; it means the more you
learn the more you earn. Mr. Ivan was not the only one who
believed that education would help people become more
successful. In the article “IMF recommends ways countries can
fight income disparities without slowing economic growth” by
Christopher S, the author presents one suggestion to reduce
income inequality from International Monetary Fund (IMF) is
that “Governments should ensure that poorer citizens have
access to higher education and health care. More education can
help low-income people earn more and move up the income
scale.”
Mr. Ivan informed me that at the time, when he came to the
USA, anything related to medical industry could have a good
potential future; this was the reason why he started his career in
the medical device industry. Mr. Ivan worked at many
companies prior to the start at company X, and all these
companies are in his field of interest. Mr. Ivan started working
as a technician at a medical device company since he was in
community college. After obtaining a bachelor degree in
Mechanical Engineering from UC Berkeley, he worked as an
engineer. After two years working in his initial position, he was
promoted to manager, and then director. He worked in Research

21. and Development, and Manufacturing Departments. Since he
was the director of a company, he realized a need for obtaining
a MBA degree. He said that a postgraduate degree could assist
him to move to the top position. In the article “When having an
MBA is Important” by Beth Braccio Hering, the author cites the
book The MBA Student's Job-Seeking Bible by Elizabeth
Freedman to emphasize the importance of having a MBA
degree, and she cites: “Having an MBA -- as opposed to just a
bachelor's degree in business -- is sort of like traveling
someplace by plane instead of taking the train. With either
business degree, you may eventually wind up at your final
'destination' -- but the MBA will get you there faster.”
After he had obtained his MBA degree from the University of
Phoenix, he decided to leave the company and started his
company X. Ivan’s position at company X is now Founder and
Chief Operating Officer (COO). Mr. Ivan said that it was not
easy for him to be the COO of the medical device company
because not only did he have to acquire business management
knowledge, but he also had to get a good grasp of mechanical
engineering. He said that the qualification for COO at his
company requires a BS, MS or PhD in engineering. Therefore,
to him, a degree in Master of Business Administration is highly
desirable. There are specific trade skills that are helpful such as
medical device manufacturing technology, plastic processing
technology, accounting, project management, human resource,
and communication skill.
Mr. Ivan’s company has been operating for ten years. At the
beginning, on one hand, Mr. Ivan had to look for investors in
order to seek funding for the company. On the other hand, he
had to work very hard to manage the company. He told me that
writing was very important because a good writing skill would
contribute a lot to a successful business plan. Having
exceptional writing skills enables Mr. Ivan to compose
remarkable business plans, in order to attract investors to fund

22. his company. After putting tremendous effort to run company X,
Mr. Ivan’s company is in good shape; however, Mr. Ivan also
mentioned that a current job market in the medical device
industry is quite unfavorable. Since the product takes a long
time to achieve FDA approval, and it is costly to develop.
Therefore, not a lot of companies in this field are established.
Role and Responsibilities
Mr. Ivan’s responsibility as COO consists of developing
business strategies, hiring capable teams, managing budgets,
designing products, overseeing manufacturing operations,
interacting with a variety of people (customers, investor,
physician and FDA) as well as executing marketing strategy.
Mr. Ivan said that the biggest challenge is to hire the right
people and keep them focused. He mentioned that it is not easy
to find an employee with both technical skills and interpersonal
skills, that is, someone who was capable and got the right skill
set, and someone who had the right attitude, and willing to
learn. In the article “Facing Down The Biggest Challenges In
Manufacturing Today” by Tom Bonine, President, National
Metal Fabricators, Bonine also presents the same point of view;
in his article, he said that one of the most challenging issues in
American manufacturing right now, from a manufacturer’s view,
is finding good employee. Bonine said:
Manufacture companies today have a hard time finding
employees who will show up and be on time for work, stay at
their work stations, and, bottom line, stick with their jobs.
When it’s hard to find reliable personnel, employers have to
spend excess time hiring and training new employees, then
rehiring and training new employees. This is difficult both in
terms of financial costs and efficiency.
I questioned Mr. Ivan about as the COO, what smaller day-to-
day tasks and skills are involved. Generally, he said that his
daily tasks involve many meetings, phone calls, project reviews,
talking to investors, calling meetings, reviewing budgets, and
checking emails. He has lots of email correspondence. He said

23. that every day is different. Some days he has to look at product
with the design team, then reports to his investors. He also
needs to talk to the CEO of the company to review complaints
and resolve human resource issues. He said that the good thing
is that he has his administrative assistant, who usually reviews
his schedule at the beginning of the day.
Mr. Ivan also noted that his position requires lots of traveling.
Some trips are to see customers and for training, others are for
doing offsite tests. He also visits investors to seek funding for
the company. He said that learning foreign languages would
have many advantages when doing business with international
partners. He mentioned that it would be easier to approach a
foreigner if you can speak their language and understand their
culture.
Communication skills
I asked Mr. Ivan what have been the most important
communication aspects of the job. He said that he has to
carefully write quarterly and monthly meeting speeches. He has
to compose speeches that are motivational. Mr. Ivan said that
the main objective is to make employees happy and establish
trust between management and staff. He believes that when the
employees are happy and trusting their managers, they could be
more productive. He emphasized that it is imperative to
communicate frequently with employees in both formal and
informal ways. While he values frequent talks to employees in
an informal manner, he prefers writing for employees’
performance reviews as he sees this is an appropriate way to
formally communicate with employees. In each employee
performance review, he rewards the employee for his or her
positive performance, and carefully points out their deficiency
in a constructive way. He said that employee performance
review is a good way to give feedback to employees. In the
article “Performance Reviews: Tips, Phrases & Examples for
Bosses” by Chad Brooks, the author presents the same idea that

24. most of the managers find it is useful to write the employee
performance review. Brooks said, “While managers might not
enjoy spending time writing their employee evaluations, they do
see the benefits that come from them. A recent study by the
staffing firm Accountemps revealed that more than 90 percent
of executives feel their performance reviews are effective.”
Mr. Ivan said that, in business, good writing skill has been one
of the necessities of communication. He implied that the
business field involves a lot of writing; for example, he has to
reply to a lot of emails regarding customer complaints; he needs
to write concise reports; he also has to prepare a business
proposal that is interesting but tempered with managed
expectation, etc. In addition to writing skills, his job also
involves a lot of reading. He reads a lot of testing protocol and
reports because he has to ensure the quality of the products. He
also reads medical journals such as Neurosurgery, Journal of
Vascular and Interventional Radiology, Endovascular Today,
Metech Insight, Today's Medical Developments, Journal of
Neurointerventional Surgery, and Medical Device
Manufacturing. By studying these medical journals, on one
hand, he could keep his knowledge up to date in the medical
field; on the other hand, these medical journals will provide him
better insights into the market in the medical device industry
and help him answer questions such as what are the consumer
needs? Or what medical device should he invent to satisfy the
consumer needs and keep his company growing?
CONCLUSION
After interviewing Mr. Ivan and conducting the Discipline
Investigation Assignment, I have learned many lessons and
absorbed numerous useful information and new ideas. First, as
an immigrant, I admire Mr. Ivan’s perseverance. He is a
conscientious and hard-working individual who works very hard

25. to reach his goals. Second, I learned from him the way he
manages his company and deals with his employees. He pointed
out to me the importance of communication and establishing
trust between management and employees, which reminds me
that I have to learn how to communicate effectively with others
in both writing and speaking. On the one hand, it has worried
me that COO positions involve a lot of writing because I am an
immigrant, and I find it is difficult to write in English.
However, I know that there is no other substitution; if I wanted
to be a COO or manager in the future, from now on, I have to
practice my writing skill. On the other hand, it is also a surprise
to me to know how important the MBA degree is. After
finishing my BS degree, I may obtain this postgraduate degree
because I believe it will send me to the chief officer position
faster.
References
Facing Down The Biggest Challenges In Manufacturing Today.
(n.d.). Retrieved from
http://www.manufacturing.net/articles/2014/03/facing-down-
the-biggest-challenges-in-manufacturing-today
IMF recommends ways countries can fight income disparities
without slowing economic growth (3/13/14 4:06 pm). (n.d.).
Retrieved from http://www.therepublic.com/w/US--Wealth-Gap-
Fiscal-Policy
Performance Reviews: Tips, Phrases & Examples for Bosses.
(n.d.). Retrieved from http://www.businessnewsdaily.com/5366-
performance-review-tips-for-bosses.html
When having an MBA is Important - CNN.com. (n.d.).
Retrieved from
http://www.cnn.com/2010/LIVING/worklife/06/09/cb.when.mba
.important/
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