Metacognitive paper

Saud Khatib

Academic Writing

12/1/2015

Metacognitive Reflection Paper

When I first started this, I have to honestly say writing was not my favorite subject. Although I am still struggling with it, but I have notice the slight improvements throughout the quarter. The first few weeks was nerve wracking, and confusing. I felt lost, and sure of how to do the work. Then again as everybody else, this is my first quarter at Antioch University. And hoping to have improved my writing skills after I have turned my final paper.

I have to admit that my learning process is slow, but definitely improving. Before this course there were certain concept and effective methods I did not know, or took advantage of. We were taught in class to break down an essay piece by piece, to later go through each step of writing a good, proper essay. I liked how we talked about genres and conventions, that was definitely helpful into understanding how an essay should be orchestrated. To identify the genre will help finding the appropriate writing style for the paper, and how to address the topic or issue. And to break it down even more, we look to identify conventions built this specific genre. Love, passion, sorrow, broken promises could be conventions for a drama piece. I learned that throughout the course of this quarter.

I have to completely transparent and say that greatest challenges so far has been to fully comprehend these new concepts. Also finding the motivation to write has been extremely tough. The environment in the class have clearly helped me to better grasp what is going on. The instructor have provided us the proper necessary tools to become better writers, and are adapting the best way he can to our learning process. I really started paying to attention to wanting to polish my writing skills, especially when we had to write the emails to a potential interviewee. I felt had to push myself a little harder than what I previously had done. I had to appropriately introduce myself and my wishes, and that required some of the concept we learned in class. I did not want to mess up this opportunity, especially since I am putting my name out there. Writing the email made me think about the article “So What? Who Cares.” Why would reader care at all of what I am writing in the email. I had to formalize myself in way that was going to grasp the reader’s attention, and make him/her feel like they’re wasting their time. That was one of the noticeable improvements I experienced.

I used to just research a topic, and write my paper based on what I find without including any of the concepts I learned. I have become more critical both in my researching and writing process. But one thing that overwhelmed me was the format, APA. I was not used to the this APA format, although I have heard of it before. Our paper should be in this format, so that is something I have to learned to do on my on. I know how to do the MLA which is the format system I was brought with through my academics, however it used to be foreign to me. Luckily does Antioch have a really good writing center that helps with almost every aspect of writing.

Throughout the course I have become better at using signs to enforce the articulation of paper. Signs such as semicolon, hyphens, dashes etc have helped me express myself in the paper more efficiently. These signs could help transform the paper from complete confusion and scattering to being proper and relevant. I get frustrated sometimes when I am trying to write a paper or paragraph, and not knowing how to organize my sentences; I could write something and later on find out that it is awkward. I could have difficulties using punctuation, comma, semicolon at right moments sometimes, but this course has helped me to better understand when and when not to use these signs.

 I’m having a positive, but confusing experience at the same time with this course so far. This course really aided my comprehension of certain aspects of writing I had never grasped before. I feel that I can now express my ideas far more effectively. In the future my essays will be far stronger due to new writing strategies I learned here. I am more confident about writing effectively in future courses, but there’s still more to learn. It’s not just all about learning, it’s also about how you can apply your knowledge in other fields of studies or work, and that’s what I’m striving for.

  

 

final draft

Saud Khatib

Academic Writing

23/11/2015

Accounting Language

Every organization or company requires artifacts (written materials in this case) to communicate in an effective manner. These artifacts are different depending on what type of organization it is, and the content they chose to put up. The artifacts have to be relevant and comprehensive so that people can easily interpret the company’s agenda and mission. I chose to do some in-depth research on the accounting communication methods used by a firm that developed proprietary technology methods, and relationships that allow companies to distribute enhanced business data to these digital channels very easily and cost effective. This company with such a broad offering where they operate through human interaction and online have to make sure that their artifacts are on point.

To get some details on the artifacts that they use, I interviewed Ali Chamas who works at their employees at the finance accounting department. We mainly talked about their writing material, and how they chose to portray it throughout the channels they are using. As mentioned before, Local Market Launch provide small and medium size businesses the opportunity to maximize their presence in online searches. They would with the technology and writing expertise make a company perhaps appear on many search engines or directories such as Google, Yahoo, Bing, Apple Maps, Yelp etc.

Ali explained how most of his artifacts are being portrayed in emails and invoice. He mentioned how there are different types of emails; the first type of email is an internal email to an executive asking for his approval on billing terms for a customer. This type of communication is highly essential because it shows how a manager or executive haft to have a say before an invoice is issued. Next step would be to ask an executive for permission to wire money for a payment. This communication is necessary to avoid any misinterpretations or confusion regarding certain issues. As for the third, it is mostly aimed at customers. The usual daily basis issue is a customer being late on a payment. The e-mailing process has to happened in a professional way; The email was sent out in a serious tone yet in a respectful manner as not to upset the customer and maintain the business relationship. This is also a customary practice in accounting to send out reminder emails when payments are late.

     The invoices are split into two types. The first types are those that company sends out to its customers for payment covering the services it has provided them with. It is common practice in business to invoice a customer for a service you have provided him with. This type of invoice is usually sent to the customers management or accounts payable department if applicable. The invoice provides the customer with information on the services the company has performed, the billing rate for each service, and the total due for all the work performed. It also provides the customer with a payment due date and any important messages the company might want to add. As for the second type of invoice, it covers what the company is being billed by its vendor for a good or service it has received. This type of invoice is reviewed by some one in accounting to make sure that the items were received at the agreed upon price before a payment is made. Invoices are sort of considered to be an indirect professional contract. 

Ali and his colleagues has a way of communicating with each other; they use language that would most likely be fully comprehended by people within that field. They use terms such as accruals, asset turnover ratio, adjusted trial balance etc. Most of these terms would be difficult for ordinary people to understand, so it’s important for these accountants to vary their language depending on who they communicate with. Ali probably use these complex terms when writing emails to other colleagues and executives, but he have to remember to use different language when communicating with a customer. I asked Ali about how he prefers to communicate with customers. He responded “I usually prefer to use email as the main method of communication mainly due to the fact that you can leave a record of your communication back and forth and resort back to it when you need it. If I am in a hurry and to relay a large amount of information then I resort to making a phone call.” For an accountant emails would probably be the best method of communicating; just like Ali mentioned that it is easy to save and go back to if necessary.

Being in this type of profession, it is important to be clear, concise, and respectful when communicating verbally, or through writing. The language will determine how smoothly or badly something goes. I asked Ali how he dealt with rude customers, he said, “ I usually try to be nice and attend to his needs. Sometimes I will try to explain something and make it as clear and understandable to the customer as possible. If I can do a refund I would. I try to make sure the customer remains happy. If the customer continues to be rude, I then forward the issue to the manager and might then decide to cut off the customer.” It is important to maintain professional at all times in type of field.

I wanted to know more about the invoice process, and when customers usually receive so added that to my question list. Ali mentioned how they send invoices to clients after the month end, and during the first week of the following month. They strictly go through every customer and make sure every service have been performed. They then issue an invoice for that specific customer and send it through email during the first week of the month. I regret not asking how the invoice is being put together, because that requires proper accounting language. The invoice contains of goods and services provided, with a statement of the sum due to these.

 Let’s look more closely at these basic financial statements made most firms in the accounting department and analyze the story they’re telling us.  The balance sheet is also referred to as the “Statement of Financial Position,” and that’s exactly what it’s about. This statement tells the story of what your business owns (assets) and what it owes (liabilities) as of a given moment in time. During the month, as transactions are recorded, the impact of each transaction on the assets and liabilities of the business is also recorded. For example, when you make a cash sale, you not only record income, but you also record an increase in the value of an asset — your cash balance. When you incur an expense, you record the amount of the expense, but you also record the reduction in the value of your cash. (This is why it’s called “double entry” accounting!). It is highly important to really stress these definitions in the most comprehensible way, especially in written format.

 In this area of expertise they value effective business writing, a fact evidenced by employer screenings and formal examinations that evaluate candidates’ writing skills. Understanding how to apply general accounting principles and laws, and finance theories and tools is critical but not sufficient. Employers recognize that the major differences among competitors may often be found in the degree their employees have mastered writing, speaking, and other non-technical skills.  Accounting and finance professionals spend significant time writing to document the results of analysis, research, and procedures performed. A well executed analysis loses its value when not effectively summarized and communicated in a document.

Memos generally are used for internal communication, e.g., between accountants and clients or between departments. Memos are often used to summarize a professional conclusion that aligns with required standards and procedures. It is important to cite relevant authoritative sources as support for the conclusion. Because e-mail often serves as the preferred mode of communication, the guidelines for effective memo communication apply to e-mail as well. Keep memos and emails concise, presenting the most important information near the beginning of the document. Emails should include a descriptive, strong subject line. Beware: memos and emails become official documents that may be referenced at a later date and by readers other than your original audience.

Ali Chamas an accountant at Local Market Launch clearly demonstrated the his process of using his writing style within the his field of expertise. I think both him and I can agree that emails is the most efficient way of communicating. Also that the proper language is used for the right audience (customers and colleagues).   

week 8

I think the article for this week was helpful and it's a perfect time to read it especially before the due of our essay. The article talk about how to be a great writer the same how they compared the writer to a person driving because been a perfect driver you have to follow the rules the same with a writer you have to follow the rules and you have to show the reader how you care about what you writing and it's important to let the reader get interesting in what you writing. They said in the article about "reading your essay out loud to some one else" it's very helpful to me I do that all the time I read it to my brother and that's help me sometimes Change words or add new sentence and the most help me with my grammar. I think after I finished reading the article I changed a lot of thing in my paper and the article provide me a lot of tips and made me get better paper.     

first draft

Saud Khatib

Academic Writing

15/11/2015

Accounting Language

Every organization or company requires artifacts (written materials in this case) to communicate in an effective manner. These artifacts are different depending on what type of organization it is, and the content they chose to put up. The artifacts have to be relevant and comprehensive so that people can easily interpret the company’s agenda and mission. I chose to do some in-depth research on the accounting communication methods used by a firm that developed proprietary technology methods, and relationships that allow companies to distribute enhanced business data to these digital channels very easily and cost effective. This company with such a broad offering where they operate through human interaction and online have to make sure that their artifacts are on point.

To get some details on the artifacts that they use, I interviewed Ali Chamas who works at their employees at the finance accounting department. We mainly talked about their writing material, and how they chose to portray it throughout the channels they are using. As mentioned before, Local Market Launch provide small and medium size businesses the opportunity to maximize their presence in online searches. They would with the technology and writing expertise make a company perhaps appear on many search engines or directories such as Google, Yahoo, Bing, Apple Maps, Yelp etc.

Ali explained how most of his artifacts are being portrayed in emails and invoice. He mentioned how there are different types of emails; the first type of email is an internal email to an executive asking for his approval on billing terms for a customer. This type of communication is highly essential because it shows how a manager or executive haft to have a say before an invoice is issued. Next step would be to ask an executive for permission to wire money for a payment. This communication is necessary to avoid any misinterpretations or confusion regarding certain issues. As for the third, it is mostly aimed at customers. The usual daily basis issue is a customer being late on a payment. The e-mailing process has to happened in a professional way; The email was sent out in a serious tone yet in a respectful manner as not to upset the customer and maintain the business relationship. This is also a customary practice in accounting to send out reminder emails when payments are late.

     The invoices are split into two types. The first types are those that company sends out to its customers for payment covering the services it has provided them with. It is common practice in business to invoice a customer for a service you have provided him with. This type of invoice is usually sent to the customers management or accounts payable department if applicable. The invoice provides the customer with information on the services the company has performed, the billing rate for each service, and the total due for all the work performed. It also provides the customer with a payment due date and any important messages the company might want to add. As for the second type of invoice, it covers what the company is being billed by its vendor for a good or service it has received. This type of invoice is reviewed by some one in accounting to make sure that the items were received at the agreed upon price before a payment is made. Invoices are sort of considered to be an indirect professional contract.     

week 5

It could be easy for a writer to write about a topic he or she is passionate about, but why should the audience care for it as much as you do? The chapter “So What? WhoCares?” mentioned how writers or speakers assume that the audience would already have an idea of what the topic is about. Not only having an idea regarding the topic, but to be highly in depth with it already. The problem does not necessarily lie within the lack of clear thesis  or that the thesis lack arguments that supports it or any evidence given out. Some writers out there have failed to “address the crucial question of why their arguments matter” (92). There is a lack of enforcing engagement to the topic. A writer must explicitly explain the consequences and benefit of their statements.    

A writer or a speaker has to find that one factor in their argument that the reader can appeal to. Sort of like speaking their language, and slowly attracting them to show care about the topic. Grady explains that the academics should “demonstrate the even broader relevance and urgency of her subject matter. A characteristic statement on general level could be an effective method of reaching out to the reader; statements such as “you may think” or “this does not directly affect you but…” may come in handy. To highly passionate about something could come easy to share that with other people that is the hard part. Writers should really think about how to make something relevant to a reader or listener.     

reading week 4

. In the chapter Introduction to Primary Research: Observation, Surveys, and Interviews written by Dana Lynn  Driscoll, she mentions the process and methods of researching. Now there is different types of research methods depending on what type information you need for the project you are working on. A historian for example, “conduct research by examining archival materials- newspapers, journals, letters, and other surviving textsand through conducting oral history interviews” (153). It mentions the primary research which is the information a researcher collects firsthand before any other library data base, book, or journal known as secondary research. We want to make our research as efficient and effective as possible by choosing the appropriate research platform for the subject.

When conducting a research for an essay four necessary steps have to be executed: planning, collecting, and analyzing, and obviously writing. We then learn to perform our writing through observation, interviews, and surveys. A good demonstration is mentioned in the chapter where a Derek Laan, a nutrition major at Purdue University who wants to learn about students eating habits on campus. His primary research involved observing the campus food courts, the students behavior in the food court, and a survey of the students daily meal intake. His secondary research were find externally through info on national eating habits on different college campuses, info from the United States Food and Drug Administration, and books regarding that issue. Primary research sets our platform for a we portray our papers.

Interview Questions

Interview Questions

1. What mad you wish to become an accountant?

2. How long have you been working as an accountant?

3. What is your preferred method of communication with your customers?

4. When do you send an invoice to your customer?

5. Do customers always pay on time and what do you do with customers who are late with their payments?

6. Can you give me an example of when you never got paid by a customer?

7.  Do you have the freedom to make decisions on your own or do you need approval from a supervisor?

8. How do you deal with customers that are rude?

9. How do you pay the bills that your company receives?

10. Do you have any international customers? If so how do you deal with foreign currency issues?

11. is it hard to communicate with customers living in different time zones?

12. When are you the busiest?

13. Can you describe what a typical day for you at work?

My artifacts

I will be sharing a summary of the artifacts that I was able to obtain from an employee at an online marketing firm. Due to the confidentiality of the information, I will not be getting into much detail. This company provides small and medium size businesses with the opportunity to maximize their local presence in online searches. For example, if John Smith, a plumber, wanted to use its services, this company would make his plumbing company appear on many search engines or directories such as Google, Yahoo, Bing, Apple Maps, Yelp, etc…  As a result, that would increase John Smith’s chances of getting more business especially that these days almost everybody searches for a business online.

My artifacts consist of emails and invoices. The first type of email is an internal email to an executive asking for his approval on billing terms for a customer. This type of communication is a common practice in accounting, It serves as proof that the terms were approved by upper management before an invoice was issued. The next email is an example of asking for authorization from an executive manager before wiring money for a payment. This also serves as back up. As for the third email, it is aimed towards a customer that is late in paying their invoice. The payment terms in days on the invoice were not met and his payment is past due. The email was sent out in a serious tone yet in a respectful manner as not to upset the customer and maintain the business relationship. This is also a customary practice in accounting to send out reminder emails when payments are late.

The invoices are split into two types. The first type are those that company sends out to its customers for payment covering the services it has provided them with. It is common practice in business to invoice a customer for a service you have provided him with. This type of invoice is usually sent to the customers management or accounts payable department if applicable. The invoice provides the customer with information on the services the company has performed, the billing rate for each service, and the total due for all the work performed. It also provides the customer with a payment due date and any important messages the company might want to add. As for the second type of invoice, it covers what the company is being billed by its vendor for a good or service it has received. This type of invoice is reviewed by some one in accounting to make sure that the items were received at the agreed upon price before a payment is made. Invoices are sort of considered to be an indirect professional contract. 

reading week 4

After reading the chapter Finding Evidence I think i understand more of what it means to observe things or people. There are different things that effect us in many ways most of the time are we unaware of it. In the article Backpacks vs Briefcases: Steps toward Rhetorical Analysis it talks about every individual has their way of analyzing things. It gives an example of a new school teacher that walks in to her class for the first time, and the students reaction of her first appearance. In the same time we try to be unbaised, will we most of the time come off as biased. The article mentioned that we have built a “mental database that you can draw on to make conclusions about what a person’s looks tell you about their personality” (46). We analyze all sorts of things from how people talk about themselves or others to how they dress, to their body languages.

One part of Finding Evidence talks about collecting your own data through various ways. One that is more for academics, is gathering evidence through experiments. Another way of doing it is to make your own observation. “What you may wonder, could be easier than observing something?” the book mentions. Observing requires concentration, but what really matters is how you interpreted what you have observed. A skilled observer can draw a more accurate conclusion than a non skilled observer. Finding evidence could be done in many ways such as experiments,  interviews, online or book research.

reading week 2

The both reading for this week was interesting to me and a lot of information. Im going to start with writing identities I like how they use different clothes in article how Sunday she wear a clothe for a gym and she wear something different when she teaches to compare and make it easy and helpful to understand writing identities for example if you write an email for applying for a job it will be different when you write an email for your friends  I think writing identities it will help you how to chose or create a different idea when you write.  For the second reading it was not easy for me to understand the idea of the article but one thing help to understand more about the reading its how she give us the exercise between the reading but in the same time a lot of things let me remembered when I was learning English and when I started to write essays how deferent my writing look before and now one more thing I like about the article the article it show how important for the writer to know what words to use to be able to deliver the massage for the reader. At the end I think I got a lot of meaning for rhetoric and I feel from the reading from this week its give me a lot of idea and now I think different when im going to write an essay or email because of the reading.

reading for this week

I really like the reading its just give me a lot of Idea about writing and about how to write a great paper and how you should build your points before you start writing your paper. One thing I like about the reading how they break down every point they talk about witch help me a lot to understand more about writing I think just form reading the text or the article its show how important to think about what you write and about what you speak to be able to be a great writer or speaker. I wrote a lot of papers before but after I read the text and the article I feel I have more knowledge about writing and how to create my own Idea and I think its important to know how the essay its going to look like. Because I feel that’s what was missing for my paper I wrote in the past. From reading the academic arguments I never wrote any paper arguments between to thing but im sure some points will be helpful for me when I write an arguments paper. At the end I really enjoyed all the reading for this week and I feel now I have more knowledge about writing and I can wait to start write our first paper to able to put all the points and the knowledge I learned from this reading and im sure I will learn more by the end of the quarter

About my self

My name is saud I was born here but I'm from Syria I moved to Saudi Arabia after I was born in three months I studied in Saudi Arabia until high school then I decided to move to Santa Barbara to learn more English and study business my brother was already in Santa Barbra he helped a lot when I first moved here. My first step  was to start to learn English I took the assessment test in English and I got to level 2 on the test I stared city college ESL classes (English as second language) I took reading grammar and writing. After 3 three months I started to look for a job so I can improve my English more and in the same time I like to work in the office and do accounting stuff. In the day of my birthday I got a job on a restaurant called Zaytoon it's a medal eastern food and I was working as office assistant. I finished my ESL classes. Working in the office helped me a lot with my English. I started taking my business classes it’s been hard classes for me but I enjoyed a lot because it was different style from Saudi Arabia classes. I was in City College for 4 years it was one of the best 4 years in my education. After I finished college I decided to transferred to Antioch to get my business degree and go back home and work with my family in their new business in Saudi Arabia.