Final Written Self-Reflection Report You’ll post to Blackboard an approximately 500-word, single-spaced written report outlining the concepts from the course which you’ve found most meaningful and des

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Self-Reflection Paper

I must admit, I did not conduct any research when registering for this course and I had no clue what I

would be learning. I have come away with a great deal more than I expected. The topics I found most

useful so far are persuasive messages, positive and negative messages, presentations and informal

reports. I have already used much of what I learned in my day-to-day activities at work. Using what I

have learned has assisted me in my current position, and will help propel me further in my career.

I work as an assistant buyer for a company called iHerb. We are one of the largest online natural

products retailers in the world, and we sell products to millions of customers in over 150 countries. My

job duties consist mostly of maintaining inventory for five dozen or so brands. However, I am also

responsible for negotiating pricing, payment terms and shipping arrangements with vendors, organizing

promotional campaigns for brands, and completing a variety of projects handed to me by my superiors.

This line of work requires experience with the topics listed above, and my time in this Administrative

Communications class has strengthened my skills in those areas substantially.

Because of attending this course, I have become a more effective negotiator with vendors, co-workers

and my superiors. When requesting additional discounts or more favorable terms, I employ useful

statistics and facts to persuade vendors to provide said discounts. I have learned how to better present

my promotional plans to vendors and superiors for approval. My reports are now more concise and

better organized, utilizing either direct or indirect strategies depending on what I am reporting on. And I

have been more aware of the tone of my emails and chats. I take care to word my emails more carefully

so as not to come off sounding rude or aggressive.

Using the skills I learned in this class, I have managed to extract additional discounts, or arrange rebates,

from some of my larger vendors. I have put together multiple promotional calendars for brands and

entire product categories in 2017, and I even managed to convince my director of the benefits of using

more promotional dollars on our smaller brands. My communication with our Accounting and Receiving

departments has noticeably improved since I began to more carefully word my messages to them to

sound more inclusive and positive.

I know that I will be employing the skills I listed above more extensively as I strive to move up in the

company I work for. I also know that the other topics covered during this course, such as business

etiquette, ethics, teamwork, meetings, and constructing resumes and cover letters, will all play an

important role in my career path. This has been by far one of the most useful courses I have taken in

school. I owe much to this class for the improvement in my current job and the trajectory of my career,

to a fully-fledged buyer and category manager beyond that.