PHL 320 Critical Thinking Memorandum

Critical Thinking Memorandum

PHL/320 – Critical Thinking and Decision Making in Business

Critical Thinking Memorandum

The term “critical thinking” refers to many meanings. It is said that it is important not only in business but in everyday life as well. Many people tend to have this skill but they might not know what does it actually mean. Critical thinking assists us and helps to make wise decisions, ask right questions in appropriate manner and solve problems. What is it then?

There a lot of definitions for critical thinking. Paul & Elder (2011) determined it as a “mode of thinking—about any subject, content, or problem—in which the thinker improves the quality of his or her thinking by skillfully analyzing, assessing, and reconstructing it”. In other words, using critical thinking we analyze and evaluate our thinking. Moving ahead, it helps in problem solving, improves creativity and allows to determine credibility of sources of information. Reflecting on the question above, obtaining college degree requires and significantly improves critical thinking, which is shown during presentations, completing various assignments, doing research on a topic etc. Nowadays interviewers appreciate possessing of critical thinking skills as it highlights you from other interviewees, characterizes as a person who is able to solve problems with advanced approach and who can come up with creative solutions.

I am currently working in a company offering professional cleaning solutions for all kind of businesses. As a retail manager, my duty is to talk to customers and potential clients many times per day. In addition, sometimes I have a face to face meeting with them in Bahrain and there were many incidences in my work experience: communicating with people with different race or nationality. I always try to use critical thinking here. The issue here is a cultural difference and it can affect how people think and talk to each other. I always consider person’s mentality, I know that Chinese think differently than Europeans in the frame of business and I consider it while talking to them: “Cultural differences can be a big challenge for someone who has not been exposed to a wide variety of people with different preferences, religions, habits, skin color, language, etc. Even the smallest thing can be misinterpreted—the idea of personal space, for example”. Paraphrasing the definition of critical thinking, I would like to say emphasize that this is a way of thinking about particular things in a particular time, applying its concepts: understanding, analysis, interpretation, evaluation, questioning, ability to make conclusions for problem solving and decision making. Last two aspects, obviously, are directly involved in business and highly important to it. Wise CEOs and leaders use critical thinking to be successful. The importance of critical thinking skills in business organizations cannot be overstated. In the 21st century, the businesses that survive and thrive will be the ones that empower workers and managers to overcome assumptions and use their intuition to maximum effect. The example I provided above describes a little part of importance of this skill within the problem of cultural differences (it is problem solving, by the way). I use critical thinking in order to consider it when have business deals to make wise decisions. Discussing the application of critical thinking in my career, there are a lot of ways to use it. I know that using critical thinking would improve my communication skills, brainstorming, team-building skills and would allow to use time more efficiently within the work and not only.

Conclusion

To sum up, critical thinking is essential in all fields of life, particularly in business. This is a process of thinking when the subject improves his thinking by efficient understanding, analyzing and evaluating it. This skill helps people in decision making and problem solving; by using it they will be able to be successful in life and their career path. As far as I am concerned, I try to use critical thinking in my job, it helps me to understand clients’ needs faster, thereby helping in business communication questions and personal growth.

References

Paul, R. & Elder, L. (2011) Critical thinking: Tools for taking charge of your learning and your life, 3rd Edition. Boston, MA. Pearson Learning Solutions

Content Met Partially Met Not Met Comments:
The student explained critical thinking. Good      Critical thinking allows you to analyze the way you think and present your ideas.
The student provided an example from personal experience of critical thinking applied to a business decision. Good     We employ critical thinking sometimes in the normal course of making a decision.
The student discussed the importance and benefits of using critical thinking. Good     Critical thinking can be essential to having empathy for the opinion of others and lead to a more productive solution. The skill can also benefit you in an ever changing environment by increasing the flexibility in your intellectual skills by helping solve problems quickly and effectively.
The student related the importance and benefits of critical thinking to the example provided. Good     Good job relating the critical thinking to your example. Keep in mind the attributes that we discussed in Week 1: 1. Reasoning2. Evaluating3. Problem Solving4. Analyzing5. Decision Making
The student discussed ways they might use critical thinking in their current job or chosen career path. Good     Good job applying the concepts to “real world” situations.
The paper is 700 words in length. Good     Good job meeting the assignment requirement.
    Total Available Total Earned  
    5 5  
Writing Guidelines Met Partially Met Not Met Comments:
The paper—including tables and graphs, headings, title page, and reference page—is consistent with APA formatting guidelines and meets course-level requirements.   Good   Good job on some parts of APA format. APA style requires paragraphs to be aligned ot the left instead of justified. Also, the appropriate font is Times New Roman 12 point. Make sure to leverage the APA template.Keep in mind that you can review the sample APA paper, leverage the Center for Writing Excellence, leverage resources in the university library, and leverage your academic counselor.
Intellectual property is recognized with in-text citations and a reference page. Good     Make sure to use a minimum of two credible scholarly sources to support your academic writings.
Paragraph and sentence transitions are present, logical, and maintain the flow throughout the paper. Good     Good job. The paper was easy to follow and presented in a logical manner. Keep in mind my recommendation of how to structure your paper (within APA style) in the instructor class policies to make sure your paper flows and addresses the required content.
Sentences are complete, clear, and concise. Good      
Rules of grammar and usage are followed including spelling and punctuation. Good     Good job! I did not identify any spelling or grammar errors.
    Total Available Total Earned  
    2 1  
Assignment Total   7 6  

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