post 2 replies of at least 350 words each question (3 well-crafted paragraphs) with a minimum of 2 citations from academic journals in current APA format by 11:59 p.m. (ET) on Sunday of the same Module: Week.
Discussion 1:
Anticipated Challenges
Entering corporate America as a Christian is admittedly daunting. Culturally speaking, Christians often receive negative associations as being judgmental and hypocritical. This raises concern that as a Christian entering the secular work environment, colleagues may be hesitant to establish a healthy relationship or even be outright demeaning. A study by Endrejat et al. (2018) found that employees who spent leisure time with their coworkers had an increased rate of life satisfaction. I expect it to be a challenge to find activities to do with my coworkers that align with my spiritual convictions without seeming judgmental to my coworkers or giving the impression that I do not want to get to know them.
This time of year immediately brings to mind another challenge that many Christians are facing in the workplace, and that is pride month. In recent years pride month has become a symbol of celebrating gay marriage, to the extent that companies have been forced to declare their support or face public ridicule. Much of the work for promoting pride month falls onto the marketing department through the creation of themed posts, videos, and incorporating the rainbow into the company’s logo (Nehls, 2023).
Interacting with those who have beliefs and behaviors that do not align with my Biblical convictions requires a great deal reliance on the Holy Spirit for guidance through every situation. While other Christians may have differing stances than I do, it is important to keep in mind that every believer should hold fast to the convictions that they have, and to lead another Christian to do something they deem wrong is a sin (1 Corinthians 8:9-13). Therefore I believe it is critical that how I conduct myself during after work activities and in handling pride month align with my beliefs as a Christian.
Anticipated Opportunities
Although these challenges seem insurmountable, the American workplace is not without hope. The country has recently been experiencing a growing social movement towards religion, and religion has been growing internationally as well (Ewest, 2015). This offers some encouragement in that more than likely not everyone in a secular workplace will be hostile toward Christianity. There are also those who are respectful of Christianity, open to becoming a Christian, and other Christians as well. When it comes to the possible tension of refusing to do certain activities or support pride month, these scenarios provide an opportunity to stand strong for Christian beliefs and talk about why I believe what I do. Standing strong in conviction automatically destroys the common view of Christians not practicing what they preach.
Above all, holding to Christian values while continuing to love those around you demonstrates that you can disagree with someone and still get along. Christ loved us while we were sinners (Romans 5:8), and focused on building up rather than tearing down. Matthew 5:14-16 summarizes this challenge to live as a Champion for Christ in the corporate workplace well by saying “You are the light of the world. A town built on a hill cannot be hidden. Neither do people light a lamp and put it under a bowl. Instead they put it on its stand, and it gives light to everyone in the house. In the same way, let your light shine before others, that they may see your good deeds and glorify your Father in heaven.”
Discussion 2:
Since the launch of ChatGPT in November 2022, the market for AI labor has been transformed, Zeki Research, a market-intelligence firm, reckons that around 20,000 companies in the West are hiring AI experts, (2024 June 8), The war for AI talent is heating up. The Economist. OpenAI, an artificial intelligence research firm that develops safe and beneficial generated data, is an expert of progressive autonomous systems that simulate human intelligence at an increased level. The success of Zeki Research AI is influencing organizations such as Microsoft, Google, Facebook, Apple, and other companies to search for AI experts to join their organizations. OpenAI exclusively licenses its technology to Microsoft; the software giant is busy injecting it into products from Word to Window, (2024 Jan. 17). The bosses of OpenAI and Microsoft talk to The Economist. The Economist. In view of Microsoft’s move to incorporate AI within its software systems, the move to seek AI experts will most likely lead to other uses of AI. The Apple deal raises questions about the state of the OpenAI-Microsoft partnership, what kind of exclusive access Microsoft must have to use OpenAI’s technology, and how the new deal will shape Microsoft’s longstanding ambition to develop consumer AI products. Deepa Seetharaman, Aaron Tilley, & Miles Kruppa. (2024 June 11). What the Apple-OpenAI Deal Means for Four Tech Titans: Deal strengthens OpenAl’s position, raises questions about startup’s relationship with Microsoft –and is a setback for Google. The Wall Street Journal. The research and studies of AI is an important competitive operational function within the mobile and online platform. AI is an evolution to the transformation of digital contents, images, and video creation, design, and development. It is not surprising that organizations that incorporate digital tools as a critical function of their approach to handling consumer data are lining up for a partnership with effective and proven AI technological companies. Data is a critical part of enabling generative AI because vast quantities of it are needed to train AI models like OpenAI’s GPT-4 and Anthropic’s Claude. Belle Lin. (2024 June 4). Databricks to buy Data-Management Startup Tabular Bid for AI Clients. The Wall Street Journal. The marketing research between OpenAI GPT and Databricks clearly is an observation of the aggressive movement of organizational positioning in the AI industry. Kokko and Neervannan sought to “marry the burgeoning technology of artificial intelligence with research about companies,” Luisa Beltran. (2024 June 10). AI Research firm AlphaSense confirms it’s buying rival Tegus-only months after filing patent lawsuit. Fortune Magazine. The topic of this discussion post illustrates the evolution, development, and research based on companies that rely on the collection and transformation of consumer data, therefore, the advance technology of AI is a critical attribute in the approach to influencing consumer behavior towards new products with AI as an advantage and benefit according to research.
