Business Finance

Some Facts About International Business Programs

admin — Thu, 29 Sep 2011 00:00:49 +0000

Pursuing an international business career is not an easy task, it usually requires extensive traveling, fluency in a second language which is almost always a requirement in international business, and of course working in this profession necessitates flexibility to fit into very different cultures than your own.

International business specialty offers different paths one could take. The many opportunities for professionals in American business are the same opportunities overseas some of which includes advertising and sales professionals, product managers, retail buying, travel and tourism business, banking, managers and trade experts. International companies must compete in the challenging market thus requiring the need for knowledgeable and business minded professionals.

A bachelors degree in business is often required for most people who choose a career in international business. Jobs can often be competitive and so many aspiring business students go the extra mile of earning their masters degree in either business administration (MBA) or international business (MIB). A bachelors degree is a four year course and a masters degree is usually one to three years after a bachelors degree.

Some programs are much more aggressive than others. However, for any of these programs, a high school diploma or its equivalent is a minor requirement. Since international business also involves working together and communicating within the cultures, fluency in a second language is another requirement. Programs of bachelors and masters degree are usually the most competitive and require a high GPA to be accepted. Consulting with a college career counselor is a good way to know the specific requirements for entry into specific programs.

Online programs offer all levels of preparation for elite individuals who aims towards a career in business. A lot of programs offer classes that can be completed at home. Specific programs can also be offered online such as a bachelors or masters degree in business administration, or associates in international business.

International business careers are very rewarding and yearly salaries in this field can vary greatly depending on the company and the type of business. Chief international executives can have pays ranging from $200,000 to $400,000 annually. Lower level directors and representatives may have salaries ranging from $50,000 to $130,000 per year. Higher end pay scales are most likely for those individuals who have a masters in international business and many years of experience.

Some of the leading schools that offer International Business programs are the University of Phoenix Business; Walden University; Ellis College; Regent University; Strayer University; Keiser College eCampus; Kennedy western University: Argosy University (Business & IT); National American University Online; LeTourneau University; Keller graduate School of Management; Berkeley College Online; Jones International University; and Cardean University.

Business Management – Family Operations

admin — Thu, 29 Sep 2011 00:00:10 +0000

One of the worse case scenario of family members working for a company that I’ve come across was that of a business I called one day. This company was both a client and a customer. As the new account manager of the organization I represented, I needed to meet their account manager who was also the owner, since we would be crossing paths many times and would be working together on a lot of projects.

After identifying myself to the receptionist who answered the phone, I asked to speak to our account manager. She said that she didn’t know who that would be and asked what I wanted. I told her and she said that she could help me. Respecting the fact that she may have been more than a receptionist – we have a lot of that now with the corporate downsizing of the last decades, people sharing the telephone answering — I began to relay some information and then asked pertinent questions about equipment used in our mutual business.

After giving a couple of foolish responses and comments, I realized she was the wrong person to talk to. She got all excited and speaking of my organization she said, “Oh not again, they keep getting new people and we have to start to train them all over again, and went on and on.

I patiently said to her that she didn’t have to train me, because I had been in my own graphics business for several years and was perfectly in tune with the operation. She replied, “Yea, that’s what they all say”. I politely asked again if I could speak to the person who looks after our account. She said she was that person. Subsequently I found out that she did the billing and thus, to her, “account” meant accounting.

I tried re-wording to “sales account”, “account executive”, “the sales representative who looks after this company”, but it didn’t do any good. To make a long story short, finally, one day I had to call on another matter and she said I would have to “talk to John”. I asked her who John was and she got excited again and said, “Well, he’s just John, he’s John”.

Since John wasn’t there, I left a message for him to call me. When John called me back, that’s when I found out he was our sales representative, account manager and production coordinator all rolled into one as well as the owner of the company. And then, the mystery unveiled itself as to why “John was just John” – she was his mother.

It’s nice to have your mother help out but, putting her at the front desk without experience and training is a bit daring. Your whole company is judged there by visitors and callers who connect with a lot of other companies.

In another example, I was operations manager for a small company in the hotel magazine business. The receptionist was the sister of the owner of the company. She would come in late every morning after 9 o’clock. When she was approached on the matter, she would explain that it wasn’t her fault, “the bus didn’t arrive before 8:45. She was a very soft spoken, pleasant young girl, but she didn’t believe that she should have to take the 8:30 bus. But as the sister of the owner, it was a difficult problem to deal with, since he wasn’t bothered with it. In other words, she was his sister and she could come in late every morning.

Working with family members can be very difficult for both the family and non-family members. First, members of a family operation must forget they are family when they step into the business premises. They must give themselves titles with attached responsibilities. Even if they wear various hats — then have various business cards with the various titles/responsibilities. All members should be following regular training programs, even more so than any other businesses. They should treat one another in front of customers and suppliers in such a way that these people wouldn’t even have a clue that they were a family team. That goes for a husband and wife operation or father/son, brother/sister, etc.

Some years ago, I was in the sailboat business with my husband — our first business when we were in our twenties. Having both been working in the corporate world prior, we would always strive to operate in a professional manner, keeping both our areas of responsibilities separate. I looked after finance and administration and my husband looked after sales and service. When visitors, customers and suppliers came in for either of these areas of business, we would take them to the one in charge.

When it comes to business management in a family operation, it is critical to make sure that the people who are placed in their positions are experienced or have been given proper training, because not only will it put stress within the company but it can ruin the total reputation of the company. Constant professional, outside training is the survival key here, more than in non-family organizations. /dmh

LinkedIn – "Business Casual"

admin — Thu, 29 Sep 2011 00:00:05 +0000

Although the more popular Facebook is now attracting more business and professional users, advocates of LinkedIn claim it is easier to “find and be found” there due to the way LinkedIn organizes it’s members Profile Pages.

LinkedIn: Why Should I Join?

If you’ve explored the world of Social Networking at all you know there can be a good deal of “clutter and noise” on social sites with all inclusive purposes. LinkedIn has a more targeted focus: the business and professional world. If you’re looking for a job or a business or professional opportunity, LinkedIn contact networks can put you in touch with people you would rarely find with traditional job opportunity search approaches. If you are looking for a candidate, LinkedIn can expose you to a huge pool of pre-qualified individuals in an instant. But LinkedIn is much more than a recruiting and placement site. Any business or professional need you can think of can be addressed on LinkedIn.

LinkedIn: The Power of Connections

Have you heard this maxim before — “It’s not what you know, it’s who you know.”? When you boil it all down, that’s where the power of LinkedIn lies: the connections. In essence, LinkedIn has “digitized” the old fashioned method of “word of mouth referral.” Twenty years ago a business owner looking for investment capital might talk to his or her contacts to find potential sources. In essence this is tapping indirect connections — contacts of contacts — for help. You may know your professional neighbors, but do you know all the people they know? LinkedIn taps into these second and even third and fourth degree connections in a manner never before possible.

LinkedIn: Getting Started

You can spend a lot of time searching the net for articles on how to get started on LinkedIn, How to get the Most out of LinkedIn, and Advantages and Disadvantage of LinkedIn. Or perhaps you could take a cue from the old Nike advertising campaign and “Just Do It!” Go to LinkedIn.com, sign up, and get going. Simple. Like most Social Networking sites they have software to help you build your Profile Page and then start developing your contact network. The software will organize the information you enter into Profile Headlines, like Education, Company, and Summary. Many cite these more focused Profile Headings as the reason the process of “finding and being found” is more efficient on LinkedIn than on other Social Networking sites.

With LinkedIn your second degree connections are built by invitation only, so you end up with a network of contacts you can trust. All of them may have been referred by someone you know through someone they know. This is a major privacy advantage over other Social Networking sites. Of course, you have the option of accepting invitations from anyone if you choose. Check out LinkedIn Groups — there are over 300,000 of them — and join a few. Read through some Discussion and News Boards. Click on the “Answers” Button on your LinkedIn Homepage to get an idea of the breath and depth of issues for which LinkedIn users are seeking help. Think of LinkedIn not just as a recruiting site but as a business benefit site, offering help to businesses in more ways than you can imagine. Try it, you’ll like it!!