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Expanded Horizons: Doing Business Internationally

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Doing Business Internationally

Whether you are a recent college graduate casting furtively about for work, or you’ve been in the workforce for a few years and haven’t much to show for it, or you’re a business owner struggling to gain a competitive edge in your industry… you may be wondering what you have to do to get ahead in this economy. If you are considering traveling to a fast-growing international market to pursue a career or business opportunity, you’ll want to keep a few things in mind.

International Business- Market Growth

International business, Salão do Chocolate na Bahia
International business, Salão do Chocolate na Bahia—Fotos Gov Ba (Flickr.com)

Whether you own a business or you are just looking to advance your career, you can take advantage of long-running macroeconomic trends by moving your business abroad. Whereas the American economy is forecast to grow between 2 and 3 percent annually over the next few years, foreign business in places like China and Brazil are enjoying regular growth rates approaching 10 percent annually. As a worker, this guarantees you both job security and upward wage pressure. As a business owner, this ensures that the markets for your products and services grow at healthy rates. In either case, you’re likely to be better off a few years down the road by doing business internationally.

Preparing For a Global Economy

These days, analysts in the know repeat mantras about “globalization” and “leveling the playing field.” But… What do they mean?

Simply put, the trend towards economic parity between developed nations like the United States and still-developing countries like China means that national borders are becoming less important every day. To prepare for doing business internationally and take advantage of this new economic reality, expand your horizons by:

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How to Finance an MBA

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Financing an MBA

If you’ve decided an MBA is the best option to further your career, it’s time to get smart about paying for it. A two-year MBA program at the most prestigious schools can cost $100,000 or more for tuition, books, and living expenses. This doesn’t even include the cost of lost wages. Even schools with less name recognition are going to cost you tens of thousands of dollars.

Fortunately, there is plenty of financing help available for MBA candidates. Knowing your options is the first step to researching in-depth solutions for financing your MBA ambitions.

How to Finance an MBA- Using Student Loans

How to Finance an MBA
No one enjoys the prospect of going into debt, but there are few better reasons to do so than enhancing your earning power with education credentials. Federal loans are typically managed by B-schools and only require you to fill out a FAFSA. These loans carry a fixed interest rate, and repayment is made as painless as possible. Paying interest while still in school is generally a good way to keep costs down and federal loans also extend a grace period and the opportunity for income-based repayment should you hit a bad patch.

Private loans take more effort to manage, but they can be better in the long run. Your credit history will be most important here. Repayment is not as flexible, and interest rates can be variable. Variable interest is definitely a bonus in a bad economy.

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Stay Ahead of Your Competition With Online Continuing Education Courses

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Online Continuing Education Courses

Today’s job market is incredibly competitive, with the number of applicants for each job far outstripping the number of available openings. While many careers may initially value experience over qualifications, enrolling in continuing education degrees or courses is a great way for employers to know you are up to date with the latest developments, technology and strategies in their industry.

Continuing Education Provides Ammo for Interviews

Online Continuing Education CoursesBy keeping you on the cusp of new developments, continuing education courses ready you for new challenges your industry may be facing such as changes in technology or market forces. The formal training provided in professional courses is a highly regarded commodity as it means employers do not have to put in the time and resources to train you. Currently being involved in or having just completed a continuing education course is something that you can readily draw on in an employment interview. Speaking in detail about the benefits of the course really helps you to sell yourself to the interviewer. Be sure to stress the up to date nature of the course material, draw on case studies or examples and demonstrate a real interest in the content covered. Employers love to see their employees engaged and passionate about their career topic area.

 

 

A Degree Above the Rest

The benefits of earning a degree, whether a bachelor’s or a master’s [Read more…] about Stay Ahead of Your Competition With Online Continuing Education Courses

Group Health Insurance Policies

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Group Health Insurance Policies

We all understand the importance of a good health insurance policy. It not only provides financial coverage against unexpected health costs but it also reduces worry about it. With the help of a good health insurance policy, you can easily reduce the risk of developing serious health issues. Uninsured people generally ignore minor health issues or self-medicate. But when people have the coverage of a good health insurance policy, they feel more comfortable consulting a doctor before the problem has a chance to become more serious.

Group health insurance policies are generally provided by the employer of the firm you are working for. The insurance is provided for a group of employees as a whole. The insurance company provides a certificate to each of the group members. The best part about this type of insurance is that the employees do not need to qualify for coverage so you don’t need to worry about pre-existing conditions that might prevent you from getting an individual insurance policy. As an added bonus the employer often covers half the premium or even more as a benefit. Group health insurance policies might even provide coverage for certain health issues that are not covered under an individual policy.

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What to Look for in an Online Degree Program

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Even with rising Education costs and high unemployment rates it still pays to have a college degree.  (See:  The Difference a Degree Makes in Unemployment Levels)  One way to save a lot of money on your education is to use an online degree program. Many “Bricks and Mortar” Universities are offering on-line degrees as well in an effort to expand their student body without having to build additional buildings. So both the student and the University benefits. You can even work while taking classes because most online degrees do not require you to be present at a specific time so you can view the lectures and do the homework at a time that fits your schedule. Tim McMahon~ editor

Online Degree Programs

Through the power of the Internet, people can actually spend their entire time in “college” from the comfort of their homes. Degrees from Accounting to Zoology can be earned entirely online. But you need to be cautious.

For those looking to get an online education, it can be tough to determine which schools are legit in offering a certified degree and which are simply out to just steal your money. Also, even if they do offer a degree is it actually worth the time and money or is it not worth the paper that it was printed on? Let’s take a look at what you should look for when researching these online degree programs. [Read more…] about What to Look for in an Online Degree Program

The True Meaning of Success

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I’ve always liked this definition of success from Dave Kekich. He wrote, “You’re successful when you like who and what you are.

Success includes achievement…while choosing and directing your own activities. It means enjoying intimate relationships and loving what you do in life.”

Today, Bob Bly gives you his own definition of success and a secret to achieving it. Craig Ballantyne, editor “Early to Rise”

You control your life.

Your success is your responsibility.

If you don’t know what success is, how are you going to get there?

By Bob Bly

A few years ago, I was part of a panel of supposedly successful people speaking to a room packed with about a thousand college seniors.

Our topic: how to be successful.

When it was my turn, I asked the students: “How many of you want to be successful?” Every hand in the room shot up.

I then asked: “Who can tell me what success is?” Not a single hand in the room was raised. “If you don’t know what success is,” I asked the students, “then how are you going to get there?”

This is the dilemma facing many people I meet today. They desperately want to be “successful.” But when you ask them what that would mean, they either can’t give you a definitive answer, or they say it would be becoming a millionaire. They define success by how much money they have because that’s how the world keeps score. But does becoming a millionaire really make you successful? [Read more…] about The True Meaning of Success

3 Alternatives to Entry Level Jobs for Recent Grads

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In a tough job market graduates need to be creative when it comes to finding ways to earn a living. In this article Maria Rainier shows you 3 ways recent grads can get ahead. ~Tim McMahon, editor

3 Alternatives to Entry Level Jobs for Recent Grads

By Maria Rainier

Today’s job market is enough to make even the most stoic and ascetic of philosophy majors fear for their quality of life. And the fact is, students are right to be worried. Economists are calling this the “Great Recession”, a label that the last four years certainly deserve — since 2007 unemployment levels have reached near record highs, almost as high as during the 1980’s recession, and though the situation has improved slightly, the outlook still isn’t great. [Read more…] about 3 Alternatives to Entry Level Jobs for Recent Grads

Information about Bachelor of Commerce Degrees

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Although many college graduates end up doing something entirely different than what they majored in, choosing the right degree is important to ensuring your future. Some majors like underwater basket weaving or psychology make it difficult to find jobs once you graduate. Today we are going to look at the Bachelor of Commerce Degree.

A Bachelor of Commerce is an undergraduate degree program in commerce and related subjects. The degree is also called the Bachelor of Commerce and Administration, or BCA. It is mainly offered in Commonwealth nations; however, the degree is no longer offered in the United Kingdom. Bachelor of Commerce is a well-liked degree in Canada, Europe, and Australia for students eager to learn managerial skills to prepare them for the world of business after graduation. It’s comparable to a U.S. Bachelor of Business Management or Business Administration degree. The business knowledge they gain is comprised of accounting, law and marketing. While acquiring general business skills they specialize in one of the subjects the university offers in the program, such as economics, statistics or finance.

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Simple Steps to Improving Employee Productivity

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By Steve Hutton

In the current economic climate it is vital that firms look to their own in-house policies to ensure that efficiency and productivity are maintained to give them the very best chance possible of enduring these uncertain times. One area in which companies can increase productivity is through reducing absenteeism and attrition, whilst also maintaining morale at the highest level possible. As they say “a happy workforce is a productive workforce”. There are a great number of ways that this can be achieved but the one I would like to focus on most is that of the working environment.

Often companies will prioritise the budget they have available to be spent on new systems, training and improving existing policies and procedures at all levels of the business. Whilst I agree that these can have an impact on improving productivity and output within the firm, they can be expensive and often are only be of limited duration. Often, by the very nature of these programs as soon as the projects have been completed, the Human Resources department suggests further programs and the cycle begins again.

The Importance of the Working Environment to Productivity   

A more cost-effective method would be to improve the working environment on the company premises. Often simple updates can have a significant impact on morale and productivity. For instance,  [Read more…] about Simple Steps to Improving Employee Productivity