Do you have what it takes to advertise???

By Maria

THE ETERNAL MATH “PROBLEM”

For some people, taking a math class is entering the deepest, darkest pits of hell. It is a place that has haunted you all of your life. Constantly, you are being asked to pass math class after math class, each time leaving and having kept no knowledge of what you learned in your memory. "Why?", you ask, "why another math class!"? Now you are in college. Here you have classes that you choose and you major in business, which has only to do with basic math! But still, there it is, a requirement for math classes. You ask people who are in the semesters above you, "Should I take the classes, is there a way around it?" They say, "Eh, just take them at the end." Do they really care about my future though?
I hate to be the bearer of bad news but math will never go away. Just suck it up and take the classes as soon as you can to get them over with.
At this point, I have the ability to say that. Before I was the person I described above. To me maths was always a bunch of numbers. I just could not understand it! My view on math made a self fulfilling prophecy. The more I told myself that I was bad at math , the worst at Math I became. So try and get past seeing a bunch of numbers, see it as a problem which you need to solve. Unfortunately there is a bit of math in most, if not all, subjects. So try to understand it NOW!
When I started at NYC I was terrified about the algebra, statistics and accounting courses but when I took them I realized that everything is a matter of how you choose to see things. I tried to see it as an opportunity of learning things and I started to listen to the professors, pay attention in class, etc. The most important advice about math courses is DON’T miss classes because then you will break the “chain”. To me, math is like a chain, everything depends on the previous class; on the previous chapter. Don’t be afraid of math! You'll see that you did well and you'll feel great!!

S.W.O.T. isn't only for flies....

One of the first business models a student is taught is the S.W.O.T. analysis. For anyone who was absent the day the concept was introduced here's a recap...

S stands for Strengths!

W stands for Weaknesses!

O stands for Opportunities!

T stands for Threats!

Isn't that nice and easy!

Obviously, there is more work to be done in this model than meets the eye.
First of all, we need to understand what a S.W.O.T. is used for. It is used to evaluate the current situation within an organization and its environment in order to make decisions for the future. The problem is, the information used in the S.W.O.T. is gathered by using other business models. Technically, you are supposed to do a P.E.S.T.E.L., Porter's 5 Forces, and so on and from the information found there, then you come up with a S.W.O.T. analysis.

To be specific, the Strengths and Weaknesses are determined by models that describe our internal environment. Why not add an example? They always help.

When you think of strengths and weaknesses think about what your organization does better than its competitors. So being really, really nice is not a strength of a company, unless all of their competitors are jerks! Or... good technology, is that a strength? Not if you don't use it! It's like a man being well endowed, if he doesn't know how to use it, it isn't one of his strengths! Am I right or am I right!!! If you are still wondering where to find strengths and weaknesses you can also look at your 7 S's model. If you don't know this model, please look for it in the Business Models for Dummies section of this blog.

Now for the Opportunities and Threats. Now these are taken straight out of the P.E.S.T.E.L. and Porter's 5 Forces models. The P.E.S.T.E.L. is the external macro environment and Porter's is for the internal Micro environment. An opportunity is whatever benefits you can find in the P.E.S.T.E.L. If laws made benefit you, if they are going to build a new highway that passes by your organization, and so on may be opportunities. Remember, an opportunity for one organization is a threat to another. Using the highway example, if you are opening a fast food place, a highway being built next to it is a godsend. But if you have a retreat spa, then a highway with cars making noise and so on will pretty much ruin your quiet sanctuary. Stick to the P.E.S.T.E.L. and you will find your opportunities and Threat

So, I guess, a S.W.O.T. is a nice little wrap up of all the hours of hell looking for information for a P.E.S.T.E.L, and Porter's, and so on. Don't make the mistake of making a second rate, incorrect model because it seems easier to fill in the sections with generic answers that were stated before.
Oh yeah, I hope I don't have to explain what a strength, weakness, opportunity, or threat are for a company! The main thing is understand that a S.W.O.T. is a gathering of information already gathered in a nice, neat format. Good Luck!

By Maria

Add A Little Bit Of D.E.T.E.R. To Your Life!

Now this isn't cheating, but at least it's a way to help you do the best you can on your next exam. It's the D.E.T.E.R. strategy!
D = Directions
Think about it, if you don't do the test according to the directions, there is no way for you to do well! If you don't understand, ask a teacher, they won't think less of you.

E = Examine

Examine the entire test to see exactly what it is they want you to do. This way you can break the test down into the parts that make it easier for you.

T = Time

Once you've looked over the test, decide how much time you will spend on each section.
If one section is worth more points than another, spend more time on that section.

E = Easiest
Which ones are the easiest? The ones that you know the answer to, right!! Answer those first. That way, at least you know you won't lose points if you spend time on questions that you don't know as well.

R = Review

Go over the test at the end. May be you misssed a section or a question? It's stupid to lose points from making a mistake like that. Also, sometimes teachers answer previous questions with the questions later on in the test, Hint, Hint!

This way of taking tests is an extra 5 minutes that can make a difference in your grade. If you care about your grades, think about doing it, if you don't, what can I say.

By Dardane

Research Papers Made Easy!

Many people hear that they have to write a research paper and the become scared. The think of any way to avoid it. They copy/paste, print one of the internet, and some go so far as to buy them!! What is everyone so scared of? It really isn't that hard. To write a good research paper just be specific about your topic, know what you want to say, and say it in a way that is effective. Following these tips will help you write a good research paper.

Step 1. Choose Your Topic.
Well, this seems obvious. But it may be harder than you think. When picking a topic, choose one that you are interested in. But, make sure it is something that there is enough information for. If your topic is too broad, you won't know where to begin. You'll be that person who hands in a thirty page paper and never want to do a research paper ever again! “The Effects of Pollution” is too broad because there are so many effects of pollution. But then again, don't be too narrow. “The Effects of Pollution on Geese in the Northeast Section of Duluth, Minnesota” is too narrow. You won't find much information that is this specific. “The Effects of Pollution in Yosemite National Park” is just about right as a topic. It's like little Red Riding Hood, it has to be just right.

Step 2. Locate Information.
Use information from a variety of sources. These sources could be encyclopedias, almanacs, scholarly journals, books, magazines, and newspapers. Find these sources in print form, on CD-ROMS, or on the Internet.

Step 3. Prepare Bibliography Cards.
Making bibliography cards helps to document the sources of information you use when writing your paper. Your library will have style manuals to illustrate how to prepare bibliography cards for various sources of information.

Step 4. Prepare Note Cards.
Use note cards to record notes from each source you use when writing your paper. Number your note cards to keep track of them.

Step 5. Prepare an Outline.
Write an outline for your paper by organizing your notes from the note cards into topics, subtopics, details, and subdetails. Use an organization such as:
I.
(topic)
A.
(subtopic)
1.
(detail)
a.
(subdetail)

Step 6. Write A Rough Draft.
Use your note cards and outline to write a rough draft of your paper. As you write your draft, use numbered footnotes to credit sources from which you take quotations or major ideas.

Step 7. Revise Your Rough Draft.
Make any changes needed to be sure your ideas are clearly expressed and your writing has accurate spelling and grammar.

Step 8. Prepare Your Bibliography.
At the end of your paper, provide a list of all the sources you used to gather information for the paper. Your bibliography cards will provide this information. List your sources in alphabetical order by the first word on each of your bibliography cards.

Step 9. Prepare a Title Page and Table of Contents.
The title page is the first page of the paper. It should include the title of your paper, your name, and the date on which the paper is due. The table of contents is the second page. It should list the main topics, important subtopics, and the page on which each is introduced in your paper.

Step 10. Final Checklist.
Before handing in your paper, be sure you can answer “Yes” to each of the following questions.
Did I include a title page?
Did I include a table of contents?
Did I number all pages correctly?
Did I provide footnotes for quotations and major sources of information?
Did I include a bibliography?
Did I keep a second copy for my files?

Following these ten steps will help you write a good research paper.
By Dardane

Your TOP 20 Business Schools, outside of the U.S.

___It is always difficult to find the rankings of Business Schools. You want to choose a school that will eventually give you the thousands that you cough up, back to you at some point. The so called “payback”. School's expensive and you don't want to choose a school that one day won't allow you to get a job from it.

_____ The above list is referring to the best non-US business schools. It displays the amount of payback time, the demand of the school, the location ,the GMAT requirement and whether each school is public or private.

By Anastasia