Free Post 9/26 Networking in business

Hi again! Today I wanted to talk about something that is important to every profession. In the business world it is especially important and will help you tremendously! That thing is NETWORKING!

Many of you might think you know what networking is, but do you really? It is more than just shaking hands at conventions and career fairs and collecting business cards. It involves building relationships. Once these relationships are built, they can help you in the long run in finding a job. You have to be patient when forming relationships and networking with people. Ivan Misner wrote in his article, What Is Business Networking, Anyway?, that not everyone can help you move your business forward. It must be strategic and focused. One of the most important things he talks about is being proactive. If you don't make that attempt to form relationships (and maintain them!) that it will not work out to your advantage. Being proactive in any career is important. Employers look for this trait and it is a good thing to work on. Networking can help you to not only find a job, but to find business partners, investors, staff and customers!

The video I watched on networking is also very interesting. I learned that it is important to connect with key people, and it is just as important to connect with the community and everyone else! Paul Casos (from the video) said something that made me think about why networking is so useful. He said, "People like to deal with people they know." This is true and can help out in multiple ways.

So bottom-line, I learned how important it is to put yourself out there, meet people, maintain relationships, and work to stay involved as often as possible! I hope that by keeping in mind everything that I learned from watching and reading that I will be able to successfully start on the right path to networking and finding a job. I hope you find the article and video as helpful as I did!

Link to Ivan Misner's article http://www.entrepreneur.com/article/196758

Link to page with video http://www.business.qld.gov.au/business/running/managing-business-relationships/networking-in-business/networking-business-case-study-video



Works Cited:

Misner, Ivan. "What Is Business Networking, Anyway?" Entrepreneur. N.p., 28 Aug. 2008. Web.             30 Sept. 2013.

"Home | Queensland Government." Home | Queensland Government. N.p., 19 Sept. 2013. Web. 30          Sept. 2013.

Prompted Post 9/26

Good morning! Today, I am going to talk about a campus organization that relates to my field of business perfectly. It's a business fraternity called Phi Chi Theta. Most people have no idea what this is, and I didn't either until I looked into it, rushed, and became a member of the pledge class just a couple of weeks ago! Basically, it's a co-ed organization that is for business majors (marketing, supply chain, accounting, etc.) that helps with networking, interviews, public speaking, and so on.

I attended the first meeting this past Tuesday and was surprised by the amount of information we were given. Eighty of the members of PCT are considered "actives", while 22 of us are "pledges". Much like a strictly social fraternity/sorority, pledges have to complete a series of tasks before being considered Active Members. However, the tasks in PCT are to better ourselves, not humiliate ourselves like an average sorority. We must sign up and attend a mock interview with a business professional, we must interview at least 5 people a week (in person!!), we must attend career fairs and other events, and we must complete a series of other business-related tasks. We also have to attend every meeting in business-casual clothing.

All of this said a lot about the organization as a whole. They take pride in what they look like, how prepared they are when it comes time to interview, and they are held to high standards to complete these things. The members of PCT value the opportunities that are presented and they take pride in great communication skills (both formal and informal). Whether it is talking with a professional or talking with another member, communication is valuable.

I hope you learned a little bit more about my business fraternity from this post!! I'll keep you updated on events that I attend in the future!

Prompted Post 9/19

Hi again! This week I interviewed a professional in my field, Supply Chain Management, and I found out some interesting information! I mentioned in an earlier post that my aunt worked in SCM, and I talked with her regarding her job. My goal was to discuss the types of writing she did, as well as a few other interesting bits of info! Here's what we talked about.

J- Me (Jessica)

B- My aunt (Becky)

J-Where did you work and for how long?
B-I worked for Ford Motor Company from '96-'02 until I had my first child.

J- Did you do any type of writing? If so, what kind?
B- Yes! Lots actually. Everything was done via email, but I had to write reports and letters, type emails, and write up memos.

J-Who did you write them for? And how did this determine how you wrote it?
B- It was obviously really different writing the hourly supervisor v. the plant manager. One was very casual while the other was much more formal.

J- What was your favorite part of the job and why?
B- I loved that I didn't have to sit behind a desk all day! I got to work with different functions of manufacturing like the engineers, accountants, and human resources department. The plant was like a mini company and I loved interacting with all of the people working in the plant.

All of this information proved useful, both for this post and for my own personal interest in SCM. The writing that she did is easy to compare to the techniques we are learning. It all depends on audience and purpose. It revolves around who you're writing to and why you're writing it. Once you know this, it's easy to finish the rest!

I hoped you enjoyed this post, I had a lot of fun writing it and interviewing my aunt!

Free Post 9/19

Hi again! This weekend I will making a phone call to my aunt to discuss her past work in the Supply Chain Management field. But until she has a moment to talk on the phone, I will wait.

I thought about changing this post up a bit to talk about the business world in general. What's going on today? Anything big? I typed this into google and found many different topics. One of CNN's stories caught my attention, and I am going to share that with you today!

CARE USA is one of the biggest poverty charities on the planet. The president and CEO of this charity, Helene Gayle,  has truly made in impact on many peoples' lives.

One headline in this article that I found particularly interesting is called "The Business of Charity". I never really thought of charity as a 'business' like Ford or GM or Apple, but it is.





Last year, the charity helped more than 83 million people across the world. It's amazing what one organization, with 10,000 staff, can do. It's really cool that people put their own lives on hold to help others get through tough times. This type of business may appeal to more of you that aren't so focused on mathematics, numbers, organization, etc. Simply helping people is the goal of this business, and I never knew businesses such as this existed!

Becoming a CEO of a business can lead to all kinds of opportunities. Helene was fortunate enough to become CEO and, in turn, help millions of people with her power. Here is the link!
http://edition.cnn.com/2013/09/17/business/helene-gayle-meet-the-ceo/index.html

Works Cited 
McKenzie, Sheena, and CNN. "Helene Gayle: Meet the CEO Feeding the                             World." CNN. Cable News Network, 17 Sept. 2013. Web. 19 Sept. 2013.

Free Post 9/12

As a freshman at MSU who is interested in business, my goal is to be admitted to the Broad College of Business as a junior. I am majoring in supply chain management, and there is one question that I get asked ALL THE TIME... What is supply chain management?


It may sound bad, but I can only give a very basic overview of what a SCM worker would do. Well, it's getting all of the separate pieces of something, like a car, from their individual plants to the main one, while doing it in the most efficient, cost effective, and timely way possible.


My goal for this post is to teach you (and myself) a little bit more about what Supply Chain really is! Coincidentally, the best post I found to explain SCM was written by Robert Handfield (the same guy who ran the blog I posted about in my previous post)! 

*The following information was written by Robert Handfield on NC State University's site and is not my work. Here is the link: http://scm.ncsu.edu/scm-articles/article/what-is-supply-chain-management * 

The concept of Supply Chain Management is based on two core ideas. The first is that practically every product that reaches an end user represents the cumulative effort of multiple organizations. These organizations are referred to collectively as the supply chain.

The second idea is that while supply chains have existed for a long time, most organizations have only paid attention to what was happening within their “four walls.” Few businesses understood, much less managed, the entire chain of activities that ultimately delivered products to the final customer. The result was disjointed and often ineffective supply chains.

Supply chain management, then, is the active management of supply chain activities to maximize customer value and achieve a sustainable competitive advantage. It represents a conscious effort by the supply chain firms to develop and run supply chains in the most effective & efficient ways possible. Supply chain activities cover everything from product development, sourcing, production, and logistics, as well as the information systems needed to coordinate these activities.

After reading this definition, I have a much greater understanding. I am glad that I was right about the efficiency and the basic idea, but this goes much deeper into the concept as a whole. I learned that it covers more than just the transfer of products, and while it is extremely important, it does go unnoticed by some organizations. I love organization, being on time, and saving money so I think SCM is a great fit for me. It doesn't hurt that MSU has the number one program in the U.S. either!! 


Works Cited

Handfield, Robert. "Supply Chain Management, SCM, SCRC Supply Chain Resource Cooperative, Poole College of Management,                North Carolina State University."What Is Supply Chain Management? N.p., 11 Jan. 2011. Web. 12 Sept. 2013.

Prompted Post 9/12

Hi guys! This week, it is my job to find a blog and a scholarly article written about my field! I am narrowing my focus slightly for this task and turning to my major, Supply Chain Management! In my next post I'll talk more about that, but here is what I found. 

The blog that I found, written by Robert Handfield, includes links and allows comments which makes it user-friendly. Its goal is to share information, opinions, thoughts, and to pose questions. Blogs are very informational, but often times, the material is taken from elsewhere and cleaned up a bit to make it straight to the point. This particular blog appeals to those interested in the future happenings in the Supply Chain field. The average person who does not know much about SCM will probably not find this blog useful or interesting, but for those of us interested in the business, it is great! Here is the link --> http://scm.ncsu.edu/blog/


The article I found, written by Cliff Holste, also shares information about Supply Chain. Because he is a professional, it is very different than the blog. The article appeals to a more formal, more mature audience. He uses bigger words, more advanced terms, and he throws out some names that the average college student may not know. The audience is most likely aware of the changes happening in the Supply Chain field, and Cliff elaborates on said changes. He talks about the improvements, changes, and updates happening right now. Here is his link --> http://www.scdigest.com/EXPERTS/HOLSTE_13-09-11.PHP?cid=7399&ctype=content


Each piece of writing, both the blog and the article, is clean, straight to the point, and are presented in a modern way. Neither one is too long or too fancy to understand, but it is clear that the blog gives you a more basic understanding than does the article. So the question is, which is more useful? I say that both combined give someone interested in SCM a good understanding of the current issues and topics. But, if you're looking to find out some basic information about SCM itself, find yourself a copy of Supply Chain Management for Dummies, or turn to my next post about the basics of it. :) 

Works Cited:
Holste, Cliff. "Logistics News." : Managing Dynamic Change Within A Fixed System.                N.p., 11 Sept. 2013. Web. 12 Sept. 2013.
Handfield, Robert. "Auditing, Visibility and Collaboration: The Keys to a Socially                       Responsible Supply Chain." Web log post. N.p., 11 Sept. 2013. Web. 12                        Sept. 2013.

FREE POST 9/5/13

In my last post I found information in Great Jobs for Business Majors, but I was unable to answer all ten questions that I came up with! In this post, I am turning to the internet to answer questions 3 and 10.


3. Are business careers really only "desk jobs"?


While many jobs in the business field are office-related such as accountant, bookkeeper, and financial manager, some are not. Although many people do not consider a real estate agent or an event planner as a businessperson (at least not in the same category as accountant or logician) they are! They are constantly out of the office, interacting with people, and moving around. There is a business job for everyone!  


10. What are the most desirable business-related jobs?


According to U.S. News & World Report, the number one business job is Market Research Analyst. This is followed by Financial Advisor, Accountant, Compliance Officer, Bookkeeper, and Financial Manager (My dad happens to be a financial manager at Mercedes Benz!). I have a basic understanding of these careers, with the exception of Compliance Officer. So, I did some research and learned that it is just a person who goes around and ensures that ethics are practices, laws are followed, and regulations are met. This gives an example of number 3 up there!! 


I learned enough about these two questions to feel good about the answers to all of my self-created questions! I hope you have learned as much as I have so far. The book was surprisingly helpful. I feel like I always have problems finding the information that I need, but I have been proven wrong!  And, as always, the internet served as a big help to find that extra bit of info. 

Works Cited
"Best Business Jobs." Business News and Financial News. N.p., n.d. Web. 05 Sept. 2013.

WEEK 1 Prompted Post: 10 Questions

So far, all I know is that I want to go into the field of business. I have lots of questions though, and with the help of the book, Great Jobs For Business Majors, I hope to gather more information!

1. What is a business major?
2. Is it helpful to have a specific major versus a general business major?
3. Are business careers really only "desk jobs"?
4. What kind of individuals do employees in this field look for?
5. Do businesses like to hire multiple people that specialize in his/her respective job?
6. How helpful is it to have an internship prior to getting a job?
7. Do employers look for individuals with an MBA?
8. How important is networking?
9. How do I begin looking for a job?
10. What are the most desirable business-related jobs?

These 10 questions were the first 10 that came to mind. Do I have more questions? Sure. But, this seems like a good foundation for my blog. Upon further reading in my book, I have found the answer to most of my questions.

1. "You've had, for example, accounting, computer, marketing, and organizational behavior courses. But you know you're not an accountant, a computer scientist, a marketer, or an organizational behaviorist. What are you, then? Think of a business major as a college graduate who has had broad exposure to all the elements that go into making up the various aspects of human economic behavior" (Lambert x). Basically, a business major is undecided. He or she knows about multiple different fields such as accounting and sales, but is unsure as to which one is the right fit.

2. In college, one learns a lot about a few different areas within the business field. However, it is the individual who is quick off the mark and making a contribution immediately that will get the spot. Whether or not he or she has a specific major really just depends on the job he/she is trying to land.

3. Not all business jobs are desk-jobs! You can work in an office, but, you can also work in hospitals, financial institutions, factories, colleges and universities.

4. Businesses look for people that specialize in one area but are good in multiple, are quick off the mark, and that make contributions to the company. A business professional must have poise, the ability to handle stress, good time management, and good decision making skills.

5. No! Training takes time and money and very few employers want to hire multiple people for the same job! We can all understand that, I'm sure.

6. "[People who have interned] are apt to find it easier to relate to the people interviewing them, and they have more to say and, as a result of their internship, more to offer. They get hired!" (Lambert xv).
All signs point to YES! Find an internship!

7. "In most cases this degree can enhance your career" (Lambert 183). However, Lambert also writes that MBAs vary dramatically from school to school and an MBA is no different than any other professional degree. Holding an MBA without any business experience could even hurt your career.

8. "Networking is critically important to today's job seeker for two reasons: it will help you get the information you need, and it can help you find out about all of the available jobs" (Lambert 41).

9.  First, conduct a self-assesment. Ask yourself about your personal traits, your personal values, your economic needs, your long-term goals, and finally evaluate your skill base. Then, write a resume, research careers, network, and boom, start applying.

10. Sales, marketing and advertising are very desirable. (more info to come!)

SO, with this little book I learned a lot of information. I was surprised that an MBA isn't very helpful in today's job market but was happy to read that internships are extremely beneficial. Great Jobs for Business Majors was a very helpful book, but for some questions, such as #10 and #3, the internet would be more helpful.

Works Cited:
Lambert, Stephen E. Great Jobs for Business Majors. Chicago: VGM Career, 2003. Print.