Entrepreneurship plays an important role in the economic growth and development of nation. It is a purposeful activity includes in initiation, promotion and distribution of wealth and service. An entrepreneur is a critical factor in economic development and an integral part of the socio-economic transformation. It is a risk taking activity and challenging tasks, needs utmost devotion, total commitment and greater sincerity with fullest involvement for his personal growth and personality.
With literally thousands of franchises in business today, you can quickly become mentally exhausted when researching which opportunity is the best. There is no “best franchise” out there that all franchise seekers should sign on for. Do you honestly believe that there is this line of people a mile long outside of Mcdonald’s franchise development office? Of course not. How come?
The answer is rather obvious. What is best for you may not be best for me. Maybe you love the idea of managing 10 or 20 employees and would thoroughly enjoy the pride and prestige of franchising for the world’s best known fast food brand. Someone else may have just been laid off after 20 years of service for a computer software company and now wants to pursue his dream of a franchise opportunity that is home based and requires zero employees. You see, it all depends on your unique values and interests. The product or service you offer should be secondary to the type of lifestyle your business will allow you and your specific role as a franchisee. Continue reading »
Donors can help Africa’s growth and development
by adopting procedures for improving aid eff ectiveness.
First and foremost, donors must reduce the
uncertainties and volatilities surrounding resource
fl ows to aid recipient countries in Africa and elsewhere.
Shortfalls in aid disbursements relative to
pledges create major diffi culties for recipient country
governments in planning development projects
and the delivery of vital services.
What is a franchise? A franchise is a right granted to an individual or group to market a company’s goods or services within a certain territory or location. Some examples of today’s popular franchises are McDonald’s, Subway, Domino’s Pizza, and the UPS Store.
There are many different types of franchises. Many people associate only fast food businesses with franchising. In fact, there are over 120 different types of franchise businesses available today, including automotive, cleaning & maintenance, health & fitness, financial services, and pet-related franchises, just to name a few.
If you are thinking about buying into a franchise system, it is important that you understand exactly how franchising works, what fees are involved, and what is expected of you from the franchise company.
An individual who purchases and runs a franchise is called a “franchisee.” The franchisee purchases a franchise from the “franchisor.” The franchisee must follow certain rules and guidelines already established by the franchisor, and in most cases the franchisee must pay an ongoing franchise royalty fee, as well as an up-front, one-time franchise fee to the franchisor. Franchising has become one of the most popular ways of doing business in today’s marketplace. In most states you cannot drive three blocks without seeing a nationally recognized franchise company.
If you’re cursing at work, be careful. While it’s commonplace to curse once in awhile and may even help you build a bond with co-workers, there’s a fine line to when and how you curse. “We are being judged constantly by our co-workers for how we do our work and how we interact with them,” says etiquette expert Cynthia Lett.
Companies where employees are constantly in front of customers are especially harsh when it comes to foul language: employees caught cursing can be in trouble. Not sure where you stand when it comes to cursing? Here’s how foul language at work can affect your career:
Reveal an unprofessional attitude
In some fields, cursing is accepted and can even help you fit into an environment, perhaps in high-pressure jobs where everyone needs to let off some steam. Constantly using foul language, however, can make it difficult to fit into a professional environment, says Jennifer Kahnweiler, author of “The Introverted Leader: Building on Your Quiet Strength.” “Perceptions are important in shaping your career. You don’t want to be seen as that foul-mouthed person,” she says. Be especially careful about your language when surrounded by several co-workers at once, such as during meetings or when working in teams.
Prevent real communication
Using curse words over and over again can prevent you from truly communicating what you’re trying to say. Instead of cursing, take the time to figure out how to let your co-workers understand what you’re really thinking. Even if you’re angry or upset, take time to develop a professional communication strategy. “Cursing is an aggressive and hostile way of expressing oneself,” Lett says.
Furthermore, it can create a distance between you and the others in your department because it makes others uncomfortable. “When people are uncomfortable around someone, they avoid them whenever possible,” she explains.
Hamper your image
Similar to a disheveled appearance or tardiness, foul language can affect the way you’re perceived by others in the workplace. Even if you do great work, cursing can hurt your ability to get promoted or get better job responsibilities. “You need to be aware of how you present yourself to your co-workers, superiors and clients,” says Suzanne Lucas, a writer and human resources expert. “Swearing when books get dropped on your toes or the copier dies on you is one thing; peppering your daily conversation with expletives is another.”
Repercussions from human resources
Just because no one in your department comments on your use of foul language doesn’t mean it’s going unnoticed. In some instances, it can be reported to human resources with an official warning.
Sometimes it can even get you fired. “Someone who works customer-facing [roles] — such as retail or sales or call centers — would be fired for swearing, as it’s not appropriate with a customer,” Lucas says.
Of course not everyone gets fired. And as you evaluate your behavior, cursing once in awhile is no cause for alarm. “We all get angry and frustrated, and using a curse word can be the best release available,” Kahnweiler says. “Just be aware that this language shouldn’t become your M.O. or you could be seen as lacking self-control.”
Historically, women have always worked, whether it was paid or unpaid labor. In the work force the public initially accepted women as teachers. Therefore, pioneering Oklahoma women worked as educators in Indian and Oklahoma territories. Representative of these women were missionary Ann Eliza (Worcester) Robertson, who taught at Park Hill and at Tullahassee, and Ann Wilson, who served as principal teacher of the Cherokee Female Seminary. Around the turn of the twentieth century Isabel Crawford worked with the Kiowa in southwestern Oklahoma Territory. Before public schools opened, women operated subscription schools, earning approximately one dollar per child per month.
Oklahoma women have also held leadership roles in education. Before statehood women accounted for 26 percent and 20 percent of the county superintendents of public instruction in Oklahoma Territory and Indian Territory, respectively. By the twentieth century Emily Smith was dean of Altus Junior College, and Kate Zaneis was president of Southeastern Oklahoma State Teachers College. An African American, Judith Ann Horton, served on the board of regents for the State Training School for Negro Boys at Taft. When Sandy Garrett took office in 1991, she became the first woman to be elected as state superintendent of public instruction. By the twenty-first century Joe Anna Hibler, Janet Cunningham, JoAnn Haysbert, and Cynthia Ross served as presidents of Oklahoma universities.
In addition to teaching, early-day Oklahoma women were accepted as photographers, authors, and journalists. Ada Garside, Annette Ross Hume, and Emma Coleman represent three of approximately one hundred women performing photography work in the Twin Territories. Journalist Ora Eddleman Reed served as editor of the Twin Territories: The Indian Magazine. In 1902 twenty-one-year-old Maude Thomas bought the Beaver Herald after having worked as a typesetter. She was the first woman member of the Oklahoma Press Association. Edith Johnson worked as society editor for the Daily Oklahoman from 1908 to 1958, and from 1892 onward Elva Ferguson helped her husband publish the Watonga Republican. Club woman Lola Pearson started her journalistic career in the 1920s as associate editor for the Oklahoma Farmer-Stockman magazine. Nonfiction writers garnered recognition in the early twentieth century and have included Angie Debo, Carolyn Thomas Foreman, Margaret Morse Nice, and Edith Force Kassing. Authors of fiction included Jennie Oliver, Vingie Roe, Blanche Hunt, Aletha Conner, Alice Covert, and Oklahoma’s first poet laureate, Violet McDougal.
As women became more visible in the public sphere and as more educational opportunities opened for them, women found a greater variety of work options. A December 11, 1904, Daily Oklahoman article, “The Woman Who Toils,” stated that a woman could assume many occupations previously barred to her. She could become a pilot, an architect, or a roofer. Women were entering the professional fields of law, medicine, and dentistry. Representative of these new women were Theresa Tyler, who had a dental practice in Watonga, and Margaret McVean, the first lawyer sworn in on statehood day. Ella Mooney received her pharmacist license in 1901. After gaining a medical degree in 1892, Isabell Cobb practiced medicine in rural Indian Territory, and Winonah Sanger began her medical practice in Oklahoma City in 1904. In 1920 Sallie Sturgeon was appointed as inspector for the Oklahoma State Health Department, and Clara Waters became warden of the Oklahoma State Reformatory in 1927.
Businesses used to partner with employees to carry out employees’ career planning and development. Times have changed. Now, businesses are coming to view career development primarily as the employee’s responsibility. If you are concerned about your career, as you should be during these turbulent economic times, then take complete ownership of it.
Where do you want to be one, three, five or ten years from now? Do you have an action plan to get there? What career options are there for you to get greater challenge, variety or personal satisfaction? How well do you leverage your strengths and networks to advance your career? Are you using the latest job search strategies so that you can stand out from the crowd? In other words, how well do you manage your career?
The following major categories of information will provide you with answers to these and other career development questions so that you will be in the driver’s seat of your professional and managerial life.
Readers working in the area of career development typically know where to look for jobs. The online resources may be fairly well known, but are they easily accessible? Now they are! New links have been added to the NCDA website to assist you in your search.
“Jobs for Career Development Professionals” is a purple box on the right side the Professional Development page (on the blue navigation bar of every page on the NCDA site). The website committee and other NCDA members have suggested the websites linked on this page as sources of current openings.
Additional links for jobs and career information can be found under Resources (also on the blue navigation bar of each NCDA webpage). However, the Resources links are for career practitioners to use with their clients. Finally a page under Professional Development has links specifically for the job hunter who is in the field of career development. This is especially valuable for current graduate students who are ready to search for a start to their own career.
These additional links are the response to NCDA members who are employers looking to hire career development professionals. They occasionally contact NCDA to ask about posting a job. While NCDA does not post job openings, it is helpful to give employers several links all on one webpage. The employer can then choose where and how to post jobs which most likely will be seen by NCDA members.
Based on current posting activity, career development professionals need not put their own job search on hold. While the media may still be focusing on the unemployment rate, numerous employers have recently contacted NCDA about posting new job openings. Perhaps this is a hint that things are looking up!
Entrepreneurship plays an important role in the economic growth and development of nation. It is a purposeful activity includes in initiation, promotion and distribution of wealth and service. An entrepreneur is a critical factor in economic development and an integral part of the socio-economic transformation. It is a risk taking activity and challenging tasks, needs utmost devotion, total commitment and greater sincerity with fullest involvement for his personal growth and personality. The entrepreneurial career is not a one day job nor it is bed of roses. Prosperity and success never come easily. It takes time and needs hard work. Systematic planning and business acumen to be successful entrepreneur. Therefore, before choosing this path one should be very careful in knowing about his own self. This introspection process helps him in knowing about himself. Every person has his own potentiality and resource. How he looks in to this aspect. If the person cans understand or identify his inner traits then it help him choosing the right path for which he should look into his beliefs, faith values etc. For an entrepreneur it is of great importance to know about himself on the basis of above mentioned individual consideration. These consideration give him ample scope to face his own self by asking the question “Who I am?” If he can given meaning answer to this complex question with exemplary courage and utter personal disregard to being exposed, then it helps him in getting a fair idea about himself. On the whole it helps him to making the right decision in choosing the right path for getting involved for deciding the future course of action. This is nothing but a self-identification process. After having being proper identified his strength, weakness and ability, he can make a decision of his choice, whether he will take up entrepreneurship as a career or not. If yes, then in which entrepreneurial area. Choosing entrepreneurial career is like choosing a life partner. The person has to be there in the job forever and may have to continue in that chosen line for generations to generation and grows in this process if it is matching; if it mismatches it goes the other way round.
Considering this aspect he should always be governed by three basic qualitative instincts to serve in the world of uncertainty. These are – (1) Will, (2) Zeal, and (3) Skill.
The concept of entrepreneurship has a wide range of meanings. On the one extreme an entrepreneur is a person of very high aptitude who pioneers change, possessing characteristics found in only a very small fraction of the population. On the other extreme of definitions, anyone who wants to work for himself or herself is considered to be an entrepreneur.
The word entrepreneur originates from the French word, entrepreneur, which means “to undertake.” In a business context, it means to start a business. The Merriam-Webster Dictionary presents the definition of an entrepreneur as one who organizes, manages, and assumes the risks of a business or enterprise.Someone who exercises initiative by organizing a venture to take benefit of an opportunity and, as the decision maker, decides what, how, and how much of a good or service will be produced.
An entrepreneur supplies risk capital as a risk taker, and monitors and controls the business activities. The entrepreneur is usually a sole proprietor, a partner, or the one who owns the majority of shares in an incorporated venture. According to economist Joseph Alois Schumpeter (1883-1950), entrepreneurs are not necessarily motivated by profit but regard it as a standard for measuring achievement or success. Schumpeter discovered that they (1) greatly value self-reliance, (2) strive for distinction through excellence, (3) are highly optimistic (otherwise nothing would be undertaken), and (4) always favor challenges of medium risk (neither too easy, nor ruinous).
The early history of entrepreneurship in India reflect from the culture, customs and tradition of the India people. The Baliyatra Festival of Cuttack, Orissa reminiscence of past glory of International trade. To process of entrepreneurship therefore passed through the potential roots of the society and all those who accepted entrepreneurial role had the cultural heritage of trade and business. Occupational pursuits opted by the individual under the caste system received different meaning of value attached to entrepreneurship. Which is based on social sanctions. Vaishyas are considered to venture in to business pursuits. As society grew and the process of business occupation depended and the value work tended towards change and the various occupational role interchanged with non-role group and sub-groups. People from different castes and status also entered into the entrepreneurial role.
The emergence of entrepreneurship in this part of the country got localized and spread effect, took its own time. The concept of growth theory seems to be closely related in explaining the theory of entrepreneurship development as well. After the Second World War entrepreneurship received new meaning for attaining economic development within the shortest possible time. But in the process they were seriously handicapped by the rigid institutional setup, political instability, marketing imperfection and traditional value system.
Writing a cover letter often seems like a particularly daunting task. However, if you take it one step at a time, you’ll soon be an expert at writing cover letters to send with your resume.
A cover letter typically accompanies each resume you send out. Your cover letter may make the difference between obtaining a job interview and having your resume ignored, so, it makes good sense to devote the necessary time and effort to writing effective cover letters.
A cover letter should complement, not duplicate your resume. Its purpose is to interpret the data-oriented, factual resume and add a personal touch. A cover letter is often your earliest written contact with a potential employer, creating a critical first impression.
There are three general types of cover letters:
The application letter which responds to a known job opening (review samples)
The prospecting letter which inquires about possible positions (review sample)
The networking letter which requests information and assistance in your job search (review samples)
Your cover letter should be designed specifically for each purpose outlined above as well as for each position you seek. Do not design a form letter and send it to every potential employer (you know what you do with junk mail!).
Effective cover letters explain the reasons for your interest in the specific organization and identify your most relevant skills or experiences (remember, relevance is determined by the employer’s self-interest). They should express a high level of interest and knowledge about the position.
Next, what to include, how to format your cover letter, and following up with prospective employers.
When you are job hunting, it’s important to choose a type of cover letter that is appropriate for how you are applying for a job or requesting job search assistance.
There are three different types of cover letters including application letters, letters of interest, and networking letters. The cover letter you use will be determined by whether you are applying directly for a job or seeking job search help.
