Class Wrap-Up Paper

• Yes, before I took this class I thought that I wanted to pick my concentration in either finance or in marketing. I thought I would be really successful in both of the concentrations because of my people and arithmetic skills.
• I think I will still choose marketing or finance or I will strongly consider trying both. I have learned more about each of these concentrations in greater detail, and I am now more interested in both of them. I think I would do best at the analytical aspect of marketing though. And as for finance, I think that corporate finance would be the best fit for me, or financial advising.
• No, I have not changed my mind about my concentration. If anything I have just been more informed about them, and others, so I know that I would make the right decision doing either one. And now I know I absolutely couldn't do accounting, but could visualize getting a certificate in management, or CIS.
• I am less worried now than I was before. I wasn't sure if I was just picking the concentration for the glamour, fad, and/or money. But now I know what each one entails, and I feel like I could stick to them for awhile and be very satisfied with them. More information that I would value would be what the classes are like in each concentration, if they incorporate enough real world experience, are taught by teachers who are excited about the topic, and what the vigor is.
• I thought that the speakers were really great in providing information about the possible concentrations. I liked how excited they were about their concentration. Especially the CIS speaker. I think it is great to see, the day in the life of... before you make the decision. So many people just have an idea of what they think a concentration is, and I felt like they really broke down myths, and explained their roles in ways that we, as freshmen, could grasps, and did it all without being overbearing.
• I feel very relieved that I got into the Business school at CSU. More and more I have been realizing what a great honor it is to be accepted into the school as a freshman. I have known since sophomore year of high school that I wanted to be a business major, and I feel like this is the only major that really suites my personality and combines my skills as well in computer technology, mathematics, critical thinking, and creativity.
• Yes, I would. I really liked the last assignment we did on exploring careers. It really got me excited to take my upper level classes here at CSU. I think a career advisor would be extremely helpful in helping to narrow down my decision.
• I liked when we learned how to use the library databases. I have never done a company research before and I thought it was really useful. I will definitely use those tools when going on job interviews. I think that it will help me to be more professional, and that I am really interested in the job. I always learned to ask questions in interviews, and this will help me ask important questions, not just the cliche questions that everyone asks.

Business Publication #3

Business Publication #3 – Fortune Small Business

http://money.cnn.com/2009/09/28/smallbusiness/swine_flu_vs_sick_leave/index.htm?postversion=2009092803

This article interested me because it was talking about H1N1 in the work place. I work at a restaurant, and that is one of the areas that the article mentions relating to the opening statement, “Almost half of America's workers can't take paid sick leave. With swine flu cases on the rise, that problem could hasten the pandemic's spread. This quote really makes the article connect”. Often, the people who are working in the most contact with the public are the ones who are not receiving sick pay. Without sick days, people who can’t afford to miss any little bit on their paycheck will go to work sick and infect others. Businesses have to look at the long term not the short term. Employers can also reduce the spread of infection in the workplace, by providing no-touch trashcans and hand sanitizer and assigning a "workplace coordinator" for flu issues. The federal guidelines also call for encouraging employees to work from home if necessary, and for "flexible, non-punitive, and well-communicated" leave policies. I think it is a really smart business decision to do that because it would be easier to have one or two people gone at a time opposed to a whole floor being sick. However, as I believe every business should allow sick days I think the minimum should be 3 days, or however long H1N1 takes to not be contagious, and the rest up to the discretion of the company so they can still function and make profit.

Business Publication #3 – The Australian

http://www.theaustralian.news.com.au/business/story/0,28124,26145579-5017997,00.html

I thought that this article was interesting because it showed how Nike, the world's largest sportswear company, is dealing with the economy and actually preventing loss in its first quarter. Their method is cost cuts. They plan to do this by keeping “inventories lean and work to steal market share from weaker competitors as it waits out the tough economy,” not necessarily closing down stores. The company faces a threat by tough competition from growing rival Under Armour. They pose a threat by winning over “shoppers looking for functional -- rather than purely stylish -- athletic wear”. I didn’t even think of Under Armour as a threat to Nike, but it makes a lot of sense now. Also in the Molson-Coors presentation he talked about brand. The quality of the brand is what will ultimately make a product sink or swim. The article suggests that Nike operates better than its competitors, but some of their competitors are barely keeping their heads above water, which is interesting to think about if Nike is really even doing that well if we are comparing them to companies that are practically failing.