Life has been extremely busy! Work is absolutely crazy, as I am sure school is for most of you, specially this time of the year with finals and such. The economic situation has made it really difficult for many companies to achieve their targets, many of them have revised their "promise" to the markets and hope for the governments to intervene to provide some stability in this turmoil time.
Now that the elections are out of the way, I think things will get better and people will commence to regain confidence in the market. This will not avoid the global economy entering recession, but it should help a bit. For my part, we are trying to finalize several contracts with different airlines before the end of the year. This is a challenge, positive and negative. Its not the best time for airlines to go airplane shopping, nor it is the time when airlines are willing to sign long term contracts as most of them are either shrinking or parking aircraft.
It is a good challenge for all of us in the aerospace industry as we have to challenge ourselves to think in different ways of approaching the airlines and we have to think of them as partners, because after all we are in this together, without them we would not be here and vice versa.
Anyway, let's help the economy a bit by going shopping this Christmas. I am going home in a few weeks and can't wait to get to Indy, see the new airport, shop and relax from the intense but exciting world of business.
Jaime
...]]>11/17/2008
Atlast! I was at work today. I looked out the window to see pecular pieces of frozen water swirling around aimlessy. Now, no need for worries, good friends. This is normal... well, unless you live in Florida.
We live in Indianapolis. Every year it gets cooler, and cooler until cooler turns to cold. Now, I know in Science class they taught us how seasons work and how the Earth tilts on its axis.... or something to that effect. You would love to believe that we could get used to these funny season things, but it seems harder and harder as you get older. Now, by no means am I old, but I do remember liking winter alot more as a child than as an adult. You could have snow days at school (well, you still can........) and meet your friends (again, you still can) and go play outside and make snow angels and snowmen and snow forts and..... and..... and..... well you get the idea. Surely, my friends, I show no enthusiasm any longer to frolic in the snow.
So, back to the Red Line. I get on the bus, half frozen. Luckily, the heater on the bus was cranked up, pre-heated and ready to defrost me! As I got on the bus, I must have been the only one on the bus. I gladly took a seat. A few stops later, a young lad got on the bus as well. He sat across from me awaiting his next destination. I looked down at my shoes and across the isle. What did I see, you ask?
I couldn't believe my eyes. Perhaps I was at work too long and was halucinatng from the long day at work. I blinked once. I blinked twice. I blinked three times to be sure. Were my eyes failing me?
[Dunt dunt dunnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnn]
The nice gentleman across from me was wearing flip-flops.
Then, as to mock my disbelief, he took his feet OUT of his shoes and began to swirl them around in the air. Now, I have two theories on this.............
One: It was fun to watch the snow and his feet had to take part in the snow swirling. They were doing a happy dance!
Two: The kid doesn't watch any weather before he leaves the house for the day.
I felt silly bundled up in my gloves, scarf and wool coat. I sat in disbelief (and almost disgust from bare feet dancing around in the air). I shook my head, and got off at my stop to go home for the day.
Lesson of the day: Check the weather report. Then, you won't have to defrost your toes on the public bus.
Until we meet again, Ciao.
...]]>As the semester comes to an end, I reflect upon my first time teaching an X103 (Business Learning Community) class. It was fun to have some of the first year students learning about the business world and seeing their reaction to some of the homework loads. A Learning Community does not have a lot of work, but it does keep you busy throughout the semester. I like the smaller class sizes because students really get to know the others and can really make some friends in the classroom. One thing I have noticed is that I have some students who take the class VERY seriously, while some others do not take it seriously enough. I think you need to have a balance. You should take all of your classes seriously but have fun! College is hard work, but you have got to have fun with it as well!! So I am glad that the students get a nice break before the semester ends. So take some time to relax and eat lots of food because when you come back, it will be FINALS!
...]]>I have several roles in the Kelley School on the IUPUI campus but I've agreed to become a blogger as a faculty member. I'm a senior lecturer in the Accounting department and I teach several undergraduate accounting courses. I've been with Kelley at IUPUI for a little over ten years. I started my teaching career at IU South Bend in the early-1980s as an adjunct or part-time faculty member. But I fell in love, so to speak, with the university and teaching so I've been doing that, more or less, since that first semester. I taught my first class only because a friend of mine was hurt in an accident and I agreed, at the last minute, to teach his A201 class for him. Kicking and screaming, I might add, convinced I would HATE it and the students would HATE me. Ten minutes into my first class, I realized how wrong I was, at least on my end. After reading my first semester teaching evaluations (that's another story for another day), I realized I might be wrong on the students' ends as well.
I started my academic career as a student majoring in English Literature, my first and most enduring love. I spent three years in the English department in Bloomington in the 1970s (now you know how old I am!!) and loved every minute of it. I wrote plays and poetry and read everything from Brecht to Brautigan, from Shaw to Shakespeare. I was in heaven. Then I realized I was going to have to get a job, that English majors were starving, and that I had better figure out what else I might be good at in a hurry! (I do not advise changing your major in your senior year unless you want to be an undergraduate student forever!) My brother told me to take an accounting class – he said that accountants always had jobs! I was convinced I would hate it. I was wrong about that one, too. Are you seeing a pattern here?
In future posts, I will fill in the blanks between the English department and Accounting, and why I find them so similar and love them both. I'll tell you why I get stressed out to the max concerning exams and grading. I'll tell you what I love and what concerns me about teaching and higher education. And I'll answer any questions or comments that you send me. I haven't quite made up my mind about this blogging thing – it seems to be a bit of a one-sided conversation. So I hope you will feel free to make it a two, three, four, or more-sided conversation.
Jane L. Lambert Nov. 18, 2008
...]]>The class is taught entirely online over the first 8 weeks and is a 2 credit hour course. It’s going to be interesting (the class is all about you, after all), very informative with copious amounts of feedback, and the assignments are engaging and fun (really!).
Please check out the short (4 min) online presentation below by clicking on the image and spread the word to all of your non-business major friends and classmates across campus!
I am chugging along, trying to get through this semester and I am realizing that I am very close to being done with college. I have three semesters after this to arrive at my 150 credit hours to sit for the CPA exam. As it gets closer, the lazier and lazier I would like to be, but I must keep reminding myself not to get lazy. Here are my reasons to not get lazy in school, for better or for worse:
So these are three reasons I continue to work hard and study. Hope everyone out there can stay motivated and finish out the semester.
John
...]]>This is not to say the immediate job forecast isn’t without its stormy patches. The economic turmoil has hit fields such as investment banking particularly hard (see Credit Suisse announcement) and the threat of a prolonged slowdown has many employers pulling back on new hires across the board – recent college grads included (see For ’09 Grads or PDF).
If this sounds like it means more work for you as a job seeker, it does. There are jobs, but gone are the days when a job search consisted of a visit to KelleyCareers and broadcasting your resume on Monster and CareerBuilder (two of the most frustrating online job boards for recent college grads). The relatively strong job market for recent grads over the past few years has given some students the impression that companies and jobs will always seek them out, instead of the other way around. Now that we are likely entering an economic slowdown, job seekers need to be more proactive than ever and the knowledge and application of effective job search skills and strategies is essential.
And that’s the ultimate silver lining: If you are looking for a job in a bad economy, you have to learn how to tap into the hidden job market, identify new / interesting / growing companies, explore alternative career fields, and learn to sell yourself. Once you develop an effective job search repertoire, you’ll have a set of skills you can rely on for the rest of your career. If you do it now, you are set for life.
Now that I’m back to blogging on a regular basis, I’ll be sure to share some tips and tricks, but please do yourself a favor and visit the Career Placement Office if you have any questions or concerns. Don’t panic and don’t let the barrage of negative news stop you from going after the job or career you want. What works for one student won’t necessarily work for another and we can help you set up a plan that caters to your strengths and your interests.
In the meantime, I encourage you to listen to this Wall Street Journal podcast featuring an interview with Trudy Steinfeld, Director of Career Services for NYU. She gives a candid assessment of the job market and passes on some timely advice.
I wonder how I can get on the Wall Street Journal’s speed dial?
...]]>Dear Journal,
It was very cold today. It rained ALL day. It's a sad show outside my window when I have to look at Gloom and Gray all day long. Ya know, the sun just makes ya happy. I don't know why, but when it's not around, even if it's not raining, you just feel ... well, gloomy.
So, I worked a very long day. It wasn't busy, but busy enough. I felt bad for the FFA (Future Farmers of America)visitors walking around downtown. When I left for lunch (with my big umbrella in hand), I witnessed many FFA's with their blue jackets wandering around downtown without umbrellas. Sure, some had baseball hats on, but many had nothing.
I left work. My feet hurt and it was Friday Night! Well, I couldn't WAIT to get home. I noticed it was getting colder. I didn't need my umbrella any longer. I sat down at the bus stop waiting for my One-Way Ticket outta here: The Red Line! Eventually it showed up. I got on the bus (which is usually not crowded) to find about a trillion people on it. I desperately found a seat and sat down.
Each bus stop, more and more people got on. The bus could have exploded with people (okay, I'm being dramatic..... but hey, it's my recap). Eventually, it was standing room only! By the way, I'd love to thank the guy who sat next to me who constantly leaned into me on every turn (sorry, I'm married, sir). AND he wore tooooooooo much cologne (another lesson of the day).
I eventually got off the bus and walked to my car.
Until we meet again, Red Line, Ciao!
...]]>Last month, I had a chance to visit a prospective client located in
It was somewhat a surprise to me, knowing local public accounting firms (like the firm I work) have connections to Japanese businesses in the
On Friday October 17, 2008, four students competed in a case competition. All Indiana Colleges and Universities were invited to participate. Teams of four students from each college are given a case to answer. A panel of Indiana CPAs reviews and judges the written case solutions. The top six teams are chosen to make an oral presentation.
The 2008 case discussed a hypothetical large local Indiana CPA firm. The teams were asked to present strategic recommendations to the firm partners about challenges and opportunities for the firm. Some challenges/opportunities related to the firm structure, particularly to diversity and work/life balance issues. Other challenges/opportunities related to changes in client services, particularly related to emerging continuous assurance services and to consideration of alternative billing structures.
Congratulations to our team members:
• Chad W. Beauchamp III
• Molly Utterback
• Melissa Utterback
• Shu Ting Zhao
The University of Southern Indiana finished first, and the Purdue Calumet team placed third.
For more information on the Case competition, see the following link.
http://incpas.org/Students/Events/CaseStudyCompetition.aspx
Dear Journal,
Since starting my new job downtown, I now take the Red Line Shuttle Service thru IndyGo. You know? The FREE downtown circular that goes thru IUPUI and Downtown Indy! Well.... where do I start?
A couple of days into my sojourn, I stumbled upon a peculiar package. I was leaving work one day, boarded the Red Line, and immediately took a seat before I was thrown about. I sat down almost sitting on a brown bag. I sat next to it. As we traveled around Downtown, I wondered what could have been in that mysterious little brown bad. Perhaps someone had hit the liquor store a little early? Could it be a valuable treasure that was missing? Could it be....? Oh, what could be in the bag? I mustn't look. Or should I? Is it my duty to look in the bag? Perhaps it was someone's medicine, just sitting there forgotten? Oh, what should I do? What could I do?
"Oh, I wouldn't sit there. I don't know what's in the bag. It was there when I got on," I told a girl feverishly looking for a seat on the bus.
"Oh... O... Kay?" She said very confused. She sat as far from me as she could get on that little bus.
Finally, I couldn't take it any longer. I leaned over the bag cautiously. Perhaps there was a rabid squirrel? Perhaps not.
As I looked in the little brown bag, I felt relieved and disappointed at the same time.
I pulled the cord to signal to the driver that the next stop was mine. I stood up, grabbed my purse and continued towards the doors.
"Ma'am?! Ma'am?!!! You forgot your bag!" a stranger yelled. I turned to look at her.
"Oh, that? That's not mine. It was there when I got here," I said back to her. The whole time everyone thought that little brown bag was mine. Oh, but I know it did not belong to me. It was someone elses.
What was in the bag you ask? Leftover Chinese food.
Until we meet again, Ciao!
...]]>Wondering how to sustain and grow your business in these increasingly tough economic times? Wondering if now is the time to take the plunge?
Then, don’t miss the Main Street Institute on Fri., Oct. 24, sponsored by the Kelley Women's MBA Alumni Advisory Board, it's the perfect opportunity to meet fellow women entrepreneurs and get tips and tools for starting or growing your business. Hear from and participate in a lively panel discussion with:
Same old story for me, school and soccer. School is hitting tough times though, kind of like our economy (I am watching the debates right now so I felt like the joke is applicable), because of Tests. I had two tests last week and two tests this week. A couple of them went very well and the others did not go so well.
Other than tests, i have been getting into the elections. I feel like this is my generations first real chance to influence the vote. I think it is great to hear players on my team talk about which candidate they like and see students reading the paper getting the scoop on the future of our country. It is fun. The debates are pretty rough. These guys really go for the jugular. I do not think I could take the criticism without getting extremely worked up and wanting to throw down the microphones and step into a ring... I guess that is what will keep me from becomming the president.
Anyway, that is what I have been up to. Hope everyone is well and avoiding colds and flu's!
...]]>To change this situation, I've recently started keeping my study time in a record. Since I started, my study-time has dramatically increased. This week, I studied ten hours more than the previous week. This finding was quite shocking to me, realizing how many hours I would have been wasting. What I am doing now for my time-keeping is I track how many hours I studied for one class subject every day, and add them at the end of the week to see how many hours I've studied in a week. I guess this way, I am now more conscious about how to use my time. So far, this little idea is working great, and I enjoy banking more study hours in my book of record, just like pinching pennies to save money.
I am not sure how long this simple idea keeps inspiring me for adding more time for study. Maybe not that long. There are only 24 hours a day, and I need a certain amount of time a day for my basic daily needs. I just wonder…how many hours are enough for study? And how many hours does a typical full-time student study a day (or a week)?
In Summer 2009, we will be offering a special block section of D301 International Business that will include a trip to France. This is going to be a great opportunity! The class will be offered in the Summer I session. It will include 2 weeks in the class, seven to nine days in France, and then the final week in the classroom. The class will be scheduled in a block with a general education course POLS Y350 – Politics of the European Union that will look at the political and social structure of the European Union. This will provide a good combination of business and culture to understand how business operates in Europe.
The location of our trip will be Strasbourg France. From Strasburg we will be making a number of trips to locations in the area. This will be in concert with faculty in Strasbourg, who are helping to organize the local arrangements.
For a short tour of Strasbourg visit, http://www.strasbourg.com/
Strasbourg is also located in the beautiful Alsace region of France, http://abcoffrance.com/alsace/
French is not a requirement of the course. The six credit hour block will be able to be used to complete the international dimension for Kelley students. D301 may be taken either before or after ICore, so students in their sophomore through Senior years are encouraged to participate in this opportunity.
The block course will be limited to 20 students. Students wishing to participate in the course will be asked to complete an application for the course. We are just in the early stages of obtaining information on the course. Soon we will more information on the cost of the program, the locations that we anticipate on traveling to in France and Germany, and the structure of the course.
Don’t miss out on this opportunity! Make plans with your academic advisor to participate in this special block section of D301. Email Maureen Kinney telling her your interest in the course, so that as we obtain information, we can have you on our mailing list (maukinne@iupui.edu ).
The Alsace region surrounding Strasbourg is a vibrant business region and draws foreign investment from a number of large multinational companies. Companies within reach of Strasbourg include Lilly France, Roche, Dow France, Wrigley France, Smart France, Fischer Bioblock, Mercedes Benz, and Heineken Breweries.
Strasbourg is situated on the Franco-German border. Strasbourg was German controled from 1871 until the end of World War I and again between 1940 and 1944. The city and people have a distinctive local identity. The name Strasbourg comes from Strateburgum, ‘the city of the roads’, because of its strategic geographical position on the west bank of the Rhine.
Top Sights
...]]>• Council of Europe
• European Court of Human Rights
• European Parliament
• The Cathedral
• La Petite France
• Ponts Couverts
• Musée Zoologique