A Culinary Arts Career Offers Many Rewarding Opportunities

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If cooking is your passion a culinary arts career is just the thing for you. You might love to bring a smile on people`s faces with your cooking but have you ever thought of making it your career? If not, it’s time that you give it some consideration because this industry has a lot of promise and prospect in the near future.

The culinary arts career has for some time now become quite a popular choice for many high school and graduate students. To achieve the perfect culinary training you need both practical and theoretical knowledge. It is therefore almost impossible to obtain a degree in this career path online. However, there are a number of culinary arts institutes providing both on hand and theoretical training in culinary skills. The hospitality industry is on a high and the demand for culinary experts seems to be on the rise. Career options in this field could range from being a chef, a cook or even working in some high administrative post in a food setup.

This career option is not just limited to one particular sex and is now seeing an increased interest from both men and women. The field has a huge scope for letting you demonstrate your creative skills. There has been a marked increase in the number of new restaurant chains and other food establishments all over the world. This is evident not only in the primary tourist destinations but in almost every metropolitan city of the globe. These establishments are looking for individuals who are brimming full of culinary skills.

You will never find a career in the culinary arts boring because there are several different career options available within the industry. You have the option to become a chef, baker, or restaurant manager. After a few years in the industry you can even become a restaurant owner. There is also the option to work as a private chef to the rich and famous. Whether it is a cruise liner or a restaurant, a hospital or an education establishment, there will always be jobs available in this industry. Superior knowledge in any of these fields can also take you higher up in the industry.

The demand for persons trained in the culinary arts is huge and the supply is still bleak. The culinary arts career is one of the fastest growing industries today. Not surprisingly, it is an industry in which you can earn a good salary. If you have dreamed or thought of becoming a chef, there is no need to hesitate any longer. Get enrolled in a good culinary arts class and you will definitely be on your way to a rewarding career.

Number Tracking for Commercial Real Estate Brokers

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In commercial real estate brokerage you will be working with property sellers in a variety of ways. The property types and the market conditions will all influence the ways that you can help the sellers with their property challenges. To do this correctly you must know your ‘numbers’ from the market and in your town or city.

There are two sets of numbers to watch. Firstly, watch the numbers that are relevant to the sellers and property owners needing to make a sale. The main ones are:

  • Properties sold by category (office, industrial, retail)
  • Properties sold by volume
  • Price averages by property type and sale
  • Time on market for all types
  • The level of inbound enquiry for the property type
  • The types of improvements that are attractive to buyers today
  • Competing listings on the market today in the location
  • Price per unit of area (improved property)
  • Price per parcel of vacant land
  • Location based sales
  • The supply and demand for local commercial, retail, and industrial property

All of these numbers will give you valuable trends in market activity. Those numbers can then be used in presentations and proposals so that clients can understand the market. They can also understand how to confidently take their property forward into a marketing campaign with the right target audience.

The second group of numbers to watch will be relevant to your agency business and brokerage. Those numbers will show you how you are tracking with market share, listing activity, and conversions.

Here are some of the categories to monitor:

  • The number of exclusive listings that you are converting on a weekly basis
  • The number of open listings on your books currently
  • Seasonal sales activity that applies to the territory and the region
  • Completed transactions for exclusive listings vs. open listings
  • The amount of inspections being undertaken per property and by listing type
  • The levels of inbound enquiry for each marketing campaign
  • The best methods of marketing that apply to enquiry creation

When you understand the numbers, you have something to work with. You can see where the trends and the shifts are occurring with property enquiry and buyer activity.

A top salesperson will usually have a selection of numbers to back up their recommendations and strategies to the clients that they serve. In any period of 12 months, the market will change and the numbers will show that. You can then make the appropriate adjustments to improve your commissions and your listings. You can also help your clients find the buyers that they are looking for.

Why You Should Tap Into Local Search, A Real Internet Marketing Opportunity

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Local Search Internet Marketing: Google is placing a massive emphasis on local search internet marketing. The current ‘analysts’ view is that 30 – 40 % of searches are now locally based and that this figure is expected to continue to grow.

People and businesses are actually beginning to be seriously turned off by talking or dealing with people in far off places. The classic example of that scenario is when call centres are located in other countries and often the ‘language barrier’ became a real problem. Some very large British businesses have had to rethink their approach in this area as it was becoming a real issue for their customers.

Now this issue can be applied to many businesses as people seem to be coming ‘back to local’. The internet has been absolutely great, that cannot be underestimated, for opening up a world of opportunity to easily contact and do business with people in far flung places. What is interesting though is that people like meeting people and that’s very unlikely to ever change. It’s almost like it’s come full circle!!!!

With all the technology that underpins the internet and the endless opportunities it can present the real interesting thing now is that the internet is taking on a real local aspect. Just as you can search for and locate something or somebody on the other side of the world you can also reach-out locally to the people and businesses that you really want to meet, develop business partnerships and a whole realm of other reasons to make contact.

  • From a local search internet marketing perspective, what does this mean for your business?
  • What opportunities could it open up for your business if you really get on board with local search internet marketing?
  • How do you take the bull by the horns and embrace local search internet marketing to really develop and enhance your business?

Essentially a lot of the hot topics like social networking at a base level are in fact nothing new. When you add technology to the mix though it has enabled things to happen on a scale never seen before, and this can be achieved with much greater speed and efficiency. Internet marketing in general can be a mine-field make no mistake, local search is a part of that, but if you use the tools and technology effectively it can open up a whole new world of opportunity BUT it has to be relevant to your business.

Internet Marketing and Local Search are most definitely not a one size fits all!

If an internet marketing consultant is trying to sell you a default list of offerings you need to ask them to justify why they are all needed. A local search campaign that works for a particular local business may not be particularly relevant to another. The other issue, particularly for smaller businesses new to internet marketing, is the danger that they ‘bite off more than they can chew’.

I generally recommend a staged approach as it enables a business to make informed decisions based upon the relevant data and move to the next stage. The key to successful internet marketing is all about understanding what is working and what needs to be tweaked, fine tuned, adjusted etc.

With the right approach and guidance make no mistake, you could be Googling, Tweeting and Facebooking to a new level.

Key considerations and actions:

  • Get listed locally – Google, Yahoo, Bing, directories, web-site local optimisation.
  • Optimise directory listings for local search.
  • Tweet and Facebook from a local search internet marketing perspective.

Permalink: http://www.just-it-consulting.co.uk/blog/internet-marketing/local-search-internet-marketing

Technology Management MBA – Curriculum & Tips to Choose the Right MBA Program

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Whether you plan to enter a master’s program right after college or you plan to return to school after years in the industry, choosing a technology management MBA program is the first step in securing your financial future. In addition to competitive salaries, this career field promises to offer stability, growth, and versatility.

Technology managers hold roughly 293,000 positions in the technology industry. During the next eight years, the workforce is expected to grow by 17%. This means technology management MBA graduates will have an opportunity to compete for more than 50,000 positions in the coming years.

According to JIST Works, earnings growth potential is expected to be “medium” and salaries will vary by industry. For example, technology managers in scientific & technical consulting services average $124,100 per year, while research & development professionals average $120,070 per year.

To start a career in technology management, you should enroll in an accredited technology management MBA program. You can earn your MBA in a traditional or online environment. Most MBA students work in the field, full-time. The flexibility and convenience of an online program allows students to keep their full-time jobs while earning a degree at night, on weekends, or just about anytime.

A large number of traditional colleges offer all or part of the MBA degree program online. All you have to do is check the school’s online division or check with the distance learning department. There are also a number of non-traditional colleges and universities that operate (for the most part) in an online environment. For the aspiring technology manager, online business schools, as well as traditional schools offer MBA programs with concentrations in operations management, human resources, labor relations, finance, and more. Information about where to find online business schools can be found at the end of this article.

Whichever format you choose, there are a number of things to look for in a quality technology management MBA program. First, the program must be accredited. The accrediting agency must be recognized by the U.S. Department of Education (Ed.gov). The top accrediting agencies for business schools include:

-Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business (AACSB)
-Association of Collegiate Business Schools and Programs (ACBSP)
-Council for Higher Education Accreditation (CHEA)
-Distance Education and Training Council (DETC)

You may also look for accreditation by a regional accrediting agencies. The following are recognized by the U.S. Department of Education as well:

-Western Association of Schools and Colleges
-Southern Association of Colleges and Schools
-Northwest Commission on Colleges and Universities
-North Central Association of Colleges and Schools
-New England Association of Schools and Colleges
-Middle States Association of Colleges and Schools

In addition to accreditation, you should examine the technology management curriculum carefully. In addition to technology and information systems, the curriculum should include advanced courses in economics, finance, accounting, business strategy, marketing management, human resources, statistics, manufacturing and production, and operations management. Major courses should include:

-Analyzing the Corporate Financial Environment of Technology-Driven-Companies
-Data and Information Quality for the Information Executive
-Decision Making Tools for the Technology Manager
-Enterprise Information Modeling
-Global Aspects of Technology Management
-Information Systems Policy
-Leadership and Organizational Behavior
-Managing Organizational Change
-Managing Technology Projects and Operations
-Marketing Foundations for Technology Managers
-Strategic Technology Management
-Systems and Information Concepts in Organizations

When it comes to admissions, getting past the front door at top colleges is tough.

Admissions requirements for top universities include transcripts from all institutions attended, a B average or better, high scores on the graduate record examination (GRE), and recommendation letters. The school should also require a statement of purpose or essay and other supporting materials that demonstrate leadership ability and the desire to succeed. It is important to note that competition for MBA programs is intense. Average GRE scores for top MBA programs range from 529-626 (verbal) and 700-773 (quantitative),

When you are ready to begin your search for a online MBA program or campus-based program, visit Princeton Review online to browse rankings and ratings. You may also use Bing, Ask or Google if you have time to review dozens (if not hundreds) of results. Good luck!

Top 7 Tips for Consolidating Your Student Loans

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Federal student loan consolidation is a re-financing program that allows you to
combine all of your existing federal student loans into one new single loan.

There are no application fees, credit checks, or cosigners required for a
student loan consolidation. Benefits of consolidation include:

1. Lower monthly payments.

Student loan consolidation provides a longer repayment term, which in turn
lowers your monthly payment. This will free-up more money to use for other
expenses such as rent or mortgage payments, food and car expenses, utility
expenses, and credit card payments. Depending on your total balance, you
could reduce your monthly payments up to 53%. Because there are no penalties
for early or extra repayment, you can make larger payments when it becomes
affordable to.

2. Lock in a low fixed interest rate.

Currently, unconsolidated federal student
loans have a variable interest rate which changes each year on July 1st based
on the Treasury bill. By consolidating your student loans, you can lock in a fixed
interest rate for the life of your loan.

3. Customize a payment plan.

By consolidating your student loans, you’ll have the opportunity to choose a payment plan that best fits your current income level. Plans such as the Graduated Repayment Plan start out for the first
several years as a lower interest only payment, and then increase to a level repayment plan. This plan is helpful for those who need payment relief right out of school, while they look for a job and get established.

4. One payment per month.

By consolidating, you eliminate the need to make multiple monthly payments to each of your federal lenders. With all of your loans combined, you will only need to write one check each month. Plus, if you opt for automatic checking account withdrawal, not only will payment be simple, you’ll also save .25% on your interest rate.

5. Maintain your deferment and interest subsidy benefits.

Because federal student loan consolidation is simply a new federal loan, you will
not lose your loan deferment and forbearance benefits. Additionally, you will
maintain your interest subsidy benefits on any subsidized FFELP or subsidized Direct loans that you consolidate.

6. Help your credit.

Consolidation takes all of your existing federal student loans, pays them off in full, and combines them into one new loan. Instead of having multiple open loans with limited payment history, you will have just one loan. Your older student loans will be listed as paid in full. In a nutshell, consolidation helps eliminate
open lines of credit.

7. Borrower benefits.

Consolidation offers cash saving borrower benefits for timely, automatic payments. You can reduce your interest rate by an additional .25% just by having your payments deducted from your checking account, and an additional 1.00% reduction for certain loan balance sizes, after making 36 on-time payments.

When should you consolidate?
You can consolidate during your grace period or during loan repayment. Your grace period is a six month no-payment window after you graduate or drop below half-time enrollment, before your loans go into repayment. Consolidating during your grace period provides the added benefit of a .6% discount once your consolidation is complete. Because your interest rate is locked, the .6% discount remains for the entire term of repayment. Additionally, apply before July 1st, 2007 – interest rates are expected to increase, so take advantage of this year’s lower rates.

For more frequently asked questions, visit:

http://www.studentloanconsolidator.com/consolidation/faq.shtml

Federal Loans Eligible for Student Loan Consolidation
Here is a list of federal loans that are eligible for student loan consolidation:

1. Stafford Loans

2. Perkins Loans

3. Federal Direct Loans

4. Federal Parent Loans for Undergraduate Students (PLUS)

5. Federal Grad PLUS Loans

6. Federal Supplemental Loans for Students (SLS)

7. Federally Insured Student Loans (FISL)

8. National Direct Student Loans (NDSL)

9. Loans for Disadvantaged Students (LDS)

10. Auxiliary Loan to Assist Students (ALAS)

11. Health Education Assistance Loan (HEAL)

To apply online, visit http://www.studentloanconsolidator.com/apply

Money Saving Solutions When Home Schooling

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Homeschooling your child can be expensive or it can be less than what it cost you to pay to send your child to school once you factor in all the extra money it will cost to send your child to school, with the school lunches, clothing and other incidentals. It is totally up to you on how much you spend on your children to home school them. What are some ways that you can reduce the cost to purchase curriculum for your children and school them at home?

Buy Used Curriculum:

You can buy used text books for your children and work from them. You can find used books many places online such as Amazon, Online Auctions and other sites that offer used textbooks. You can save up to 50% and more on books. The used books may not be the most current year of the publication, not much have changed year to year with the material that you are teaching. You will be teaching the same material that you learned in school.

Use Online Resources:

You can find many things online for your home school that you can print and use only costing you the price of the paper and ink. The good thing about using worksheets online is that you can print off as many as you need as often as you need them. Since you will only be printing off the ones that you need, there is no need to purchase a full book of worksheets that you won’t need or use most of them.

Your Library Card:

The library will be your best cost-saving solution. You will be able to go there and get reading material, use the computer if you don’t have one at home, and have a massive amount of research material for reports and projects. Your children will be able to learn to research and meet with other home school children while there during the day. The library has many resources such as DVD rentals that offer many educational show that you can make part of your curriculum.

You can educate your children inexpensively and still give them a great education. There are many great money saving solutions and free worksheets that you can find and use as part of your schooling needs.

Successful Ways Of Achieving Your Project Management Objectives With A Management Consultant

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Project management is the achievement of goals and objectives within the preexisting constraints. No matter how many approaches or studies one undertakes, there are many project management strategies to study. Project management changes with the achievement of different goals and strategies. This is very essential to understand, as some approaches to achieving goals and objectives are different from other goals and objectives. In other words, a strategy that may work for one company, may not work for another company.

What are the typical constraints to the project manager?

A project manager needs to understand the limitations under which he/ she is expected to work. He/ she should be aware of all possible constraints from the top level to the bottom. Typical constraints encountered are:

  • Time: Project management professionals ideally are managers of time. They need to understand the success of tasks within the given time frame or duration of the project. Any project delays could only mean a loss of valuable time, assets, resources and money. It gets extremely difficult to re-evaluate project delays and they can never be justified for the sake of lack of time.
  • Budget: Budget constraints or financial constraints sometimes go hand in hand with time constraints. For the longer the project takes, the longer the manager spends on resources and equipment. Apart from delays in project deadlines, the major constraints posed by budget are the inability to add other goals and objectives. It is often ideal for the project manager to finish the existing goals and objectives of the project before moving on to others.
  • Scope: The scope of the project entails the entire time and budget aspect of the project. Once, the outlines scope of the project with the other parties involved in the success of the project, he/ she will be able to outline the time and budget for completing the project.

They usually conducts an analysis of all the three constraints with the other parties involved in the completion of the project. Project management involves the inclusion of parties such as interdepartmental managers, vendors or clients. For the success of any outlined project, it is advised to hire a management consultant to study the time, budget and scope of the project.

Benefits of Hiring a Project management Consultant

A project management consultant is the best person to study the given goals and objectives within the preexisting constraints. This consultant will be able to give an all-round view of the scope, time and budget of the project.

A management consultant will have the sole objective of ensuring that the project complies with the goals and objectives of the company. He/ she will study the best and unique approach for the company and not that is generally practiced. There are other benefits that can be derived from hiring a management consultant. These are:

  • Analyzing successful routes or approaches for project execution through the planning and design.
  • Implementing international strategies and standards to existing processes
  • Restructuring the existing systems
  • Success in the project execution
  • Ensuring strict and timely monitoring and control
  • Assisting the top management for achieving the goals and objectives of the company
  • Ensuring complete success of the company’s goals and objectives

Apart from these essential qualities of project management consultants, they have the ability to guide the top management on strategy management. As he/ she has studied the successes and failures of other organizations in project management, the management consultant will be the ideal person to guide the project manager.

Guidelines For Eco-Friendly Promotional Products: Clothing And Accessories

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Promotional items are products that are utilized from a business especially as gifts and their use would be to expose the firm logo, the brand name or advertise an unique or new product that the company launches.

There are many everyday products that may be utilized as advertisement with a broad range from apparel and accessories to every product we use inside the house. Companies favor logo polo shirts since they can bring the perfect outcomes since people can wear them and promote the organization with no effort.

A single thing that a firm will need to also consider when choosing a product which will be employed as promotional item is that except of the usefulness that will bring exposure, the item ought to also create value. So it should be a product which is rare or some thing men and women want or a thing of excellent high quality. 1 trend that includes these features is eco-friendly products. Eco-friendly goods is often clothing or fashion accessories.

Eco-friendly is about two things. First the products are produced of fabrics which can be organic and second that the course of the production doesn’t harm the nature. Both these characteristics make the product special to the eyes of the customer.

Eco-friendly shirts are often created of natural fibers from corn and bamboo. The final product is quite strong when washed, has a nice fitting and one of the characteristics is that it’s very soft towards the skin. This adds the luxurious touch. It really is also a really good choice for people who endure from skin allergic reactions or are very sensitive to other fabrics.

The truth that their manufacturer is friendly to nature can mean a lot of things. In some cases it indicates that natural colors are used, in other case that there’s no animal testing that’s involved or that you’ll find no chemicals produced which are left to the environment. It could also include the fact that the product might be recycled or that it dissolves easily in nature.

Eco-friendly products and solutions are always popular and typically applied as promotional items. You’ll be able to have t-shirts, sweatshirts, golf shirts and naturally hats and fashion accessories. You are able to have many diverse types in these categories and also you can also make them personalized as any other product. The procedure is the very same and no special order is required as companies that sell promotional merchandise have them in their catalogs.

Pick your eco-friendly product to have the top benefits a corporation can get with a promotional item. Add it within your catalog or give it as a surprise to your customers. They are going to certainly be thankful for the truth that your business pays attention to these things. This may add value to your corporation and develop a beneficial profile. You are going to also manage to create a product that will probably be loved and develop into certainly one of the favorite for everybody. You also must know that other persons will desire to gather information about your business.

How Laughter Helps in Stress Management

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Everyone is probably familiar with the saying, “Laughter is the best medicine.” Whether one has encountered it while reading a magazine or have heard it said by someone else, we find ourselves to readily agree with this without thinking just how it supposed to heal.

In the area of stress management, studies have shown just how laughter can help in easing away tension and negative thoughts. At the physiological level, laughter affects the levels of hormones that our bodies produce. It increases the “happy hormone” called endorphin while decreasing the levels of stress-triggering hormones such as cortisol, dopamine and epinephrine.

In terms of physical effects that we can readily observe, the act of laughing will lead to relaxation and a feeling of release. While laughing, the diaphragm, abdominal muscles, and shoulder muscles get exercised. After laughing, one immediately feels relaxed. On the emotional aspect, there is a feeling of a general sense of well-being.

Having a good clean laugh will also have an observable effect in one’s immediate surroundings. Perhaps this is the only medicine that is contagious. When you laugh, the people around you join in. Each of the participants then symbiotically elevates each other’s moods, thereby reducing each other’s stress levels.

Finallly, being pre-disposed to laughter indicates that one has a good sense of humor. Having a sense of humor definitely improves one’s reactions to stressful events. Instead of being stressed right away, difficult situations are seen as challenges. This takes the focus away from negative thoughts and emotions.

It is not difficult to find reasons to laugh. Sometimes one can even laugh for no reason. Simple things like watching funny movies or comedic television shows can already induce a few moments of laughter. Going out with friends and connecting with other people are even better ways of attracting moments of laughter.

How to Build Your MLM Business Online?

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You see, the main problem with most MLM/ network marketing companies is that they are teaching all the wrong things. More than likely you have dealt with these following poor recommendations:

1. Make a warm contact list – friends, family, coworkers, associates, anybody you know whom you think would be ‘good’ for the business.
2. Pass out pamphlets and business cards
3. Purchase leads
4. Cold call
5. Hold house meetings
6. Send people to your replicated web site
7. The list goes on and on

Why this stuff doesn’t work..

The reason why the above recommendations do not work is because these people you are targeting are not actively ‘looking’ for what you have to offer. As much as the idea of owning your own business and residual income seems totally logical to you, this may not be the case for everybody else.

Your best bet with building your business is to attract the right people for your business to you. You only want the most qualified people joining you right? This can all be accomplished using the internet. Imagine, for a second, if you were being sought out by people who wanted to know more about what you had to offer, rather than you trying to talk to virtually everyone. How much easier would it be to grow your business and have the right kind of people working with you? Don’t you think you would have more success this way? Of course you would! The internet allows you to do this.

How do you build your MLM business online?

It’s really all about positioning. Using the various technologies, tools and resources of the internet you can position yourself in a way that you ‘attract’ only the qualified people you are looking for.

Where do you start? This is always a popular question when people first come online. There is no right or wrong answer considering your amount of computer experience. Some skills that are required to market online would be:

1. web site design
2. copy writing
3. marketing
4. various others

If these seem foreign to you, don’t worry. There are people and systems in place that allow you to plug in without having to learn things like web site design or anything else that seems too complicated. Two of the most important skills that you will want to learn, though, would be marketing and copy writing. Copy writing is the ability for you to convey your message and get people to take action through the use text on a web site. Marketing encompasses many different forms and there are tons when you use the internet.

Some examples of marketing on the internet include:

1. pay-per-click PPC
2. banners
3. blogging
4. writing articles
5. writing press releases
6. classifieds
7. social media (YouTube, Facebook, Twitter, etc.)
8. plus many others

You see there is quite a multitude of ways you can get your message across using the internet. So how do you do it in order to build your MLM business?

The blueprint

Instead of marketing and talking about your company or products you market yourself. You convey to others that you can help them. People are really searching for other people. They don’t join companies they join people. People want to find other people that can help show them how to make money. It’s as simple as that.

So what you do online is market you and nothing else. You place your company and products on the back end. Your front end could include affiliate products that could help people or maybe you could create your own informational product.

If all of this seems too hard at first, just find someone to help you and learn from them. No sense in reinventing the wheel. Best of luck.