Friday, May 19, 2017
3rd International Conference on Accounting, Management and Innovation in Business
We are pleased to announce the Call for Papers for the 3rd International Conference on Accounting, Management and Innovation in Business, Graz, Austria, May 31st. The 2017 Conference is jointly organized by FH JOANNEUM University of Applied Sciences, Austria and California Lutheran University, California, U.S.A. The place where distinguished scholars and businessmen get together from all over the globe.
For more information regarding the conferences, use the links below to explore our conference websites.
http://icamib2017.com/
Enquiries: Dr.Ali Dehghan
ali.dehghan@pepperdine.edu
For more information regarding the conferences, use the links below to explore our conference websites.
http://icamib2017.com/
Enquiries: Dr.Ali Dehghan
ali.dehghan@pepperdine.edu
Thursday, May 18, 2017
Global Awareness Fosters International Expansion
Companies that desire to compete on a global scale should learn to develop intellectual abilities beyond the capacities of most domestic businesses. Managers with global knowledge are a highly sought after commodity during this expansion process. American employees often lack international exposure due to limited travel and overseas assignments. Without this knowledge recruiting managers sometimes find that they must rely on immigrants and new comers to society to support their international operations. Consider research on what pressures are likely to push companies to expand internationally in the Journal of International Business Studies (Dastidar, 2009):
1. Companies with high technology and/or marketing based resources.
2. Small home markets with higher production capacity.
3. Managers with global knowledge and experience that can accelerate the process.
Global awareness and knowledge are necessary components to competitiveness and if businesses forgo learning or recruiting this knowledge they may not be aware of international opportunities or how to capitalize on them appropriately. Poor attempts to further overseas expansion investments could waste precious resources.
While businesses need technology, marketing, and higher production capacity to expand overseas they won't be able to effectively do it without proper guidance. Having the necessary resources and capacities is one thing but knowing how to do it is another. However, the major intellectual capital component is employees and managers with international business knowledge. They are the workers that experienced global operations, understand different market segments, and have a systematic way of handling far reaching operations.
Protiti Dastidar, “International Corporate Diversification and Performance: Does Firm Self-Selection Matter?” Journal of International Business Studies 40, no. 1 (2009), pp. 71–85.
1. Companies with high technology and/or marketing based resources.
2. Small home markets with higher production capacity.
3. Managers with global knowledge and experience that can accelerate the process.
Global awareness and knowledge are necessary components to competitiveness and if businesses forgo learning or recruiting this knowledge they may not be aware of international opportunities or how to capitalize on them appropriately. Poor attempts to further overseas expansion investments could waste precious resources.
While businesses need technology, marketing, and higher production capacity to expand overseas they won't be able to effectively do it without proper guidance. Having the necessary resources and capacities is one thing but knowing how to do it is another. However, the major intellectual capital component is employees and managers with international business knowledge. They are the workers that experienced global operations, understand different market segments, and have a systematic way of handling far reaching operations.
Protiti Dastidar, “International Corporate Diversification and Performance: Does Firm Self-Selection Matter?” Journal of International Business Studies 40, no. 1 (2009), pp. 71–85.
Friday, May 12, 2017
May 8th, 2017 Gladstone City Commission Meeting: Parks and North Shore Lakefront Development
The Gladstone Park-n-Rec expenses and the North Shore Lakefront Development Project were center stage in the May 8th, 2017 City Commission Meeting. Occurring the 2nd and 4th Monday of the month at the Commission Chambers at 1100 Delta Avenue at 7:00PM. Two important public interest topics were raised. While smaller issues arose the primary purpose is to raise awareness of the "big ticket" items. You may find more information here.
Park-n-Rec Costs/Profits
Discussion over costs and benefits were proposed. The total expense over the past year was $735K. When approximately $609K in profits were subtracted it led to a $126K deficit. However, this deficit is considered smaller than previous years and costs approximately $43 dollars per person.
There are a number of factors that influence park usage and could have an impact on budgets. Parks must have neighborhood accessibility and walkability in order to improve the overall number of visitors (Van Dyke, et. al. 2013). Another factor that influences park usage is neighborhood income. However, people who use the parks a lot are not from the highest income brackets.
While direct income and expenses seem very high you will notice that parks increase the overall value of homes located in close proximity. This increased value impacts how well the houses are maintained as well as the tax income derived from these houses. A small deficit in spending doesn't necessarily take into effect city tax increases on house value.
North Shore Lakefront Development Project: There will be a community presentation on June 5th at 6PM at the Yacht Club for those interested in seeing potential development in the area. Food and entertainment will be provided. There is some discussion on developing the shore area with mixed use with housing and retail. You can read more about the North Shore Lakefront Development Project Here.
Waterfront development can have a major impact on smaller towns like Gladstone. According to a research study in Environments, the waterfront should be clean, green, accessible, connected, diverse, usable, affordable and attractive (Barrett, 1996). They are spaces for commerce and the community activities that fit within the natural landscape.
The goal should be to attract people to the area and encourage appropriate commercial and recreational activities that lead to the financial and social health of the community. When developed properly they will often create greater attraction for the city and encourage new businesses and investments in the area that raises its appeal.
Barrett, S. (1996). Everything is connected to everything else: Toronto and the waterfronts, shores and coasts of the Great Lakes. Environments, 24 (1).
Van Dyck, et. al. (2013). Associations of neighborhood characteristics with active park use: an observational study in two cities in the USA and Belgium. International Journal of Health Geographics, 12 (26).
Park-n-Rec Costs/Profits
Discussion over costs and benefits were proposed. The total expense over the past year was $735K. When approximately $609K in profits were subtracted it led to a $126K deficit. However, this deficit is considered smaller than previous years and costs approximately $43 dollars per person.
There are a number of factors that influence park usage and could have an impact on budgets. Parks must have neighborhood accessibility and walkability in order to improve the overall number of visitors (Van Dyke, et. al. 2013). Another factor that influences park usage is neighborhood income. However, people who use the parks a lot are not from the highest income brackets.
While direct income and expenses seem very high you will notice that parks increase the overall value of homes located in close proximity. This increased value impacts how well the houses are maintained as well as the tax income derived from these houses. A small deficit in spending doesn't necessarily take into effect city tax increases on house value.
North Shore Lakefront Development Project: There will be a community presentation on June 5th at 6PM at the Yacht Club for those interested in seeing potential development in the area. Food and entertainment will be provided. There is some discussion on developing the shore area with mixed use with housing and retail. You can read more about the North Shore Lakefront Development Project Here.
Waterfront development can have a major impact on smaller towns like Gladstone. According to a research study in Environments, the waterfront should be clean, green, accessible, connected, diverse, usable, affordable and attractive (Barrett, 1996). They are spaces for commerce and the community activities that fit within the natural landscape.
The goal should be to attract people to the area and encourage appropriate commercial and recreational activities that lead to the financial and social health of the community. When developed properly they will often create greater attraction for the city and encourage new businesses and investments in the area that raises its appeal.
Barrett, S. (1996). Everything is connected to everything else: Toronto and the waterfronts, shores and coasts of the Great Lakes. Environments, 24 (1).
Van Dyck, et. al. (2013). Associations of neighborhood characteristics with active park use: an observational study in two cities in the USA and Belgium. International Journal of Health Geographics, 12 (26).
Wednesday, May 10, 2017
Turn Your Old Table Into an Antique Table
Step 1: Lightly sand the surfaces to ensure the paint will stick.
Step 2: Paint with one coat of color such as red, blue, green, etc...
Step 3: When the first layer has dried paint with another color to create two coats of different colors.
Step 4: Lightly sand to show some wear and tear. The bottom color should come through and it is ok if the wood comes through as well.
Step 5: Spray the entire piece with a sealant that will protect the wood.
Michigan State University Director, NCI
Position Announcement
Director, NCI
Michigan State University School of Planning, Design, and Construction
MSU Extension, Greening Michigan Institute
Michigan State University’s School of Planning, Design, and Construction (SPDC) and MSU Extension seek a Director for their NCI unit. The position is 100% funded by MSU Extension through its Greening Michigan Institute.
Formerly known as the National Charrette Institute, NCI recently moved from independent non-profit status to a unit supported by MSU Extension and fully integrated within SPDC on the main campus at Michigan State University. Based in a landscape architecture/urban planning tradition, NCI is currently focused on non-credit training and developing collaboration by design process techniques to address pressing social problems, with focus on urban and regional issues. With its long history as an independent non-profit, NCI brings nationally recognized training curricula and hands-on community-based procedures along with its established networks.
The NCI Director is charged with fully integrating the new unit into MSU systems and expanding the depth and scope of NCI offerings by leveraging its new location within a top-100 university with strong state, national and international linkages in partnership with MSU Extension professionals, SPDC faculty, and others. At the same time, the Director is expected to maintain NCI’s current offerings and participate in delivery of those offerings, while creating opportunities for others in the MSU system to develop their skills and contribute to new and ongoing NCI initiatives. The Director is expected to be a dynamic, entrepreneurial individual able to relate easily to people from many different backgrounds to build teams to achieve common goals. The Director should take a practical approach with design, planning, or construction and be able to see the opportunities and work through the challenges of interdisciplinary relationships. The Director will balance the many competing goals of NCI in a fast-paced setting.
This is an Academic Specialist-Outreach position with a fixed-term three-year appointment, with reappointment possible based on performance and budget. This is a full-time, annual year (12-month) appointment. Duties will be 70% Outreach, 20% Curriculum Development and 10% Administration.
The MSU School of Planning, Design, and Construction is a global leader in uniting academic programs related to the built environment: Construction Management, Interior Design, Landscape Architecture, and Urban and Regional Planning, providing an excellent work environment for 43 faculty and academic specialists and 8 staff members. The School offers eight degree pathways to career success ranging from Bachelors to PhD – including 5 professionally accredited degrees with over 350 undergraduate and 50 graduate students. The School reports to the Colleges of Agriculture & Natural Resources and Social Science.
The School also hosts two semi-autonomous institutes: The Land Policy Institute and NCI. The School collaborates closely with other units of the University, such as the Center for Community and Economic Development, and the Departments of Civil and Environmental Engineering, Community Sustainability, and Geography, Environment, and Spatial Sciences.
The mission of the School is leading the integration of planning, design and construction to create a sustainable built and natural environment that enriches communities, economic and family life, through leadership, entrepreneurial creativity, social responsibility, cultural relevance and environmentally sustainable planning and policy. Please refer to the School’s homepage available at: http://www.spdc.msu.edu/.
MSU Extension helps people improve their lives by bringing the vast knowledge resources of MSU directly to individuals, communities and businesses. For more than 100 years, MSU Extension has helped grow Michigan’s economy by equipping Michigan residents with the information that they need to do their jobs better, raise healthy and safe families, build their communities and empower our children to dream of a successful future. MSU Extension includes staff in county offices throughout Michigan and on the MSU East Lansing campus. Please refer to MSU Extension’s homepage available at: http://msue.anr.msu.edu/.
Within MSU Extension, the NCI is expected to coordinate closely with programs and personnel in MSU Extension’s Greening Michigan Institute, a unit focused on sustaining and improving Michigan’s communities and natural resource systems.
Required Qualifications
Master’s degree in a discipline related to community development, design, or urban planning.
Direct experience participating in community design charrettes or related design processes
Fluent written and spoken English; excellent public speaking ability.
Ability to drive a car.
Desired Qualifications
A background in community planning or design is desirable.
Experience leading community design charrettes.
Experience in community or university settings.
Private sector planning or design experience.
PhD in a discipline related to community development, design, or urban planning.
Experience supervising or mentoring staff, students and volunteers.
Evidence of ability to foster collaboration and where necessary resolve disputes through charrettes.
Evidence of commitment to diversity.
Curriculum development, especially in adult-learner settings.
Securing and executing grants and contracts.
Energetic and creative leadership.
Ability to manage budgets, fiscal and annual reporting to on and off-campus entities.
Evidence of entrepreneurial experience.
Evidence of ability to design, execute, monitor and report on programs and initiatives.
Primary reporting will be to Director of School of Planning, Design and Construction. Salary dependent on qualifications.
The School of Planning, Design and Construction and Michigan State University Extension are committed to achieving excellence by creating and sustaining an accessible and inclusive culture that values cultural and academic diversity. We are an equal opportunity / affirmative action employer. We are particularly interested in candidates of all backgrounds who are committed to the principle that academic excellence is achieved through open access and proactive inclusion.
Qualified applicants should submit a) current resume/CV, b) a cover letter describing your leadership experience and philosophical approaches related to community development and achieving a culture of diversity and inclusion, and c) names and contact information for up to three professional references. Apply for Posting #432559 at http://careers.msu.edu/cw/en-us/listing/.
Contact for administrative inquiries: Mary Beth Graebert, email: lakemary@msu.edu. For position-related questions, contact the search committee chair, Pat Crawford, email: crawf203@anr.msu.edu. Formal review of applications will begin June 12, 2017, and the search will remain open until the Director position is filled. The preferred starting date for the successful candidate is September 1, 2017.
Director, NCI
Michigan State University School of Planning, Design, and Construction
MSU Extension, Greening Michigan Institute
Michigan State University’s School of Planning, Design, and Construction (SPDC) and MSU Extension seek a Director for their NCI unit. The position is 100% funded by MSU Extension through its Greening Michigan Institute.
Formerly known as the National Charrette Institute, NCI recently moved from independent non-profit status to a unit supported by MSU Extension and fully integrated within SPDC on the main campus at Michigan State University. Based in a landscape architecture/urban planning tradition, NCI is currently focused on non-credit training and developing collaboration by design process techniques to address pressing social problems, with focus on urban and regional issues. With its long history as an independent non-profit, NCI brings nationally recognized training curricula and hands-on community-based procedures along with its established networks.
The NCI Director is charged with fully integrating the new unit into MSU systems and expanding the depth and scope of NCI offerings by leveraging its new location within a top-100 university with strong state, national and international linkages in partnership with MSU Extension professionals, SPDC faculty, and others. At the same time, the Director is expected to maintain NCI’s current offerings and participate in delivery of those offerings, while creating opportunities for others in the MSU system to develop their skills and contribute to new and ongoing NCI initiatives. The Director is expected to be a dynamic, entrepreneurial individual able to relate easily to people from many different backgrounds to build teams to achieve common goals. The Director should take a practical approach with design, planning, or construction and be able to see the opportunities and work through the challenges of interdisciplinary relationships. The Director will balance the many competing goals of NCI in a fast-paced setting.
This is an Academic Specialist-Outreach position with a fixed-term three-year appointment, with reappointment possible based on performance and budget. This is a full-time, annual year (12-month) appointment. Duties will be 70% Outreach, 20% Curriculum Development and 10% Administration.
The MSU School of Planning, Design, and Construction is a global leader in uniting academic programs related to the built environment: Construction Management, Interior Design, Landscape Architecture, and Urban and Regional Planning, providing an excellent work environment for 43 faculty and academic specialists and 8 staff members. The School offers eight degree pathways to career success ranging from Bachelors to PhD – including 5 professionally accredited degrees with over 350 undergraduate and 50 graduate students. The School reports to the Colleges of Agriculture & Natural Resources and Social Science.
The School also hosts two semi-autonomous institutes: The Land Policy Institute and NCI. The School collaborates closely with other units of the University, such as the Center for Community and Economic Development, and the Departments of Civil and Environmental Engineering, Community Sustainability, and Geography, Environment, and Spatial Sciences.
The mission of the School is leading the integration of planning, design and construction to create a sustainable built and natural environment that enriches communities, economic and family life, through leadership, entrepreneurial creativity, social responsibility, cultural relevance and environmentally sustainable planning and policy. Please refer to the School’s homepage available at: http://www.spdc.msu.edu/.
MSU Extension helps people improve their lives by bringing the vast knowledge resources of MSU directly to individuals, communities and businesses. For more than 100 years, MSU Extension has helped grow Michigan’s economy by equipping Michigan residents with the information that they need to do their jobs better, raise healthy and safe families, build their communities and empower our children to dream of a successful future. MSU Extension includes staff in county offices throughout Michigan and on the MSU East Lansing campus. Please refer to MSU Extension’s homepage available at: http://msue.anr.msu.edu/.
Within MSU Extension, the NCI is expected to coordinate closely with programs and personnel in MSU Extension’s Greening Michigan Institute, a unit focused on sustaining and improving Michigan’s communities and natural resource systems.
Required Qualifications
Master’s degree in a discipline related to community development, design, or urban planning.
Direct experience participating in community design charrettes or related design processes
Fluent written and spoken English; excellent public speaking ability.
Ability to drive a car.
Desired Qualifications
A background in community planning or design is desirable.
Experience leading community design charrettes.
Experience in community or university settings.
Private sector planning or design experience.
PhD in a discipline related to community development, design, or urban planning.
Experience supervising or mentoring staff, students and volunteers.
Evidence of ability to foster collaboration and where necessary resolve disputes through charrettes.
Evidence of commitment to diversity.
Curriculum development, especially in adult-learner settings.
Securing and executing grants and contracts.
Energetic and creative leadership.
Ability to manage budgets, fiscal and annual reporting to on and off-campus entities.
Evidence of entrepreneurial experience.
Evidence of ability to design, execute, monitor and report on programs and initiatives.
Primary reporting will be to Director of School of Planning, Design and Construction. Salary dependent on qualifications.
The School of Planning, Design and Construction and Michigan State University Extension are committed to achieving excellence by creating and sustaining an accessible and inclusive culture that values cultural and academic diversity. We are an equal opportunity / affirmative action employer. We are particularly interested in candidates of all backgrounds who are committed to the principle that academic excellence is achieved through open access and proactive inclusion.
Qualified applicants should submit a) current resume/CV, b) a cover letter describing your leadership experience and philosophical approaches related to community development and achieving a culture of diversity and inclusion, and c) names and contact information for up to three professional references. Apply for Posting #432559 at http://careers.msu.edu/cw/en-us/listing/.
Contact for administrative inquiries: Mary Beth Graebert, email: lakemary@msu.edu. For position-related questions, contact the search committee chair, Pat Crawford, email: crawf203@anr.msu.edu. Formal review of applications will begin June 12, 2017, and the search will remain open until the Director position is filled. The preferred starting date for the successful candidate is September 1, 2017.
Tuesday, May 9, 2017
A Model That Moves Business Clusters to Collaborative Communities
Moving from a cluster to a collaborative community is possible under the right circumstances. There are advantages in doing so that include cost, risk, speed of products to market, flexibility, and economies of scale advantages. According to an article studying mining companies in Greenland published in the Journal of Organization Design it is possible to create these collaborative communities to the advantage of its members (Kadenic, 2017). Working closer together creates an additional advanced step in the development of an economic cluster.
According to the study, there is a model clusters can use to create greater collaboration. This includes ensuring that there are common resources, solid communication infrastructure, and appropriate protocol/rules among members.
Commons: The shared knowledge and resources that all of the actors of a cluster can use. You might think of human capital, natural resources, government grants, etc...
Infrastructure: While infrastructure in this case may take other forms it also relies heavily on communication infrastructure such as networks, file sharing, and other forms of close communication.
Protocol: The overall development of rules and agreements that help to create a collaborative environment through the reduction of opportunism in the relationships.
Before they can truly collaborate the right mindset must be developed that includes cognitive, social, geographical, and institutional similarities. As these companies exist in close proximity to each other they share characteristics that make them more likely to work together. When radically different business models and mindsets are at play they won't collaborate as much.
This model helps us understand that collaboration is possible even among businesses that were previously highly competitive. It will take time and effort for companies to see how collaboration will create a stronger sub-system of businesses that act at times as a similar unit. In international market competition having a wider network of businesses that have greater capabilities and capacities based on a centralized system of communication and collaboration can push them to work together and adapt. .
According to the study, there is a model clusters can use to create greater collaboration. This includes ensuring that there are common resources, solid communication infrastructure, and appropriate protocol/rules among members.
Commons: The shared knowledge and resources that all of the actors of a cluster can use. You might think of human capital, natural resources, government grants, etc...
Infrastructure: While infrastructure in this case may take other forms it also relies heavily on communication infrastructure such as networks, file sharing, and other forms of close communication.
Protocol: The overall development of rules and agreements that help to create a collaborative environment through the reduction of opportunism in the relationships.
Before they can truly collaborate the right mindset must be developed that includes cognitive, social, geographical, and institutional similarities. As these companies exist in close proximity to each other they share characteristics that make them more likely to work together. When radically different business models and mindsets are at play they won't collaborate as much.
Kadenic, M. (2017). Transitioning from an economic cluster to a collaborative community: mining projects in Greenland. Journal of Organization Design, 6 (1).
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