My Career Goals

                Today, I am currently of junior status at Baruch College. I plan to graduate with a BBA in accounting in May of 2014 and MS in accounting the following year. My first career goal is to develop a strong education with a 3.5 GPA. My second career goal is to successfully pass the CPA exam as well as the CMA exam. My third career goal is to successfully complete at least one internship at a facility that I would like to work at in the future as a full time employee. I also have the goal of receiving a job offer from an accounting firm on the west coast of the United States.

                I believe that persistence and honesty will deem me a strong applicant in the business world. I am always eager to learn and try until I succeed. I believe however that my tendency to rush and accomplish many things in a short time will prove to be a weakness. Working full-time, going to school full-time, being a member of a fire department, and maintaining a personal relationship while living on my own has definitely proved to be a difficult challenge. While it makes my life harder right now and does not allow me to put as much time as I would like in to each activity, I also believe it can prove to be strength over a lifetime by learning from it and working hard.

                In order to reach my goals and maintain my busy life, I make sure to keep track of my progress. I plan out my class schedule and what I can handle as far as coursework for the remainder of my education at Baruch College. I created a spreadsheet based on my visit with an undergraduate advisor that lists all the classes needed to graduate and then organize them in to a reasonable schedule for each remaining semester. As no classes are guaranteed, I continually update my spread sheet. I also have a spreadsheet with all my current classes and due dates for reading assignments and homework assignments so that I know how to prioritize my workload. I do my best to thoroughly understand the content of each class as we approach each subject to make sure that I am with familiar with everything in case I do not get the chance to study. To successfully pass the CPA exam as well as the CMA exam, I plan to enroll in workshops concluding the spring semester and start practicing exam questions as often as possible. To obtain an internship, I plan to utilize the STARR center at Baruch College by obtaining help making my resume better and doing mock interviews to increase my communication skills. I plan to work under the treasurer of my fire company to obtain financial budgeting and accounting experience and hope that a member that works for the ADA can assist me in obtaining an internship there. I am constantly looking for opportunities to enhance my educational and hands on experience which I believe will lead to the successful offer of a job anywhere in the country.

Chicago's Financial Crisis

                With a payout significantly higher than that being put in to Chicago’s Teacher’s Pension fund, a major financial crisis is on the table to be dealt with after the recent teacher’s union strike. With a requirement by state legislature for Chicago employees and retirees to receive their pension with no reductions, the Chicago School district faces the problem of where to pull the money from. Unable to easily raise property taxes or borrow the money, they look to the State of Illinois for help in this situation.

                According to the NY Times Article by Mary William Walsh, experts say the pension fund will collapse in a matter of years unless something is done. Mayor Rahm Emanuel attempts to fix this problem by trying to raise the retirement age, increase the employee contribution rate and trip the yearly pension increases. State Legislature, however, said that the pensions must wait until next year. In the meantime, the benefits due to teachers continue to rise with funds not being properly added to this required expense.

                The Chicago School District has now been granted a break from its obligation to pension contributions, putting the responsibility on the State Legislature. Government Pat Quinn and Mayor Emanuel are also calling for public workers to increase the amount paid in to their pensions. While this is not a permanent solution to the crisis in Chicago, it is a temporary fix to the problem.

                I believe that the Chicago School District, to the best of their abilities, following the six rules of crisis management to rid the state of its issues. They are aware of what is the issue is and the facts of the matter. They have come up with a temporary solution and potential permanent fixes to the problem. Because the law provides that a specific amount be paid in to pension and other obligations exist that also need attention, I believe that the only possible solution was to focus on the present issue of improving the quality of the schools.

The Scandal of India's Government

               In America, all sectors of businesses and economies are able to flourish due to an open market and laws that are enforced to protect fair business practices and a competitive economy. Knowing a government official won’t normally result in any one person being able to obtain a large section of our nations precious resources because the government has so many procedures in place preventing any one person from having enough power to make such a significant impact. The same cannot be said for India’s government. With politicians that are so easily faltered by bribes to make the own fortunes, promises to the nations people cannot be carried through.

                A connection with Vija Darda, a Member of Parliament, led to Manoj Jayaswal’s acquisition of undeveloped coal fields. With almost all their donations coming from sectors of the economy involving mining, power, and all those involved in natural resources, Politicians have come to be known for their “venal” behaviors and willingness to work with members of society involved in this area. This acquisition gave Mr. Jayaswal a competitive advantage in the business of coal mining. He quickly became wealthy and in this way, Mr. Darda was able to reap benefits as well. While it is clearly unethical to hand over such precious resources to your friends with no concern for those willing to fight fairly for that right, Mr. Jayaswal may see it morally as a way to help his economy by making a profit and increasing his country’s power source. By making his connections with political figures and contributing to India’s growth, he feels he was justified in his start in the coal mining business.

                While attempts are being made to help the faltering economy, this will not fix the problems that still exist by any means. What India needs is a solid governmental party that can be trusted to represent them and do right by the country as a whole. Good leaders in any business will look at the needs of the company over their own personal desires. This ethical principle holds just as much, if not more in a governmental environment. Trust and faith in the government is detriment to its success. The need for a fair economy and fair competition needs to take priority for these politicians over the temptations of bribes that are selfish and only benefit a select few and hurting the general public.

                India’s leaders pledged to bring power to every corner of the country and part of this pledge involved expanding coal-fired power plants. India can never expect to solve the country’s problems if they cannot keep promises because they are “too busy” getting involved with unethical and immoral business activities. 300 million people are without electricity in India and the numbers will just continue to get worse as scandals continue.

                While it is not easy to completely change how a company, or in this case the government runs, I believe it is possible to make the necessary changes. These changes however, will require the cooperation of all members of the government. Rules must be made and enforced. Procedures must be followed and figures that represent the government must be held accountable for their actions. All must be expected to make decisions with the interest of society as the main priority. Members who are likely to fall for bribery attempts must be eliminated and faith must be restored amongst the people of India.

Zara International

                 The key to a successful business is a knowledgeable management team that centers their intentions around creating a successful company rather than solely working to benefit themselves. With a team of 200 professionals working together to create something to attract consumers, Zara International has managed to surpass Gap Inc. as the world’s leading clothing retailer by sales.

                Zara International focuses on an open-system concept that allows them to grow in such a way that they have been established world-wide. Zara interacts with its environment. They utilize a production process based on small batches reducing oversupply risks and pull consumers in with affordable prices of products that are high in demand and society.

                A concern is if Zara International is expanding too quickly, if expanding to resources beyond their home base will cause quality and control of the company’s production processes will change. Based on a strong management team however, I believe this company will continue to prosper. By closely managing increased costs caused by international business and keeping high consumer interest as the main goal of the company, success is imminent.