When time is short: speaking off the cuff

When time is short: speaking off the cuff

By Sheryl Smikle, Ph.D.

Dr. Smikle covers the top concerns most speakers have when it comes to a speaker's time, their audience and the topic. She answers in this article the following 5 questions:

1. Who has requested you to speak?
2. To whom will you be speaking?
3. What is the goal of your talk?
4. How much time will you have to speak?
5. What type of setting will you be in?

The title of this Blog posting leads to the full article.
Posted using ShareThis

A Historical Consumer Behavior Change - Debit Purchases Surpass Credit Purchases for Visa and MasterCard

From the Washington Post, October 7, 2009:

For Gun-Shy Consumers, Debit is Replacing Credit

This article gives new statistics on consumer spending in terms of debit purchases. For the first time, debit purchases exceed purchases on credit on Visa and Mastercards. The article also gives an eye opening historical overview on the emergence of the credit card and how consumers have used credit across the generations.

Why People Are Afraid of Health Care Change

This is a short video (3 minutes) from the Wall Street Journal online. Click the title link to access the video.

Borrowing Books Off-Site Without Really Moving

The College Library Interlibrary Loan (ILL) system has been of great use to students and faculty in the past several months.

Lenders who've delivered books to our Library in the past 30 days are listed below:

Bard College Library
Brooklyn Public Library
The College of Mount Saint Vincent
NYU Libraries
Atlanta University Center Library
Connecticut College Library
Fordham University Library
Fordham University Library Rose Hill
Cornell University Libraries
Dutchess Community College Library
Columbia University Libraries
West Babylon Public Library

First check our catalog for the book you need. If you do not find it, see our link on Campus Cruiser for the ILL form. Just fill it out and drop it off at the Library. Most requests are filled within 14 days. There is no cost to you, the Library user. We deliver the book back to the lender! Let us know if you have any questions. Please continue to encourage your students to use ILL.

Outside 325 - Bunker Hill Community College Pilots a 11:45pm Night Class

Bunker Hill Community College decided to begin a course at 11:45pm to meet the needs of true night students and take care of its increased enrollment. The full article can be accessed through the blog entry title.

Our New Library Catalog is Live

Our Library catalog has a new clean look. If you need assistance, please ask a librarian for help at ext. 281 or 282.

Outside 325 - Brigham Young's Ban on YouTube Ends This Fall

Since 2006, access to YouTube has been denied at Brigham Young. After reconsideration and acknowledgment of the abundance of educational materials on YouTube, this fall , Brigham Young will be re-united with YouTube on campus. Initially, the University found content on YouTube objectionable. The title link leads to the full article.

From the Chronicle's Wired Campus, June 9, 2009

Article Review: SuperClubs’ Issa Likes Breezes

I recommend an article titled “Super Clubs Issa Likes Breezes” in the May 2009 issue of Hotels; it’s a good read if you want to learn how to own your own hotel. There is a hotel in Kingston, Jamaica called the Super Clubs Resorts. The hotel is owned by a man named John Issa. In the article he speaks about his different hotels and what they have. This article will be good for you to read especially if you would like to one day own a hotel because it will give you some tips.

First, if you decide to major in hotel management, read what Issa has to say about 2009 performance being solid, which provided the impetus in re-branding several portfolios. As the time past, the resort group will be renamed and be called Grand Lido Negril and Grand Lido Braco hotels, Breezes Grand Negril and Breezes Rio Bueno on November 1. Another thing he will be bringing is the family focused Starfish Trelawney under it Breezes umbrella.

Second, after everything is complete, there will be eleven Breezes Resorts in six countries. Issa’s goal for the future is that there will be more opportunities for to brand in the Caribbean. He feels Breezes is the best brand, appeals well to everyone and hopes that everyone will be pleased. Breezes will be located in a lot of different well-known places where they can be found easily. One of the places would be located on the southern Pacific coast in Cocle around the beach resort community of Santa Clara; the place will be so big that it will feature 300 rooms and a spa. Issa explains that a lot of what you have to do is to grab people’s attention by offering something special. Then at last they started offering a US package for five nights, for only $600. Over all this entire article is interesting and will help you out in the future if you would like to know all about hotels.

This article can be found in the issue Hotels (May 2009)

By: John Issa
Reviewed by: Isabell Cortes

Top Minority Owned Companies

Follow the title link of this blog entry to learn more about these local businesses on Crain's top 5. Goya Foods (Secaucus, NJ) ranks number 1. Beneath Your Sole (Mount Vernon, NY) ranks number 4 after Bad Boy Entertainment.

The New England Journal of Medicine - On Facebook

The New England Journal of Medicine is now on Facebook. NEJM, founded in 1812, decided to join Facebook in an effort to reach readers in different ways.

Students Stressed Yet Happier

In a poll released today, May 19, 2009, students report that they are a little more stressed about the job market and the economy overall, but self-report to be happier than they were last year, regardless.

A parent's loss of a job has made a little under 30% consider withdrawing from college in the past 90 days.

The blog entry title leads to the survey information and results.

Article Review: Real Life: Managing Uncertainty

Since the recession, big banks had to merge; countless American’s have lost their job and the unemployment rate is at its highest rate since The Great Depression. Many people around the United States are currently unemployed and looking for work. The constant uncertainty of “what will happen tomorrow” continues to baffle many families in this unstable economy. When I read “Real Life: Managing Uncertainty” by: Paul Keegan, I was completely overwhelmed as his article expressed how a family had to make a transition from a lifestyle of not worrying about bills, to wondering how their next mortgage was going to be paid. Carl found himself clueless as to how he was going to further help his family after he received an unbearable phone call from his firm, saying he was being laid off. However 2 months later, Carl was offered a 10 month contracted job by Astra-Zeneca (a giant pharmaceutical firm). According to The Bureau of Labor Statistics, “Since last year, the number of unemployed people who have accepted short-term assignments were up 73%”. This just goes to show how the economy has have been taking an immense toll on Americans. People often wonder when their ideal lifestyle may return to normal, or will they have to look for another job in the months ahead.

This article can be found in the issue Money 100 (May 2009)

By: Paul Keegan
Reviewed By: Michael Adebiyi

What Now?

Since the recession began, people had to deal with even more financial problems. Some companies went under while others were bailed out . Because of this recession many people have lost their jobs which lead them to spend less money. This has placed the economy in something called a money paralysis. Companies have been going under and waiting for the government to save them. When Merrill lynch went under Jeffrey Goldberg was one of the few people to make it out with a bit of hope. After losing everything he had worked all his life for, he never gave up he still looked around for jobs. He stopped investing in mutual funds because he didn’t know who owned them. Just like everyone else he wanted to retire and live the good life but things don’t always happen that way, and knowing that made it easier for him to spend money. Just like everyone else losing his job and money tore his life apart but he started thinking for himself and were able to come up and he is definitely a light that should be followed.

Reviewed By: Damion Bouton
This article"What Now" by Jeffrey Goldberg can be found in the May 2009 The Atlantic

The Gift Card Economy

“Since the recession began, people have been afraid to spend money”, as stated in a survey from WSL (Women Survey League). More than half of the women that did this survey stated that they refuse to shop at stores that will cause them to over spend. The behavioral economist suggested that businesses should have events for a short period of time which would help luring more customers to their businesses. Businesses also need to provide “a justification and a deadline” for these promotions. For example for every $500 that they spend, they are given a $50 gift card which would last for 2 weeks from which the gift card was issued. This will make the customer want to spend that extra $50.They can also give the customers different cards for other departments inside the store to expand their growth. Some local restaurants issue out $10 for every $100 their customers spend on meals. This will make the customers feel like they have earned the gift card and keep them coming back.

Reviewed By: Damion Bouton
The article " The Gift Card Economy" by Verginia Postel can be found in the May 2009 The Atlantic

Article Review: 13 Ways to Save

I believe this article can guide consumers while shopping and help them save. I remember many years ago accompanying my mother to the supermarket, and each and every month she would leave the store with a $400 shopping receipt. In today’s economic hardships, it is imperative to reduce spending habits and focus on necessities. The “May 2009” issue of Consumer Reports reported “13 ways to save”. By the way, I once worked as an employee for PathMark; getting the consumer to spend was the company’s main goal. Here are additional ways to save big.

1. Always utilize coupons
2. Leave your children at home, they often create pressure to buy something that is not needed
3. Take all the time needed at “HOME” to construct a list, do not shop willingly
4. Always use your supermarket savings card, you may be eligible for future promotions and extra savings
5. Customers always find them self missing out on huge sales; if an item is no longer in stock, always get a
rain-check (if prohibited by the supermarket)

Article by Consumer Reports
Reviewed by Michael Adebiyi

* The Blog title entry leads to the full article

Facebook Use and GPA - Results from a Study

The article is from The Chronicle of Higher Education, April 16, 2009

National Library Workers Day - April 14th

Locally, THe New York Public Library system has seen a dramatic increase in library users effected by the economic downturn. At libraries nationally, usage is up as libraries supply access to email and word processing, job information resources and free entertainment resources in the form of CDs and DVDs. Library workers have inadvertently become first responders to the crisis and bear witness to homeless or newly homeless people who need a warm place to sit with access to a water faucet, bathroom, computer and a place to read, write and be around people without being obvious.

This year is one in particular to take note of challenges library workers face - especially those that work in public library settings.

- Monecia Samuel

Why Executives Love Social Media

Social Media - Facebook, MySpace, Twitter, or YouTube, etc. is either embraced or rejected by company executives. Read the article posted on BNET United Kingdom, (April 2, 2009), explaining why managers support social media for marketing purposes.

CW Library Users Perform Over 4,000 Database Searches in March 2009

4, 066 searches were executed by 492 Library users in March 2009. CW Library users can access the Library's databases onsite and remotely with their usernames and passwords. See the right sidebar on the Blog to enter the databases directly from this page.


The statistics above are based on usage of EBSCO databases specifically and do not include database searches from other vendors.

The Business Week 50

I thought that the article was interesting and provided a unique look at what companies are performing well and how they had to be creative in to do so. The author mentions that many of the companies had to change the rules of engagement in their industries to perform well. In Business Week’s ranking of the 50 best performing companies, they found that innovation was powerful magazine of success of the companies. Foust mentions that “a common trait among companies on the list is that they pay for performance. The salaries they offer may be stingy but the incentives are generous.” He concludes the article by talking about how companies who are at “risk of seeing their franchisees disrupted by upstart rivals”. He talks about how many of these “challenged companies have a history of rising to the occasion and may prove that they can be innovative and disruptive players again.”

This Article can be found in the April 6, 2009 issues of Business Week

Written by Dean Foust
Reviewed by Chris Postma

Article Review: Jobs Are the New Assets

"People are realizing their job is their source of financial stability, that they have to live within the means of their job." David Ellison



I agree with Ellison's opinion because a person wouldn't be able to pay their bills if they didn't have a job. Therefore people live off of their job because that is how they get their money. Also housing and stocks were the things we paid attention to, things that gave us confidence in to be good American consumers. It's true what the article mentions. We were so confident about housing and stocks and at the same time the percentage of their income people were saving dropped down until the power of credit cards and other debts went down.



This article can be found in the March 23, 2009 issue of Time Magazine.



Article by Barbara Kivat

Review by Jahaira Zepeda

Blackboard Releases iPhone Application

From The Chronicle's Wired Campus Section

Article Review: How to Become an Authentic Speaker

I found that this article was very well written and interesting. It made several good points about being an authentic speaker. Morgan points out that rehearsed gestures make a speaker seem insincere and inauthentic. The author says that preparation for a speaking is important but the traditional approach is flawed because it involves specific coaching on body language. This is because we normally make gestures before we speak the words related to them but rehearsed gestures occur after we speak the related words and the audience unconsciously picks up on this difference. The author concludes that an authentic speaker should keep a set of four intents to keep in mind to make a speech more authentic. These intents are: intent to be open with your audience, intent to connect with your audience, intent to be passionate about your topic, and intent to listen to your audience.

The article can be found in the November 2008 issue of Harvard Business review

Written by Nick Morgan
Reviewed by Chris Postma

Debating A Ceiling on Credit Card Fees

By V. Dion HaynesWashington Post Staff Writer Wednesday, March 25, 2009; Page D01

The Blog title entry leads to the full article.

Gibbs Outlines the Bank Rescue Plan - Video

From the Washington Post.com

Gibbs outlines the bank rescue plan on this video, followed by Obama's remarks that the plan will work. Find the clips through the title of this Blog entry.

Article Review: Gen Y in the Workforce

I thought that this was a very interesting well written and informative article. The scenario presented in the article and the commentaries raised a number of good points. One such point is that there needs to be good communication between bosses and employees of different generations. The article also suggests that both generations need to respect each other and to not dismiss what each other says and thinks out of hand. Another point the article makes is that bosses need to give adequate feedback to their workers especially the younger ones. The commentators differ in their suggestions but mostly agree on the above points. One commentator suggests that the fault lies with both generations and that corrective action must come from the older generation. Another commentator suggests that both generations need make changes to create a smoother running workplace. The third commentator suggests that the younger generation is primarily at fault for issues in the workplace. The commentator believes that it is the younger generation that needs to shape up more than the older one.

This Article can be found in the February 2009 issue of Harvard Business Review
Reviewed by Chris Postma
Written by Tamara J.Erickson

Record Library Use - 214 Library Visitors on March 18, 2009

The Library counted 214 visitors with 9 re-entrants on Wednesday, March 18, 2009. We enjoyed a busy Library today.

Trivia: Our average daily gate count for 2008 was 129 users per day.

Article Review: Encouraging Collaboration

How to Encourage Collaboration in the OR by Jo Shapiro, M.D., is beautifully and clearly written, and very useful across the disciplines and workplace settings.

She discusses temporarily flattening hierarchy and mentions the advantages of debriefing as a teaching tool.

Favorite Point:
"Unless prompted and encouraged, some team members may hold on to information, or not give it to the right person, because of the hierarchical cultural barriers to speaking out. ...if you do not explicitly welcome input, you probably won't get it. And, if the team leader doesn't mean it-if he or she really doesn't want input from other people and is saying she does proforma-that quickly becomes known and renders the words ineffective." - Jo Shapiro, MD

You can link to the entire article by clicking the title of this blog posting.


Reviewed By: M. Samuel, College Librarian

A Madoff Victim Map

Thanks to Karl Simons for recommending this site!

U.S. Professors of the Year - 2009 Call

You can nominate a professor for a U.S. Professor of the Year award.

Please nominate a talented professor for this award. The deadline is April 17, 2009.
Direct any questions to: Pam Russell, Director of Communications (202)478-5680 or email her at russell@case.org

Making Sense of the Stock Market's Wild Ride - BusinessWeek Online

101 Facts on the Status of Working Women

The Library is on Twitter

Follow the Library on Twitter for brief updates. All you have to do is create a username and password at Twitter.com. You can also find tweets from the Library on the Blog.


Other Libraries Using Twitter
http://lis5313.ci.fsu.edu/wiki/index.php/Twittering_Libraries#Libraries_Using_Twitter

For Faculty With Stage Fright

Ms. Mentor, from Chronicle Careers, gives a little Oral Communications coaching for faculty.

Billionaire Women We Admire

Remember, it is Women's History Month!
In Pictures, Billionaire Women We Admire is from the NPR.org website.
Follow the Blog title link to view the slideshow.

Google Executive to Take Over AOL

From the Washington Post.com March 13, 2009

How to Twitter

Read this recent article (March 7, 2009) from the Wall Street Journal by clicking the title link of this blog entry. The act of "twittering" is a cross between IMing and posting items on Facebook.

To read the October 27, 2008 WSJ article Twitter Goes Mainstream, follow the link below.
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB122461906719455335.html

The One Minute Lecture: A Success at Community Colleges

The One Minute Lecture

Ingredients
Microphone
Web Camera

Time
60 Seconds

The title of this entry leads to the article at The Chronicle's Information Technology Section (March 6, 2009) A "How To Create" guide is included.

University of Southern California Seeks New Students for Inaugural Online MAT Program

The first cohort of students will begin in June 2009.

Sample Courses
The Framing Experience
Understanding the Social Context for Urban Schools
Application of Theories of Learning to Classroom Practice
Human Difference and Teaching Special Populations
Instruction for Limited English Proficient Students
Teaching English/Language Arts, Mathematics, Science, and Social Studies
Guided Practice*

Recession Proof Stocks

Dollar stores and public storage centers may be the best for investing in today's economy. Please follow the title link for this Washington Post article.

Bureau of Labor Statistics - An Economic View of Blacks in America Today

In recognition of Black History Month, this document prepared by the U. S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, details statistics on the number of African Americans in the labor force, educational attainment of African Americans from March 1970 - March 2008, earnings based on high school and college completion, and most interestingly, time use of employed Blacks and all employed persons. The title of this Blog entry links to the document.

(Update - 02/18/09) A recent Washington Post article, (02/11/09) by Cortland Milloy, is a wonderful supplement to the above information. It can be found here: http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/02/10/AR2009021003449_pf.html

Top 10 Social Networks for Generation Y

MySpace may just be so last year.

Do Creditors Care Where You Shop?

Read the article, "A (Very) Watchful Eye on Credit Card Spending" by Ron Lieber that appeared in The New York Times, January 30, 2009. The title link of this Blog entry leads to the article.

Videos on Kiplinger.com

Kiplinger.com has recently produced videos available online.

To access these brief videos, typically between 1-3 minutes long, go to http://kiplinger.com/video and select the Business Resource Center tab. Videos can be enlarged to full screen mode. Recent selected videos include:

The Sagging Consumer (1min. 21 sec.)
Inflation's Pain (1min. 39 sec.)
Credit Crunch is an Illusion (1 min. 30 sec.)

External Scholarships 2009

The Library compiles a list of scholarships that are now displayed on a bulletin board (decorated with paper money) outside the Library. The list is also available on Blackboard, the Blog and the CW website. You can review the list by clicking the title link to this Blog entry.

Suze Orman's 2009 Action Plan:

Suze Orman is making her new book, Suze Orman's 2009 Action Plan: Keeping Your Money Safe and Sound available for free (in pdf format) through January 17, 2009. You must register at Oprah.com to download the book. Use the title link above to access the webpage.

National Business Education Association Convention 2009

The National Business Education Association will hold its 2009 Annual Convention in Chicago at the Chicago Marriott Downtown, April 7-11, 2009. According to the NBEA's newsletter, Keying In, January 2009, v.19#3:

"The goal of the convention is to provide a program that will enhance the skills of our members, create networking opportunities, and challenge educators to return to their classrooms ready to empower the next generation of business professionals."

Concurrent sessions include selected topics below:

• Project Based Learning
• Wikis and Blogs
• Integration of Soft Skills
• Podcasting
• Digital Photography
• Ethics
• Career Clusters
• Business Finance
• Technology in Grading and Assessment
• Business Communications
• Online Academic Integrity
• Diversity in the Classroom
• Accounting Forensics

The title link to this blog entry will lead to the Association's website for further details.