An MBA Course to Manage a Supply Chain

It is time for the MBA student to decide which field he wants to specialize in. He considers the traditional fields like finance and marketing, but abandons them because there are already so many students who are working in this field, and it is hard to compete and get admission in these courses. Even if he were to get into a course, it would be harder to get a good placement because there is so much competition in the job market, and everybody wants that plush office in an investment bank or that great role as a marketing manager for an FMCG.

The student examines what other opportunities he has and finds that there are many MBA courses available in the non-traditional fields. There are so many new disciplines that have come up these days to serve the varied needs of industry, and each of these disciplines needs managers to make them work. They provide a plethora of opportunities that surprisingly many students have not heard of. The competition in these fields is also less, and it also means that graduates are likely to get higher starting salaries as the numbers of candidates are few and far between.

One such field that is gaining in popularity is supply chain management. It is an exciting field to work in because the large numbers of new companies setting up shop in the country means that there is a huge demand for managers who can get the products from the manufacturing centres to the delivery centres, and to any other location that is required by the company.
The student looks at the starting salaries offered by companies in this field and finds that they are quite impressive. Sure, the hours are long, and the work can be never ending. After all, companies do not stop functioning, especially those in the manufacturing sector. Logistics is a 24/7 operation, and the manager really does have to stay on his toes to make sure that the product goes from point A to point B to point C, seamlessly and as per schedule.

There will be hiccups along the way, the chain might get disrupted and the manager could be woken up at any time during the night or called upon at any time during the day to solve problems. But then again that is why he is being paid the big bucks and that is why he is doing the MBA course, so that he can learn how to solve those problems and how to handle the job.
Unlike finance, there is nothing regular about supply chain management. Every order, every project, and every operation presents its own set of challenges and when the manager starts a new day he knows that it is going to be different from the day before. He knows that as he begins the day he does not know what waits for him and he will have to be prepared to be flexible and face it with a fresh mind.
For the student who does not want a simple and monotonous nine-to-five job, who does not want to do the same thing again and again, who wants to deal with fresh challenges every time he goes to work, nothing could be better. Every day is a new day in supply chain management and a chance for the student to learn something new, and a chance to prove his worth in the outside world.

As the student makes his way through the course he will learn about accounting, he will pick up marketing skills, he will learn about operations, he will know how purchasing is done, and he will understand what the gurus of the business world were saying when they were imparting their pearls of wisdom. In short, he will know everything about how a business is run, and when he places his foot through the doors of a multi-national company, he will have the confidence that no matter what department he is posted in, or what operation he is asked to run, he can handle it all because his MBA course has given him training in all the disciplines and all the skills to handle a multi-national chain.

Getting the Best Online College Education

 

While there is always a lot of debate as to whether an online college education is as good as a traditional college education, the answer is really very simple; there are good institutions that offer an online college education and there are bad establishments that offer an online college education. The same holds true for traditional college degree programs.


So, just as when you are looking for an offline course, you need to do the same kind of your research when you are looking for the best place to pursue an online college education.
Of course, you normally won’t care where the college is located unless part of the online program involves off-line meetings. Usually the physical location just doesn’t matter. However, a lot of the other points that you would consider before attending a traditional offline college or university should also be considered before you enroll with any organization offering an online college education.

The growth in the numbers of people pursuing an online college education has led to increased competition among institutions to attract students. The best way to assess the credibility of a site advertising that they have the best online college education is to ask about the accreditation of its courses. Accreditation means that some governing body for a particular field has endorsed the course. This can be extremely important in helping you to decide who to trust with your online college education. If a course is not accredited then you need to find out why.

There may be a number of courses that have not yet received accreditation from an appropriate association or governing body but still offer a good online college education. For example, the establishment may have applied for accreditation but not yet been assessed. In that case you can actually check with the particular accrediting agency to be certain that they actually are in the process of assessing the application for accreditation. Another reason may be that there is no appropriate accrediting body for a course. This is less likely but, nevertheless, could be a valid reason and doesn’t necessarily indicate that the course offered is not going to be worth taking to advance your online college education.

If, however, you find that the online college education institution has been refused accreditation, then they are likely to try to tell you that accreditation is not important. And that simply isn’t true. An online college education from a non-accredited institution is not going to be viewed as positively as one from an accredited establishment. Choose where you go to get your online college education with care to ensure that you are not wasting your time and money by having a nearly worthless qualification.

Another factor related to accreditation has to do with professions requiring some form of governmental license or certification. You need to be certain that any college degree or other course certification will be acceptable to whatever licensing body has authority over the profession in the location you live and work in. For example, a course which is accepted in one state, may not be accepted by the authorities in another state.

You need to think of the online college education arena as a marketplace. You are the consumer and as in any marketplace, you need to check the quality of the product and the ‘merchant’ according to the circumstances that apply to you and your area of study. While this may seem like a lot of work at times, it is your future, your time and your money that are involved. So take a little extra time and verify the value of any online college program (or any type of online learning) that you are considering

How to find Royalty Free Images Stock of Online Classes

I once had a client who was adamant about never using “cartoons” (as she called all illustrations) in her online classes projects. For her, we either used pictures of real people or we didn’t use graphics at all. This caused some problems for us because we didn’t have a lot of Royalty Free Images Stock of real people with which to work. On top of that, we didn’t have a large budget that allowed us to buy want we needed.
This issue wasn’t new to me, and from what I gather from the emails I receive, it’s pretty common. Over the years, I’ve learned to work with tight budgets and limited resources. In a previous post, I shared how I use Royalty Free Images Stock photos to create characters for my online classes / courses. Today, I share some tips and tricks on how to find free or inexpensive stock images.
  
Multi-task and put on your photographer’s hat;
Get a digital camera and take your own images. With some practice and basic understanding of photography, this is a very viable option. In addition, people like to see themselves and their friends in the courses.

I’ve also found that using this approach offers some side benefits. As you recruit subjects for your photos, it’s a good way to show that a new training program is being developed. You can leverage this as a way to get some buy-in for the project from your future learners.

At one place I worked they called us trainers the “upstairs people.” Culturally they did not see us as part of them. The fact that some of the online classes learners can help with the construction of the course goes a long way in them accepting it. I’ve found this especially true in the production environments where the learning departments are separated from the day-to-day grind.

Obviously, shooting your own photos doesn’t work for everyone or all online classes projects. However, it is a cost-effective approach and with some practice very viable. Besides, you can always use a graphics program to fix you bad photos later.
 
Microsoft Office Online; 
Microsoft offers quite a few really nice images. For example, just do a search of “business people” to start. If you’re like Bono and still can’t find what you’re looking for, then click around on the picture’s key words to get ideas for more images. 

Stock.xchng;
This is a good blend of free Royalty Free Images Stock and links to relatively inexpensive stock images. They even have some interesting tutorials for aspiring photographers and graphic artists. You might find the tutorials relevant to editing your images.

 

Flickr; 

There are many photo community sites like Flickr where people upload their photos for use based on the Creative Commons license. Here’s a link to learn more about Flickr’s Creative Common agreements. While the quality for these images is “hit or miss,” as you can see from the link, there are over 7 million images that are available by attribution, where all you have to do is give credit for the image. Compfight is a great site that makes searching Flickr easier. Free is good, especially if you have more time than money. However, free also offers some challenges such as image quality and easy access to just the right images. You also run the risk that eventually you run out of pictures and your sexual harasser also has to play the role of senior manager. While this might work in some cases, this probably isn’t preferable.

Use inexpensive stock photo sites.

 

There are a number of inexpensive alternatives to the free sites. Typically you can pre-buy credits and then just download images when you need them. If I do an external client project, I’ll budget in the cost of stock images and go that route rather than the free alternatives. It ends up saving time and you get better quality. Plus, you avoid licensing and copyright issues.


The stock photo sites are generally easy to navigate and not only can you find the right images, you can usually find them as a series. This comes in handy when you want an image of the same people in various poses or environments. You can also download watermarked images to use while you’re building your course before you make the commitment to buy


I’ll look for a certain style and then click on the photographer’s profile to find more from that photographer. Sometimes you can also contact the photographers and have them shoot specific photos for you at a reduced price. It just depends on how “starving” the artist is.

While there are many good sites, here are some of the ones I’ve used successfully:

• iStockphoto. You can find photos, illustrations, video clips, and some Flash files.
• Fotolio. Large selection and offers some free images if you complete a free registration.
• Fotosearch. Searches multiple sites. Also includes video, illustration, and audio clips.

Paid stock images typically are better quality and offer more choices. The challenge with them can be the licensing and royalty agreements. Make sure that you read the license before you download and use the images.

Here are links to some additional sites that were recommended by blog readers.

Morguefile
Openphoto
Stockvault
Dreamstime

This should help you get started with the next Online classes course where you have to use more than clip art. If you know of any good resources or have additional tips and tricks on getting access to free or low-cost stock images please share them with the community by clicking on the comments link.

The Top 10 Online Early Childhood Education Degree Programs

Bachelor’s Degrees in Early Childhood Education provide individuals with the advanced skills in child growth, development, and learning strategies that are essential to their success as daycare program coordinators, preschool directors, youth counselors, and elementary teachers around the world. Programs for these degrees are offered through many colleges and universities, and they are pursued by men and women of all ages who wish to work with young children and to inspire a lifetime love of learning in young, developing minds. Today, there are many online schools that offer accredited, comprehensive, flexible, and often affordable programs for Bachelor’s Degrees in Early Childhood Education. Ten of the best of those online institutions and their degree programs are described in detail below.


Featured Accredited Early Childhood Programs

Grand Canyon University – BS: Early Childhood Education
Ashford University – BA: Early Childhood Development
Ranking The Top 10 Online Schools for a Bachelor’s Degree in Early Childhood Education

Each of the schools that is described below is ranked according to the quality, distinction, and comprehensiveness of its Bachelor’s in Early Childhood Education Degree program.

1. Kendall College
School Rankings and Accreditation: Kendall College is ranked as one of the best online schools for childhood education by Super Scholar, and it is accredited by the Higher Learning Commission of the North Central Association of Colleges and Schools. In addition, this college’s online Bachelor’s of Science in Early Childhood Education Degree program is approved by the Illinois Board of Education.

Program Overview: Kendall College’s online Bachelor’s of Science in Early Childhood Education Degree program consists of 180 credit hours of study. Five specialization areas are offered for this online degree program, and they comprise: Childhood Nutrition, English as a Second Language, Infants and Toddlers, Small Business Management, and Special Education.

Unique Features: Kendall College is selected as the top school because its online Bachelor’s of Science in Early Childhood Education Degree program represents one of the most accredited, highest ranking, affordable, comprehensive, and diversified online degree programs available today. Aside from possessing 5 specialization areas, Kendall College’s online Bachelor’s of Science in Early Childhood Education Degree program also entails 180 credit hours of study. Most schools offer online Bachelor’s of Science in Early Childhood Education Degree programs that only entail 120 credit hours of study.

2. Grand Canyon University

School Rankings and Accreditation: Grand Canyon University is ranked as the fourth-best college for online education by Super Scholar. In addition, this university is accredited by the Higher Learning Commission of the North Central Association of Colleges and Schools.

Program Overview: Grand Canyon University offers an online Bachelor’s of Science in Early Childhood Education Degree program that entails 120 credit hours of study. Course components of this online degree program include: Child Psychology, Early Literacy Development, and Educating the Exceptional Learner.

Unique Features: Grand Canyon University possesses some of the best options for financial aid, which include: the Servant Scholars Program, the President’s Scholarship, the Provost’s Scholarship, the Dean’s Scholarship, the Faculty Scholarship, and Transfer College Major Scholarships.

3. Post University

School Rankings and Accreditation: Post University is ranked as the sixth-best school for online education by Super Scholar. This university is accredited by the New England Association of Colleges and Schools.

Program Overview: This university offers an online Bachelor’s of Science in Child Studies Degree program that consists of 120 credit hours of study in courses such as: Educational Psychology, Emergent Literacy, and Creative Activities.

Unique Features: Students who pursue this online degree program may transfer up to 90 credit hours from an accredited college or university.

4. Western Governors University

School Rankings and Accreditation: Western Governors University is accredited by the Northwest Commission on Colleges and Universities and the National Council for the Accreditation of Teacher Education. This university is also ranked as one of the best online schools for early childhood education by Super Scholar.

Program Overview: Western Governors University offers an online Bachelor of Arts in Early Childhood Education Degree program that consists of 122 credit hours of study.

Unique Features: Western Governors University possesses the distinction of being the first school to offer an online Bachelor of Arts in Early Childhood Education degree program that is accredited by the National Council for the Accreditation of Teacher Education.

5. Liberty University

School Rankings and Accreditation: Liberty University is accredited by the Commission on Colleges of the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools and the National Council for Accreditation of Teacher Education. This university is also ranked as one of the most conservative schools in the United States by Young America’s Foundation.

Program Overview: Liberty University offers an online Bachelor’s of Science in Early Childhood Education-Interdisciplinary Studies Degree program that includes 120 credit hours of study.

Unique Features: Liberty University includes a 90-hour practicum in its online Bachelor’s of Science in Early Childhood Education-Interdisciplinary Studies Degree program. Experience in the field of teaching may be substituted for this online degree program’s credit hours.

6. Vanguard University of Southern California

School Rankings and Accreditation: Vanguard University of Southern California is ranked as one of the top universities in the World by both U.S. News and World Reports and Forbes Magazine. This university is also accredited by the Western Association of Schools and Colleges.

Program Overview: Vanguard University of Southern California offers an online Bachelor of Arts in Early Childhood Education Degree program that consists of 124 credit hours of study. This online degree program includes courses such as: Guiding the Young Child’s Behavior, Creative Art for the Young Child, and Leadership and Advocacy in Early Childhood Education.

Unique Features: Vanguard University of Southern California’s online Bachelor of Arts in Early Childhood Education Degree program is Christian-based. This university’s small class sizes ensure students that they will receive the quality and attention that they deserve.

7. Kaplan University

School Rankings and Accreditation: Kaplan University is accredited by the Higher Learning Commission of the North Central Association of Colleges and Schools. According to Online Education Database, Kaplan University is ranked among the top 50 online schools.

Program Overview: Kaplan University offers an online Bachelor’s of Science in Early Childhood Development Degree program that consists of courses such as: Child Safety, Nutrition, and Health; Introduction to Early Childhood Education; and Children’s Literacy.

Unique Features: Over 96 percent of Kaplan University’s faculty members possess an advanced degree. Kaplan University is a military-friendly institution, and it offers active-duty members of the military a reduced tuition rate.


8. University of Massachusetts

School Rankings and Accreditation: The University of Massachusetts is accredited by the New England Association of Colleges and Schools and the National Council for the Accreditation of Teacher Education. This university is ranked as one of the best colleges for online education by The Best Colleges.

Program Overview: The University of Massachusetts offers an online Bachelor of Arts in Children’s Learning Degree program and an online Bachelor of Arts in Children’s Development Degree program. Both online degree programs consist of 120 credit hours of study.

Unique Features: The University of Massachusetts allows its online students to substitute up to 30 credit hours of study with hands-on experience in the field of education.

 9. Park University
 
School Rankings and Accreditation: Park University is accredited by the North Central Association of Colleges and Schools, and it is a member of the American Association of Colleges for Teacher Education. This university’s online Bachelor’s of Science in Early Childhood Education Degree programs meet the standards that are set by the National Association for the Education of Young Children.

Program Overview: Park University offers both an online Bachelor’s of Science in Early Childhood Education-Teaching Young Children Degree program and an online Bachelor’s of Science in Early Childhood Education and Leadership Degree program. These degree programs comprise 120 credit hours of study in courses such as: Infants and Toddlers, Educational Psychology, Children and Young Adult Literature, and Early Childhood Principles.

Unique Features: Park University is one of the only non-profit institutions that offers quality, online Bachelor’s of Science in Early Childhood Education Degree programs. In addition, this university’s online degree programs are taught by instructors who possess advanced degrees and experiences as teachers and administrators in the field of education.

10. Walden University

School Rankings and Accreditation: Walden University has been accredited by the Higher Learning Commission since 1990. The HLC is a member of the North Central Association, meaning Walden is accredited by a trustworthy regional accrediting source. Walden is also accredited by the National Council for Accreditation of Teacher Education (NCATE), a teacher specific accreditation that covers beginner teacher prep programs and advanced teacher prep programs.

Program Overview: Walden offers a BS in Child Development that is designed around National Association for the Education of Young Children (NAEYC) professional standards. Walden also offers an MS in Early Childhood Education.

Unique Features: Walden has a unique partnership with the National Education Association (NEA) Academy. The Academy chose Walden as its education provider, and NEA member are eligible for 10% off tuition.

8 Things That You Should Know About Online Education

Now, there are many perspectives on the mass media for online learning problems. Depending on what you read, online education can appear as a miraculous remedy such ailments. In an effort, I will list the 8 fact to prove of online education that you need to know.

The learning has been available for a long time Since 1986, when the first online course is an academy (by John F. Kennedy University in California, USA), it has grown exponentially. Today, one third of the total 21 million students, who are registered in the US, are some or all of the online courses. One study lasted 11 conducted by the Babson Survey Research Group organization had shown over 7 million students in school to learn online in 2013.

1. Results of online learning is more than traditional learning
   In 30 years of research, the US Department of Education has not found any evidence of online learning, which is of poor quality compared to results obtained from a traditional classroom. Unfortunately, people have preached about the “convenience” of online learning in the long run lead to more people believe it means “easy”, but this is really not accurate. Online courses may be more or less strict depending on faculty development course and the appreciation of the educational organization. At the same time, the advances in information technology, now, makes it possible to provide more rigorous courses that do not “feel” difficult, because the design of the course and support features can integrated directly. For example, one unit provides online courses Excelsior College is seeking to resolve the fact that its students, as well as most of the students in general are living in fear of any what about the number. Therefore Excelsior has developed the access unit of Khan Academycho tutorial courses are required. And Do the results like? Both scores and course completion rates are increased without reducing the difficulty of the lesson content.
   
2.  Another important thing should also be noted that the online learning is “anytime, anywhere”; it allows students to learn the maximum available, which contradicts with the traditional style with time and space fixed. The use of new adaptive technologies makes it possible to combine the learning styles of students in the organization and provision of guidance. With such features, the reason is given that online learning can overcome the traditional classroom for students with certain subjects.
   
3. Learning online is increasingly widespread
   Now, 80 percent of organizations and universities are offering online access. This includes leading universities such as Harvard University, University of California – Berkeley and the University of Chicago
   
4. Do not have single form of online learning
   The learning format have to pass the original texting “the courses by e-mail” to send the multimedia services, which are interactive high features and access to the internal link in addition, the animation and the high-quality simulation.
   However, most of the currently provides being offered, especially by public organizations, it is the most simple level. For those who can afford to make more sophisticated version, the current course they are a higher completion rates and learning outcomes are better. For example, the Excelsior College School spends for more than $ 100,000 dollars (over 2 billion VND) for each course to support the online version of the training program, which is associated with nursing. Course completion rates are over 96 percent with increasing demand.
   However, the amount of the budget of most organizations for a 3-credit courses (three-credit-hour) normally is $ 10,000 – $ 20,000 dollars (about 200-400 million VND), the results often create a less interactive products, unattractive and are not appealing. These disadvantages lead to a dropout high rate of the students.
   
5. The MOOC site is not the example in high quality online teaching
   Contrary to the perception that are created by the media, the main benefits of Massive Open Online Courses ‘(MOOCs’) for students, which are studying their results without their prices. The fact that “great courses” may be given by prestigious universities including MIT, Harvard and Stanford has led some people to have invented a new form of online learning recruitment. However, it is actually not so.
   Moreover, the view – “What is offered to leading universities that is always good” – is an erroneous idea. Trailers are implemented that is a psychological preparation and assesses to the national standards as part of its measurement results? I do not know which one of these. (Perhaps this work is continuing.) The lack of such statistics leads to very difficult to know whether any one has learned a lot or not. This can be explained by characteristics of the trailer with 90 percent loss rate and coupled with the fact that the online course “traditional” provides significant interaction between faculty-student and be interested in individuals with flexibility and pays attention to the results.
   
6. Online learning is very suitable for adult learners, but it is not necessary to younger students
   The recent study has conducted to Columbia University’s Teachers College, which is to some dubious conclusions concerning online learning outcomes. For older people, active, adult, the online learning programs yield results superior to those to traditional classroom. For those who are less focused, less certainly, age from 18 to 24, there are often problems with patience and complete the course. Moreover, there are reasons to be concerned about our children “going to college” right in his bedroom. Although the young students can benefit from learning model, “blended” (combining online learning with traditional classroom old style), they have still needed the practical experience to become the adults – how to live with others and reconcile the differences, dare to take responsibility for what we do and not do, etc
   
7. “Institutions” savings the costs by moving the online is less than our thoughts
   The only sector can generate significant savings for the school that is reducing demand for the facilities and equipment of the classroom. For adult learners, they did not need the recreational activities and extra-curricular support services.
   However, whether real or virtual classroom, there is still demand for the entire enrollment management services as well as for increased IT support. The cost to students is saved very much. Online learning can be done anywhere in the world, no-cost transportation, no charge to keep small children and income is not lost when you have to leave to full-time studying research at the school. Here, the cost can be very significant.
   
8.  Online learning may soon become the standard for students, who have graduated and do not have conditions to participate in traditional courses
   This fact is that while online learning becomes more commonly and leads to universities will also be deleted. Society will still need the universities to help young people mature and become citizens. Society will always need the advanced research organization to continue the task of creating the new discoveries and deliver content to the distribution of online learning is increasingly better.

Online College Courses: Putting Yourself Through School

Some college students have the benefit of being able to attend traditional classes without the need to work to support themselves. Other students, however, must hold down a part-time or even a full-time job while putting themselves through school. Managing the workload and time commitment of work and school can be challenging and stressful, and this is even truer when you attend a school that does not offer the flexibility of evening and weekend courses. Many students who are putting themselves through school are now turning to online college courses for their education.Anytime you attend live courses, whether those classes are held during evenings, weekends or daytime hours, you must ensure that your work schedule doesn’t overlap into your school hours. Registering for classes each semester can be a real trick as you try to manage finding the right classes you need at times that won’t interfere with your work schedule. Inevitably, at least one of the classes you need will be filled for the time slot you need, which causes the need to hassle with shuffling work and school hours around. When you attend online college courses, however, you will enjoy the convenience of taking your classes around your own schedule. You don’t have to sign up for a certain time slot, but instead you just need to make sure you find time to do your schoolwork each week. You can even do your schoolwork at different times each week, and this flexibility is a true benefit for busy students who are working to put themselves through school.

There are now dozens of schools around the country today that offer online college courses, and there are accredited online degree programs in a variety of disciplines as well. You can really take the stress and hassle out of earning your degree while you work when you earn your degree online..