Getting Back To Basics

1. Getting Back To Basics Excerpts from Keying In: The Newsletter of the National Business Education Association BuEd521/491

2. Skills for a Changing Economy • The ongoing technology revolution, new business practices, and increased global trade have contributed to dramatic changes in the American economy. • In the 1990s, the need for unskilled workers fell below 20 percent. • Today, employers, parents, and society in general are requiring schools to do more to ensure that students are prepared for the complex demands of this work environment. BuEd521/491

3. Skills for a Changing Economy • Northwestern Mutual Life is an example of a business that requires an increasingly sophisticated array of skills in their workers. • Computer technology helped the company change its work organization to a more client-based orientation. • Representatives must demonstrate initiative and assume a wider scope of responsibility. • They must find answers to difficult questions and deal effectively with complaints or other problems. BuEd521/491

4. Addressing the Gaps in Education • Half of recent high school graduates leave school without the skills they need to succeed in the workforce or in higher education. • Economic changes are outpacing schools’ abilities to update their curriculums. • The new basic skills students need to succeed: • The soft skills • The hard skills • Technology skills BuEd521/491

5. The Soft Skills: the ability to work in groups and to communicate effectively in oral and written presentations. • Ability to relate well with a wide variety of people. Ability to negotiate & compromise. • The Hard Skills: Basic math and economic understanding, as well as reasoning and reading abilities. • Technology Skills: Select and use the appropriate technology to carry out basic and complex tasks. BuEd521/491

6. Communication • A frequent complaint about graduates is that they lack communication skills. • Written communication skills are critical. • Employers want students who can use grammar and punctuation correctly. • Students need to be able to listen and follow directions without being told again and again. • Students need to be skilled at separating fact from opinion, synthesizing from various sources, and evaluating what they read and hear in different media. BuEd521/491

7. A Renewed Emphasis on Soft Skills • Students must realize they must come to work on Mondays, whether they feel like it or not. • They must come to work on time and put in a full eight hour day. • Soft skills include human relations, self-management, workplace enhancement. • They need to develop a good work ethic, a positive attitude, the abilities to work in teams and engage in critical thinking. BuEd521/491

8. Be firm against absenteeism, tardiness, sloppy work and misbehavior. Help establish essential work habits in your students. • First impressions are very important in a job interview. Appropriate clothing, a neat appearance, punctuality, courtesy, tact, and diplomacy are essential. • Soft skills affect students’ ability to get along with other people in their professional and personal lives. BuEd521/491

9. Economics & Personal Finance • Students need to acquire good financial habits. • An understanding of basic economics & how it applies to their own lives and the economy in general is an essential skill for students. • Credit card debt • Insurance • Basic saving & investing • Budgeting & Financial Planning BuEd521/491

10. Computational Skills • Employers want students to know and understand decimals, fractions, ratios, percentages, and measurements. They want employees who can read and interpret tables and graphs and solve business problems logically and effectively. • The mastery of such skills translates directly into higher wages (on average). BuEd521/491

11. Technology Skills • Computer application skills are essential. • Students should be able to design spreadsheets, word process, use e-mail, and research and retrieve information on the Internet. • Using databases, desktop publishing, web-page design, and using presentation software is a big plus. • About 1.6 million IT jobs went unfilled last year because of a lack of qualified applicants. BuEd521/491

12. Global Workers & Citizens • More than 11 million Americans work in jobs supported by exports. • Without a skilled workforce we have difficulty meeting the competition of a global marketplace. • Employees need to work with people from diverse cultural and ethnic backgrounds. • Students need exposure to legal & political considerations in international trade. BuEd521/491

13. Teaching Business Basics • “Help students gain insight into how everyday issues can affect everything from the prices they pay at the pump to their employment opportunities in the city.” • In Massachusetts, the Winthrop public schools are devoted to exposing students to real-world work experiences. BuEd521/491

14. A Business Basics Activity • Have students divide up into teams and take opposing stances on controversial economic issues affecting the local community. • The students conduct hands-on investigations of the issue by interviewing local townspeople, business owners, and government officials. • They then write a report & give an oral presentation of their findings. BuEd521/491

15. Enhancing the Teaching and Learning Process • The new knowledge and skills needed for the 21” century workplace have challenged business educators to re-examine their teaching practices. • Hands-on activities are retained better than material presented via the traditional lecture/textbook mode. • Successful learning involves the ability to apply an in-depth understanding of concepts to complex, real-world situations. BuEd521/491

16. Students need experiences and opportunities to reflect on those experiences. They need to make connections, collect evidence, organize ideas and institute a plan of action to meet real goals. • These “habits of the mind” enhance learning by making students active participants in the educational process. • Use case studies to develop writing skills, critical thinking, and problem solving. • Portfolios allow students to collect and arrange examples of their best work. BuEd521/491

17. Students need exposure to complex ethical dilemmas they may face as workers and citizens. • Budgeting, Credit, & Computation • Saving is crucial to the economic well-being of our nation. • International Business Skills • Humor is a behavior that does not travel well across international borders. You need sensitivity & awareness when conducting business abroad. BuEd521/491

18. Preparing to Do Business in Japan • Concord Clothiers is a New York-based clothing company that has had great success making attire for businesswomen in the US. The CEO would like to expand the business into Japan but she needs a better understanding of the country’s culture and the needs of its businesswomen. Prepare a report that covers the following: BuEd521/491

19. The role of women in Japan and the occupations they tend to fill. Compare/contrast with women in the US. • Attitudes of Japanese women toward western clothing, including colors and styles. • Most common women’s clothing sizes in Japan. • The country’s retailing environment and the major clothing retailers. • Best means of transporting clothing to Japan and distributing it to major clothing retailers in the country’s main metropolitan centers. BuEd521/491

20. Government agencies that have regulatory control over clothing manufacturing. • Steps for gaining legal approval to do business in Japan. • Strategies for effectively introducing and marketing the clothing line to the Japanese consumer. • The Japanese External Trade Organization • www.jetro.org/biz5html • Search: “Doing Business in Japan • www.anderson.ucla.edu BuEd521/491

21. The Importance of Business Education • Business education is uniquely suited to providing the new basic skills that are critical to the success of all students in today’s high achievement workplace. • Business educators must take the lead in integrating new business practices, trends, and technologies into the classroom. • In the end, it is up to US! BuEd521/491