In a tight worker market it is not easy to get the right people. So business owners are straining to make sure their workforce has the competence and necessary skills to get the job done; and that managers of all levels have all what it takes to get the most out of employees. Corporate training is a perfect way of ensuring sufficient skills and satisfactory quality of work.

No wonder that the number of employers planning to expand their business education budget is increasing rapidly. Those who think of cutting it down or keeping at the same level are in vast minority. Resources spent on corporate training vary depending on the sector. Generally speaking yearly business education funds are bigger in the private market sector, with the average expenditure per worker at $689. By comparison, in the public sector this amount totals $250 a year. It has been observed that corporate education budget per employee decreases as the company size grows.

Among most wanted corporate education programs are sales trainings and comprehensive management development. Enormous majority of organizations outsources their corporate learning needs to external business educators. Strangely enough, in current vastly international business reality language training is still not given enough recognition. In the current labor situation, where employers experience difficulties with filling jobs, corporate training and business education are the obvious solution. Only by providing sufficient training can business owners be comfortable with entrusting their workforce new responsibilities and benefit from better performance. Note also that companies offering business education programs are more attractive to prospective workers.

As a parent of two teens, I pay very close attention to education and business trends. I was one of those mothers who stayed at home for years with my children, foregoing (by choice) a lucrative career and finding myself unemployable in high paying jobs, fortunately got retrained and now back again in business for myself.

Four years ago, about late 2008, I saw the trend of online education and enrolled my daughter in part-time middle school and on to high school online education. Many of the activities at school were a waste of time and talents… and may I say quite political and plain favoritism being played out!

Today at 17, she has graduated high school with a diploma, one year earlier than her peers.

What has this got to do with your business or my writing business?

I’ve just read an email from Copyblogger, one of the top blogs that I follow and admire recently, one month to be exact. The topic “how the explosion in online education can revolutionize your business.”

Just like the author of the article said, I am also a fan of university education but they are not created equal. The 6-figure price tag sure does not help if the child is not gaining any marketable skills after 4 years.

Again, what has this got to do with your business?

If schools and universities, the very traditional arenas, are recognizing the need to go online and are establishing more online courses and online presence… there are clues for parents and business owners like you and I to track:

One: You need a blog

If a small business owner like me could get my voice out there through a blog, you could too and build bigger than me because you already have a following.

My 17 year old has a blog and she is attracting clients to her site at the moment without paid advertising.

If written strategically, your blog could attract your ideal clients as well.

Two: Send emails to your readers and clients

I’ve been receiving emails just about a month ago from Copyblogger and I love it. They help me stay inform with their content and services. I’m too busy with projects and do not have time to google or read their blog posts on a daily basis.

Now they keep me inform and soon I will be a client.

If you have a list and do not send out emails or newsletters to your readers, clients or potential clients you are missing out.

In today’s international business network, globalization has impacted many different corporations and firms. However, unexpectedly it has also altered business education, specifically accounting programs. While some programs are considering switching from GAAP (Generally Accepted Accounting Principles) to IFRS (International Financial Accounting Standards) others are completely reworking their entire curricula. Regardless of the specific change, it is clear that the focus has shifted. Now students’ learning is no longer the only priority, but also aligning the learning with the new expectations of firms. As a result, globalization has proven to be an ever-changing phenomenon that impacts education and its institutions

Back in 2011, U.S. educational institutions began the process of switching curricula from GAAP to IFRS. This transition process was a result of the Securities and Exchange Commission’s expected switch of U.S. companies from GAAP to IFRS. With the ever-growing impact of globalizations, more and more countries throughout the nation have been operating on the basis of IFRS. In addition, these other countries have also been altering their international business and accounting programs for years. For example, a 2007 study administered a survey in five of Taiwan’s universities and found that six basic accounting courses needed to be altered in order to remain current with the times (Kai-Wen 7). Like many other countries, it only seemed fit for the U.S. to follow suit, in order to stay pertinent.

In order to incorporate globalization into U.S. higher-level education curricula, the primary focus is to integrate new IFRS standards. Once U.S. companies made the switch, students would be required to know the difference between both GAAP and IFRS in the workforce. Seems simple enough, however the struggles arise when professors are not prepared to teach the new curricula. Based on a survey administered to college level professors, thirty-eight percent of participants did not feel comfortable enough with the martial to be able to teach the new IFRS standards (Shinn 3). Therefore, the professor’s lack of preparedness is the most common reason for a bumpy transition in curricula and ultimately delaying the transition, however this is not the only reason.

The barrier preventing IFRS in school curricula is not solely due to the professor’s personal knowledge, but also to teaching materials readily available. In a survey administered by KPMG regarding implementing the new IFRS standards in school curricula:

“[79%] of respondents say that their key challenge will be developing curriculum materials, while 72% say it will be making room for IFRS in the curriculum. Meanwhile, only 16% of respondents indicate that their schools will fund training for professors to learn about the IFRS so they can teach it to students.”

Without the financial means, education institutions are at standstill and unable to implement the new standards into courses. Fortunately, even with these hurdles, education institutions are receiving additional financial assistance.

“How Are You Today?”

How often do you hear these four little words? How are you today? And how often is the reply “Fine thanks” or sometimes, you might even get “Fine thanks and, how are you?” So why are these four little words so important to your Internet Business and your life? And why will changing these four little words change your relationship with everyone you meet.

How are you today?

Think about this for a moment and I’m sure you’ll agree that we have all been guilty of this over time. We are just passing the time of day. We are not really interested in how the other person is! We are just using an accepted exchange of acknowledgment words. Part of being successful in life and in business is through the friendships and the relationships we build along the way. It is by “Sharing and Caring,” especially if you want to build strong and successful relationships and partnerships. One of the biggest downfalls in today’s society is our lack of time. Everyone is rushing around trying to cram as much into 24 hours as is possible. We are all so busy doing what?

Internet and Social Media

With the Internet becoming a large part of people’s lives and the many “Social Media” sites that have emerged over the last few years it is apparent that many people are sharing some great ideas and lots of wonderful information. However, one of the things I have noticed, as I am sure you have too, is that many people use these sites not only to make new friends and be social, but also to network and share business ideas. Nothing wrong with that, social media sites are a great place to share new and helpful information.

Social Media platforms are a fabulous way to meet new friends and future business partners, from all around the world, but remember when you meet someone new and you ask “How are you today?” you must really mean it. Be genuinely interested in everyone you meet both online and offline, if you want your Internet business to thrive.

Time to ~ Take Time Out!

So the next time you find yourself asking, “How are you today?” Take a step back and say it like you mean it! Say it like you mean it and actually wait for the answer. When you get the answer “Fine” then it is time to make yourself different to everyone else, time to show you actually care about how someone is. Your answer should be “Yes I know you are fine, but how are you really? I’m interested in you and how you really are? “What can I do for you today, to make your life better? An extra few minutes and an extra few words can make all the difference in someone’s life.

Little things make a big difference. A few extra minutes, a few encouraging words are all it takes to help make someone’s day special. We are no better than anyone else and we are no worse than anyone else, however we can be different to everyone else. We can take time out to be really interested and let people know that we really do care.

Email and document security is no longer just an option for companies, it is a necessity. Couple that with the costly user licensing of most enterprise software solutions and many small business operators can be locked out of taking advantage of Best Practice strategies that ensure the privacy of intellectual property and communication. Setting rights permissions to documents and encrypting email will be essential to future security practices for all businesses.

Common knowledge has been that the less sophisticated small business operates on a pricing sensitivity and is more apt to take advantage of promotions, whereas the more sophisticated make security decisions based on perceived business necessities. Overall, small businesses tend towards waiting to implement internet security measures until after suffering an email breach or informational leak. By this time privacy and accompanying monetary loss may have already done irreparable harm to a company’s intellectual property and reputation. Large enterprise solutions make it necessary to adopt complex IT infrastructures and processes that are usually dependent on an IT staff – a solution that does not fit well into the budgets of most small businesses.

According to published reports in PCWorld.com, there are nearly 70 million small businesses worldwide and over 20 million in the U.S. alone. Small business is a major part of the global economy – that means it’s time to replace a general passivity towards the possible threats from email and document theft with a look towards initiating security measures as a business standard. The increasing level of security risk due to email and intellectual property theft make it imperative for small businesses to raise their level of security knowledge and investment.

Recent studies show that although information security is a high concern for small business owners, lack of actual knowledge and awareness of the economic impact of security incidents is equally high. Imparting an awareness to the small business community of the real threats in regards to security vulnerability should be top priority. Through education in this arena, small businesses can better enable them to not only determine their own level of risk but also choose the necessary email and document security solutions.

The responsibility of raising awareness of security provisions needs to come not only from governing agency reports, but also from security solution vendors. Providers of business tool solutions are better equipped than any other entity to position themselves as leaders in educating businesses on not only the dangers but the appropriate basic security measures to complement a small company infrastructure. Especially here, being informed on which internet security products best suit a company need is important as the needs of small businesses are vastly different than that of enterprise businesses.