What is a secretary?

A secretary desk is a type of furniture more often found in homes than offices, despite the name. The basic design of the compact, but tall, secretary desk consists of a set of drawers topped by a fold-out desk, with a set of shelves or a hutch perched on top. The essential design is quite old; intact antique examples from at least the 1500s suggest that the desk was widely used at that time, and possibly before. Modern offices tend to use a differently styled desk design with more room to spread out and slightly less private storage, but many people keep a secretary desk at home to use as a small workplace or as a family organizing area.

The base of a secretary desk is a sturdy set of large, flat drawers. On top of the drawers, a hutch with shelving, usually enclosed, is installed, with an area underneath the hutch for small nooks and other storage areas located in the back of the desk. A folding section encloses the open area underneath the hutch when not in use, and flops out to create a desk space when it is needed, usually supported with wooden runners underneath it to keep it steady. A variation on the secretary desk uses a roll top mechanism to secure the desk space, and generally does not include a fold out section.

The footprint of a secretary desk is relatively small, because the base of the desk is not as wide as the potential available workspace. However, the desk is quite tall to accommodate all of its features. The folding nature of a secretary desk means that it cannot be used to spread out long-term projects, but does make it easy to secure information by locking the folding desk area, drawers, and or hutch. A secretary desk also provides ample organizing space in a variety of different formats, so the user can store flat files, books, miscellaneous documents, and small, oddly shaped items.

In a modern office, a secretary desk is not terribly practical, but when one considers the original function of a secretary, it starts to make sense. Traditionally, secretaries managed correspondence and sensitive documents; a secretary desk is ideally suited for filing and arranging correspondence, as well as securing works in progress. The folding desk area readily fits letter paper and writing utensils, which can be tidied away when the work is done. When the secretary's services were not needed, the desk would not take up excessive space in the office environment, and would look neat and orderly, as well.

What is an accountant?

An accountant is an individual who performs accounting tasks for individuals or companies. The exact material that an accountant handles varies depending on the size of the company and the accountant's specialization, but generally includes financial records, taxes, and responsibility for the issuing of financial reports. An accountant is one of the primary figures in a business that he or she works for, whether it is a multinational corporation or a small family owned business. Requirements to become an accountant vary upon specialization and nation, but generally include certification through a professional agency and a basic college degree in accounting and finance.

In a small firm, an accountant may be responsible for keeping all financial records. These records include payroll information, accounts payable, accounts receivable, retail sales, and information regarding investments held by the company. These accounts are kept organized in ledgers which are used to asses the financial health of a company. Ledgers are always kept up to date, and may be consulted by managers and high ranking members of a company when they are making major business decisions.

In larger firms, accountants also perform internal audits, to ensure that the financial records of the company are accurate. Because of bias concerns, an internal audit cannot be handled by an accountant who regularly handles the material concerned, and many companies hire outside accounting firms to perform audits. When this is the case, the company should not be contracted to handle any of the company's other financial material, as this may represent a conflict of interest.

In most cases, an accountant will choose to specialize in a particular field such as audits, book keeping, or taxes. In other instances, an accountant may acquire a wide range of skills to better serve his or her clients. This is common with certified public accountants who handle the books for several small businesses at once. In both instances, the accountant must have strong math skills, as well as an education in accounting.

Depending on the type of accounting being performed, certification by the state may be required. State certification is usually required for accountants who perform audits and other sensitive accounting tasks, while it is not as vitally necessary for accounting clerks who work under certified accountants. Commonly, an accountant is also a member of a professional organization of accountants, and takes advantage of meetings and seminars to keep up with advances in the field.

What is Marketing?

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What exactly is marketing and why is it important to you as an entrepreneur? Simply stated, marketing is everything you do to place your product or service in the hands of potential customers.

It includes diverse disciplines like sales, public relations, pricing, packaging, and distribution. In order to distinguish marketing from other related professional services, S.H. Simmons, author and humorist, relates this anecdote.

"If a young man tells his date she's intelligent, looks lovely, and is a great conversationalist, he's saying the right things to the right person and that's marketing. If the young man tells his date how handsome, smart and successful he is -- that's advertising. If someone else tells the young woman how handsome, smart and successful her date is -- that's public relations."

You might think of marketing this way. If business is all about people and money and the art of persuading one to part from the other, then marketing is all about finding the right people to persuade.

Marketing is your strategy for allocating resources (time and money) in order to achieve your objectives (a fair profit for supplying a good product or service).

Yet the most brilliant strategy won't help you earn a profit or achieve your wildest dreams if it isn't built around your potential customers. A strategy that isn't based on customers is rather like a man who knows a thousand ways to make love to a woman, but doesn't know any women. Great in theory but unrewarding in practice.

If you fit the classic definition of an entrepreneur (someone with a great idea who's under-capitalized), you may think marketing is something you do later -- after the product is developed, manufactured, or ready to sell.

Though it may feel counter-intuitive, marketing doesn't begin with a great idea or a unique product. It begins with customers -- those people who want or need your product and will actually buy it.

Entrepreneurs are in love with their ideas, and they should be. After all, why would anyone commit their energy, life savings, and no small part of their sanity to anything less than a consuming passion. Because entrepreneurs are passionate about their idea, product, or service, they innocently assume other people will feel the same. Here's the bad news -- it just doesn't work that way!

People have their own unique perceptions of the world based on their belief system. The most innovative ideas, the greatest products, or a superior service succeed only when you market within the context of people's perceptions.

Context can be many things, singly or simultaneously. To name a few, you may market to your customers within the context of their wants, needs, problems solved, or situation improved. Entrepreneurs need to be aware of many other contexts, such as social and economic trends or governmental regulations, which we'll discuss another time.

People don't just "buy" a product. They "buy" the concept of what that product will do for them, or help them do for themselves. People who are overweight don't join a franchise diet center to eat pre-packaged micro-meals. They "buy" the concept of a new, thin, happy and successful self.

Before you become consumed with entrepreneurial zeal and invest your life savings in a new venture, become a smart marketer. Take time at the beginning to discover who your potential customers are, and how to effectively reach them.

Without a plan, your entrepreneurial dream is really wishful thinking. While a marketing plan can be a map for success, remember that the map is not the territory. A strategy that ignores the customer isn't an accurate reflection of the landscape.

A good marketing plan can help you focus your energy and resources. But a plan created in a vacuum, based solely on your perceptions, does not advance the agenda. That's why market research, however simple or sophisticated, is important.

Just keep in mind that research attempts to predict the future by studying the past. It reveals what people have done, and extrapolates what people might do -- not what people will do.

Planning is imperative, research is important, but there's no substitute for entrepreneurial insight. After all, as Mark Twain wrote, "You cannot depend on your eyes when your imagination is out of focus".

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Vocational schools provide a positive alternative

Update:2005-10-27 11:12:39

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BEIJING, Oct. 26 -- Many Chinese rural students believe going to college is the only way to escape from poverty.

But Liu Huanqing, from rural Zhumadian in Central China's Henan Province, is proof that college is not the only answer.

He gave up his chance of going to university when he dropped out of senior middle school to pursue vocational education in 1996.

"My family was too poor to support me," says Liu, his family's second child. "It was difficult, but I had no other choice but to go to a vocational school to learn a skill to earn myself a living."

Today, Liu, now 26, is a very different person. After working for four years repairing mobile phones, he set up his own telecommunications company last year. He now has about 20 employees and earns at least 100,000 yuan (US$12,000) a year. Dressed in a brown suit and sporting a pair of glasses, he looks every inch an urban businessman.

"I don't regret giving up my dream of going to college," he says. "Vocational education is more practical for rural students. It's only the first step in your life."

And Liu is far from unique. More and more junior middle school graduates, especially those from lower income families in rural and urban areas, are opting to attend vocational school instead of senior middle school.

Last year, the number of newly enrolled vocational school students reached a new high of 5.5 million, and "it's estimated that we'll have 1 million more this year," says Huang Yao, director of the Vocational and Adult Education Department of the Ministry of Education. "By 2007, yearly enrolment is expected to be the same as in senior middle schools, which was 8.5 million last year."

According to ministry officials, the State Council will hold a special meeting on November 7-8 to further promote vocational education. A special fund of 3.6 billion yuan (US$444 million) is to be earmarked for vocational education by the central government by 2007.

Figures show that about 8 million junior middle school graduates directly entered the labour market last year. But with inadequate knowledge and skills, they cannot find satisfactory jobs.

It is estimated China needs another 10 million skilled workers. Statistics from the Ministry of Labour and Social Security show that senior technical workers account for only 4 per cent of China's 70 million technical workers, far behind the 30 to 40 per cent level in developed countries.

"The move to promote vocational education is designed to meet the growing need for skilled workers in China, especially in the service industry," Huang said.

In Henan - a province of 97 million, one of the largest in the nation, and the largest exporter of migrant workers - vocational education is gaining momentum.

"Last year, key vocational schools were all filled to capacity," says Cui Bingjian, deputy director of the provincial education bureau. "This year, we'll have 500,000 new students, 60 per cent of whom are from rural families."

According to Cui, the most important factor in promoting vocational education is making sure graduates find jobs. "At the moment about 95 per cent of our students have no trouble finding work," he says.

Tuition fees at vocational schools are only about 1,000 yuan (US$120) a year and graduates can quickly offer financial assistance to their families, Cui adds.

However, statistics in Henan show that although the number of vocational school students is climbing, it is not growing as fast as the number of senior middle school students.

Influenced by Confucius' saying that a good scholar will make a good official, most rural residents see going to senior middle school and then college as the only way to a bright future. Vocational schools are very much their second choice.

Eight out of 10 students interviewed said they chose vocational schools because they had failed the senior middle school entrance exam and this was the only path left to realize their dreams.

"I wish I could be a student at the Central Conservatory of Music," says Zhang Jing, a 15-year-old student from a rural family, now studying at the Xin'an Vocational School near Luoyang. Her exam results were not good enough to secure a place at senior middle school, so her parents sent her to study music in Xin'an.

"I still want to go to college, and that is also the dream of my 13-year-old brother," Zhang says timidly.

Zhang's school has 5,000 students, but more than 1,000 are learning exactly the same things as those in senior middle school. The rest have the chance to go to higher vocational schools or specific departments in universities.

"Last year, about half of our graduates were admitted to higher schools," Zhang adds. "I hope I can be one of them."

Huang Yao, the education ministry official, says there is a mistaken belief that vocational schools are not as good as senior middle schools.

"Vocational schools complement senior middle schools. We have to change the misconception that the vocational schools are inferior," he insists.

Problems also exist in the gap between urban vocational schools and rural schools. Key schools have more students than they can hold, but schools in poorer rural areas are still short of students.

To balance the development of vocational education in cities and the countryside, some schools in Henan are adopting a special module called "1+1+1." In the first year, students learn basic knowledge from textbooks in rural schools, before moving to partner schools in cities to study specific majors in the second year. In the third year, students gain work experience in industry.

"It's a valuable chance for me to study at the Henan Information Engineering School," said Xiao Anna, who spent her first year in a rural vocational school near Zhumadian. "Life here is very different. We have better classrooms, teachers and even better food."

To promote communication between the institutions, nine vocational unions, consisting of schools, enterprises and trade associations, have been set up in the province. Enterprises directly tell schools what kind of workers they want so that schools can adjust courses accordingly and cater to their needs.

"All of our workers are graduates from schools under the traffic and vehicle union," said Cheng Junqiang, manager of a Volkswagen maintenance garage. "Such co-operation saves us a great amount of money and energy."

However, though tuition fees for vocational schools are far less than for universities, there are still students who cannot afford it. The percentage of students who cannot meet the fees stands at about 10 per cent in Henan. Unlike poor university students who can apply for loans and grants, vocational school students currently have no access to financial aid.

Education ministry officials say a plan to put financial aid in place for poor students at vocational schools has been drafted and will possibly soon get approval from the central government.

Editor:Melissa From:chinadaily

Vocational schools an alternative in drive to reduce unemployment

Abdul Khalik , The Jakarta Post , Jakarta | Fri, 05/02/2008 1:46 PM | Focus

Azhar Ibrahim had to find a job fast to get money for the family. As soon as he finished junior high school he picked a tourism school near his house in Pasar Minggu, South Jakarta. That was eight years ago.

"Most of my friends questioned and even laughed at my choice. They said it's a school for girls. I felt terrible but I had no choice," recalled the 28-year-old travel agency owner.

From the beginning, Azhar really loved the subjects at school, especially ticketing, event organizing and English.

Half way through the course, thanks to his fluent English, he became a tour guide, working freelance with a travel agency, going all over the country.

"Besides earning money to pay tuition and books, I had the chance to accompany foreign guests around the country for free. I got to know tourism sites across Indonesia," Azhar said.

When he finished school in 2000, he worked full-time at the travel agency to learn more about how to organize travel packages and promotion, while supporting the family and saving money.

Three years later, he left his job to start his own business.

"It was tough at first. I offered tourists very competitive prices for my tour packages with attractive content. Fortunately, several former clients liked it and tried my offers. Then it all started to work out," he said.

Now, he has a small office with four staff.

Noted presenter and entertainer Tantowi Yahya, also a graduate from tourism school, noted that many vocational school graduates have become successful.

"The vocational school gave me various skills, including foreign language abilities, supporting my career and business later on," he told The Jakarta Post.

Tantowi said people should not look down on vocational schools which enabled people from low-income backgrounds to get jobs and earn money faster, helping government to reduce unemployment.

"Many of us become entrepreneurs, creating jobs. We can also advance our studies to university level to get a bachelor, master's or a doctoral degree using our vocational school certificates. So, there is really nothing to lose here," he said.

Indonesia currently is a high unemployment economy. About 10 percent of the 110 million labor force are unemployed. Annual economic growth of 6 percent is too low to absorb the annual increase in the labor force, adding 300,000 to 500,000 to the total unemployed each year.

The Education Ministry says only 30 percent of high school students go on to university. Most prefer to start working because they need the money.

International Labor Organization data shows the number of unemployed between 15 and 24 years old has grown from 1.4 million in 1990 to 6.9 million in 2006. Only 31 percent of Indonesians in this age group have jobs. This means 69 percent youth unemployment.

ILO confirms the unemployment profile is predominantly young, accounting for 62 percent of all unemployment.

Economists and businesspeople say the main problem is not low job vacancies but the low quality of human resources. This is shown by the large number of unskilled high school graduates and drop-outs, aged from 18 to 35, among the 11 million unemployed.

They said that last year most job seekers absorbed by the labor market, including the bureaucracy, were recruited because of connections, not skills (also reflecting voluntary acceptance of low salaries).

Saidin Yusuf SP, chairman of National Education Care, an NGO monitoring basic and middle education, urged the government to reform education to connect it with the labor market, which needs skilled workers and professionals.

He called for the establishment of certified vocational schools and training centers to produce ready-for-jobs graduates and trainees to fill in job opportunities at home and overseas.

"Vocational school really plays a key role here. In Japan, for instance, vocational training has become the main supplier of workers to industry," he told the Post.

There are currently 6,499 state and private vocational schools around the country, serving 2.86 million students.

While acknowledging the role of vocational schools in providing skills to students, and helping them find jobs, Saidin said that low status and lack of government support held back potentials.

"While it's proven that graduates from vocational schools have been finding jobs more easily compared to those from high schools, most parents still feel disappointed if their children go to tourism or cooking schools or training for mechanics. It's their last resort." he said.

Fortunately, some companies have pioneered co-operation with vocational schools to provide state-of-the-art training equipment for students.

Rio Rajab, an instructor at PT Toyota Astra Motor's training department, said that with rapid development of automotive technology, new breakthroughs in engine technology were inevitable.

"We recruit most of our mechanics for manufacturers and after-sale divisions from vocational schools. So it's important the schools keep up with automotive trends through our training program," he said.

He said most schools were lagging behind manufacturer technology, for example still teaching their students how to repair cars with carburetors, while most cars now use fuel injection.

President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono has called on education and industry to work together with government to reduce the increasing unemployment rate.

"The qualifications of university graduates are still mismatched with market demand. Therefore, we have agreed to establish better and continuous coordination. We have conducted some studies to analyze the requirement of industry within the next five to 10 years," he said recently.

Wahyuningsih, a vocational school student in West Jakarta facing the national vocational school exam along with 2.2 million students, was wondering if she would get a job after graduation as her family expects her to start earning straight away.

Lebih dari Separo Lulusan SMK Langsung Dapat Pekerjaan

Jumat, 31 Oktober 2008 - 10:55 WIB

Belakangan ini, pemerintah gencar mempromosikan sekolah menengah kejuruan sebagai alternatif pendidikan untuk mereka yang ingin cepat mendapatkan pekerjaan. Masalahnya, masyarakat tentu perlu bukti. Nah, ini dia buktinya: dari 9 ribu lulusan dari 85 SMK di Bandung, lebih dari separonya langsung terserap dalam dunia kerja.

Fakta itu disampaikan oleh Ketua Musyawarah Kerja Kepala Sekolah SMK se-Bandung Supardi dalam seminar bertajuk Peningkatan Efektifitas Kepemimpinan dan Kompetensi Kepala Sekolah SMK di Gedung P4PK IPA , Bandung, Kamis (30/10/2008).

Seperti dilaporkan detikcom, Supardi mengungkapkan, sebanyak 9 ribu siswa telah lulus dari 85 SMK di Bandung. Dari jumlah tersebut, 60 persennya, atau 5400 orang, langsung mendapatkan pekerjaan. "Sisanya, 21 pesern meneruskan ke perguruan tinggi dan selebihnya lagi berwirausaha," rinci dia.

Menurut Supardi, keterampilan yang diperoleh dari bangku SMK memang bisa lansung dipraktikkan dalam dunia usaha. Setidaknya ada lima keahlian yang dibutuhkan dunia kerja, yang telah diantisipasi oleh SMK. Yakni, teknologi industri, manajemen dan bisnis, kreasi seni, pekerjaan sosial, dan pariwisata.

"Saat ini dunia kerja yang digeluti para lulusan SMK kebanyakan otomotif, teknologi, bidang jasa, serta perusahaan ritel. Kalau wirausaha, kebanyakan mereka membuka bengkel kecil-kecilan atau counter handphone," papar dia.

Sementara itu Sekertaris Musyawarah Kerja Kepala Sekolah SMK se-Bandung Agus Rusdiana menegaskan, setiap tahunnya jumla siswa SMK meningkat 25 persen. "Dalam dua tahun terakhir ini, jumlah siswa SMK meningkat. Yang banyak diminati jurusan teknologi informasi, farmasi, dan otomotif," kata dia.