$830,000 in job funds to Oakland questioned

Written by: Wyatt Buchanan, Chronicle Sacramento Bureau on Wednesday, April 21, 2010

“ Federal stimulus dollars intended for job creation in Oakland were spent instead on trips to the Santa Cruz Beach Boardwalk and a Concord water park, rent, church repairs, bus passes, salaries and car allowances, according to a state review released Tuesday. “ Oakland received more than three million dollars for summer youth programs, But more than $830,000 of the money received under the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act from February to December 2009 was not properly accounted for. Also, state auditors found that the city inflated the number of jobs that were actually created. In Oakland, the stimulus funds were passed down from a city agency to a nonprofit agency, the Oakland Private Industry Council. The state reviewed this agency and saw that there were major accounting issues. Some of the money that was drawn from The Recovery Act where not traceable. There are also field trips to amusement parks and a picnic that was paid with the stimulus plan. The state auditors also found problems resulting from the fact that the Industry Council used federal dollars to pay for existing expenses, as opposed to supplementing those costs. The inspector's review does not impact Oakland's ability to collect the remaining $3 million it was awarded.

Chapter 12: Making It

“Making it is a climb, no question, but where you get off is your choice.” The approach to the top should be the same but the stopping-point is different for everyone. I believe this is a good point because everyone has their own career goals and how far they want to go up in the business world. Everybody’s own definition of “making it” is different. In this last chapter the author gave 11 things that can help make good things happen in your career and in business:

1) Do not be afraid to take risks.

2) “If necessary, fire your boss and hook your star to a talented and dynamic leader.”

This person will take you upward with them and protect you. Trust is valued in all employees, if you have the rising stars trust, maintain it. Someday that boss will help you land on your feet comfortably somewhere.

3) Find something that you are passionate about so it does not always feel like work.

4) Especially as women, you have to work harder and smarter than everyone else to succeed and to be respected. That is earning it the old fashioned way. You can use politics to get ahead, but the safest way to get noticed is to do outstanding work.

5) “Timing is everything… makes it work for you.” Sometimes you can control the timing of thing but often not. You need to prepare yourself to be in the right place at the right time to seize the great moments of opportunity when they arise.

6) Work for a winning company. A good employment history opens doors.

7)”Follow the money positions.”

8) Being in the right place at the right time is part luck and part making your own luck. Position yourself for opportunity. Hard work, knowing yourself, skill and seizing opportunities at the right time are all part of making your own luck.

9) Live a balance life. You cannot have it all or do it all. Taking care of your mental and physical health is the most important. Learn to manage your expectations and live a good life.

10) Remember image. Cultivate your professional image. Good communication skills are very important. Also how your dress, how you are groomed and how you present yourself are key.

11) Results rule in the business world, so the key to my success was beating all the success metrics each year- sales, revenue, placements and image. Beat the projections year after year.

I have learned a lot in read this book. I would recommend it to women wanting to learn more about the business world. She gives great advice. If you want to get a hold of this book you can go to Barrens in Noble.

Chapter Eleven "Eating, For Business and Pleasure"

I thought at first that this chapter seemed to be a little strange for this book but I learned a few pointers from the author about how to entertain clients or future bosses. The author says that business meals are often about building relationships and finding common interests and grounds for discussion. She also explains why she put this chapter in the book. And that is because men have not included this topic in business books before and it is apart of business life. “Eating for business” is common at every level of corporate life. There are important lessons to learn that will make you a more effective businessperson. One rule would be whether dining out or eating in there a seasoned practice that simplify your life. They begin with the acceptance that eating well is worth it. Another phrase that she uses is, “entertaining is an act of friendship and cooking is an act of love.”

Rules of being entertaining in restaurants:

If you are the hostess you should try and be there first and go directly to the table.

Now you should use the free time while you wait to glance at the menu and the wine list so you have an idea of what you might order and free up your mind for your guests.

People look for the hostess to seat them. Generally if the dinner is formal the “most important” person sits on the right of the host.

If you are the host, you ultimately pick the restaurant and should try to accommodate your choice to your guests.

You should pick a restaurant that you are familiar with. Do not go to a place where you have not eaten before. This could be a disaster. Pick a place for you know you can rely on for good service and atmosphere. You do not want to upset you guest.

As the hostess you will be paying the bill. You have the responsibility to signal what is appropriate to order to put your guests at ease. You should get up late in the meal to settle the bill, and then return to the table so that you are not signing the credit card in front of the guest.

Rules of entertaining at home:

When entertaining business associates, it is not the same thing as entertaining close friends, but the responsibilities for the host are similar.

You should be yourself and smile. Show your guests that you are having fun and be gracious, making your guests feel welcomed.

Do not try and overdo it or you will be set up for a failure.

Planning is the key, lists help. Avoid catering. Personalize it by trying to make at least two-thirds of the meal yourself.

Make an effort to change the subject away from business matters. Ask about vacation plans or hobbies.

Chapter Ten "Business Women And Men Are Different"

I am going to tell you a few main points on chapter 10 because my class has already read this chapter of my book. This chapter is pretty much how in this day men and women are more equal in the work force. The main thing is that men and women work in different ways. for example communication, men think that asking questions is a sign of weakness or failure. Women ask questions. And money is also a difference." Men definitely keep score with money, salary is key and your net worth is how you keep score". For women, salary inequity is the issue. With all advantages for women in the past generation, the gender gap in salaries has not disappeared. Men earn about 25 percent more than women.
I learned that if women are going to rise to the top, that we need to build communities of other high-achieving women and learn to ask for help from one another. Building these can help women learn to help each other. We can also get rid of some of the jealousy and stereotypes that have been part of the previous paths of successful women.

Accounting change lifts Apple fiscal Q1 2010 results to over $15.6 billion

Written by Joe Wilcox and published January 25, 2010
This article is about how Apple had one of its highest earnings in the first of the fiscal year ever. The CFO Peter Oppenheimer described it one of Apples best quarters. Apple instituted new reporting rules for this quarter's results. The accounting change gave Apple's results huge lift. Before Apple deferred a huge portion of the iPhone under older subscription accounting rules. The Financial Accounting Standards Board revised new rules in September. The new change means that Apple can immediately recognize the revenue instead of deferring it for 24 months.

The new accounting method explains why Apple exceeded expectations by such a large amount. Apple revised two years of results in support of the accounting change. This added at least another $110 million revenue which was previously deferred over the past 24 months. So the quarter got two lifts: Previous unrecognized revenue is calculated at $25 for every iPhone sold over the last two years and revenue recognized in this quarter that was deferred before and now the revenue jumps, but its more because of the accounting.

For fiscal first quarter, Apple reported $15.68 billion revenue and net profits of $3.38 billion, or $3.67 a share, under the new reporting method. A year earlier, Apple reported revenue of $11.88 billion and $2.26 billion net quarterly profit, or $2.50 per share. I believe that this is a huge difference for the Apple company.

Chapter Nine " The Not-Always-So-gentle Art of Coping"

Chapter Nine is 101 on how to prevent stress in workplace and home. In this book we learn a lot about keeping stress out of you life. Stress can be controlled. In this chapter she gives helpful facts about certain area's that causes stress. Guiliano gives us her stress list and traveling in on the top.
The main stressful thing about traveling is luggage. You have to worry about your luggage getting lost. This can make your trip or vacations more stressful. So if you are traveling on business you should pack lightly. If you do this you can just take your bag as on the airplane. This also makes arrive a lot easier. Another think to keep in mind it always have your trick passport in a safe place where you know you have everything. Safety is also key when traveling. Have a usual security checklist: "Stay at a good hotel, don't give out your address, don't go out after dark alone. Know where the emergency exits are. Check in with someone periodically. Carry a phone and remember to pack the battery charger." This can all make traveling less stressful. Guiliano recommends reading Colin Cowie Chin. "He is wonderfully fanatical on travel preparation and compartmentalization."
Clothing can complicate ones life. Women mostly blaming being late on not being able to decide on what to wear in the morning. You don't need this in the morning. I can say that I have this problem every morning. So maybe picking out mentally or physically what you’re going to wear the night before. You can also clean out your closet and get reed of the clothes you don't wear. If you haven't wore it in a year you might want to get reed of it. This will help you keep your clothes out easier and faster.
Sleeping and eating well can prevent stress. Sleep is something your body has to have to run. A good night of sleep can change the way to feel and act. Most people need at lease seven or eight off sleep. You should have a time that you go to bed at everyday so your body knows when it needs to wake up and work. Finding out how much sleep you need every night can help you get enough sleep. Don’t forget about eating well. Food is energy for your body. This energy is what keeps you going. Eating breakfast is key to eating well. Eating well makes your body strong and you happy. This makes life less stressful.

Life will always be some what stressful. I stress about school sometimes but I just need to find away to get threw it and make things better. So if you have stress just the best way you can make the situation better.

Chapter Eight "Zen and The Art of Business(life)"

I found chapter eight to be very important because I feel that a lot of people could take a lot out of this chapter. The chapter is about balancing work life with personal life. This can be very hard for some people because you have to work to make the money that takes care of you or if you have a family, them. I think people sometimes need a reminder or need help to get on the right path to balance.

“With the Internet, smartphones, desktop video-conferencing, and other communication technologies, you are seemingly always connected with work, 24/7.” So when trying to find the right balance for your life you should consider making a little out of your week for yourself or your loves ones. Couples have to make an effort at finding balance and the time to be together. Just making a date night once a week or just go for a walk or rent movies at home. Just spending time together will make your relationship better. Guiliano and her husband made a rule that they would not be apart more than five consecutive days. Just making a little rule like this will make it a little easier.

The four elements that take to support a work life balance. 1) Good health, 2) a functional social network of friends and family,3) a solid employment situation and 4) time, space, principle, and policies for yourself. Stress and health are key to the balance too. Your health is very important because as you get older you are at a higher risk at being sick. Being stressed out is not being in good health. This may cause impaired judgment, poor performance. Wight gain is another big thing. “Current research on Americans show that nearly one out of two deals with stress by overeating or eating unhealthy food.” This can cause even more stress. So I would just try to keep stress out of your life.

Your personal Zen is another key thing in balance. Just make time for yourself. You can take a walk, read a book or have a spa day. This is the time that you can lose your self-consciousness and clear your mind.” You can feel the stress melt way. It’s your time .In almost any activity you enjoy, you can lose yourself and find yourself.” So from reading this I hope you learned a little about making your own balance in life.