A Taste of Egypt: A Recipe for Rice Pudding

This overview of Egypt was prepared by Jamie Zimmer while a Management student in the College of Business at Southeastern Louisiana University.



Introduction

Egypt is one of the world’s oldest civilizations which emerged around 3,100 B.C, almost six thousand years ago. Egypt is best known for its pyramids and Ancient Civilizations. Egypt has more to offer then just that though. Egypt is a great vacation spot and is one of the oldest vacation spots. People have been traveling there for a very long time dating back to the Romans visiting. The name Egypt is derived from Greek work Acgyptus, which was taken from the ancient Egyptian term Hik up tuh which means house of spirit. Egyptian culture has thousands of years of recorded history.

Country Information

· Geographic Facts
o Egypt borders on the Mediterranean Sea and the Red Sea. The Nile River, one of the world’s longest rivers, flows through Egypt leading to the Mediterranean Sea.
o Most of the major cities in Egypt live along the Nile River. This was used as a mode of transportation for goods and services.
o Most of Western Egypt is desert. The winds in the desert can create sand dunes up to hundreds of feet high.

· Serious Facts
o Egypt has a population of around 78 million people.
o There official language is Arabic. They also speak English and French which is understood by most educated classes in Egypt.
o Egypt’s religion is 94% Muslim. The other 6% is Coptic Christian and some other form of religion.

· Fun Facts
o The official name of Egypt is “Arab Republic of Egypt”. The local language of saying there country is “Misr” or Masr”.
o A large number of household objects were invented or used by ancient Egyptians such as wigs, deodorant, makeup, toothbrush and toothpaste.
o Egyptians were among the very first people to invent writing along with paper and ink.

· A “Potpourri” Item
o Here is an unusual fact about Egypt:
§ The biggest blocks used to build the Great Pyramid each weigh more then two African bull elephants.
§ Egyptians also tattooed their bodies.

Food Information

o Recipe



§ Notes
· This is a popular dessert in Egypt.Variation can include adding raisins, shredded coconuts, various nuts, or even a scoop of ice cream on top.

Preparation Time - 0.75 hours

Ingredients
3 tablespoons rice
2 cups milk
6 tablespoons sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla
Cinnamon & nuts

Cooking Instructions
Mix rice with little of milk.
Mix the rest of milk with sugar, then cook until it boils.
Pour rice mixture on top and stir often.
Cook on minimum till rice is done (approx 10 min).
Add vanilla.
Pour into serving dishes and decorate with nuts and cinnamon.
Refrigerate until serving.

· My Kitchen Story

o When making my rice pudding I followed the recipe as it said. It is an actual quick dessert to make. I mixed all the ingredients boiled rice mixed vanilla just as it said in the recipe. This recipe is a very popular dessert in Egypt. I have never had rice pudding before and when done making it I was nervous to have my family sample it. My family loved it. They all thought that it was very sweet and really good. I hope everyone enjoys the dessert. At first the name can make some people think twice about it but it is like pudding but sweeter I think.


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To contact the Author of “A Taste of Egypt: A Recipe for Rice Pudding,” please email Jamie.zimmer@selu.edu.


BIOGRAPHY

David C. Wyld (dwyld.kwu@gmail.com) is the Robert Maurin Professor of Management at Southeastern Louisiana University in Hammond, Louisiana. He is a management consultant, researcher/writer, and executive educator. His blog, Wyld About Business, can be viewed at http://wyld-business.blogspot.com/. He also maintains compilations of his student’s publications regarding management concepts (http://toptenmanagement.blogspot.com/), book reviews (http://wyld-about-books.blogspot.com/), international foods (http://wyld-about-food.blogspot.com/).


AN INVITATION TO WORK WITH US, TODAY!

If you enjoyed this publication, why not make one of your own with us! Are you a college or university student from anywhere in the world who would be interested in publishing your work in an edited online journal appropriate to your topic? Such a move can help put muscle into your resume and make a great impression on potential employers and graduate schools (and needless to say – and perhaps most importantly in the age in which we live – likely be the first thing that companies/universities view about you when “Googling” you)! If so, we can help you get that first publication for free (and more if you desire)! Visit Wyld Publishing Services (http://wyldpublishingservice.yolasite.com/) for details. We can work with you to publish your quality essays, research articles/papers, reviews, etc. – and even audio and visual media and PowerPoint presentations – given our network of edited publications and relationship with publishers around the world who want to work with you and your work. Contact us today to get your work published at dwyld.kwu@gmail.com.


Read more:
A Taste of Egypt: A Recipe for Rice Pudding

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Top Ten Management on Stakeholders: An Overview of Who Has a Real Stake in The Operations of Organizations

Image via Wikipedia

This overview of stakeholders was prepared by Whitney Varnado while a Business Administration major in the College of Business at Southeastern Louisiana University.

Introduction

Stakeholders are any constituencies in an organization’s environment that are affected by the organization’s decisions and actions. These groups have a stake in or are significantly influenced by what the organization does and these groups can influence the organization. Some of the most common stakeholders, both internal and external groups, that an organization might have to deal with include: customers, social and political action groups, competitors, trade and industry associations, governments, media, suppliers, communities, shareholders, unions, and employees.

The Idea in a Nutshell

Managers should care about managing stakeholder relationships because doing so can lead to desirable organizational outcomes, such as improved predictability of environmental changes, more successful innovations, greater degree of trust among stakeholders, and greater organizational flexibility to reduce the impact of change. It affects organizational performance because managers of high-performing companies tend to consider the interests of all major stakeholder groups as they make decisions. Another reason for managing external stakeholder relationships is that it’s the “right” thing to do because an organization depends on these external groups as sources of inputs and as outlets for outputs. Managers should consider their interests as they make decisions.

Managers can manage stakeholder relationships identifying the organization’s stakeholders. Groups that are likely to be influenced by and to influence organizational decisions are the organization’s stakeholders. They need to determine what particular interests or concerns the stakeholders might have. They need to decide how critical each stakeholder is to the organization’s decisions and actions. The very idea of a stakeholder, a group that has a “stake” in what the organization does, means that it is important. Some stakeholders are more critical to the organization’s decisions and actions than others. The final step is to determine how to manage the external stakeholder relationships. This decision depends on how critical an external stakeholder is to the organization and how uncertain the environment is. The more critical the stakeholder and the more uncertain the environment, the more that managers need to rely on establishing explicit stakeholder partnerships rather than just acknowledging their existence.


The Top Ten Things You Need to Know About Stakeholders

1. The stakeholder concept was first used in 1963. It was first used in an internal memorandum at the Standford Research institute. The theory was later developed and championed by R. Edward Freeman in the 1980s.

2. In the last decades of the 20th century, the word “stakeholder” has become more commonly used to mean a person or organization that has a legitimate interest in a project or entity. In discussing the decision-making process for institutions the concept has been broadened to include everyone with an interest (or “stake”) in what the entity does.


3. Post, Preston, Sachs (2002), in their theory called Stakeholder view, use the following definition of the term “stakeholder”: “The stakeholders in a corporation are the individuals and constituencies that contribute, either voluntarily or involuntarily, to its wealth-creating capacity and activities, and that are therefore its potential beneficiaries and/or risk bearers.” This definition differs from the older definition of the term stakeholder in Stakeholder theory that also includes competitors as stakeholders of a corporation.

4. Robert Phillips provides a moral foundation for stakeholder theory in Stakeholder Theory and Organizational Ethics. There he defends a “principle of stakeholder fairness” based on the work of John Rawls, as well as a distinction between normatively and derivatively legitimate stakeholders.

5. The word “stakeholder” has been listed as one of the top ten classic jargon terms used by English councils, and as such alarms or confuses ordinary people is best avoided. It is recognized as jargon by the UK government, and defined as such by the Learning and Skills Council.

6. There are two major elements to Stakeholder Management. These two major elements are Stakeholder Analysis and Stakeholder Planning.

7. Stakeholder Analysis is the technique used to identify the key people who have to be won over. There are three steps of Stakeholder Analysis: Identifying your stakeholders, prioritizing your stakeholders, and understanding your key stakeholders.

8. By using a stakeholder-based approach you can use opinions of the most powerful stakeholders to shape your projects at an early stage. Not only does this make it more likely that they will support you, their input can also improve the quality of your project. Gaining support from powerful stakeholders can help you to win more resources; this makes it more likely that your projects will be successful.

9. By communicating with stakeholders early and often, you can ensure that they know what you are doing and fully understand the benefits of your project – this means they can support you actively when necessary. You can anticipate what people’s reaction to your project may be, and build into your plan the actions that will win people’s support.

10. Stakeholders matter because projects are much larger, take longer, cost more, and involve much greater technological risk – and so, much more risk budgets and schedules – than ever before. Secondly, there are far more kinds of stakeholders involved than meet the eye. Thirdly, it only takes one determined and disgruntled stakeholder to throw a spanner right into the heart of a project.


The Video Lounge


This video explains what a stakeholder is and who the main stakeholders are in the VET sector. It also explains why it is important to include stakeholders in what we do as trainers and assessors.




This video explains stakeholder management. David Butter discusses one of the many issues facing business and other organizations in today’s marketplace.



My Take

I think the concept of Stakeholders is still relevant today. We are faced with internal and external decisions and opportunities in our daily lives as well as in the business world. Managers and employees have to be aware of the world and stakeholders changing around us daily. Managers should care about managing stakeholder relationships because doing so can lead to desirable organizational outcomes, such as improved predictability of environmental changes, more successful innovations, greater degree of trust among stakeholders, and greater organizational flexibility to reduce the impact of change.



References

Robbins, Stephen P., & Coulter, Mary (2009). Management. Upper Saddle River, New Jersey: Pearson Prentice Hall.

Alexander, Ian (2003). Stakeholders – Who is Your System For? Retrieved from http://easyweb.easynet.co.uk/~iany/consultancy/stakeholders/stakeholders.htm

Thompson, Rachel (2010). Stakeholder Analysis. Winning Support for your Projects. Retrieved from http://www.mindtools.com/pages/article/newPPM_07.htm

Wikipedia (2010). Stakeholder (corporate). Retrieved from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stakeholder_(corporate)

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Contact Info: To contact the author of “Top Ten Management on Stakeholders,” please email Whitney Varnado at whitney.varnado@selu.edu.

BIOGRAPHY

David C. Wyld (dwyld.kwu@gmail.com) is the Robert Maurin Professor of Management at Southeastern Louisiana University in Hammond, Louisiana. He is a management consultant, researcher/writer, and executive educator. His blog, Wyld About Business, can be viewed at http://wyld-business.blogspot.com/. He also maintains compilations of his student’s publications regarding book reviews (http://wyld-about-books.blogspot.com/) and international foods (http://wyld-about-food.blogspot.com/).

AN INVITATION TO WORK WITH US, TODAY!

If you enjoyed this publication, why not make one of your own with us! Are you a college or university student from anywhere in the world who would be interested in publishing your work in an edited online journal appropriate to your topic? Such a move can help put muscle into your resume and make a great impression on potential employers and graduate schools (and needless to say – and perhaps most importantly in the age in which we live – likely be the first thing that companies/universities view about you when “Googling” you)! If so, we can help you get that first publication for free (and more if you desire)! Visit Wyld Publishing Services (http://wyldpublishingservice.yolasite.com/) for details. We can work with you to publish your quality essays, research articles/papers, reviews, etc. – and even audio and visual media and PowerPoint presentations – given our network of edited publications and relationship with publishers around the world who want to work with you and your work. Contact us today at dwyld.kwu@gmail.com.


Read more:

Top Ten Management on Stakeholders: An Overview of Who Has a Real Stake in The Operations of Organizations

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• Ralph Stacey's Agreement and Certainty Matrix (change-management-toolbook.com)
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• Industry Commends Chairmen Rush and Waxman on Stakeholder Process Resulting in Improved Chemical Regulatory Bill (eon.businesswire.com)
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How To Succeed With Reverse Auctions

Here's a quick article from Steve Bidoo on "How To Succeed With Reverse Auctions" (an ironic name when it comes to writing on reverse auctions, eh?) - see:

How To Succeed With Reverse Auctions

Good reading whether you are on the buying or selling side of the equation....

David

From the Reverse Auction Research Center: http://reverseauctionresearch.blogspot.com/

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Using Reverse Auctions to Save on Shipping....a Horse??

Image via Wikipedia

OK, I've been researching, advising, and covering the reverse auction marketplace for over a decade now - and this is one of the most innovative applications of online competitive bidding I've yet seen!

Read the story at the link below about how uShip (http://www.uship.com/), an Austin, Texas-based marketplace matching up shippers and transporters online, has applied this to perhaps the most unlikely cargo - horses! See:

uShip.com and Equine.com Team up to Facilitate Horse Buying and Transport

Very interesting application! And the uShip model shows how reverse auctions can be used effectively to match service providers and service buyers to achieve real-time matches between supply and demand - to the benefit of all!

Want to learn more about how to use reverse auctions as a strategic tool as part of your overall procurement strategy? Contact us today here at the Reverse Auction Research Center (http://reverseauctionresearch.blogspot.com/).

David C. Wyld, Director
The Reverse Auction Research Center: http://reverseauctionresearch.blogspot.com/
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• The Reverse Auction Conundrum: Despite Benefits, Why Does Adoption Lag? (spendmatters.com)
• Illinois Reverse Auctions Redux -- When Journalists Selectively Quote to Skew Stories (spendmatters.com)
• Reverse Auctions: Are They Well-suited for Procuring Telecom Services? (socyberty.com)
• Why Communication and Information Matters in The Reverse Auction E-marketplace (bizcovering.com)
• Reverse Auctions for Services: Lessons From The World of Public Relations (bizcovering.com)
• Mulching for Dollars: Reverse Auctions Provide Savings Beyond The Garden Variety (bizcovering.com)

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Want to Cut Your Paper Budget by Over 25%?: Why Not Use a Reverse Auction for Procuring This Necessary Staple for Your Organization

Copy Paper - yes we use to much in ANY organization, but how do we lessen the outlay on it? Simple - reverse auction it!

Here's a quick story from my friend Whitney Headlee over at Louisville-based eBridge (www.ebridgeglobal.com). It tells how one school district saved 27% on their budget for copy paper! See the details below at:

Paper Bids Serve A Purpose

Want to learn more about how your company or governmental agency can produce significant savings like these through the strategic use of reverse auctions? Contact us at the Reverse Auction Research Center: (http://reverseauctionresearch.blogspot.com/) to learn more.

David Wyld, Director - The Reverse Auction Research Center (http://reverseauctionresearch.blogspot.com/)



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UPCOMING TELECONFERENCE ON REVERSE AUCTIONS BEING CONDUCTED WITH LORMAN

Good day! Want to earn continuing professional education (CPE) credit and learn more about how to strategically use reverse auctions - all while not having to leave your office - or your backyard?

Here is a link to an upcoming teleconference - September 23, 2010 - that I will be conducting for Lorman - with info on registration as well - see:

http://www.lorman.com/teleconference/teleconference.php?sku=386157

Hope you can join me then!

David

From the Reverse Auction Research Center: http://reverseauctionresearch.blogspot.com/

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• Reverse Auctions in The Reo (Real Estate Owned) Market: Helping Clean Up The Mortgage Mess (bizcovering.com)
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• Virtual Reverse Auctions: How They Could Revolutionize World of Warcraft and Other Virtual Worlds (And Maybe Even The Real One, Too!) (bizcovering.com)
• Illinois Reverse Auctions Redux -- When Journalists Selectively Quote to Skew Stories (spendmatters.com)

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Think Before You Send It!: A Dozen Email Communication Tips for College, The Workplace, and Beyond

Image by Ken Lund via Flickr

We live in an era of instant communications (Email, Text Messaging, Facebook and Twitter). It brings great advantages to how we live, work, learn and communicate, and yet, it can bring great peril as well – as once a message leaves, no “unsend” or delete really, really works! Here’s advise on how to use email more effectively with your colleagues, your boss, and even your professors!

Introduction – The World of OMG/LOL/{:-)/{:-C

Ok, this article is not provoked by any incident that particular incident that has happened to me with emails from – or to - students. However, over the past few years, as I have taught more and more online (and involved online with really everything I do, even in the traditional classroom setting), I have begun to use email - and now Facebook - as a primary communication medium with my students. In fact, I'm finding that low and behold, the "1950's model" of students waiting by a professor's office - or even calling to talk about an issue (like I did when I walked uphill through the snow in East Texas to college) - just doesn't happen anymore. In fact, I'd say that now, 90-95% of my interactions with students out of the classroom - whether with students on-line or in a "real" classroom with like desks and chairs (yeah, we still see those) - are via email.

So first, it's important that you see how many emails we see from students. Yes, I've been at the higher ed game for over twenty years, and I could write a book about the excuses I first heard, and now, which are being sent via email.

The Student Email Hall of Shame – WTF

But better to rely on the "wisdom of crowds," as the Chronicle of Higher Education has now compiled over 850 pages (as of late July 2010, and it keeps growing) of responses from professors with their favorite crazy student emails! For fun reading, see it here:

Chronicle Forums (In the Classroom: "favorite" student e-mails)

http://chronicle.com/forums/index.php/topic,29894.0.html.

It includes such gems as those below:

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This one shows a BAD way to start:

"Yo [my last name]--what up with ". . .

This one is from the THIRD WEEK of an anonymous professor’s class:

"hi, this is ___and I'm in your ___ class but have been golfing in [sunny vacation destination] for the past couple weeks so i have missed the first few classes. just wondering if there is anything important that i have missed ... please let me know what i should do.”

This one seems to put you in a higher income bracket than the professor:

“I definitely read my schedule wrong and didn’t realize I had [your class] tomorrow morning. I had already signed up to go sailing tomorrow with a few friends. It’s the last chance of the season and I really don’t want to cancel on them. Is there any chance I can talk with you sometime tomorrow about what I will miss?”

This shows a lack of following the breadcrumb trail constructed for you to make it through the class:

“I have a question about the [assignment that is due on Friday, for which weekly reminders have been given and instructions available since the beginning of the semester]. What exactly what are we supposed to be doing??? Please let me know as soon as possible.”

This is not the way to improve your attendance and participation grade:

"I know I missed half of the classes, but receiving half the points seems a little dramatic."

Finally, this is simply inappropriate:

“Hey Sweet jeans, Can you schedule a review session this weekend? Please write me back before 5 pm because after that I only use the internet for porn. Thanks.”

Source: http://chronicle.com/forums/index.php/topic,29894.0.html.

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While I personally find most students to be professional in their emails, the other 10-20% are – shall we say at best – unprofessional and not well thought out (yes, there is a “draft” mode and a need to read and reread what you send BEFORE you send it). Above and beyond requests, begging and pleading, misspelled words, emails beginning - "HEY!..." All too often, that's what we see, and bad email practices can not only work against you in college (or in high school for that matter), but even more importantly, in the "real world" of work! For instance, watch the clip below that compiles email gaffes recounted by a collection of professors:

From: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pTct6uITSAM

12 Pieces of Email Advice to Watch and Take Away into Your College Career and Your Bigger Career Ahead

So, what should you do to lessen the chance that you will end-up not just perhaps ruining your chances in the class (and later in your job search and even on your job) – and having your email end-up in a "hall of shame" – like the Chronicle of Higher Education has run for almost four years to date with thousands and thousands of entries. Here's a collection of a dozen videos to watch with some great email and overall netiquette advice (and yes, there are some laughs too, just don’t let these things happen to you!).

1. Email Advice for College Students in Particular From Dr. Brett McMillan at McDaniel College:

From: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Uo2qJHzowFw&feature=related

2. Howcasts on Both “How To Practice Good Phone and E-mail Etiquette At Work”

From: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DmVd8MT9XyA&feature=fvw

And "How to Follow Proper Netiquette Rules":

From: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6dRoclqDJh0&feature=related

3. From Trainer and Author Tim Sanders:

From: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=srrnMIskxTM&feature=related

4. From Will Schwalbe and David Shipley (authors of Think Before You Send):

From: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1NItfF5H4T0&feature=related

5. From Seven Keys to Effective Email:

From: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9NPkftKr0x8&feature=related

6. Ask the Techies (for free!!)":

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bNKR3LhlzSM&feature=related

7. From the Daily Idea:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WUyhXSzK9cU&feature=related

8. From Corporate Comedian Greg Schwem:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0-Mmp_hGVRY&feature=related

9. From the Today Show:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5iRj67suTLs&feature=related

10. And of course, from John Tesh:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AK-is2QdcTA&feature=related

11. And, of course, TheResident.Net, with the appropriate title "You Suck at Email":

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Br27hGSmtwA&feature=related

12. Finally, Ricky Gervais and the original UK cast of “The Office”:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O2YUQuBpORQ

BIOGRAPHY

David C. Wyld (dwyld.kwu@gmail.com) is the Robert Maurin Professor of Management at Southeastern Louisiana University in Hammond, Louisiana. He is a management consultant, researcher/writer, and executive educator. His blog, Wyld About Business, can be viewed at http://wyld-business.blogspot.com/. He also serves as the Director of the Reverse Auction Research Center (http://reverseauctionresearch.blogspot.com/), a hub of research and news in the expanding world of competitive bidding. Dr. Wyld also maintains compilations of his student’s publications regarding management concepts (http://toptenmanagement.blogspot.com/), book reviews (http://wyld-about-books.blogspot.com/) and international foods (http://wyld-about-food.blogspot.com/).

Read More

Think Before You Send It: A Dozen Email Communication Tips for College, The Workplace, and Beyond

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Score One for the Reverse Auction Research Center: But we do have "Peace on Our Time!"

Say, kudos to our friend Jason Busch at SpendMatters (http://www.spendmatters.com/). In his latest article, Illinois Reverse Auctions Redux -- When Journalists Selectively Quote to Skew Stories, Jason took to task both Crain's Chicago Business and Dr. Robert Emiliani on the article that the publication recently ran on the Illinois law enabling reverse auctions in the state's procurement.


To his credit,  Dr. Emiliani made a good reply to Jason's post that is well worth reading - and he even reached out to me on the matter and we had a great, long discussion on the matter (the substance of which shall properly remain private). I hope that in the future, we'll see more even-handed coverage of the positive aspects- and yes, some pitfalls of reverse auctions. While understanding the nature of editing, it's important to look at both sides - and to include the short and long-term benefits of using the most progressive procurement techniques in public sector buying - especially when taxpayer dollars - and their confidence - are at stake.

David

From the Reverse Auction Research Center: http://reverseauctionresearch.blogspot.com/

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The Rest of the Country Follows OUR Lead on Textbook Rental

One of the things that makes Southeastern very unique is the fact that we are one of the few colleges in the country that has a textbook rental system. Now with the rising costs of textbooks (up FOURTEEN PERCENT in the last year alone!), there are budding entrepreneurial start-ups like Chegg (http://www.chegg.com/) and Campus Book Rentals (http://www.campusbookrentals.com/) - and a little company called Barnes & Noble - that are starting to enter this market - with the cooperation of universities and their bookstores.

Read about these developments here in an article from today's Boston Herald:

http://www.boston.com/news/education/higher/articles/2010/07/26/as_college_text_prices_soar_students_get_a_rental_option/



What are your thoughts? How much do you think this has saved you as a student over your college career? What does this mean to you as a professor? Post your thoughts as comments here on the blog...and share this post to show how little old Southeastern Louisiana University has been doing something for decades that other leading colleges and universities are scrambling to put together now to serve their students!

David

P.S. An Important Point: This blog is not endorsed by, funded by, supported by, controlled by, (insert your verb here) by the Administration at Southeastern Louisiana University. All the input you see here is being done by faculty, staff, and students who care about Southeastern, and we are taking our own off-duty time and effort to use this space to publicize the things that are being done, today, on our campus and in our outreach beyond.



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Proof Positive That "Blank" ALWAYS Flows Downhill in Organizations

Well, the full credit for surfing the web for hours and hours to find something meaningful - and yes, funny - to share with all of you goes to my Southeastern student, Casey Hebert. He shared it with me privately and yes, you do need to see this at the link below from Canadian Content:

I’ve never seen a Flow Chart described so clearly

Here, you will find an explanation of this priceless graphic that says it all:



This is definitely a good one - and one to comment on and yes, share with your work colleagues especially!

David


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A Taste of South Korea: A Recipe for Ggae Gwa Ja (Korean Sesame Cookies)

This overview of South Korea – its geography, its economy, its culture, and its people, and a recipe, too – was prepared by Amy Moisant while an Accounting student in the College of Business at Southeastern Louisiana University.

Introduction

South Korea is very modern, industrialized country, set amongst rugged mountain ranges and farmland. It has a population of 48,294,000 people. The native language is Korean; however, English is widely taught. The main religions are Christianity and Buddhist. The Capital of South Korea is Seoul. The currency is the South Korean Won. The culture is tradition rich, based on 600 year-old Confucian principles. Among these principles are willingness to work hard at any task and, especially, devotion to the family.

Country Information
● Geographic Facts

Here are three geographic facts about South Korea:

1. South Korea is located in East Asia on the southern half of the Korean Peninsula. Neighboring countries are China to the west, Japan to the east, and North Korea to the north.

2. South Korea has a very mountainous terrain. Its territory consists of 99,250 square kilometers (38,321 square miles). It is slightly larger than Indiana.

3. The seasons are very distinct in South Korea. Summers are very hot and humid, while in Winter temperatures plummet to below freezing. Fall and Spring are the most comfortable seasons to visit South Korea. Most of the rain falls in summer during a monsoon season known as “jangma”.

● 3 “Serious” Facts
Here are three serious facts about South Korea:
1. The main industries in South Korea are: electronics (Samsung and Lucky-Goldstar), automobile production (Hyundai, Kia and Daewoo), chemicals (fertilizers), shipbuilding , steel, and textiles. It has grown into the world’s 12th largest trading nation due to chaebols, large export-oriented conglomerates.

2. The type of agriculture in South Korea consists of rice, root crops, barley, vegetables, cattle, and fish.

3. South Korea was liberated August 15, 1945. It has a Republic form of government with powers shared between the president, the legislature, and the courts.

● 3 “Fun” Facts
Here are three fun facts about South Korea:

1. If you are a karaoke fan, South Korea is the place for you.

2. Korean women wear dresses, skirts and very high heels for just about every occasion.

3. Unlike the United States, most places in South Korea are tip free and it can sometimes be an insult to tip.

● A “Potpourri” Item

The principle component of Korean food is vegetables and they have long considered food to be a form of medicine. There is a Korean saying that goes “no matter how good medicine may be, it will never be as good as food.” Korean dishes contain ingredients commonly used in oriental medicine such as ginger, dates, and omija (a type of raspberry). Koreans eat rice with almost every meal and use chopsticks.

Here is an unusual fact (or two or three) about South Korea:
To overcome distance and traffic congestion, South Korea launched a high-speed rail service between Seoul and Busan in 2004.
Generally speaking, Koreans are thin people. Being overweight is considered a sign of wealth and dignity and seen particularly among the rich, and high officials.


Food Information



● Recipe

Ingredients:
● 1 cup butter (real, no substitutions)
● ¾ cup brown sugar
● ¾ cup white sugar
● 2 eggs
● 1 teaspoon baking soda
● 1 teaspoon hot water
● 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
● 3 cups flour
● ¾ toasted sesame seeds

Directions:
Cream the butter with brown sugar and white sugar. Add eggs and beat well. Add baking soda, hot water and vanilla extract. Mix well.
Stir in the flour and sesame seeds to make a stiff dough. Cover and chill until dough is firm.
Roll heaping teaspoonfuls of the dough into balls; place on greased baking sheet, about 2” apart. Flatten slightly. Bake at 325° for 10-12 minutes.

● My Kitchen Story
Koreans seldom serve dessert opting for fresh fruit instead. I got this recipe from a friend who found it on a Korean adoption website. A good Korean cook will try to include five colors at every meal: red, green, yellow, white, and black. So, with this in mind, I used black sesame seeds. I put the sesame seeds in the cookie dough, and for added effect, I pressed the black seseme seeds on the top. By the end of the process, I had black fingers! This cookie is similiar to a biscotti, being that it is a little crunchy. They are very simple to make, they taste and look great!

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Contact Info: To contact the author of “A Taste of South Korea: A Recipe for Ggae Gwa Ja (Korean Sesame Cookies),” please email amoisant@yahoo.com.


BIOGRAPHY

David C. Wyld (dwyld.kwu@gmail.com) is the Robert Maurin Professor of Management at Southeastern Louisiana University in Hammond, Louisiana. He is a management consultant, researcher/writer, and executive educator. His blog, Wyld About Business, can be viewed at http://wyld-business.blogspot.com/. He also maintains compilations of his student’s publications regarding management concepts (http://toptenmanagement.blogspot.com/), book reviews (http://wyld-about-books.blogspot.com/), international foods (http://wyld-about-food.blogspot.com/).


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Read more:

A Taste of South Korea: A Recipe for Ggae Gwa Ja (Korean Sesame Cookies)

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Moving Fail: How Not To Get A Honda In A U-Haul (VIDEO)

Good Lord - so many things went wrong here - from the hair-brained plan to the fight that came after the tape stopped rolling - trust they weren't loading up the U-Haul to head to an Ivy League School, eh?



BTW - this video with go viral with the help of all the salespeople at Atlas, Bekins, Mayflower, Two Men and a Truck, Starving Students, etc.. showing folks why it pays to use the professionals!

A classic fail...

Source: Read the Article at HuffingtonPost

David http://wyld-business.blogspot.com/

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