CDC news - AmCham Egypt Inc€¦ · · 2015-04-05at the American Chamber of Commerce in Egypt...

The Journal of the Career Development Center at the American Chamber of Commerce in Egypt

www.amcham.org.eg/cdc

CDCnewsVol. 10, Issue 3 • November 2014

The Benefits of Franchising in Egypt

Over the past years franchising has been flourishing in theEgyptian market. More and more recognizable internationalbrands and chains have been appearing countrywide. Given

the many benefits of franchising, it is no wonder why this trend hasbeen gaining immense popularity.

Compared to starting up a business from scratch, going down theroad of starting up a franchise can offer entrepreneurs several advan-tages. It allows them to independently start a business with the sup-port of the franchisor. Business owners are offered a proven businessstrategy presenting them with a tried and tested business model,which in turn helps forecast the company’s success and popularityin the market.

Often times new businesses take years to establish their brandrecognition and some businesses fail to do this altogether. Establish-ing a franchised business means you are offering the consumer aknown, reliable brand, which cuts a significant time off the businesspromotion. In essence, business owners are given a head start with their product or service. Franchises can potentially providebusiness owners with instant name recognition. It also cuts time in establishing a consumer base since along with the establishedbrand often comes a loyal customer base. Consumers feel more secure toward a business they recognize by name and since itis sometimes increasingly difficult for business owners to compete against companies that have significant resources to developand promote their brand, franchising allows them to benefit from the collective power and growth of the franchise network,which can lead to greater name recognition and competitive advantages for each individual franchisee.

Another advantage in establishing a franchised business is the support the franchisee is offered from the franchisor. Franchisesprovide new business owners with a built-in support system to assist them in building a business they can be proud of. This isan important benefit for business owners who have limited experience in business ownership or business owners who havelimited experience in their industry. The franchisor can help in establishing dependable relationships with suppliers, which isanother challenge new business owners often face.

The American Chamber of Commerce in Egypt’s Career Development Center (CDC) is pleased to announce an opportunityfor entrepreneurs in Egypt looking to pursue franchising opportunities. In October 2014, AmCham entered a partnership withthe Social Fund of Development and the Arab-African Bank which presents scholarship opportunities to new business ownersfor training on how to startup a franchised business in Egypt. Training will start in November. I look forward to bringing you fur-ther update on this program in future issues of CDC News.

Sincerely,

Dr. Mohamed Amin S. HemimyAmCham Deputy COO/ Director CDC

“ Franchises provide new business owners with abuilt-in support system to assist them in building a

business they can be proud of.”

Inside this issue:uInterview Help 5

uWorkshop Schedules 7

uCertification Schedules 9

OCT2014_Newsletter_Newsletter Template 10/28/14 1:04 PM

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CDCnewsCDC HEAD OFFICE WORKSHOPS

Advanced Business WritingNehal Abdel Aziz 16 – 17 June, 2014

Project ManagementKhaled Akl

11 – 14 May, 2014

Key Performance IndicatorsMahmoud El Laithy7 – 9 April, 2014

Successful Sales Management Amin Alloub

15 – 17 June, 2014

Join us on facebook: www.facebook.com/AmChamCDC

QUESTION: I am student and I want to be a professional accountant. Could I still participate in the Certified Management Accountant (CMA) program even though it requires two years of professional experience?

CDC CAREER ADVISOR: Students can apply for the CMA Certification. They are required to complete two continuous years of professional experience in management accounting and/or financial management. However, thisrequirement may be completed prior to or within seven years of passing the examination.

Ask the Experts

Your Career Advisor

?


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November 2014

Why I Love My Job?A Dream Come True By Michiyo Miyamoto

A story, which proves my passion for my job, datesback to my earliest childhood. In a classroom discus-sion about an assignment of a school play, I did nothesitate to raise my hand as soon as a chairpersonasked everyone “Who would be a secretary?”

Ihad an inspiration that it was definitely my role. All Ihad to say on the stage was nothing more than a fewwords to inform a president of his customer’s arrival,

but I was excited about performing in a secretary-lookingway, keeping my back straight and walking gracefully.

Now my dreams have come true, and I am currentlyworking as personal assistant to the executive officer.Through more than 10 years of real work experience, Ifound that implicit and yet demanding expectation of myboss inspires my motivation.

In Japan “Kuuki wo yomu,” literally means “read/un-derstand the atmosphere” and has long been considereda virtue at the workplace. Japanese executives tend totalk less and expect more and make me whole-minded,so I read between the lines concerning their expecta-tions. It is encouraging when my answer hits the nail onthe head. It is no exaggeration to say that the more emo-tionally savvy you become, the more you enjoy being apersonal assistant.

Personal assistant is distinguished from other assign-ments by its responsibility to provide support with ex-ecutive officers in person, and you may spend more timewith them than any other employees, or even more thanyour family. It was like that for me when I was a memberof a start-up division, which my boss headed. As thestart-ups are new and have a nature of change, I even-tually managed my boss’s e-mail account and came into work much earlier to read through piles of incominge-mail and brief my boss upon his arrival. I also stayedlate in the evening to catch up and stay ahead of theceaselessly changing situation. I had to be prepared forthe unexpected.

Actually, it was nothing unusual to take three meals atmy desk. It was harsh, but I came to understand what ittakes to manage difficulties in a fast-paced environmentand achieve goals with the entire team. It also fosteredtrustful collaboration between my boss and me.

My role model is world-class business people I havemet through my job, and to imagine how they think and

per-form is my principle at the workplace. After thinkingabout what is integral for being world-class, attaining myCAP and CAP-OM came to me as my answer.

I was so glad to hear that I was the first Japanese ap-plicant who got successful results with both categories atone time. The examination time spanned for nine hoursin total, and it was a challenging examination for a non-native English speaker such as myself. It was my inspiringvision for the future that encouraged me to never give up.

The certification will be a great help to attain the per-fect position, which I am dreaming of. Specifically, per-sonal assistant to a non-Japanese executive, to serve ashis right-hand, prioritize and manage his workload amidconflicting demands and busy work, represent him in aprofessional and congenial manner in every situation,perform as international liaison, to name just a few.

My current boss rarely expresses his feelings. But heseemed to be delighted to hear my successful results andtold me “You did great effort.” Now I am good at readingbetween the lines. His words were full of kindness andconsiderations to his assistant.

Michiyo Miyamoto works for Mazda Motor Co. Ltd. aspersonal assistant to an executive officer.

Interested in submitting your own story about why youlove your job? Please submit your 500-word essay [email protected]

If you have passed the international exam forany of the CDC certification programs, sharewith us your success and send your name, titleand company name to: [email protected]

Are you certified?CDC


4

CDCnewsCDC HEAD OFFICE CERTIFICATIONS

Certified Information System Auditor (CISA)Mostafa ElAzhary

February 23 – April 27, 2014

Certified Treasury Professional (CTP)Ahmed Makhlouf

8 February – 7 June, 2014

Boost Productivity byProtecting Your TimeYou need to learn to protect your valuable turf if you want to get moredone. Many people are constantly dealing with ad hoc issues thatcrop up throughout the day. Productivity expert Kimberly Medlockargues that you’ll never tackle your long-term tasks until you build awall around a chunk of every day. She calls it the “90-minute rule.”

The 90-Minute Rule is carving out and protecting about 20 per-cent of each day/week for working on your most important tasks orprojects. Medlock recommends rounding off to a good solid 90 min-utes of planned, prepared for and uninterrupted time. This helps tonot just get things done (we all get things done), but also gives youthe focus power needed to do the most important things: tasks thatwhen left undone keep us up at night, nag at us throughout the day,and leave us feeling beat down rather than built up.

– Kimberly Medlock/SmarterTrainingMatters.com

Certified in Inventory and Production Management (CPIM)Sherif Medhat

20 October, 2013 – 30 April, 2014

SHRM Essentials of Human Resources (EHR)Hanan Samaa ElDinMarch 3 – April 7, 2014


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November 2014

Three Ways to NailInterview Prep Searching for a new or better job is one of the most stressfultasks you’ll ever face. Even if you do everything right, you’restill one of many who put in the same amount of work. Ca-reer expert Rebecca Thorman suggests there are three thingsyou can do while preparing for a job interview that will getyou on the short list for a callback:

1. Identify your best work experiences—Take the time tofigure out and focus on the three best parts of your resumethat really highlight your strengths.

2. Go big or go home—Body language is the single moreimportant factor in how people judge you. Take a cuefrom nature and practice taking up more space. Studiesshow this actually changes your body chemistry andmakes it more likely that others will perceive you as con-fident and competent.

3. Back yourself into a corner—The night before an inter-view, force yourself to honestly answer the question,“Can I do this?” Feel-good affirmations do nothing to pre-pare you. Going through the process of answering thisquestion can lead to real results.

– Rebecca Thorman/U.S. & World Report

CDC HEAD OFFICE MBA

Cohort Extended 2 & Cohort 3 Performance Management, MBA, University of Toledo

Nermine Magdy Attia3 – 24 May, 2014

Cohort Extended 2 & Cohort 3 Supply chain Management, MBA, University of Toledo

Tom Bramorski7 – 27 June, 2014

Stay tuned formore updates inthe next issue of

CDCnews


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CDCnews

Thrive: The Third Metric to Redefining Success andCreating a Life of Well-Being, Wisdom, and Wonder by Arianna Huffington

In Thrive, Arianna Huffington makes an impassioned and compelling case forthe need to redefine what it means to be successful in today’s world.

Arianna Huffington’s personal wake-up call came in the form of a brokencheekbone and a nasty gash over her eye — the result of a fall brought on byexhaustion and lack of sleep. As the cofounder and editor-in-chief of the Huff-ington Post Media Group — one of the fastest growing media companies inthe world — celebrated as one of the world’s most influential women, and grac-ing the covers of magazines, she was, by any traditional measure, extraordi-narily successful. Yet as she found herself going from brain MRI to CAT scan toechocardiogram, to find out if there was any underlying medical problem be-yond exhaustion, she wondered is this really what success feels like?

As more and more people are coming to realize, there is far more to living atruly successful life than just earning a bigger salary and capturing a corner office.Our relentless pursuit of the two traditional metrics of success — money andpower — has led to an epidemic of burnout and stress-related illnesses, and anerosion in the quality of our relationships, family life, and, ironically, our careers.In being connected to the world 24/7, we’re losing our connection to what truly matters. Our current definitionof success is, as Thrive shows, literally killing us. We need a new way forward.

In a commencement address Arianna gave at Smith College in the spring of 2013, she likened our drive formoney and power to two legs of a three-legged stool. They may hold us up temporarily, but sooner or laterwe’re going to topple over. We need a third leg — a third metric for defining success — to truly thrive. Thatthird metric, she writes in Thrive, includes our well-being, our ability to draw on our intuition and inner wis-dom, our sense of wonder, and our capacity for compassion and giving. As Arianna points out, our eulogiescelebrate our lives very differently from the way society defines success. They don’t commemorate our longhours in the office, our promotions, or our sterling PowerPoint presentations as we relentlessly raced to climbup the career ladder. They are not about our resumes — they are about cherished memories, shared adventures,small kindnesses and acts of generosity, lifelong passions, and the things that made us laugh.

In this deeply personal book, Arianna talks candidly about her own challenges with managing time and pri-oritizing the demands of a career and raising two daughters — of juggling business deadlines and family crises,a harried dance that led to her collapse and to her “aha moment.” Drawing on the latest groundbreaking re-search and scientific findings in the fields of psychology, sports, sleep, and physiology that show the profoundand transformative effects of meditation, mindfulness, unplugging, and giving, Arianna shows us the way to arevolution in our culture, our thinking, our workplace, and our lives.

“Even though I was considered successful

by our society's conven-tional measures, I wasnot living a successful

life by any sane definition of success.“

reviewBook

For 2014 CDC Arabic Workshop schedules please see page 10F


November 2014

CDC ALEXANDRIA

Certified Treasury Professional (CTP)Radwa Moustafa

March 31 – September 29, 2014

Marketing Professional Certificate (MPC)Nashwa Ghoniem

April 16 – June 18, 2014

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CDC WORKSHOP SCHEDULESNOVEMBER

DECEMBER

Date Topic Time Fees (LE)

2-4 Financial reporting and analysis 4 pm - 9 pm 13502-5 Material handling and warehousing 4 pm - 9 pm 20503-4 Writing reports and proposals 9 am - 2 pm 13504-6 Lean process and six sigma 4 pm - 9 pm 13509-11 Media and PR 9 am - 2 pm 13509-13 IFRS 4 pm - 9 pm 250010-12 Talent management 9 am - 2 pm 135010-13 Project management 4 pm - 9 pm 205011-13 Administrative support skills 9 am - 2 pm 135016-18 Performance management 9 am - 2 pm 135017-19 Strategic selling 4 pm - 9 pm 135018-20 Effective planning and sceduling 4 pm - 9 pm 135018-20 Team Building and Leadership 9 am - 2 pm 135023-25 Professional secretary 9 am - 2 pm 135024-26 Treasury and cash management 4 pm - 9 pm 135025-27 Communication skills 9 am - 2 pm 110025-27 Compensation and Benefits 9 am - 2 pm 1350

1-3 Negotiation skills 9 am - 2 pm 11001-3 Key to effective supervision 9 am - 2 pm 13502-4 Fundamentals of human resources 9 am - 2 pm 13502-4 Strategic planning 9 am - 2 pm 13507-9 Emotional Intelligence 9 am - 2 pm 13508-10 High performing sales professionals 9 am - 2 pm 13508-11 Purchasing &supply Chain management 4 pm - 9 pm 20509-11 The power of customer service 9 am - 2 pm 135014-16 Business writing 9 am - 2 pm 110015-17 Planning budget 4 pm - 9 pm 135016-18 Basic management skills 9 am - 2 pm 135016-18 Strategic management 9 am - 2 pm 135021-23 Guide to marketing, advertising and pub- 4 pm - 9 pm 135022-24 Emotional Intelligence 9 am - 2 pm 135023-25 Decision making and problem solving 9 am - 2 pm 135023-25 Interpersonal skills 9 am - 2 pm 110028-30 Finance for non-financial managers 4 pm - 9 pm 135028-30 Interviewing and seclection techniques 9 am - 2 pm 135029-31 Time management 9 am - 2 pm 1100

You’ll Live Long Enough

To Regret ItOne of the best ways to make better decisions isto imagine the consequences several years later.In a recent study, researchers gave college stu-dents the chance to cheat for extra cash during atrivia test. The cheaters were then presented witha vivid digital image of themselves at age 40. In asubsequent trivia test, they were 74 percent lesslikely to cheat.

– Psychological Science


8

CDCnews

On June 12, 2014 the American Chamber of Commerce in Egypt's Career Development Center (CDC) hosted the fi-nals of the first Case Study Competition for Faculty of Commerce, Ain Shams University undergraduate students.

The Case Study Competition was organized by the Vision Club at Faculty of Commerce, Ain Shams University andsponsored by the American Chamber of Commerce in Egypt's Career Development Center. The Vision Club is a studentactivity with the mission at assisting freshmen in settling and guiding them through graduation.

The Case Study competitions aims to enhance students' knowledge and skills, it also provide students with oppor-tunities to apply their knowledge and skills to a real-world situations and to prepare undergraduates for successfulprofessional careers.

The Vision Club Participation in the AmCham's CDCCase Study Competition at Faculty of Commerce - Ain Shams University

June 12, 2014


November 2014

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CERTIFICATION SCHEDULESCDCCDC CERTIFICATIONSSince its inception in 1991, Am-Cham’s Career Development Center(CDC) has been offering a variety ofservices designed to enhance profes-sionals interested in advancing theircareer and acquiring new skills intheir fields of interest. In line withthis, CDC offers international certifi-cations and achievement certificatesin various fields, including manage-ment, human resources, marketing,finance, production and inventorymanagement, accounting, auditingand supply chain management.

For a complete listing of all international certi-

fications and achievement certificates offered

by CDC please contact:

Tel: (202) 3338-8220 - (202) 3337-3784

Fax: (202) 3338-9894 - (202) 3337-3779E-mail: [email protected]

Your Career Advisor

Challenging relationships require better understanding andcommunication. Work to get along by following thesesteps:

1. Stop making assumptions. Jumping to conclusionsabout a person's behavior leads to misunderstandingsand needless conflicts. Remedy: Take time to remainneutral and gather information.

2. Refrain from labeling. Mentally characterizing someoneas being a certain way, such as passive-aggressive, lazyor childish, makes it harder to change your thinkinglater. Your brain looks for evidence to support the labeland ignores proof of your erroneous conclusions.

3. Communicate with patience. When personality con-flicts arise, hold non-confrontational conversations. Ask

questions and emphasize your interest in workingthings out. Example: A co-worker with whom you sharea work-space seems uncooperative with sharing infor-mation. Point out your shared goals and common re-sponsibilities. Talk about working relationships and say:"Tell me about a time when you had a great workingrelationship. What made it work so well for you? Whatdo you expect from our working relationship? "Ask"What can I do to make our work run more smoothly?"Summarize what you need from each other to maxi-mize efficiency.

— Adapted from "When You Are a Beloved Employee'sReplacement," Anne Fisher,

CNNMoney, http://manargement. fortune.cnn.com.

Dealing with Difficult PeopleBuild Cooperative Relationships


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CDCnewsARABIC WORKSHOP SCHEDULESCDC FUTURE UNIVERSITY

Essentials of Human ResourcesBalsam Bayomi

February 27 – April 3, 2014

Project Management Professional (PMP)Ahmed Rashad

April 28 – June 25, 2014

Many professionals have stepped outside the warm corpo-rate confines and hung up their shingles as “solopreneurs.”But taking the freelance plunge doesn’t mean abandoningthe techniques used by well-run companies. Even thoughyou are your only employee, you still need to create an of-fice culture that allows you to thrive. That means…

…writing out your vision, mission and values to ensure that your corporate ship is always headed in the right directionover the long haul.

…sticking to policies about getting tasks done on time in order to stay focused on top priorities.…creating your own advisory board of people you respect and trust to tell you the truth so you don’t lose perspective. …evaluating on a regular basis your own level of satisfaction as an employee so you don’t develop a human re-

sources issue. – OPEN Forum

Taking the “Low” out of “Solo”


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CDC ASSIUT

Business English Workshops Intermediate levelLamiaa Mohamed Ahmed15 February – 12 April, 2014

Business English Workshops Pre-intermediate levelLamiaa Mohamed Ahmed16 February – 13 April, 2014

Business English Workshops Elementary levelDalia Gamal

17 February – 12 April, 2014

Certified Management AccountantAhmed Adel Attia

30 November, 2013 – 12 April, 2014

Essentials of Human ResourcesAhmed ElKhabery 15 April, 2014

Fundamentals of Management AccountingYasser Gamal Eldien

1 March – 12 April, 2014

CDCnews


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November 2014

CDC AIN SHAMS UNIVERSITY

SHRM Essentials of Human Resources (EHR)Ahmed El Shahat

February – April, 2014

Marketing Professional Certificate (MPC) Amin Alloub

January – May, 2014

For university schedules and registration please contact:Ain Shams University: Tel: (20-2) 2403-8465

010-9719-2020E-mail: [email protected]

Assiut University: Tel: (20-8) 8242-3848 010-6554-4080

E-mail: [email protected]

October 6 University: Tel: 010-2173-0049 – 010-0765-7151E-mail: [email protected]

Future University: Tel: 010-2260-7996 – 010-2260-7997E-mail: [email protected]

Mohandesin Area: Tel: 011-1333-8331

For graduates before the year 2011 please contact:Main Office: Tel: (20-2) 3338-8220


Alexandria Office: Tel: (20-3) 546-1357 – 546-1375 Fax: 545-8475


Transforming Your Company’s Needs into Workshops

AmCham’s Career Development Center offersTailored Workshops. These are developed to fitthe specific needs of your company and the individual needs of your employees. We develop custom course material for each tailored workshop. All workshops are delivered by our qualified instructors.

For more information, please contact:Tel: (20-2) 3338-1050 • Fax: (20-2) 3337-3779

TailoredWorkshops

Subscribe to CDC News

Send us your name, title, company, phone number and address Email: [email protected]

Tel: (20-2) 3338-8220 - Fax: (202) 3337-3779Your Career Advisor


CDC news - AmCham Egypt Inc€¦ · · 2015-04-05at the American Chamber of Commerce in Egypt...

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