Spirituality in Business?

I did study literature (long ago) and do still have a fondness for reading to make linkages in patterns and symbols relevant to the path of decision and as it relates to business. A similar type of future oriented contingency planning may be useful on an individual or personal level. I cannot read your future but I can in some ways explain the opportunities and options available in a growing array of fields due to online learning accessibility.

Rita MacNeil sets the mood for my modest discourse here accompanied by, "The Men of the Deeps" in her most famous anthem, "Working Man." It is a favourite of many Maritimers. Also here is more of Canada's Cape Breton icon, Rita MacNeil I come from Canada's education province. It would be remiss for me to neglect a sales pitch for Canada's best quality of life, lowest cost of living and crime rates, and friendliest people. The colleges and universities in Nova Scotia are among the oldest in North America mostly because it was one of the earliest settled regions and of a uniform leading quality, low teacher to student ratios and educational options.

Canada's Education Province: Nova Scotia

The Trailer Park Boys: The Underbelly of Nova Scotia, Canada's Education Province

(Seriously) Canada's Education Province

These and other universities in Canada are of a nearly uniform quality of education across the country and their entry into online learning or e-learning options have been much slower than Australia for example but they represent quality, cost-effective options for independent studies at The Canadian Virtual University. Investigating other price and quality options is problematic especially when evaluating the global e-learning options from country to country which represent the same kinds of regional and professional differences present in the business world. Two websites which address options and are worth researching to explore possibilities are Jonnie's Distance Learning Page or Accelerated Online Master's Degrees My own standard measure of education relates to the three points philosophy on rock climbing. As in, evaluation should minimally address three factors: duration, location, and pricing.

Duration

Once you have selected a possible specification across institutions, countries and standards you are able to get a sense of the general field versus the shortest or longest options. What you are looking for in particular is flexibility in the timing of the courses as in the possibility that you might accelerate a generally taken course either through extra studies at specific times of the year when you have more free time or the possible transfer to on campus or full-time designations. Taking the time to assess it right gives a really good sense of available time options.

Location

Many global institutions have or are developing regional educational hubs or branch campus locations in teaching-friendly countries like Singapore, Dubai and Qatar. Selecting a distance option which has a further regional attendance option upon offer of local employment is an extremely astute method of gathering income and educational benefits.

Pricing

Dependant on regional accreditation agencies the possiblity to attend low-cost courses at a fairly unknown school with transfer to a better, more expensive school in the USA is extremely good. Price comparison shopping should have an eye for the range of prices in a particular field. Basically exploring these three points over a period of months or years gives you a fairly clear view of the opportunities and benefits attendant in a particular course of study from a global perspective.

Best Value/Quality for Money Players in the States

Depending on your possible graduate studies options you may choose to pursue certificate programs which either introduce a topic of possible greater later interest or as often is the case following a post-graduate option provide a more specified snapshot of an area of current interest. As I am interested in business I can exemplify with my on current processes.

1. Cornell University (eCornell)

This is the biggest and most inclusive of the Ivy League schools and its online course offerings are nearly unparalleled as far as pricing, options and accessiblity as well as global recognition. Access to eCornell is however limited to certain options mostly in management and administration most probably based on their long experience in the delivery mode. Also thse are the most likely fields which provide such educational options to their employees. eCornell thus has a high profile.

2. The University Alliance

The dot.com boom and crash brought out lots of the kinks in online learning and while schools like The University of Phoenix claim a lot of satisfaction from their graduates I tend to prefer schools with a long history on the ground to legitimize the learning. The University Alliance does provide several quality institutions albeit again mostly in business.

3. Fathom: The Source for Online Learning

This is an archive provided by Columbia University which offers access to a complete range of free content developed for Fathom by member institutions. These include online learning resources, including lectures, articles, interviews, exhibits and free seminars. There are also additional online resources from Columbia University at ci.columbia.edu or cero.columbia.edu and from the members of the Fathom Consortium at their own websites. It might prove quite useful in exploring possible future studies options and at the same time completion of the seminars for example can build a legitimate educational record on your CV fairly easily.

4. MIT: Open Courseware

MIT is only one of many high profile institutions which offer free and open educational resources (OER) for educators, students, and self-learners around the world. MIT OCW is a publication of MIT course materials, requires no registration, is not a degree-granting or certificate-granting activity and does not provide access to MIT faculty.

5. Boston University Online

This is another pretty good institution with a variety of fairly sober business type courses. For example, Boston University offers several interesting looking certificates like this one in entrepreneurship.

6. Thunderbird

Repeatedly ranked the best, Thunderbird offers a Certificate in Corporate Social Responsibility which might be of interest to flavour a possible opening into the study of business for anyone with an interest, pathos and concern for ethics in business.

Decision Strategies

Roger Whittaker: I Don't Believe In If Anymore

I think applying business strategies to studies, learning and career or personal decisions are not particulary difficult. In the realm of employment it is useful to gain awareness of the competitiveness of one's peers, the choices they make, the educational paths they select and the past orientation leading to their current successes and challenges. It is easier to gain perspective when viewing the world entire as possessing enough choices and opportunities for each to excell and succeed on one's own merits and motivation, environment, or energy. Also the collaborative element of gathering as many opinions, discussions, and context setting scenarios as possible as good to develop through the adage similar to, "talk to twenty people or more about every major decision."

However orientation to one's relative position in that mix of stranger and friend must keep a personal development orientation towards learning from past mistakes, seeking to maximize one's productivity in the present, attempting to live a quality-oriented life in tune with one's own sense of rightness, questioning considered generally accepted opinions only after one has explored their merits, strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats. Finally maintaining flexibility to adapt, grow and creatively innovate one's life through slow or sudden change in perspective due to new credible information, advance in technology, or human awareness will prove useful.

Stan Rogers: One Warm Line
http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=8315817712851371947&q=%22stan+rogers%22&total=62&start=10&num=10&so=0&type=search&plindex=1

If such thoughts could be considered on a spiritual level which applies to business then a positive outlook is ever and always essential, an openness to change and challenge is an advantage and one is immersed in an awareness of one's place and position in time and space but one is also accumulating an ability to integrate learning with experience to measure goals, risk or reward, cost and benefit, through an evaluation of short, medium and long-term goals planning. Decisions should include as much relevant, specific, targetted and unbiased information as possible to successfully achieve one's own moments of levity, happiness, grace and love. If that is not positively spiritual I am not exactly sure what is. Making good decisions is all about maximizing the learning and planning in exploring of possible options and perhaps few verbalize or realize that each has their own star which might be the point of the search. Pope John Paul II said it well, "Follow Your Bliss."Now you have at least twenty more you need to hear from now?