EDUCATION
Business Studies: The Importance of
Learning From Real Life Examples
by Chris Robertson
I
t is the purpose of our educational business is different. Students know
system to impart on young people that some businesses prosper while
the knowledge and training they others fail, but they rarely know how
need to live a productive life in and why. Studying economics pro-
today’s society. That begins with vides the tools and resources required
reading and writing, the basic concept in business, but it does not demon-
of numbers and how to add, subtract strate how to use them. Why do some
and manipulate them in other ways, companies succeed and become icons
and then branches off into more of success when others, who have
advanced learning. Depending on the equal access to well-educated and
school and the system, students are motivated people, fail? How can one
then gradually exposed to ever more learn from existing examples and thus
details and complexity in the various see how business principles are
fields of academics, those including applied in the real world?
mathematics, languages and a variety The answer is learning from actual
of social and business studies. examples. There are numerous com-
Perhaps the greatest challenge in panies out there who have, for one
education is demonstrating how reason or another, either failed or suc-
learned knowledge applies to the real ceeded. Examining their back-
world. This requires drawing connec- grounds, their actions, the decision-
tions between what is learned in making process, and the ways in
school and how that knowledge is which they reacted to changing envi-
used on the job and to solve actual ronments will provide a level of
business problems. Even the best understanding that is not possible to
teachers often struggle drawing par- For an example of nearly useless achieve with mere academic learning.
allels between theoretical study and theoretical learning, I learned French Knowing how it all fits together in the
real life situations. As a result, stu- for seven years, was able to conjugate real world comes in handy whether
dents become bored or fail to see how verbs and apply the proper tenses, it’s preparing for the GCSE, applying
what they learn will ever help them and read and understand complex for a job, or succeeding in a real life
get the job they seek, or how it could French literature. Yet, since the study job. How and where do you learn
possibly apply in practice. was entirely theoretical and I had no about real world business? An excel-
The central problem is that there is practical experience with the lan- lent way is to examine “case studies,”
a large difference between academic guage, I later found I was barely able which are detailed analyses of busi-
learning and learning that applies to to order breakfast in French, let alone nesses, their challenges, and how they
the real world. Much depends on an use my knowledge of the language in did or did not solve them. PWM
educational system’s approach and the real world. In time I lost it entirely
policies. If the goal simply is to teach and was never able to take advantage About the Author
the basics of physics, geometry, chem- from all those years of theoretical Chris Robertson is an author of
istry, math and other scientific disci- study. Majon International, one of the
plines-regardless whether a student Bridging the gap between theoreti- world’s MOST popular internet mar-
will ever use that knowledge-then cal knowledge and real world appli- keting companies.
www.majon.com
most educational systems are fairly cation is especially important in busi- Visit Majon’s Education directory-
effective. It is, however, an inefficient ness studies. Unlike math and science at
ww.majon.com/directory/Educa-
way of preparing young people for where problems are well defined and tion/
life and life’s challenges. their solutions known, the world of Source:
goarticles.com
52 PROFESSIONAL WOMAN’S MAGAZINE
www.professionalwomanmag.com
Page 1 |
Page 2 |
Page 3 |
Page 4 |
Page 5 |
Page 6 |
Page 7 |
Page 8 |
Page 9 |
Page 10 |
Page 11 |
Page 12 |
Page 13 |
Page 14 |
Page 15 |
Page 16 |
Page 17 |
Page 18 |
Page 19 |
Page 20 |
Page 21 |
Page 22 |
Page 23 |
Page 24 |
Page 25 |
Page 26 |
Page 27 |
Page 28 |
Page 29 |
Page 30 |
Page 31 |
Page 32 |
Page 33 |
Page 34 |
Page 35 |
Page 36 |
Page 37 |
Page 38 |
Page 39 |
Page 40 |
Page 41 |
Page 42 |
Page 43 |
Page 44 |
Page 45 |
Page 46 |
Page 47 |
Page 48 |
Page 49 |
Page 50 |
Page 51 |
Page 52 |
Page 53 |
Page 54 |
Page 55 |
Page 56 |
Page 57 |
Page 58 |
Page 59 |
Page 60 |
Page 61 |
Page 62 |
Page 63 |
Page 64 |
Page 65 |
Page 66 |
Page 67 |
Page 68