Thursday, April 12, 2007

The precious moment!!

This week, we were taught by a nice and friendly teacher. Antonia is the person who I am talking about. She came to teach us this Monday, Tuesday and wednesday. Her teaching is as useful as our core class teacher. She explained clearly any questions I asked her. Wow, that was great, I wish I would study with her. She is so nice when teaching us. She also helped me with the survey question. At the beginning, I have no idea what I should question for the survey, then she came to help me and give me the important point that I should make the question for myself first. I should know my purpose in order to make up the survey's question. That is really helpful. When I got my purpose, I can think of many questions that even over the limit for the survey. I want to say " thank you very much" to Antonia. I am really appricated for what you had done for us. We had a great time with Antonia. Unfortantely, she has to leave when she finished her program. I believe that she will be a great English teacher. I will never forget the time that I study with her.

Monday, April 9, 2007

Financial Reporting As A Communications Tool In Global Context








This lecture is taught by a proffessor from Schulish school of business. In his lecture, he explains the accounting affairs and how people from over the world can look at each other financial report when they want to do investment. First, he states that accounting standards is similar with language, the financial reports also have to the same rule and same grammar like language. For example, although the investors are from different country, they have the same name for some special subjects like liability, account receivable, accoutn payable, stock, etc. These names will not change much in other language, but they will have the same meaning. For normal people, language is used to communicate, but for the business men they are required not only the language but also the knowledge to understand the financial report. By looking at each other financial report, they can realize the company's financial position. However, there are some obstacles. It is widely believed that culture context can affect the financial report. For example, the American will consider the low debt is the good thing, on the other hand the Japanese will prefer to have the high debt. Also, there are many difference principles between different economies. In the America's corporation board, people will not see the bankers take place on the board, but it is possible for the bankers to have shares on the Japanese corporation board. In the addition, the CEO in US will earn 600 times of annual income for employee while the Japanese CEO will only earn 20 times. Morover, the profeesor also explains the GAAP ( General Accepted Accounting principle) among different countries. Some countries will have their own GAAP when others will follow the international accounting standard (IAS). For example, American and Canadian have their own GAAP, but Italian and Germany will follow the IAS. Finally, he conludes that people have to go through the following flow in order to grasp each other financial statement. The flow is : Economic context, cultural context, accounting regulation, national GAAP, and financial statement.


Critique:
This lecture is very helpful for people who want to learn accounting. In the lecture, he explains clearly the difference accouting knowledge from various country. He compares the general ideas and belief of the debt of the American and Japanese in oder that people can realize the different ideas of the debt. Also, he dicusses the GAAP, that is important word for studying finance. However, it will be a liitle complicated for who do not have the general idea of the North America's accoutning principle to understand this word. Because it is not widely used, only people who study accounting know that word. Overall, it is interesting to know the difference financial reports and various ideas about accoutning. I realize that there are many things that I need to learn to become a good accountant.

Sunday, March 25, 2007

CULTURE SHOCK

"Culture shock", this is familiar with new immigrants, especially for international students. What is culture shock, why do people have culture shock, and how to fix it. These questions were answered briefly and completely in the lecture. According to the lecture, the professor state that culture shock was caused by culture,language, environment, tradition and people's behavior. she also told us the defense mechanism, and there were 4 defense mechanism which is repression, regression, isolation, and rejection. Moreover, she provided the stages to help people to overcome culture shock. She admited the stages in short way : first, people will have culture shock when they first move to another culture, they will be sick afterward, and they have to find way to solve and fix it, then they will get better. It is similar with the case when people get physical sickness,for exmple, when people get cold, they will have medicine and get better after that. It is hard for people to get over the culture shock since they acquire their own culture. They need time to learn and accept the new culture. The professor suggest people to talk to other people, they should go to school or go out for making friend instead of staying at home. She also mention some advantage of living in new culture to encourage people such as people will have more chances to learn new culture, or they will acknowledge more clearly their own culture by learning new culture.


This lecture is an valuable and useful lecture. Not only does it explain the meaning and reason that causes culture shock, but it also provide the solution and methods to overcome culture shock. Therefore, it is attracted by many listeners. According to the lecture, the professor explain briefly the reason cause culture shock by using simple, popular and familiar examples that usually occured in international students' lives. She compaired the American value and Chinese value. She state that every culture value the same things, but they rank differently. That is true, for example, the American value is individualism is more important than family, but in Chinese culture it is inverse.But both of them are value the same thing, social values. She used the experiences to support her lecture. At the end, she mention that people have to be friendly and behave to accept the new culture, it will make them to live better in another culture. I agree with her opinion. I used to be in the same situation like that when I first came to Canada. I can not join the canadian conversation. Because they talk so fast and they always talk in same group. I try being alone and do my works by myself. Finally, I firgue out that is not going to be helpful, I can not finish the works by only myself. Living in communittee need to know each other. Thus, I try to learn the new culture, I realize that I ought to be friendly and tolerant if I want to study and have friends at here. Moreover, I learn how to duel with others.

Thursday, March 22, 2007

Last week events

I did the idiom presentation on last friday. Though, it was the most easy assigment to do for last week. After that I learned the reading skills. And the most difficult one was the reading assigment. Althought I was taught the reading skills in class, I still have obstacles. On the weekend, I was supposed to find out an articles for my reading journal. Unfortunately, I could not because the topic of the article should relate to my final project. However, I found one and did the reading journal. But it was not really significant. On last friday, we watched a documentary movie which revealed the realistic issue occured in WALMART,then we wrote the listening journal on the blogger. For me, last week may be easy going because we did not have any test. And the following week is going to be busy because we will have the reading test and arguement essay. I hope I can do it as good as possible.

Sunday, March 18, 2007

The realistic story of the employees in Wal Mart





Employee's health care and working condition is the crucial issue. This is a serious problem that the employers or the managers need to concentrate. Many companies do not provide the legal and lawful health care for their employee. In the documentary movie on Wal Mart, the audiences can easily realize the obctales that employees work for wal mart face with. According to the movie, the author went through the issue by interviewing the two different classes of workers in wal mart.At the beginning, the author state the speech of the Wal Mart's CEO. Then, the author interview the employees in the companies. The director want the audiences to recognize the contrast between the employees and employers. Although the writer did not show his/her opinion but the viewers can realize that he/she is on the employee's side. In the movie, it reflects more employee's argument and conflicts toward the managers , in the other words, is the owner. The employers did not provide a safety working condition and health care for their employees as they declare in the share holders convocation. They do not want to cost more for the empolee's wage, moreover they try to exchange the full-time employee by part-time employee. Since the employees that work for part-time will receive less benefit than the full-time one. As the result, the employee's confrontation increase. And the employees try to speak out for their rights. Overall, this movie completely reflets the real situation in which the employees are in. And the evidences that is used, also have strong support point. Because the author did the survey on the Wal Mart's employees, and he/she used the document that is offered by WalMart. For example, the convocation and the speech of the CEO. This movie is valuable and helpful for viewers to recognize the reality which occures in some big companies.
It is also a lesson for many employers to improve their obligation for their employee.

Friday, March 16, 2007

REFLECTION

My first impression about YUELI is: this is a fascinated place for me to practise English. Because I can find huge numbers of materials to read at here. And I can also practise my speaking and listening skills in the seminar. I have new friends that from various countries and great time at here. I believe that my english skills will be improved if I try to learn and work harder.
Over the next 6 weeks, I have made a plan for my self to improve my english. For example, I will spend the rest of my afternoon in Nexus to find materials and sources to read so that I can increase my reading skills. And sometimes I will go to sign up for the lecture in university, I want to practise my listening. These are two skills that I have to improve for preparing university study. However, I will not only just focus on the two skills above, for my writing skill, I will try to write essay on various topics. And I will use the vocabulary which I enrich in reading to make my essay become more interesting and attractive by enhancing well the grammar and words.

Thursday, March 8, 2007

About myself






Helo, everyone!! welcome to my blog!!!
My name is Truong Hao Mi, and my english name is May Truong. I was born and grow up in Ho Chi Minh city which is the important industrial city in Vietnam. And I have started my oversea study in Canada since 2005. I almost spent more than 1 year in canada. I did study in Bronte college high school in Mississauga when I came here in 2005. After graduation, I moved to my uncle house in Markham. I am planing to go to York university this Fall. I am going to study financial accounting at Atkinson campus. That is my target in this year. But, the big trouble that obsess me now is my English skills. I realize that my English is not satisfied for the university's requirement. Thus, I take the yueli course to imoprove my english before I study in York.