Sir Richard Branson - A Successful Person

• Success is defined by expectations, aspirations, and ones attitude toward reaching them.

• Branson was born in Blackheath, England on July 18, 1950. His father was Edward James Branson and his mother was Eve Huntley Branson

• Branson went to Scaitcliffe School until he was 13 and went to the Stowe School until he was 16 , when he dropped out. Branson did poorly in school due to his dyslexia, however he later discovered his ability to connect with people. At age 16 he dropped out of school and started his own newspaper “Student”.

• He later started a mail-order record company to fund his magazine efforts. Also, he started a record store, and later a recording company - Virgin Records - signing such well known artists as: Sex Pistols, the Culture Club, the Rolling Stones and Genesis. Virgin soon became one of the top six record companies in the world.

• Branson soon expanded his business by starting: a travel agency the Voyager Group in 1980, the airline Virgin Atlantic in 1984 and Virgin Megastores. In 1993 he founded the station Virgin Radio and in 2004 started a space tourism company, Virgin Galactic. The Virgin group now controls around 200 companies in over 30 countries.

• Richard Branson is arguably one of the most successful people in the world. He overcame a learning disability and discovered his ability to connect with people.

• He understands that people are the driving force behind success and values them more than just employees.

• Branson is married to Joan Templeman, and has three children. His personal net worth is over US $4.2 billion. Virgin groups employ 50,000 people worldwide. In 1987 he crossed the Atlantic Ocean in his hot air balloon “Virgin Atlantic Flyer”. On March 30, 2000 he was knighted by Prince Charles for his “services to entrepreneurship”. 

Resources:

http://www.johnshepler.com/articles/branson.html

http://www.biography.com/people/richard-branson-9224520

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Richard_Branson

http://www.moneycrashers.com/richard-branson-quotes-business-success-life/

http://www.pogomix.net/what-is-success

For my successful people presentation I chose to do Sir Richard Branson. Richard Branson is successful because he constantly sets goals for himself which he achieves, he overcame dyslexia and financial trouble and found his talents and used them effectively to maximize his potential. I think we can all learn from him, we often complain of how difficult life is and daydream about it could be better. But Richard Branson did not waste time daydreaming, he got out there a did something. This was not easy for him, he has dyslexia and was told he could not succeed in this field, but for him others' opinions did not matter. He knew what he wanted to do, and he did it. If everybody applied this kind of thinking to their lives, the world would have a lot more successful people.

"Explorations" from my blueprint

Your Top Three Occupation Interest Areas:

1. BusinessOccupations in this area may require an understanding of how companies operate and make their money. Potential topics include marketing, finance, accounting, and economics.
2. Liberal ArtsOccupations in this area span a broad range of fields and can vary from topics such as humanities and literature to natural and physical sciences.
3. ServiceOccupations in this area may involve a lot of customer interaction and often involve sales. Potential jobs include a diverse range of topics such as customer relations to psychologists.

Your Favourite Occupations:

1. Lawyers and Quebec NotariesLawyers and Quebec notaries advise clients on legal matters, represent clients before administration boards and draw up legal documents such as contracts and wills. Lawyers also plead cases, represent clients before tribunals and conduct prosecutions in courts of law. Lawyers are employed in law firms and prosecutor's offices. Quebec notaries are employed in notary offices. Both lawyers and Quebec notaries are employed by federal, provincial and municipal governments and various business establishments or they may be self-employed. Articling students are included in this group.
2. Banking, Credit and Other Investment ManagersBanking, credit and other investment managers plan, organize, direct, control and evaluate the activities of financial establishments or operational departments within such establishments, or credit departments in industrial and commercial establishments. They oversee business development and manage overall performance in accordance with established strategic directions and policies. Banking managers are employed by banks, trust companies and credit unions. Credit managers are employed by credit departments in department stores, utility companies, car dealerships, insurance companies or other industrial or commercial organizations. Other investment managers are employed by credit card companies, consumer loan companies, mutual fund investment firms, mortgage investment companies or other financial establishments concerned with extending loans and financing and investments.
3. Specialists in Human ResourcesSpecialists in human resources develop, implement and evaluate human resources and labour relations policies, programs and procedures and advise managers and employers on personnel matters. Specialists in human resources are employed throughout the private and public sectors, or they may be self-employed.

Your Favourite Programs:

1. Commerce University of Toronto - St. George Campus, Toronto, OntarioThe Bachelor of Commerce degree builds on a common foundation of business and liberal arts courses. Rotman Commerce students go on to specialize in one of three programs: finance and economics, management, or accounting. Each program combines career-oriented courses in management and applied economics with a variety of advanced courses in the Arts & Sciences. The balance assures graduates of a solid understanding of business and modern society along with a command of critical skills in decision-making and organizational leadership.

1. Commerce and Finance University of Toronto at Mississauga, Mississauga, OntarioNot Available

1. Economics for Management Studies University of Toronto at Scarborough, Scarborough, OntarioEconomics studies how consumers and producers interact in a market economy to provide goods and services. Economics also studies how this process grows and changes over time, and under what circumstances it may fail to function in an optimal fashion. Economic policies to remedy those failures are also examined.
   
   In the Department of Management, the study of economics is oriented primarily to the needs of students interested in management studies. Thus, many of our examples will focus on the ways in which firms and consumers in market economies interact. However, students interested in the wide variety of problems considered by economists will find those matters are also addressed in our courses.
   
   The curriculum provides an excellent background for careers in business, government, and the professions, and may be of considerable interest to students specializing in other disciplines as well. Students may focus their study of economics in the Specialist Program in Economics for Management Studies (with a co-op option) as part of the B.B.A., or may either major or minor in economics as part of the B.A. degree. Finally, economics plays a significant role within the various programs leading to the B.B.A. Program.
   
   The Specialist Co-operative program in Economics for Management Studies (B.B.A.) is a work-study program which combines academic studies in economics and management with work experience in public and private enterprises. This degree is designed to allow students to learn practical skills of data analysis and to combine them with the interpretive skills given by knowledge of economic theory.
2. Human Resource and Industrial Relations University of Toronto at Mississauga, Mississauga, OntarioThe Human Resources and Industrial Relations program is designed to prepare students for careers in either human resource management or labour relations. The program also provides a foundation for completion of the Certified Human Resources Professional (CHRP) designation offered by the Human Resources Professionals Association, and for further study in the area, such as the Master of Industrial Relations and Human Resources degree offered at the St. George campus. The need for professional training in the field has grown over time as the employment relationship has increased in complexity due to factors such as the increasing diversity of the labour force and new legislative initiatives in employment and human rights. The broad based study of the employment relationship provided in the Human Resources and Industrial Relations program prepares students for professional careers by providing a theoretical framework, analytical and quantitative skills, and a thorough knowledge of current developments in the field. Students are able to undertake a multi-disciplinary study of the employment relationship, examining it from the perspectives of Economics, History, Sociology and Organizational Theory. This training is intended to provide the basis for life long learning about emerging issues in the field of employment.

1. International Relations Studies Program/Peace & Conflict Studies Program University of Toronto - St. George Campus, Toronto, Ontario

I found the results of this report interesting. Although I had previously thought about a career in some of these fields, the report provided much more detailed findings than I had previously thought about. It told me about field like "human resources" which i had not even heard of. It gave me an interesting perspective on what I might want to become, and showed me that there is huge variety of jobs out there.

An Interview with someone in the Workplace

For this assignment I interviewed my cousin Gosia, she works for the Ontario Ministry of Finance, Ontario Internal Audit Division. Her current title is Risk and Assurance Consultant. Her job is to audit various areas of the Ontario Government to ensure that everyone is following procedures, and doing it effectively and efficiently. 

1) How did you end up doing what you are?

I started working for the Ontario Government while I was in University through my program's internship requirement. Based on my performance as an intern I was offered a full time position. After about a year I moved to a different area, still within the Ministry of Health and Long-Term Care at a point when the Ontario Internal Audit Division was contributing their expertise to the project. Once I learned about what the division does, I applied and received a contract for the position of Risk and Assurance Consultant. Later I interviewed to become a permanent employee and was successful. While working for the division I have continued my education to hone all skills required for the position.

2) For how long did you know you wanted to do this?

I didn't know what I wanted to do exactly when I finished university but once I was exposed to government work I became very interested in public service and knew that its something I wanted to better. I later learned that the Ontario Internal AUdit Division does just that and jumped on the opportunity by applying for the first available position. I also worked closely with the audit team that I met on my second project to learn as much as I could about what their roles is, how they execute project and anything else that the team was willing to share with me. 

3) Have you done this your entire life?

I have not been in audit specifically my entire career but I have been working with the ontario public service since I was in university. Even when I worked in the private sector doing management consulting my key clients were the Ontario Government and its agencies.