Reflection: American Military University

This page was created to fulfill my graduation requirements at American Military University. The information below was posted May, 2013.

I currently work a job which requires a very unorthodox rotating schedule, but I was not going to let that stop me fulfilling my intellectual curiosity! Unable to attend a traditional brick and mortar college, I decided pursue my education online at American Military University. Part of the American Public University System, American Military University is an online learning institution offering a variety of Bachelor's and Master's degree programs. I was very happy with the program as the flexibility allowed me to continue my education while serving my country. Below is select coursework from my study of International Business Management, specially coursework from my senior seminar in Business Administration.

BUSINESS PLAN

So, here it is. This is the moment we've all - business students - have been waiting for: making the business plan. Years of research, writing, calculators and coffee is finally paying off. We all feel ready to present our multi-million dollar idea to the world - or so we thought. 

I do not know about you, but this assignment was tough! Over the last two-weeks I frequently thought that perhaps this should have been a group project. But then, through my research, I realized that it is very important for a small business owner to develop his/her own business plan. A business plan acts as a map, a three to five year blueprint of operations. The best way to understand a plan is to make it. I still need a lot of practice, especially in the financial aspects, but I enjoyed making my first ever plan. Next time I hope I have longer than two weeks to do so.

My business plan is for a new and not yet established Portuguese restaurant called Casa da Avo. Located in Washington, DC, Casa da Avo will provide Portuguese cuisine extensively influenced by the food and recipes of the Azorean Islands of Sao Miguel, Faial, and Sao Jorge. Additionally, Casa da Avo will offer a family style dining experience with entrees designed to serve parties from two to eight. Casa da Avo also hopes to develop a one-of-a-kind eDining experience by collaborating with a web development firm to establish a website offering online reservations and an interactive dining room, which will offer videos and detailed answers about all menu items. Furthermore, in hopes to share our sweet tooth with the community, Casa da Avo is also considering offering a dessert only catering service. 

To view the Casa de Avo business plan, please visit: CasadaAvo_BusinessPlan

BROCHURE

Being a new Washingtonian, I knew exactly what I wanted to do when I was instructed to create a brochure for a small business; I created a brochure for one of my favorite local coffee shops, Peregrine Espresso. Peregrine Espresso is located in Washington, DC - just south of the Capitol! They serve a variety of season specific espresso and coffee products, which they import from across the world. Oh, and they have fresh-baked pastries.... yum.

I have included a shrunken, low-quality screenshot of my brochure. Please follow the provided link below for the full-size brochure.

To view my fan created brochure for Peregrine Espresso, please visit: PeregrineEspresso_Brochure

WEBSITE

For one of my assignments in my senior seminar in Business Administration, I was instructed to conduct research on the topic of webpage creation. I created a webpage for a global capital management firm - Avenue International Capital Management (AICM). AICM offers a variety of investment strategies, which include high-growth, real estate, energy and innovation funds. AICM also offers management consulting services, including Six Sigma, leadership and workplace development.

To view the webpage of Avenue International Capital Management, please visit: avenuecapitalmanagement.weebly.com

FINC410: INTERNATIONAL FINANCE

During my study of Business Administration, one of my favorite courses was International Finance. I was intrigued; the complexity of globalization and how multinational corporations must assess international political and foreign exchange risk. Also, I was surprised to find how unfriendly the U.S. is for big business. Below I have posted my final term paper, which explains the manner in which America's outdated tax system is impacting companies, revenue and jobs overseas. I mention how Apple holds $82.6B of its cash overseas, and how Microsoft, which has a stockpile of $57B, keeps more than $51B overseas. I have not edited the paper since its original submission so I apologize in advance if there are some bone head mistakes. 

Offshore Holdings and the U.S. Corporate Tax Rate: The manner in which America's outdated tax system is impacting companies, revenues and jobs overseas

Please visit: Oliveira_FINC410_Termpaper

COURSE HIGHLIGHTS

American Military University
Bachelor of Business Administration, International Business Management

• International Business Management
• International Finance
• International Human Resource Management
• International Marketing
• Financial Accounting
• Business Theory
• Law and Ethics in the Business Environment
• Operations Research and Management Science
• Global and Competitive Strategy
• Critical Thinking for Business Decisions
• Quality Management Systems
• Microeconomics
• Macroeconomics
• Principles of Financial Management
• Statistics
• Principles and Theory of Management
• Principles and Theory of Marketing