Motivated Innovation

*formerly posted on the BGSU MBA blog in 2009 Good evening there!  Hope you had an amazing holiday weekend. Graduation is less than 3 weeks away, and I must admit that it will be hard to leave.  Graduate school is a place I really wanted to reach, and I am glad to say that this dream came true.  However, the ride through the full-time MBA program at BGSU, while busy, flew by quite quickly, and I have to prepare to take flight, wherever I go. Upon reflecting on this journey through graduate school, an interesting thought hit me.  Right now, I am almost certain someone will ask me this in an upcoming job interview.  The question: what is the most important lesson I have learned from my graduate school experience?   Come to think of it, I have been asked in interviews before about my greatest life accomplishment and my most important lesson learned in life in general.  Still, this question is heavy and deep.  I know that I have learned a lot since coming here, but what exactly have

*formerly posted on the BGSU MBA blog in 2009 Hey there!  It is hard to believe that Thanksgiving Day is right around the corner.  In the United States, this also means the coming of "Black Friday" , which is the biggest shopping day of the year.  In a stagnant retail situation , leading retailers such as  Wal-Mart and Target are looking to be more aggressive than usual. For the BGSU football fans out there, keep in mind that Black Friday (November 27th) is the day of the big game between BGSU and our rival school, the University of Toledo . In sports, it is quite arguable that coaches are teachers .  On the other hand, are teachers coaches?  Should students receive direction and motivation from professors at the graduate level, or is it up to the students to be self-motivated?  Is it a combination of both? What do you think?  Who should be held accountable for student performance?  Who should be held accountable for student conduct?  At the same time, who should b

*formerly posted on the BGSU MBA blog in 2009 Just received breaking news that there is a rift between the parent Burger King company and Burger King franchisees.  The concern is over the $1 double cheeseburger, which franchise owners are saying costs more than $1 to produce.  With this concern in mind, a number of franchisees have banded together and put together a lawsuit to sue the parent company. This brings to light some major concerns about the fast food industry and franchising in general.  Clearly, open communication is critical.  This includes sharing cost structure information, as the parent company and the franchisees carry separate budgets.  Competition with rivals in the industry (such as McDonald's and Wendy's ) is integral to survival, but to what degree and at what cost?  Is matching offerings and prices of discount menu items (typically called 'dollar menu' items or something of that sort) always practical?

*formerly posted on the BGSU MBA blog in 2009 Greetings from the GEPB Office!  How are you all today? As a soon-to-be alumnus of the full-time MBA program , I have been actively pursuing full-time employment for after graduation.  Well, recently I stumbled upon an interesting revelation in the midst of the application process.     Much is said in business about "thinking outside the box".  We need to be creative and innovative.  We need to be able to adapt to change.  We need to take new perspectives and find new meanings.  On the flip side is a more reserved approach to business.  We need to be able to be effective and efficient on a consistent basis.  We need to be able to carry out daily tasks and adhere to certain routine tasks. In the job search and application process, both a traditional mindset and a creative mindset are needed.  This applies to all employers, not just some, although some employers may appreciate creativity and innovation more than others do. 

*formerly posted on the BGSU MBA blog in 2009 As a student in the full-time MBA program, you will get to go on at least one field trip.  Last Friday, the class of 2010 went to the headquarters of The Longaberger Company and The Scotts Miracle-Gro Company .  Meanwhile, over the course of my program, my class (the class of 2009) went to places such as Dana Holding Corporation , the Federal Reserve Bank of Cleveland , and Avery Dennison Corporation . In addition to field trips as a part of the MBA program, we also went on trips through the MBA Student Association (MBASA).  While I personally was not able to attend the Detroit trip, I was able to go to both Chicago and Columbus .  Stops in these metropolitan areas included the Henry Ford Museum , the Chicago Mercantile Exchange , and Nationwide Arena . All of the opportunities to travel are pretty cool.  On my trips, I got to know some of my classmates better, met a bunch of people at the different companies, and learned a lot.  A

*formerly posted on the BGSU MBA blog in 2009 When taking Economics and Finance courses in my undergraduate studies, I began shaping a better understanding of personal finances.  In these courses, I learned about topics such as APRs and EARs, fiscal responsibility, and deficit spending.  Applying this to my personal financial situation, I knew that I wanted to always be responsible with my spending while also being willing to spend money to make useful purchases in advance or purchase/spend on necessities, such as education/school. Part of the personal finance equation is bargain hunting--i.e. looking for good deals at a lower than expected price.  Numerous students bargain hunt.  Graduate students typically bargain hunt.  I bargain hunt.  Some of my peers bargain hunt.  The desire to bargain hunt is both practical and satisfying.  By finding nicely priced goods and services, I can spend less and save money.  At the same time, I can put my critical thinking skills to use and see ju

*formerly posted on the BGSU MBA blog in 2009 Recently, the National Football League's season began.  Likewise, the new full-time cohort and my cohort began the Fall semester.  In both areas, there are sometimes simulations involved. I have participated in fantasy football before--maybe 3 times in my lifetime.  Twice, I partook in budget rotisserie leagues, which require participants to pick teams within a budget (a "salary cap" in sports terms) and then earn the best performance statistics possible.  Here, participants could have identical players on their teams as long as their team budgets permitted this.  Once, I participated in a drafted head-to-head league.  In this league, we took turns drafting players and then had our drafted teams earn the best performance statistics possible in head-to-head team competitions.  Here, participants could not have any identical players, which to me is more realistic. A couple weeks ago, the new cohort started the "Paper

*formerly posted on the BGSU MBA blog in 2009 In one of my classes last week, we watched a video clip from the movie Dead Poets Society .  In it, a teacher (played by Robin Williams) talked to the students about "carpe diem"--or, in English, "seize the day."  He told the students about how he had previously graduated from their school and how he and his classmates had lived actively and participated in many activities around campus.  He then reminded the students to take advantage of the opportunities around them in the present campus atmosphere. In the MBA program, as well as in other programs and during the course of one's career, one must remember to seize the day.  This may carry different meanings for people, as people come from different personalities, different cultures, different circumstances, and so on.  Regardless, it is important to remember to not just immerse oneself in one's studies; that is, life's classroom extends beyond the classr

*formerly posted on the BGSU MBA blog in 2009 Good morning everybody!  This week marks the end of classes for the spring semester.  As such, professors have assigned their last papers and presentations and/or have written their final exams.  While finals week can be a stressful time, I definitely enjoy the flexibility of scheduling present.  To me, the looser schedule feels like extra free time.  To take advantage of the time, I usually establish daily schedules.  In terms of studying and completing the work, I make sure to alternate among subjects while also taking breaks for recreational activities.  I also try to study in different locations, both indoors and outdoors.  In doing all of this, I find that exam week is really not that stressful.  In the end, the week is my opportunity to show what I have learned this semester. How about everyone out there?  How do you handle exam week?  If you could give another student any exam week tips, what would you suggest?

*formerly posted on the BGSU MBA blog in 2009 Good morning everyone!  Hope you are having a good week.  Hope you also enjoyed the orientation day if you were able to attend last Friday.  I know that my classmates and I are busy, busy, busy this week and this month.  Just talking to Lenee up in the GEPB Office, I realized that I have individual or team papers due in April in every class.  In light of this, blogging is a good way to take some time to relax and reflect. As I have seen and you will see in your full-time MBA experiences, there will be people from different countries, different cultures, and different economies gathered together.  This means that different people will be familiar with different monetary units.  For example, I recall that students discussed different currencies as was appropriate for their Ethics, Law, and Communication class presentation/paper topics.  Personally, I do not know exchange rates off the top of my head, especially since they change as freque

*formerly posted on the BGSU MBASA website in 2009 The information below may sound familiar. Hopefully, the listed advice is something that you already practice. If not, please take note and adjust accordingly. The interview is over. The interviewer tells you that he/she will call you back in 2-3 weeks to let you know whether or not you are being hired. Now, it is time to wait, right? Maybe place a call or send an email in a week to show that you are still interested? This may have worked for the earliest of career jobs--it worked for me when getting a summer internship in high school. However, at the MBA level, we are expected to be polished job applicants. There is a saying that "silence is golden". Another saying says "no news is good news". There are times when these sayings provide good advice, but not here. Reviewing the situation above, our role in the interview process does not end with the interview. Once brought in for an interview, we should sen

*formerly posted on the BGSU MBA blog in 2009 Today, I received an unexpected wake-up call in the form of a phone call.  On Sunday, I had submitted a resume and cover letter for an internship opportunity at a local company.  Well, today (just two days later) a company human resources representative called and left me a message to call her back.  Silly me, I tried to return the call during a break in my GA today.  Instead of setting up an appointment time to talk, the representative immediately began firing questions in my direction.  Like I said in a post on February 17, it is critical for people to know themselves and be able to use examples to answer questions rather than simply answering the questions with short answers that lack details.  Since I did not take the time to 'warm up' before the call, I provided answers in a choppy, unsmooth, and unimpressive manner. The representative did tell me that she will contact candidates tomorrow for interviews on Thursday.  Unfort

*formerly posted on the BGSU MBASA website in 2009 Good evening from Cleveland! I was checking my email before heading out for the night and noticed I had received some job stuff. It reminded me about a valuable tool I was able to use while in undergrad and early after graduation. Some schools participate in "reciprocity agreements" in which they allow brother/sister schools' students to utilize each other's job search sites (like WorkNet at BGSU). This is useful for finding additional internship or full-time job opportunities. For me as a student at Xavier University in Cincinnati, a fellow school was John Carroll University, which is located in the Cleveland area (where I grew up and was moving back to after graduation). I found out about open positions at Sky Bank through John Carroll's site. Because of the reciprocity agreement, I was able to make a smooth transition from a retail management position at Walgreens to a Client Service Associate/teller positi

*formerly posted on the BGSU MBA blog in 2009 A couple months ago, I was eating out at a Chinese buffet with a handful of classmates.  A few of us were joking around that we would take the fortunes from our fortune cookies and make them our statuses on Facebook.  Anyhow, I opened up my cookie and received an intriguing fortune: "Failure is opportunity in disguise".  This seemed to contradict some of the 'wisdom' that is force-fed to us through tradition, culture, and society. A few years ago, I read a book by Vince Lombardi, Jr., taking quotes from his father, legendary National Football League coach Vince Lombardi, Sr.  One of the coach's famous lines was: "Winning isn't everything.  It's the only thing."  While this is a highly motivational quote, I have to disagree with the quote in the context of this blog post.  Lombardi's quote suggests that losing is not an option and making mistakes is only detrimental to one's goals. Meanwh

*formerly posted on the BGSU MBASA website in 2009 Tonight is MBASA's Texas Hold 'em night; hope to see you there. In business and in life, we are constantly dealt cards. The Texas Hold 'em games that we play in our careers and in our lives carry on until we retire from the workplace and from the world we know. Each hand we are dealt, each assignment and each day that we face, is new--even when the combination of cards initially is the same. Over the years, we learn and develop strategies to handle the work in front of us and cope with the stress that comes with it. We hope for the best hands to start--perhaps pocket Aces (a pair of Aces) or two suited face cards (such as the King and Queen of Hearts). Yet, even with the best starting hands, we might not win the game. Someone may bluff with the worst starting hand of all--2-7 off-suit--only to find two 7's and a 2 on the flop to give them a Full House (three of a kind + a pair). That is, some things in business and

*formerly posted on the BGSU MBA blog in 2009 In the interview process for any job or academic program, we need to be prepared to answer numerous questions about our experiences, our careers, and our means of handling situations and problems.  Thus, we should always review our information and essentially 'know ourselves'.  There are also lists of sample questions out there that we need to understand--not only how to answer the questions, but why the questions are being asked (what is/are the meaning(s) behind the questions).  Overall, our preparation reflects our readiness and competence for the job or program at hand. Yet, the interview process is a two-way street.  As we are being interviewed, we are also interviewing the company or school.  As the interviewer and the company or school are trying to see if we fit into the job or program, we are trying to see if we fit and the company or school fits us.  This means that we should be ready and willing to ask the interviewer

*formerly posted on the BGSU MBA blog in 2009 There is a job fair tomorrow on campus.  I am not sure about my classmates, but I am feeling a little nervous about it.  With expectations being higher as an MBA student than when I was an undergrad, and yet expectations being lower with the job market and economy being worse than it was when I was an undergrad, I guess I do feel a little extra pressure to come across well to the employers. One valuable concept in today's competitive work environment is having 'transferrable skills'.  This means being able to make connections between school, various jobs, and various fields and carrying over skills from school, various jobs, and various fields to new jobs/fields.  Being able to show transferrable skills has helped me survive in my early career, and as I saw at the end of last semester, the final exam in Dr. Mota's Ethics, Law, and Communications class for me was basically a day working at my last job before coming to BG.

*formerly posted on the BGSU MBA blog in 2009 Each MBA student has a reason or set of reasons for why he/she has entered his/her respective MBA program.  For some, the transition directly from undergraduate studies to graduate school seems logical and natural.  For others, the first years of the post-undergraduate career are unsatisfactory or unfulfilling, meaning that a career change is in order.  Yet, others see the MBA experience as a chance to advance further in their current career track. While sick over the past weekend, I spent some time trying to put to guitar music a song I had written back in January 2008.  I am not a ‘musician’ per se, with minimal training and limited talent.  Anyhow, I had written this song called “Malcontent”.  At that time, I had continued to be thankful for having loving family and friends and decent work.  However, I had felt a general desire to take my life into its next phase.  Aside from my 8 semesters of undergrad spent in Cincinnati at Xavier,