Motivated Innovation

*Originally published on Suite101.com in 2010; minor revisions made pertaining to Search Engine Optimization (SEO).  The price of Enron stock amazingly rose during the dot com boom and bust.  Journalist Bethany McLean helped discover Enron’s secret by asking ‘why?’.  At the turn of the century, the stock market rose and fell amidst the dot com boom and bust.  Technology firms rose to the forefront, only for an innumerous amount of firms to crash and burn.  In the midst of this chaos was Enron.  Interestingly enough, Enron was an energy company who did not fit the new age technology description.  As a misfit at the top of corporate America, Enron’s questionable practices would reshape the business world and the accounting practices that come with it.  Is Enron Overpriced? McLean curiously questioned Enron’s success in Fortune magazine in 2001.  She spoke to Enron executives and market analysts to get a better picture of the ...

*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 h...

*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...

*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 empl...

*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 companie...

*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 m...