My curling season is offically over. :(
But wait....
Rotman is going curling on April 10th!! Yes, dear friends, a whole slew of business students will take to the ice, sweeping their little hearts out. I'm really excited.
Wednesday, March 31, 2010
Curling
Tonight was curling playoffs, and I'm sad to announce that after a nailbiter of a game (that included an extra end), we lost.
My curling season is offically over. :(
But wait....
Rotman is going curling on April 10th!! Yes, dear friends, a whole slew of business students will take to the ice, sweeping their little hearts out. I'm really excited.
My curling season is offically over. :(
But wait....
Rotman is going curling on April 10th!! Yes, dear friends, a whole slew of business students will take to the ice, sweeping their little hearts out. I'm really excited.
Tuesday, March 30, 2010
The company should know better...
Today's ethics class has been bothering me. We discussed two seemingly unrelated subjects:
1. Corporate Whistleblowers - heroes or trouble makers?
2. Nestle - what responsibility does a company have to ensure baby formula is correctly administered in developing countries and should formula be promoted at all?
Rick Powers, Associate Dean and Ethics professor, asked a number of students in my class whether the saw themselves as 'whistleblowers'. Most said no. The class ended before we were able to discuss Nestle Baby.
After class, a few of us were unable to go for lunch with images of starving babies still fresh in our minds, so we tried to solve the Nestle case on our own. Needless to say, we were unable to solve all the world's problems in half an hour, but the general feeling was that the company does indeed have a responsibility to do what they can to ensure that their products are used correctly.
The company should know better than to promote their products when the are aware that there are significant risks of them being used incorrectly.
Ironically, I met a Nestle employee tonight at a Business Design event. She was an absolutely lovely person.
It hit me.
Who is this so-called "company" that we all agreed should know better? A company has no feelings. A company has no conscience. How on earth can a non-living thing with no brain know anything, let alone "know better"?
A company is nothing more than a group of people. People like the one that I met tonight. Nice, honest, good people.
People.
Perhaps like the ones in my class who said they wouldn't blow the whistle?
1. Corporate Whistleblowers - heroes or trouble makers?
2. Nestle - what responsibility does a company have to ensure baby formula is correctly administered in developing countries and should formula be promoted at all?
Rick Powers, Associate Dean and Ethics professor, asked a number of students in my class whether the saw themselves as 'whistleblowers'. Most said no. The class ended before we were able to discuss Nestle Baby.
After class, a few of us were unable to go for lunch with images of starving babies still fresh in our minds, so we tried to solve the Nestle case on our own. Needless to say, we were unable to solve all the world's problems in half an hour, but the general feeling was that the company does indeed have a responsibility to do what they can to ensure that their products are used correctly.
The company should know better than to promote their products when the are aware that there are significant risks of them being used incorrectly.
Ironically, I met a Nestle employee tonight at a Business Design event. She was an absolutely lovely person.
It hit me.
Who is this so-called "company" that we all agreed should know better? A company has no feelings. A company has no conscience. How on earth can a non-living thing with no brain know anything, let alone "know better"?
A company is nothing more than a group of people. People like the one that I met tonight. Nice, honest, good people.
People.
Perhaps like the ones in my class who said they wouldn't blow the whistle?
Monday, March 29, 2010
Quarter 3, officially my fav!
Our grades were released late last week and I have to say, Q2 is officially my favourite!
With the exception of economics, which occurred 9 am after 2 weeks of Olympic glory, I improve in ALL subjects. Even finance to my amazement!! Some of you may remember such Q2 finance incidents as sneaking out of class to cry or my complete finance induced meltdown post final exam, which makes my Q3 finance grade all the more remarkable.
I am pleased to announce, that I am AVERAGE!!
Yes, dear friends, I am overjoyed by my slightly more than mediocre status. Please remember, Rotman is known to be an excellent finance school, thus many of my classmates are financial geniuses. Add in the engineers, and you have a mecca of quantitative brain power. For my artsy/phys-ed undergraduate degreed, media planning self to be average in a quantitative world, is something to celebrated.
I raise my glass to all those that have survived thus far. And I raise 2 glasses to those that have survived with all their faculties intact.
Hurrah!
On a side note, I am a HUGE Olympics fan, so you can't expect me to skip the x-country ski marathon, the hockey gold medal game AND the closing ceremonies, can you? Plus, the winter Olympics happens once ever 4 years, and in Canada every 20+ years, so you would have thought that given the fact that we only had 3 written finals, that the schedule would be a bit more Olympic friendly, but I digress...
With the exception of economics, which occurred 9 am after 2 weeks of Olympic glory, I improve in ALL subjects. Even finance to my amazement!! Some of you may remember such Q2 finance incidents as sneaking out of class to cry or my complete finance induced meltdown post final exam, which makes my Q3 finance grade all the more remarkable.
I am pleased to announce, that I am AVERAGE!!
Yes, dear friends, I am overjoyed by my slightly more than mediocre status. Please remember, Rotman is known to be an excellent finance school, thus many of my classmates are financial geniuses. Add in the engineers, and you have a mecca of quantitative brain power. For my artsy/phys-ed undergraduate degreed, media planning self to be average in a quantitative world, is something to celebrated.
I raise my glass to all those that have survived thus far. And I raise 2 glasses to those that have survived with all their faculties intact.
Hurrah!
On a side note, I am a HUGE Olympics fan, so you can't expect me to skip the x-country ski marathon, the hockey gold medal game AND the closing ceremonies, can you? Plus, the winter Olympics happens once ever 4 years, and in Canada every 20+ years, so you would have thought that given the fact that we only had 3 written finals, that the schedule would be a bit more Olympic friendly, but I digress...
Thursday, March 25, 2010
Lots of suits
Lots of people lingering in the halls in suits.... must be a finance competiton going on.
Vote for Pedro
It's election time for the Graduate Business Council (GBC). I take voting seriously, even for school government, so I did my due diligence and viewed all of the candidate speeches which were posted online. It certainly wasn't an easy decision because I know how much the candidates want to serve the school. In the end, I chose a group of strong individuals that I believe will best serve Rotman next year. On a positive note, everyone is well qualified and motivated. I'm sure the incoming students will be impressed!
Monday, March 22, 2010
Canadian spend more time online than watching TV
Not all that surprising, the latest Ipsos Reid media study found that Canadians spend more time online than watching television.
What is surprising is that both Television and Online viewing are up (TV up 1 hour and Digital up 3 hours). Considering that Television viewership skews older, I wonder whether the trend is due to older people watching evern more TV or if younger people are returning to the 'big screen'.
Also would have been interested to see what the numbers are against the little screen (smart phones). If the world were like Rotman, I'd bet the trend would be as follows:
Hours spent with media
Ipsos Reid polled Canadians in mid-March to get a snapshot of media habits. These are the average results for the hours spent on different activities:
Actively using the internet: 18.1 hours/week.
Watching television: 16.9 hours/week.
Listening to radio: 8.9 hours/week.
Reading newspapers: 2.9 hours/week.
Reading magazines: 1.4 hours/week.
Source: Ipsos Reid
What is surprising is that both Television and Online viewing are up (TV up 1 hour and Digital up 3 hours). Considering that Television viewership skews older, I wonder whether the trend is due to older people watching evern more TV or if younger people are returning to the 'big screen'.
Also would have been interested to see what the numbers are against the little screen (smart phones). If the world were like Rotman, I'd bet the trend would be as follows:
Media Habits of Rotman Students
Browing through Blackberry BBM messages
Actively using the Internet
Reading newspapers (FP / ROB section only)
Listening to radio + watching tv --> 680 news and CBCNN respectively
Slept In
I slept in this morning and it's completely thrown off my morning. I'm in economics class right now and I'm having trouble focusing...
Sunday, March 21, 2010
Team Trouble
Group work can be a lot of fun, or it can be a painful, painful experience.
This week, I spent every spare moment working on a case competition with a self-selected team. While the individuals were all very smart people, in the end we discovered that we weren't on the same page. It was a really frustrating experience for all, but it was certainly a learning experience. In the end, we learned a lot about business design and about ourselves.
Personally, I leaned the importance of being on the same page with your team members. A quick chat about objectives can go a long way to avoid battles along the way. :)
This week, I spent every spare moment working on a case competition with a self-selected team. While the individuals were all very smart people, in the end we discovered that we weren't on the same page. It was a really frustrating experience for all, but it was certainly a learning experience. In the end, we learned a lot about business design and about ourselves.
Personally, I leaned the importance of being on the same page with your team members. A quick chat about objectives can go a long way to avoid battles along the way. :)
Wednesday, March 17, 2010
Second Generation ITP
Integrated Thinking is more than a buzz word to differentiate Rotman.
The concept is still REALLY new, so the classroom experience has been as much a learning experience for the students as it is for the professors. This quarter's Integrated Thinking Practicum is vastly different from what was taught in 2009. Like many leading edge ideas, there were some kinks that needed to be ironed out - welcome to ITP Gen2.
Based on what I've seen so far (AKA one lecture, a bunch of class notes and the first two assignments), the course will cover a heck of a lot of material!
My interpretation of the course:
If there is anything constant in this world, it's change. Thus far, we have learned numerous traditional models in a variety of disciplines (finance, marketing, HR, etc), but most of these models were developed ages ago. In some cases before I was born! While these models are fantastic at explaining generalities in the world, they certainly don't work in ALL situations.
Think about it - in the 1960s when the Capital Asset Pricing Model(CAPM) was developed, there was no such thing as cable television. No cellular telephones, no internet. Heck, no home computers! Most people didn't have a credit card. An Ipod wasn't even invented on Star Trek!
Ok, ok, I think you get the picture I'm trying to paint.
It's not the same world that it once was, but the same financial tool is taught to thousands of MBAs who use it, in the workplace, on a regular basis to determine the appropriate rate of return of financial assets and portfolios. Please don't think I'm criticizing CAPM, but do note that it was, and still is a theoretical concept that works as long as a number of assumptions are true.
What we will be learning in ITP is a variety of techniques to dissect the models that we've learned. To understand the underlying assumptions, and make rational, supportable decisions about model's effectiveness & appropriateness in a dynamic world.
Both qualitative and quantitative models will be addressed in the hope that Rotman managers will be more nimble, and better able to thrive in a changing business environment.
My initial thoughts on the course:
1. It will be a lot of work!!!
2. It will be frustrating at times (sometime vs. all the time,TBD)
3. It will be invaluable if it delivers on its ambitious good intentions
With 75% of students still looking for summer jobs, this is going to be a BUSY quarter for most of the class. We have 8 assignments due in 6 weeks for this course alone!
Let's all raise a glass to ITP (and/or St. Patty's Day)
The concept is still REALLY new, so the classroom experience has been as much a learning experience for the students as it is for the professors. This quarter's Integrated Thinking Practicum is vastly different from what was taught in 2009. Like many leading edge ideas, there were some kinks that needed to be ironed out - welcome to ITP Gen2.
Based on what I've seen so far (AKA one lecture, a bunch of class notes and the first two assignments), the course will cover a heck of a lot of material!
My interpretation of the course:
If there is anything constant in this world, it's change. Thus far, we have learned numerous traditional models in a variety of disciplines (finance, marketing, HR, etc), but most of these models were developed ages ago. In some cases before I was born! While these models are fantastic at explaining generalities in the world, they certainly don't work in ALL situations.
Think about it - in the 1960s when the Capital Asset Pricing Model(CAPM) was developed, there was no such thing as cable television. No cellular telephones, no internet. Heck, no home computers! Most people didn't have a credit card. An Ipod wasn't even invented on Star Trek!
Ok, ok, I think you get the picture I'm trying to paint.
It's not the same world that it once was, but the same financial tool is taught to thousands of MBAs who use it, in the workplace, on a regular basis to determine the appropriate rate of return of financial assets and portfolios. Please don't think I'm criticizing CAPM, but do note that it was, and still is a theoretical concept that works as long as a number of assumptions are true.
What we will be learning in ITP is a variety of techniques to dissect the models that we've learned. To understand the underlying assumptions, and make rational, supportable decisions about model's effectiveness & appropriateness in a dynamic world.
Both qualitative and quantitative models will be addressed in the hope that Rotman managers will be more nimble, and better able to thrive in a changing business environment.
My initial thoughts on the course:
1. It will be a lot of work!!!
2. It will be frustrating at times (sometime vs. all the time,TBD)
3. It will be invaluable if it delivers on its ambitious good intentions
With 75% of students still looking for summer jobs, this is going to be a BUSY quarter for most of the class. We have 8 assignments due in 6 weeks for this course alone!
Let's all raise a glass to ITP (and/or St. Patty's Day)
Tuesday, March 16, 2010
Google versus Facebook
In our last class of MCV I, our professor, Dilip Soman asserted that Google and Facebook are in direct competition. This was based on the fact that both Google and Facebook use databases to target their advertisements (revenue stream).
Dilip would argue that since the Facebook database is more robust, they will ultimately be the winner in the Google/Facebook war.
Personally, I disagree that they are in direct competition.
Remember that MCV stands for Managing Customer Value. While it is true that advertisers are important 'customers' for both Facebook & Google, the end user is the most important. What advertiser wants to be on a site that isn't relevant and won't be able to reach THEIR customers?
It's important to consider how people use these sites:
Google - people are actively looking for information.
Facebook - people are trying to connect with their friends.
So, while Facebook has a more robust database, is it the best way to invite people to your website? Maybe not. Is it the best way to interact with your customers & have a conversation? Probably.
Why am I bringing this up months after the course ended?? The Comscore February US Search Rankings were released last week and Facebook saw a 10% increase in number of searches to 436 million searches - the only site to see growth that month. Google still dominates with 13.5 billion searches, but did experience a 4% decline.
Food for thought.
Monday, March 15, 2010
Design According to Taxi
I love when I come accross Biz Design in my regularly consulted press. Here's a cheeky example from Strategy Magazine (March 2010).
The Internet is a Fad???
HAHA - just kidding.
Today is the 25th anniversary of the first dot-com business. Like most Canadians under the age of 30, I cannot remember a time when I didn't have information at my fingertips so it's weird to think that the industry is still so young!
According to BusinessWeek,
So while the Internet is booming, there is definitely still room for growth. The question is, will it be via PCs or smartphones.
Bring on the innovation
Today is the 25th anniversary of the first dot-com business. Like most Canadians under the age of 30, I cannot remember a time when I didn't have information at my fingertips so it's weird to think that the industry is still so young!
According to BusinessWeek,
About 1.7 billion of the world's 6.7 billion people use the Internet, meaning 75% of us are still off to the side of the flow of e-commerce. Less than a third of Americans buy things online. Only about half the small businesses in the U.S. have a Web site.
So while the Internet is booming, there is definitely still room for growth. The question is, will it be via PCs or smartphones.
Bring on the innovation
Q4 Begins
We began the morning bright and early - particularly thanks to the time change, I'm not a big fan of losing an hour, but will be glad for the extra hour of daylight at the end of the day!
We jumped right into it with global economics (AKA: Global Managerial Perspectives). Today was a fairly light day watching a video about the impact of Wal-Mart on the US economy. But, as I'm sure we'll learn, there are two sides to every coin. Has Wal-Mart been positive or negative? I'm keeping an open mind and hope that the course will give me some insight into the issue. As always, I'm sure that the answer will be 'it depends.'
Class number two was Operations Management. I've heard a lot of horror stories about this one - particularly related to the course load. We only have six weeks after all, so I anticipate some challenges with this one.
Which is why I am now ensconced in the fishbowl diligently trying to get ahead with my readings and problem solving.
Tomorrow is Ethics - I anticipate being frustrated in this class. Not because of the professor or class discussion, but because I'm already upset at the people in the first case. I feel that this quarter will be ripe with cases full of people turning a blind eye.
Also on the schedule is another accounting class (nothing to say about this one yet) and Integrated Thinking Practicum. I really hope that ITP will be a positive experience as I've loved the Design Visa program that I did and in my mind, Integrated Thinking is about coming up with creative solutions to problems that might otherwise not be effectively solved. Note that this is a personal definition, there seems to be several definitions being batted around. With the concept being so new, it's exciting to see how this idea progresses.
For now, on to the books!
We jumped right into it with global economics (AKA: Global Managerial Perspectives). Today was a fairly light day watching a video about the impact of Wal-Mart on the US economy. But, as I'm sure we'll learn, there are two sides to every coin. Has Wal-Mart been positive or negative? I'm keeping an open mind and hope that the course will give me some insight into the issue. As always, I'm sure that the answer will be 'it depends.'
Class number two was Operations Management. I've heard a lot of horror stories about this one - particularly related to the course load. We only have six weeks after all, so I anticipate some challenges with this one.
Which is why I am now ensconced in the fishbowl diligently trying to get ahead with my readings and problem solving.
Tomorrow is Ethics - I anticipate being frustrated in this class. Not because of the professor or class discussion, but because I'm already upset at the people in the first case. I feel that this quarter will be ripe with cases full of people turning a blind eye.
Also on the schedule is another accounting class (nothing to say about this one yet) and Integrated Thinking Practicum. I really hope that ITP will be a positive experience as I've loved the Design Visa program that I did and in my mind, Integrated Thinking is about coming up with creative solutions to problems that might otherwise not be effectively solved. Note that this is a personal definition, there seems to be several definitions being batted around. With the concept being so new, it's exciting to see how this idea progresses.
For now, on to the books!
Thursday, March 11, 2010
Going Digital
I am interested in digital marketing, new media and innovation and I've been struggling to showcase my experience in a way that allows my interests to shine. There is only so much space on the page after all.
Today I met with the CCC (corporate connections centre) to review & critique my resume. I got a lot of great tips and I'm sure that I'll be able to polish this baby to a shine.
Now I'd like to leave you with a funny video: New Dork - Entrepreneur State of Mind
Today I met with the CCC (corporate connections centre) to review & critique my resume. I got a lot of great tips and I'm sure that I'll be able to polish this baby to a shine.
Now I'd like to leave you with a funny video: New Dork - Entrepreneur State of Mind
Reading week is for.... reading?
I am pleased to report that I have had quite the productive reading week.
My house is sparkling clean (even the wordwork is dusted and well oiled). I have set up several networking meetings, PLUS I have still had some time to catch up on my reading... pleasure reading that is.
It has been a while since I read a good book - since my failed attempt to have a balanced life in Q2.
I'm in the Rotman building now preparing to have my resume reviewed by the CCC. This afternoon is an event with the Business Design Club, followed by coffee with an old friend.
Sigh, I love Reading Week!
My house is sparkling clean (even the wordwork is dusted and well oiled). I have set up several networking meetings, PLUS I have still had some time to catch up on my reading... pleasure reading that is.
It has been a while since I read a good book - since my failed attempt to have a balanced life in Q2.
I'm in the Rotman building now preparing to have my resume reviewed by the CCC. This afternoon is an event with the Business Design Club, followed by coffee with an old friend.
Sigh, I love Reading Week!
Friday, March 5, 2010
Blood Bath
Well, the finance exam wasn't pretty. I saw a lot of thumbs down and frowning faces. I still stand by my earlier statement that this material was more appealing, however, that certainly doesn't mean easy. Don't be fooled.
I'm now back in the Rotman Building trying to lead my Leadership Paper to glory. Officially less than 12 hours until reading week and freedom.
By 'freedom' I mean a week of polishing my resume and writing no less than a million cover letters...
I'm now back in the Rotman Building trying to lead my Leadership Paper to glory. Officially less than 12 hours until reading week and freedom.
By 'freedom' I mean a week of polishing my resume and writing no less than a million cover letters...
Thursday, March 4, 2010
Amazing
It' amazing what a few hours of sleep can do for your brain (and attitude). We're in the last stretch before our last exam this quarter - in the next two hours, I have to finish a practice exam and get help on two topics: hedging and options.
I have to say, while I learned a lot in Q2's Capital Markets Finance, I enjoyed Q3's Corporate Finance much more.
I think there are two kinds of people, Q2 people who want to trade the stocks and bond from the companies that the Q3 people hope to one day run.
Good luck to us all!
I have to say, while I learned a lot in Q2's Capital Markets Finance, I enjoyed Q3's Corporate Finance much more.
I think there are two kinds of people, Q2 people who want to trade the stocks and bond from the companies that the Q3 people hope to one day run.
Good luck to us all!
Wednesday, March 3, 2010
Hitting the Wall
I've never wanted to take a nap more than I do right now - but there is still so many problems to do before tomorrow, and the practice test, PLUS preparing my cheat sheet. ARRRRRRRRRRRRGGGGGGGGHHHHHHHH!
Torture.
Torture.
Springtime in Rotman
It's by far the nicest day of the year. The sky is a deep blue, the sun is shining. And I am in the fishbowl studying for finance. I considered studying at home, but I knew that my time would be better spent here. Although the fishbowl is surrounded by windows, none of them lead directly outside, so I can't get distracted gazing at the sky. There will be time for patios soon. A day in fact!
Tuesday, March 2, 2010
Fun with Finance
I'm feeling oddly optimistic regarding the third quarter material.
Has the world tilted on it's axes? (actually, yes. For those of you who have not been following the news, the latest earthquake has actually had some serious impact on the Earth <-- not that that has anything to do with finance!)
Chin up!
Has the world tilted on it's axes? (actually, yes. For those of you who have not been following the news, the latest earthquake has actually had some serious impact on the Earth <-- not that that has anything to do with finance!)
Chin up!
When exams require snacks...
Please excuse any typos in this post, one hand is numb after writing my 5 hour exam. Yes, 5 hours.
The university will argue that the first two hours are optional, but don't be fooled - I needed every second of the five hours to complete the reading and analyisis. Positively ridiculous!
The university will argue that the first two hours are optional, but don't be fooled - I needed every second of the five hours to complete the reading and analyisis. Positively ridiculous!
Monday, March 1, 2010
Strategy for Strategy
Officially one exam down. I'm pretty sure it wasn't an 'A', but I am happy with what I learned. Macroeconomics is one of those subjects that is really interesting, applicable and generally enjoyable, but difficult to study for because of the large expanse of topics covered in a mere six weeks.
I, like many of my classmates, were sad to have missed the Olympic festivities. We all knew that the Gold medal win on home ice combined with setting a new record for gold medal wins at the Winter Games was something historic. Like the diligent students that we all are, most bitterly returned to the grind soon after the final goal. It was tough though, especially hearing the celebrations in the streets. *sigh*. There will be more gold medals, but only one MBA.
Tomorrow is our strategy final. Open book (yahoo!), but what this really means is that only well thought out answers will do. I am determined to get an A in this class which means that I've been reviewing and re-reviewing the cases and tools that we've used this quarter.
The exam is five hours long. Yes,5 HOURS! I'll be lucky to be conscious by the end.
I, like many of my classmates, were sad to have missed the Olympic festivities. We all knew that the Gold medal win on home ice combined with setting a new record for gold medal wins at the Winter Games was something historic. Like the diligent students that we all are, most bitterly returned to the grind soon after the final goal. It was tough though, especially hearing the celebrations in the streets. *sigh*. There will be more gold medals, but only one MBA.
Tomorrow is our strategy final. Open book (yahoo!), but what this really means is that only well thought out answers will do. I am determined to get an A in this class which means that I've been reviewing and re-reviewing the cases and tools that we've used this quarter.
The exam is five hours long. Yes,5 HOURS! I'll be lucky to be conscious by the end.
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