Monday, March 12, 2012
So, welcome to the 600C Blogspot.. a place to have informal conversations between student, professor, and student! We've gone past the first class period, and my first impressions were that this was an especially bright and active MBA class. For your first post, out of many, what would you most like to see out of a class like this and out of your MBA??
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Strategy is COOL :) ..
ReplyDeleteI'm really glad you think that way.... So who are you, unknown master?
DeleteI would like to learn from this class what makes a good strategy. How to create a strategy that is precise, yet simple, and provide a sense of direction to those involved in the organization. Also, how to recognize when your current strategy is no longer working vs. just a bump in the road. I am hoping to take the knowledge I gain from my MBA to make more effective decisions as a professional in the business environment.
ReplyDeleteWe'll work on that. I'm very, very glad you're thinking this way, afterall, strategic thinking is a whole new world..
DeleteWhat I would like to gain from this class and the MBA programs is a better understanding of business principles and how to apply these principles in the real world. I would like to be able to add more value to my organization by having the skills to fully participate in and lead projects that have a broad business focus. As an HR Manager, I believe my MBA will provide me with the tools needed to more strategically develop HR programs that have a financial and cultural impact on the business.
ReplyDeleteGood, I suggest a couple of things independent of SHRM... look at the journal "Public Personnel Administration", for some insight into the strategy of HR. Also look from time to time at the "Strategic Management Journal" for it has a great deal on strategic human resources management. Finally, I think the material on Strategic HRM is out there now in the textbooks in a very large quantity because I remember reading all those when studying for the SPHR a long time ago. The class is going to have a hard time directly addressing SHRM because of the very diverse interests inherent in our population, however, I am very sure I can help you get to where you want to go.
DeleteI would like to learn how to create strategies so I can create a strong one for my own small business. I'd like it to be concise, but effective. I'd like to learn about strong strategies, but I'd also like to learn how and why certain strategies fail. From my MBA, I hope to gain the tools necessary to become a successful small business owner. And in the meantime, use what I learn to excel in my current position.
ReplyDeleteRemember, there's both a science and an art to business administration and while there are certainly strong and failed strategies reported in each media outlet daily, we probably need to go about things in a contingency format. That means that the best strategies and that success you want for the business come from the knowledge you gain in a program like this but also in the classroom and environmental application. The program provides the tools you need and some conditions of practice. The rest is up to your ability to apply it. Get practice in the cases and the homework throughout the program. Also, get practice at work by being more aware of what goes on around you. Through exposure here you will probably be more aware there. Pay attention to everything. The lessons, the news, the conversations with classmates, the environments, and everything else.
DeleteTest blog from Chad..
ReplyDeleteMy intention is to learn the latest, most useful strategies for business and the most efficient means of administering them. I'd like to re-engage my critical thinking skills and business acumen as I grow my current business and start new ones. I'm very interested in the strategy class's goal of improving one's competitive edge now, and in the future with IT and Global evolution. I have a particularly pressing business situation that we are touching on in this class. Namely, sustainability and competitive advantage. We are in the inception phase of planning future business development with a green focus and need your help!
ReplyDeleteI'm not sure I knew of that particularly pressing situation surrounding the business and sustainability and CA. Read that HBR article on that. I really didn't have a great deal planned for sustainability in this class because of the limited nature of the time we have together and the content requirements it imposes. If you have questions about that, though, I can direct you. I've taught classes in sustainable business and sustainability (they're different things) and probably have a direction or two to send you. It's hard to come back to school after time out of it. It takes almost half a year just to get into the groove. Hang in there.
DeleteI finally finished my mid-term case analysis. :) This was very thought provoking assignment - I enjoyed it!
ReplyDeleteAlso, I found a great website that provides excellent information on writing a case study analysis (it even refers to Porter's five forces model). The link is below.
http://college.cengage.com/business/resources/casestudies/students/writing.htm
I thought we had a good class last night. I enjoyed hearing about each of your cases, and look forward to hearing a little about Sara's too. Missed you Jesse! I forgot to ask about the "format" that we selected to "write up" the cases- I realize it was more content driven, but I am curious to see a "role model" example of format. Thank you for the link Candice, this seems very helpful!
ReplyDeleteI am looking forward to diving into global strategy!
Can anyone remind me of what is due next week?!
Thanks,
Jane
Actually, it's the materials on China. We'll dig into the China and Viagra case for IPR. Then there are a few talks about China I've seen on Ted. We'll make Feng Sha share his insight from the city point of view... we need to get that man talking! Other than that, I'm planning a frenetic good time. It's going to be week 7 so after this one, we're done and I wish everyone would come to the 655C for the global perspectives on this; you'd all be excellent complements to the class with your insights and natural curiosity. Jane, there is no role-model case analysis. There are deeper ways to dig in, but you'll need some finance and managerial accounting to get beyond the qualitative approach. By the time you're in in 670, the analysis will look different and probably look like it comes from differing perspectives. This is probably the best 600 I've done here; I think size matters a whole lot because I've seen the class from 4 all the way up to 37. The approaches and contexts of the discussions all change according to size. At the class size we're at, I get to lead the discussion as a discussion; I don't have to "preach", but I can "minister" to the class' learning needs. That has been quite rewarding.
ReplyDeleteThank You Pete! I think you will have a seriously developed, heavy "toolkit" for addressing the learning needs of the class fairly soon! It seems you'll benefit from addressing the situation much like a physician would. . . Stating the up front objective, what procedures need to take place in order to "identify" the situation properly, and holding the patients (oops, students) hand as you walk them through the process of examination. I do like metaphors! and yes, I am quite curious, which seems to hold me back from making measurable progress sometimes.
DeleteDuring a recent "dig" I came across a neat blog site that seemed pretty interesting, they are based out of Canada, but certainly have an international following and contributing network- I've been reading all the blog articles. www.nbe.net
Also, FYI Fri and Sat the "SAM" group or Sales and Marketing presentation network- modeled after TED will be presenting in Park City, incase you are interested.