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.  As a member of MBASA, the class trips allowed me to also take some time to enjoy other tourist attractions.

What can I say?  If you are up for the MBA challenge, definitely consider sending us your application.  More information can be found at the full-time MBA home page.  Until next time, have a great Halloween weekend and take care!

Well, time sure is flying for this MBA student.  Things have been rather hectic, although I do think I finally have a hang of things this semester:).  My courses this semester have been challenging and mentally stimulating.  Meanwhile, the job search continues.  I have had a few interviews the past couple weeks but have not reached the job offer stage with any of them yet.  In the meantime, I plan to send out more job applications while also looking into future living arrangements.  Busy, busy, busy…

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 just how well I can do with bargain hunting.  A recent find was an all-in-one printer/scanner/copier/fax machine at a regular store price of $90 and MSRP as high as $110 to $120, for the outstanding clearance price of $45!  I purchased the second-last one in the store for myself and then went back and got the last one for my uncle’s family after I told my uncle about it.    

What are some of the good bargains you have found?  On what are you willing to deficit spend?

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 Nation” simulation.  In it, four people were elected as team captains and then picked teams.  They will learn more about their objectives around the day of the simulation.  Meanwhile, my capstone strategy course recently started the “Mike’s Bikes” simulation.  Here, we are working in much smaller teams, so we just picked teams by word of mouth asking around.  Unlike “Paper Nation”, “Mike’s Bikes” will take place over a number of weeks. 

When thinking about fantasy sports and business simulations, I realized how similar they are to each other.  In both fields, the participants must have an understanding of the different numbers and other factors involved.  The strategies may vary from team to team, or the strategies may be identical.  Also, the style of the simulation and the capabilities and limitations vary.  Regardless, there are opportunities for the participants of both sports and business simulations to make adjustments. 

As there are different rules and stipulations in the various simulations, a participant or a team may do better under some conditions and worse in others.  With fantasy football, I did much better in picking a team in the drafted head-to-head league; I took 2nd place there.  On the other hand, I struggled in the budget rotisserie leagues; I finished towards the bottom of the league the first time and then improved a bit, finishing in the middle of the pack the other time.   

With Paper Nation, I knew that I was on a really good team.  We started in last place but worked our way into 1st place by the end of the simulation.  Since Mike’s Bikes has more time allotted to test and understand the numbers, and because there are 6 teams instead of just 4, there may be even higher levels of competition.  Thus, although my team is currently in 1st (we started in the middle of the pack), we might not be able to hold our ground.   

Overall, there is excitement in simulating the operations of a sports team or some other corporation.  I learned a lot and had a lot of fun doing ”Paper Nation”, and now I am starting to catch on with “Mike’s Bikes”.  In the meantime, I might try to participate in a casual fantasy basketball season this year, as my favorite professional league is the National Basketball Association.  It is good to know that fantasy sports leagues are out there for me so that I can get my fill for simulations after graduating with an MBA.  Of course, the full-time job is the real deal, but I also still need to make my post-MBA employment a reality.:)