Good morning everyone!  Greetings from an undisclosed, non-northwest Ohio location…

A couple weeks ago, I remarked about the ‘lessons learned’ while in graduate school.  This included the open-ended question: What is the most important lesson I have learned from my graduate school experience?  Today, I have a response to that question.

“The most important lesson that I have learned from my graduate school experience is the difference between ‘caring’ and ‘worrying’.  As people, we tend to group caring and worrying together.  Both are considered to be a sign of interest and emotion.  However, I argue that these two concepts are indeed different from each other. 

To me, ‘caring’ is a positive concept.  When we care, we show interest in someone or something that is meaningful to us.  Caring involves having passion and offering all that we have.  Overall, caring has an optimistic, yet realistic sense to itself. 

However, I see ‘worrying’ as a negative concept.  To me, worrying is showing a lack of faith.  When we worry, we may show a lack of confidence in ourselves and/or in other people.  Worrying implies thinking bad thoughts, fearing unfavorable conditions, and expecting negative outcomes.  While worrying may accompany caring, worrying is a pessimistic approach to situations. 

True, it is important to be aware of both the positive and negative outcomes of our actions.  However, while caring opens us up to all possibilities–including the good ones–worrying causes us to focus on all of the negative possibilities.  In the end, I believe that there is no such thing as caring too much, but there is such thing as worrying too much.”

In life, it is important to believe that good things can happen and will happen.  In failing to be optimistic and ignoring the positive possibilities, we risk becoming oblivious to all of the good that is happening around us and in us.

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 I learned?  I must be able to articulate what I have learned; likewise, I must be able to use this knowledge and wisdom.

While the question is straightforward, it is also very open-ended.  As a graduate in a tough job market,  I think it is important that I continue to ask myself difficult questions.  There are jobs out there–good ones, in fact.  Yet, I must remember that I have values and passions for a reason.  Perhaps the upcoming job or jobs that I find will not allow me to express every heartfelt passion or every shred of creativity from my mind, but I must give myself the chance to be both successful and happy, and I must be in tune with me.  No, I should not be selfish or self-centered, but I need to remember in any job that I work, that I must be sincere and genuine.  The question asked was ”what is the most important lesson I have learned from my graduate school experience?”–not what someone else has learned.  In giving myself time to answer this question and other difficult ones, I can truly put my BGSU full-time MBA education to use.  With that said, I wish you luck in answering your own difficult questions, and to current and future BGSU full-time MBA students out there, I hope that you find your time at Bowling Green to be as worthwhile as I have found it, if not more.  

New Year’s Day is coming around the corner.  It serves as a time to reflect, let go, analyze, set goals, and move forward.  At the beginning of 2008, I wrote these words as part of a song, and I think they still fit in well with what I am feeling now.

“I’m learning to cherish every last breath, / And I’m yearning to face the challenges ahead. / I’m ready to stand tall and keep pushing, / Because I know that life isn’t worthwhile if I let my gifts and my passions go to waste.”

Do not let your gifts and your passions go to waste.  Cherish every last breath.  Stand tall and keep pushing.  Yearn to face the challenges ahead.  And, if you foresee the MBA challenge in your near future, do not hesitate to contact us about submitting your application.

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 be held accountable for teacher performance?

I leave you with a closing thought from “Coaching Advice: ‘Coaches are teachers’”: “Remember, not every classroom has desks.”  I believe that this is as relevant in sports as it is in business and in life.  Learning experiences are around us everywhere.  As a student, it is up to me to actively learn, not limiting my learning to the confines of a traditional classroom.

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?

Good afternoon!  Happy Friday!  (Is it Friday the 13th today?)

Anyhow, I am pretty excited about a speaker who is coming to campus on Monday.   His name is Tim Augustine.  From what I have heard, he is very energetic and very knowledgeable about networking.  For anyone, networking is a valuable tool and skill. 

A preview of Tim Augustine’s philosophy can be found at his blog.

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.  Regardless, in answering application and interview questions, there are the obvious meanings of questions, and meanings beyond what is stated in the questions.  While I was aware of this, I found out that paper-based and online assessments contain more open-endedness than meets the eye.  Ethics is critical, and I thought that some of these questions were intended to catch people stretching the truth or flat-out lying.  While this may be the case in some instances, in other instances employers are really checking to see if we have critical thinking skills and transferrable skills.  In the case of transferrable skills, we might have them and not even know it.   

Do not misunderstand my words: please always keep honesty in mind when applying and interviewing for jobs.  Tell the truth.  Be ethical.  Be authentic.  At the same time, remember that what you learned from past experiences, whether at a full-time job, as a full-time student, in a social organization, etc. may be useful at any time later in life.  I do think that it is possible for a person to be so far outside the box that he/she becomes impractical.  However, in completing online assessments while applying for jobs, there just might be no limit to how far outside the box we can be. 

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.:)