Answer the following questions in your learning journal to stimulate your thinking. Your responses should demonstrate reflective thought.
What aspects of your life (personal and professional) are impacted by financial institutions? Briefly describe.
Personal aspects impacted are the commercial banks in which I have a checking account and brokerage services (stocks, mutual funds, etc.). Professionally aspects aspects are the money supply and availability of money to secure loans to purchase investment properties. At the company I work for, availability of money and short term loans fuel growth and expansions within the USA and abroad.
The last few years, money has started to tighten. The sub-prime mortgage business and the large investments by hedge funds in the sub prime business has melted down, leading to the further tightening of money. This will potentially make it difficult to purchase investment properties at 95 to 100% loan to value, due to the perceived higher risk in the real estate market. Most areas have depreciated in value (real estate), but others have continued to rise or even just stabilize. The information is not complete in most cases and financial institutions are not allowing as much leverage any more.
Personally this has also lead to increased rates in loans and credit cards, which leads to making sure balances are paid off. Deals of 0% interest for 6 months or even a year are gone, so the ability to leverage money for the short-term is gone. The easy money or cheap money is gone - no more loose credit lines.
Finance companies have even raised their rates, which has been speculated to tighten money supply more dramatically than the fed raising rates. This may be why the Fed held the rates and did not raise them - there are even talks of the fed lowering them before the year. The effects small businesses and companies using short to mid term loans to pay for capital projects, etc. It also effects the accounts receivable for many companies, like the one I work for. Some customers rely on these short term loans to pay for supplies of capital projects. This creates risk of greater chances of default or "longer" loans to customers via accounts receivable days outstanding dramatically increasing - effecting the cash flow of the company overall. This all leads to reduction in capital spending and lower profitability.
What financial institutions or markets have you interacted with? Elaborate on the differences in those institutions and their importance to your financial well-being.
I have interacted with commercial banks, saving and loan institutions, brokerages - securities firms, mutual fund institutions, and insurance companies. Really have not had direct involvement with Finance companies, credit unions, or pension funds.
Saving and loans mainly help individuals and investor of real estate (small) with loans for mortgages, line of credit, and car loans. Commercial banks offer some services for individuals, but have historically targeted businesses. Recently the commercial banks are looking at small businesses and investors as well as offering financial investment services. Banks have migrated over to the roll held by securities firms and mutual funds. Commercial banks can now offer all of these services as well as checking accounts, business checking accounts, savings accounts, CDs, etc. They have evolved into many services with a wide variety of products. Insurance companies make money by their investment department playing the market better than the average. Insurance companies also offer a variety of services and products that help with the long term planning of your estate. Life insurance polices have evolved into making sure almost every situation is covered for the short term and long term.
This helps my well being due to competition being fierce among these players and information being more timely available. Many of the commercial banks are not tied or paid to represent certain companies' products like the past days. Securities firms and mutual funds were paid to push certain stocks and products to unknowing customers. The manipulation of hedge funds and other institutional funds has become more difficult due to the financial conglomeration of the financial market place. The various life insurance polices allow many choices for the different stages of my life and situations, which is great.
Wednesday, August 8, 2007
Tuesday, August 7, 2007
MBA765 - Week 6 - Synthesis of Vantage Program
Five topics and concepts learned through the Vantage MBA Program
1. Importance of Communication Skills
Establish information technology (IT) systems that facilitate information and knowledge sharing among employees, customers, and suppliers.
Sparking creativity and innovation through open dialogue.
Focusing on the needs and wants of others and not the self through empathetic listening.
Ability to effectively listen, conveying ideas and opinions clearly and concisely.
Facilitate open dialogue to eliminate self-protection, secrecy, denial, and establish accountability.
Communicating expectations and setting clear performance goals.
Communicate to external stakeholders about important milestones, strategic directions, and specific challenges.
Understanding enough to ask the right questions.
Open communication allows creative and innovative ideas, thoughts, and concepts to grow and multiple. This will lead to high quality and strong profits, which are sustainable elements of a business.
Allows groups of people to work together synergistically with a synchronization that drives creativity and innovation to higher levels not achievable through individuals.
2. Ability to execute
Ability to lead through change and navigate the ambiguity of chaos and uncertainty of the environment.
Alignment of people with goals and objectives that are based on the vision and mission.
Attacking the inefficiencies in productivity, homogeneity (consistency), and process and system flows.
Setting priorities between new product development, diversification of products and product lines, while increasing productivity simultaneously.
Capturing the spirit of objectives and empowering others to achieve goals and objectives through your ability to build confidence and energize them.
Results orientated with a focus on achieving goal and not the possibility of failure. Effort and trying is not the same as achieving executable results.
Establishing leader’s intent and clarifying through steps, creating a path of goals that lead to the achievement of objectives.
3. Ability of learning how to learn
Research and acknowledge emerging trends and changes in customer preferences.
Utilizing SWOT, Porter Five Forces, and value chain analysis to remain competitive in the rapidly changing market environment.
Understanding and application of financial and accounting techniques. What all the costs are and how to follow the money.
Understanding the cash flow characteristics of the market and your business.
Using technology as a tool and a means to increase the flexibility and responsiveness to the needs of customers and employees.
Strategic thinking, the endless pursuit of understanding the relevant markets, development of competitive strategies, and creating possibility scenarios for future market changes.
Reflecting on the implications and consequences of actions and decisions in order to learn from these experiences and develop wisdom.
4. Importance of Vantage Leadership
Showing respect for others and appreciation for different views.
Customer orientation, the understanding of customer’s motivation, their challenges presently and in the future, which capabilities that are missing, and how you bridge that gap for them.
Ability to make good decisions and sound judgments based on thorough understanding of financial implications, strategic initiatives, and tactical deployments.
The understanding that symbiotic relationships exist between society, business, and mankind. Science, economics, and ecology are melding together, which is a convergence of this knowledge into one.
Taking the collaborative approach to problem solving that includes all of the relevant stakeholders and assessing the consequences of actions up front.
Bold enough to take risks on new possibilities and approaches.
Integrity above all else with fairness for everyone and the courage of conviction for what you believes. Standing up for your values, beliefs, and principles.
Your behavior creates a model for the entire organization, its culture and values.
Focus on the soft skills, the people aspect of leadership. Embrace conflict and confrontation, demanding an open and truthful forum.
Commitment is facilitated by the ability to speak openly and actively be listen to as well as clearly understood.
Build and foster teams through empowerment and coaching
5. Importance and awareness of Human Capital
Synergy of people to work together cohesively and effectively.
Capturing, applying, and exploiting the intellectual property.
Knowledge management systems to capture the valuable and possible irreplaceable knowledge when people leave or retire.
Competitive advantages will be people related and driven.
Population growth of educated and skilled people will not keep up with the present and future global job growth.
The new dimension of wealth for the future will be through people and their motivations.
Interview Questions for Assignment Part
1) What do you feel is one of the most important skills as COO?
Importance of Communication Skills
a) Establish information technology (IT) systems that facilitate information and knowledge sharing among employees, customers, and suppliers.
b) Sparking creativity and innovation through open dialogue.
c) Focusing on the needs and wants of others and not the self through empathetic listening.
d) Ability to effectively listen, conveying ideas and opinions clearly and concisely.
e) Facilitate open dialogue to eliminate self-protection, secrecy, denial, and establish accountability.
f) Communicating expectations and setting clear performance goals.
g) Communicate to external stakeholders about important milestones, strategic directions, and specific challenges.
h) Understanding enough to ask the right questions.
i) Open communication allows creative and innovative ideas, thoughts, and concepts to grow and multiple. This will lead to high quality and strong profits, which are sustainable elements of a business.
j) Allows groups of people to work together synergistically with a synchronization that drives creativity and innovation to higher levels not achievable through individuals.
Ability to execute
a) Ability to lead through change and navigate the ambiguity of chaos and uncertainty of the environment.
b) Alignment of people with goals and objectives that are based on the vision and mission.
c) Attacking the inefficiencies in productivity, homogeneity (consistency), and process and system flows.
d) Setting priorities between new product development, diversification of products and product lines, while increasing productivity simultaneously.
e) Capturing the spirit of objectives and empowering others to achieve goals and objectives through your ability to build confidence and energize them.
f) Results orientated with a focus on achieving goal and not the possibility of failure. Effort and trying is not the same as achieving executable results.
g) Establishing leader's intent and clarifying through steps, creating a path of goals that lead to the achievement of objectives.
Ability of learning how to learn
a) Research and acknowledge emerging trends and changes in customer preferences.
b) Utilizing SWOT, Porter Five Forces, and value chain analysis to remain competitive in the rapidly changing market environment.
c) Understanding and application of financial and accounting techniques. What all the costs are and how to follow the money.
d) Understanding the cash flow characteristics of the market and your business.
e) Using technology as a tool and a means to increase the flexibility and responsiveness to the needs of customers and employees.
f) Strategic thinking, the endless pursuit of understanding the relevant markets, development of competitive strategies, and creating possibility scenarios for future market changes.
g) Reflecting on the implications and consequences of actions and decisions in order to learn from these experiences and develop wisdom.
2) Some say that cash is king. At TBS we feel that the customer is king. How do you feel about this business philosophy?
a) Showing respect for others and appreciation for different views.
b) Customer orientation, the understanding of customer's motivation, their challenges presently and in the future, which capabilities that are missing, and how you bridge that gap for them. Communication strategies must view the customer base with a 4-lens perspective.
c) Ability to make good decisions and sound judgments based on thorough understanding of financial implications, strategic initiatives, and tactical deployments.
d) The understanding that symbiotic relationships exist between society, business, and mankind. Science, economics, and ecology are melding together, which is a convergence of this knowledge into one.
e) Taking the collaborative approach to problem solving that includes all of the relevant stakeholders and assessing the consequences of actions up front.
f) Strong cash flow is vital to ensure momentum and superior service to customers.
3) The role of COO is a huge responsibility, tell us why you have what it takes to run the operations of Tactical Business Solutions and why you feel this attribute is so important.
a) Bold enough to take risks on new possibilities and approaches.
b) Understand all of the accounting issues and consequences of federal, state, and local regulatory rules and laws.
c) Financial consequences of building, purchasing or leasing space for the business.
d) Financial considerations for manufacturing: renting equipment and temporary workers, purchasing equipment and permanent workers, or outsourcing to contract manufacturers?
e) Assessment of capital requirements for start up and growth.
f) Hiring the right people and ensuring that the right people are in the right position.
g) Continually assess the risks of new technology obsolescing your products.
4) There may be times in your job when you are tempted by vendors or others to do something that may not be ethical. Share with us how you would deal with a situation like this.
a) Integrity above all else with fairness for everyone and the courage of conviction for what you believes. Standing up for your values, beliefs, and principles.
b) Your behavior creates a model for the entire organization, its culture and values.
5) Connecting with TBS associates is paramount. Tell us how you will be successful.
a) Focus on the soft skills, the people aspect of leadership. Embrace conflict and confrontation, demanding an open and truthful forum.
b) Commitment is facilitated by the ability to speak openly and actively be listening to as well as clearly understood.
c) Build and foster teams through empowerment and coaching
d) Importance and awareness of Human Capital
e) Foster and build extraordinary teams by empowerment and coaching.
f) Establish strong and competent training programs for all employees, to establish consistency in the product.
g) Establish evaluation programs for these training programs.
h) Establish freedom and independence as part of the culture. This will facilitate innovation and give employees a voice in the company’s success. This protects knowledge and experience from leaving the company, due to loyal employees.
6) Delivering quality IT consulting services is a very challenging business, especially given the soft market and threatening competition. Knowing your leadership styles what message will you push to associates so that TBS becomes a better consultancy?
a) Synergy of people to work together cohesively and effectively.
b) Capturing, applying, and exploiting the intellectual property.
c) Knowledge management systems to capture the valuable and possible irreplaceable knowledge when people leave or retire.
d) Competitive advantages will be people related and driven.
e) Leadership style: Informal, flat or horizontal structure, and independent in nature.
f) Use a combination of both and become the pace setter, culture creator, a player as well as a coach.
g) Ability to keep the company balanced where gaps and threats exist internally and externally.
h) Keep the company sharply focused by staying true to marketing goals, targeted markets and customers, and the budget versus costs.
i)
j) Population growth of educated and skilled people will not keep up with the present and future global job growth.
k) The new dimension of wealth for the future will be through people and their motivations.
1. Importance of Communication Skills
Establish information technology (IT) systems that facilitate information and knowledge sharing among employees, customers, and suppliers.
Sparking creativity and innovation through open dialogue.
Focusing on the needs and wants of others and not the self through empathetic listening.
Ability to effectively listen, conveying ideas and opinions clearly and concisely.
Facilitate open dialogue to eliminate self-protection, secrecy, denial, and establish accountability.
Communicating expectations and setting clear performance goals.
Communicate to external stakeholders about important milestones, strategic directions, and specific challenges.
Understanding enough to ask the right questions.
Open communication allows creative and innovative ideas, thoughts, and concepts to grow and multiple. This will lead to high quality and strong profits, which are sustainable elements of a business.
Allows groups of people to work together synergistically with a synchronization that drives creativity and innovation to higher levels not achievable through individuals.
2. Ability to execute
Ability to lead through change and navigate the ambiguity of chaos and uncertainty of the environment.
Alignment of people with goals and objectives that are based on the vision and mission.
Attacking the inefficiencies in productivity, homogeneity (consistency), and process and system flows.
Setting priorities between new product development, diversification of products and product lines, while increasing productivity simultaneously.
Capturing the spirit of objectives and empowering others to achieve goals and objectives through your ability to build confidence and energize them.
Results orientated with a focus on achieving goal and not the possibility of failure. Effort and trying is not the same as achieving executable results.
Establishing leader’s intent and clarifying through steps, creating a path of goals that lead to the achievement of objectives.
3. Ability of learning how to learn
Research and acknowledge emerging trends and changes in customer preferences.
Utilizing SWOT, Porter Five Forces, and value chain analysis to remain competitive in the rapidly changing market environment.
Understanding and application of financial and accounting techniques. What all the costs are and how to follow the money.
Understanding the cash flow characteristics of the market and your business.
Using technology as a tool and a means to increase the flexibility and responsiveness to the needs of customers and employees.
Strategic thinking, the endless pursuit of understanding the relevant markets, development of competitive strategies, and creating possibility scenarios for future market changes.
Reflecting on the implications and consequences of actions and decisions in order to learn from these experiences and develop wisdom.
4. Importance of Vantage Leadership
Showing respect for others and appreciation for different views.
Customer orientation, the understanding of customer’s motivation, their challenges presently and in the future, which capabilities that are missing, and how you bridge that gap for them.
Ability to make good decisions and sound judgments based on thorough understanding of financial implications, strategic initiatives, and tactical deployments.
The understanding that symbiotic relationships exist between society, business, and mankind. Science, economics, and ecology are melding together, which is a convergence of this knowledge into one.
Taking the collaborative approach to problem solving that includes all of the relevant stakeholders and assessing the consequences of actions up front.
Bold enough to take risks on new possibilities and approaches.
Integrity above all else with fairness for everyone and the courage of conviction for what you believes. Standing up for your values, beliefs, and principles.
Your behavior creates a model for the entire organization, its culture and values.
Focus on the soft skills, the people aspect of leadership. Embrace conflict and confrontation, demanding an open and truthful forum.
Commitment is facilitated by the ability to speak openly and actively be listen to as well as clearly understood.
Build and foster teams through empowerment and coaching
5. Importance and awareness of Human Capital
Synergy of people to work together cohesively and effectively.
Capturing, applying, and exploiting the intellectual property.
Knowledge management systems to capture the valuable and possible irreplaceable knowledge when people leave or retire.
Competitive advantages will be people related and driven.
Population growth of educated and skilled people will not keep up with the present and future global job growth.
The new dimension of wealth for the future will be through people and their motivations.
Interview Questions for Assignment Part
1) What do you feel is one of the most important skills as COO?
Importance of Communication Skills
a) Establish information technology (IT) systems that facilitate information and knowledge sharing among employees, customers, and suppliers.
b) Sparking creativity and innovation through open dialogue.
c) Focusing on the needs and wants of others and not the self through empathetic listening.
d) Ability to effectively listen, conveying ideas and opinions clearly and concisely.
e) Facilitate open dialogue to eliminate self-protection, secrecy, denial, and establish accountability.
f) Communicating expectations and setting clear performance goals.
g) Communicate to external stakeholders about important milestones, strategic directions, and specific challenges.
h) Understanding enough to ask the right questions.
i) Open communication allows creative and innovative ideas, thoughts, and concepts to grow and multiple. This will lead to high quality and strong profits, which are sustainable elements of a business.
j) Allows groups of people to work together synergistically with a synchronization that drives creativity and innovation to higher levels not achievable through individuals.
Ability to execute
a) Ability to lead through change and navigate the ambiguity of chaos and uncertainty of the environment.
b) Alignment of people with goals and objectives that are based on the vision and mission.
c) Attacking the inefficiencies in productivity, homogeneity (consistency), and process and system flows.
d) Setting priorities between new product development, diversification of products and product lines, while increasing productivity simultaneously.
e) Capturing the spirit of objectives and empowering others to achieve goals and objectives through your ability to build confidence and energize them.
f) Results orientated with a focus on achieving goal and not the possibility of failure. Effort and trying is not the same as achieving executable results.
g) Establishing leader's intent and clarifying through steps, creating a path of goals that lead to the achievement of objectives.
Ability of learning how to learn
a) Research and acknowledge emerging trends and changes in customer preferences.
b) Utilizing SWOT, Porter Five Forces, and value chain analysis to remain competitive in the rapidly changing market environment.
c) Understanding and application of financial and accounting techniques. What all the costs are and how to follow the money.
d) Understanding the cash flow characteristics of the market and your business.
e) Using technology as a tool and a means to increase the flexibility and responsiveness to the needs of customers and employees.
f) Strategic thinking, the endless pursuit of understanding the relevant markets, development of competitive strategies, and creating possibility scenarios for future market changes.
g) Reflecting on the implications and consequences of actions and decisions in order to learn from these experiences and develop wisdom.
2) Some say that cash is king. At TBS we feel that the customer is king. How do you feel about this business philosophy?
a) Showing respect for others and appreciation for different views.
b) Customer orientation, the understanding of customer's motivation, their challenges presently and in the future, which capabilities that are missing, and how you bridge that gap for them. Communication strategies must view the customer base with a 4-lens perspective.
c) Ability to make good decisions and sound judgments based on thorough understanding of financial implications, strategic initiatives, and tactical deployments.
d) The understanding that symbiotic relationships exist between society, business, and mankind. Science, economics, and ecology are melding together, which is a convergence of this knowledge into one.
e) Taking the collaborative approach to problem solving that includes all of the relevant stakeholders and assessing the consequences of actions up front.
f) Strong cash flow is vital to ensure momentum and superior service to customers.
3) The role of COO is a huge responsibility, tell us why you have what it takes to run the operations of Tactical Business Solutions and why you feel this attribute is so important.
a) Bold enough to take risks on new possibilities and approaches.
b) Understand all of the accounting issues and consequences of federal, state, and local regulatory rules and laws.
c) Financial consequences of building, purchasing or leasing space for the business.
d) Financial considerations for manufacturing: renting equipment and temporary workers, purchasing equipment and permanent workers, or outsourcing to contract manufacturers?
e) Assessment of capital requirements for start up and growth.
f) Hiring the right people and ensuring that the right people are in the right position.
g) Continually assess the risks of new technology obsolescing your products.
4) There may be times in your job when you are tempted by vendors or others to do something that may not be ethical. Share with us how you would deal with a situation like this.
a) Integrity above all else with fairness for everyone and the courage of conviction for what you believes. Standing up for your values, beliefs, and principles.
b) Your behavior creates a model for the entire organization, its culture and values.
5) Connecting with TBS associates is paramount. Tell us how you will be successful.
a) Focus on the soft skills, the people aspect of leadership. Embrace conflict and confrontation, demanding an open and truthful forum.
b) Commitment is facilitated by the ability to speak openly and actively be listening to as well as clearly understood.
c) Build and foster teams through empowerment and coaching
d) Importance and awareness of Human Capital
e) Foster and build extraordinary teams by empowerment and coaching.
f) Establish strong and competent training programs for all employees, to establish consistency in the product.
g) Establish evaluation programs for these training programs.
h) Establish freedom and independence as part of the culture. This will facilitate innovation and give employees a voice in the company’s success. This protects knowledge and experience from leaving the company, due to loyal employees.
6) Delivering quality IT consulting services is a very challenging business, especially given the soft market and threatening competition. Knowing your leadership styles what message will you push to associates so that TBS becomes a better consultancy?
a) Synergy of people to work together cohesively and effectively.
b) Capturing, applying, and exploiting the intellectual property.
c) Knowledge management systems to capture the valuable and possible irreplaceable knowledge when people leave or retire.
d) Competitive advantages will be people related and driven.
e) Leadership style: Informal, flat or horizontal structure, and independent in nature.
f) Use a combination of both and become the pace setter, culture creator, a player as well as a coach.
g) Ability to keep the company balanced where gaps and threats exist internally and externally.
h) Keep the company sharply focused by staying true to marketing goals, targeted markets and customers, and the budget versus costs.
i)
j) Population growth of educated and skilled people will not keep up with the present and future global job growth.
k) The new dimension of wealth for the future will be through people and their motivations.
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