February 28, 2010

This weekend has got to be one of the deadliest weekends of my whole college life. First, we were the reporting group for 180.1, with the task to report on Business Process Improvements and the role of IT in them. Second, our 3rd econ exam's on Sunday, which had a coverage of more than 200 pages of text. Rather than concentrating on the 180.1, I was more focused on my economics exam since I had exemptions at stake there. Our group pretty much crammed our report x_o We put together our reports the day before and even got caught by Sir Manny discussing in one of the classrooms in BA without having reserved it.

Even though my mind was more focused on economics, I still learned a lot in 180.1, mainly because we were the reporting group. I have heard about 6 sigma but didn't really know what it was about and because I reported on it, I have learned at least a bit about it. These Business Process Improvements show that maximizing profit is still what most companies strive for. Though a lot of articles say that these improvements strive for quality and customer satisfaction, I believe those two characteristics will lead to customer loyalty which in turn will increase the company's profits. So still, at the end of the day, the ultimate goal of companies (unless you're non-profit) is to be able to maximize their profits. The values of this world today are truly changing. For the better or for the worse, that depends on who's point of view I guess.

February 22, 2010

There's no classes today, and I got pretty bored so I decided to write an entry. :)

Last Saturday, we didn't have classes in 180.1. Instead, we had an option to attend the event BEAST for incentives. It was a competition among the students of Business Administration, Economics, Architecture and Statistics. The games played were Basketball, Badminton, Futsal, Scrabble and lots more.

When I entered the DAR gym, I was thinking how these games could get pretty wild when competitiveness kicks in but what I saw was completely the opposite. Though all of the colleges and schools wanted to win of course, the kind of competition that was present was healthy and friendly. People accepted losses graciously while they accepted wins humbly. There wasn't any fighting whatsoever. It's nice to see people enjoying the games for the right reasons.

Also, in the middle of cheering for my batchmate who was playing Badminton, a member of the Business Administration Council went to me and asked me to sub for a player in Scrabble. It was my first time to play Scrabble. :) We didn't win though. However, I made a new friend, a first year who was my teammate during the time I subbed for that guy.

At first, what I wanted attending BEAST were the incentives that will be given. However, the fun of being with my batchmates and friends while cheering and watching the games was more than what the incentives can give. I guess I gained more than what I thought I would.

February 18, 2010

During our last session in BA180.1, we learned a diagramming program. It shows how to achieve a goal (getting to the 'end' function) by following a set of steps and answering a few questions. At first, I thought that this is quite a boring subject because it is easy to look up procedures of certain things in the internet. For example, the exercise we did regarding the procedures on voting during election time in the Philippines. Our group simply searched it in Google and was able to do the diagram instantly in Gliffy.Com. As I said earlier, I don't see the need for such a program because it's easy to follow the step by step procedures that's numbered in that particular site. However, I remembered my BA182 class wherein we had a session regarding the decision tree and realized that there are times when decision making becomes too complex that a software is needed to help track down where one is. BA182, also known as Management Science II, teaches students on how to arrive at a good decision. A good decision is one that has considered all the parameters and has used the necessary tools to arrive at it. Even if the outcome is not favorable, it is still considered a good decision as long as those have been done. The studies conducted usually considers 'what ifs'. For example, what are the chances of success if one plans to do business in the Philippines given that the market is favorable? If the market is unfavorable, what will be his chances of success then? If the probability for success is higher than that of a failure, how big of a business will he build? Will the business be small sized, medium or large? In making a decision, there are a lot of questions and I think this is where the diagramming program comes in. From the starting point, one can trace what his actions will be given that certain circumstances apply to the situation. This way, the whole approach will be more systematic and clear.

In general, I think there are a lot of lessons that we students deem as a 'waste of time' since we think that they will not be applicable to us. However, most of the time, everything that we learn are interconnected to one another. There is usually a connection somewhere, we just have to be optimistic and find it.

Here's what we did last meeting regarding the voting process:

Feb 6, 2010

Last session, we discussed about social networking, its advantages and its disadvantages. With sites such as Facebook, Friendster and Twitter, social networking became a way to connect people regardless of their location. These sites became virtual places wherein they can ‘meet up’ and talk about the things that interest them. A big advantage of social networking is that one can meet people with the same interests. For example, I am a big fan of photography. However, none of my friends are interested in it. Through these social networking sites, I can join a group with an interest in photography. In effect, I am able to broaden my circle of friends. Social networking sites can also be used to conduct business. Through these sites, connections are made which makes it easier for transactions to occur. However, social networking also has its disadvantages. First, all of these connections and bridges are all virtual. When the internet goes down, how does one connect with them? Also, the relationships built are personal, they are easy to make and easy to break as well.

Personally, I don’t like social networking sites such as Facebook (I don’t use Twitter). I have tried it and I felt that it took up my time that could’ve been spent well in studying. Also, things usually ended after a friend was added up. He’s left there, perhaps if needed for future references only or for old time’s sake. Aside from this, years ago, I read an article about social networking sites that really stuck to my mind. The article was the story of a man who used blogs to prove that he can gain access to his friend’s email. Usually, email sites such as Yahoo ask for personal questions to be able to change one’s password. They ask general questions such as ‘What’s my first pet’s name?’or ‘Where did I study preschool?’. These questions are so general that sometimes, they are unconsciously revealed in blogs and notes, features of social networking sites such as Facebook and Multiply. Usually, archives last for years so it’s easy to track down previous blogs. Rummaging through these, a person can learn so much about another person. Maybe during the time of his pet dog’s death he wrote a blog to express his sadness. Or maybe he suddenly visited his preschool after so many years and decided to share the trip by blogging. When writing about these stuff, onewouldn’t think that ‘Hey! I used this as my secret question for my Yahoo account!’. Usually, one writes what’s on top of his head. True enough, that person was able to hack into his friend’s email and was even able to change his password. So in conclusion, I believe that though networking sites have certain advantages, one can live without them. The relationships built are not that strong and stable, and everything’s just so impersonal. Aside from this, valuable information can be leaked unconsciously. So if there’s something happening in your life, I suggest you either write it in a diary for privacy reasons or if there’s really a need to tell someone about it, talk to someone about it over the phone or chat about it in Yahoo Messenger.