Category Archives: MBA

MBA

10 Things I wish I knew at the start of my MBA

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It’s been some time since an update on MBA Nights. To keep things rolling I thought I’d point you towards a two part blog series I did for the Adelaide University’s MBA blog:

10 Things I wish I knew at the start of my MBA

Part 1) 5 Things I wish I knew..

Part 2) 5 More Things

If you just want to cut to the chase, and see the list of 10 here it is (but do read the posts above, you’ll get more out of it):

  1. Don’t hand in safe assignments, be bold
  2. Group Assignments – Allocate someone just to do the editing
  3. Worry less about definitions and more about applying them
  4. Group Assignments – Don’t be afraid to use your company
  5. Read a wide range of business books and biographies
  6. Attend events, make sure people know who you are and that you know who they are
  7. Make notes all over your books.
  8. Get an ultra-portable laptop or tablet for comprehensive notes
  9. Really, truly understand the commitment you’ve made. Make sure your loved ones understand it and support you too
  10. Start a blog or a journal to record your journey & retain your knowledge

Any thoughts or comments on this one? Hit me up on either the Adelaide University’s blog, or below.

The 14 Point Deming Management Method

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This post is a continuation of my second guest post for Adelaide Universities MBA Blog. If you haven’t read my summary of the Deming Management Method, start here first.

Deming’s Fourteen Point Management Method

Deming’s 14 Point Management Method was first published in 1982. A statistician by trade his ability with numbers enabled him to challenge many traditional management practices, resulting in his fourteen point plan:

1. Create Consistency of Purpose for the Improvement of Product and Service

Deming and others, such as (Stephen R Covey) believe that one of the difficulties facing humankind is that we are too easily focused on the problems of today, at the expense of those of tomorrow.

“It is easy to stay bound up in the tangled knots of the problems of today, becoming ever more and more efficient in them” – Deming Continue reading →

Gamification – Complexity and Engagement

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My third session of AMP’s Amplify Festival is Marigo Raftopoulos (@Marigo), speaking on ‘The Game has changed: How to cut through complexity and engage employees and customers through meaning’

A little on Marigo:

Marigo is a strategic business advisor specialising in innovation using gamification, systems thinking and experience design. She is also co-founder and co-chair of Games for Change Australia-New Zealand, advisor to several technology incubators and start-ups and is researching her PhD in enterprise Innovation.

 

Gamification – Complexity and Engagement

Mario starts us off by getting us all off our seats to play Rock Paper Scissors. I lost, but it was still fun. Marigo explains what occurs in the brain whilst playing games. Behaviour and attitude improve after game playing – it can be a really powerful tool.

Continue reading →

Innovating from the Boardroom

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Innovating from the Boardroom – Cultivating a future quotient

Amplify talk by Lucy Marcus

This is my second blog post from the AMP Amplify festival. The speaker for this session is Lucy Marcus. Some background:

Lucy is the founder and CEO of Marcus Venture Consulting which helps build sustainable success for funding organisations. She is also Professor of Leadership and Governance at IE Business School focusing on corporate governance, ethics and leadership. Lucy writes an opinion column and hosts a TV show, “In the Boardroom with Lucy Marcus” for Reuters on the intersection of boards and leadership.

Continue reading →

Social Media Marketing – Mal Chia

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Social Media Marketing

This is the second in a series of posts from Adelaide University’s MBA Entrepreneurship Intensive program.  Professor Becky Ruber has kindly allowed me to sit in on the guest speakers arranged for students in her course.

On Friday the 1st of March, the guest speaker was Mal Chia from NoQ:

Mal Chia – Digital Marketing Manager@ NoQ (noq.com.au)

Mal Chia is working as the Digital Marketing Manager at the Adelaide startup NoQ.  He has a Masters in Commerce (Marketing) from Adelaide University and is one of South Australia’s most respected digital marketers. Continue reading →

MBA Reading List

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MBA Reading List 2013
From a studying perspective, the more widely read you are, the more possible sources of information and references you will have. But the reason to read is bigger than just better marks or an easier time finding references-

Reading is one of the ways you can level-up

By level-up, I mean, improve yourself, to be and contribute more. Think and grow.

Are you reading something currently? There are so many books that finding the right one to start reading can be hard. So if you’re currently without a read, don’t worry here’s my reading list. I’m sure you’ll find something worth your time.

The MBA Reading List

1. The Startup Owners Manual – Steve Blank and Bob Dorf Continue reading →

RBA Bank – Dr Guy Debelle @ UniBreakfast

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RBA Bank – Dr Guy Debelle presenting at Adelaide University’s UniBreakfast on the 26th of February 2013.

UniBreakfast with Assistant Governor of RBA

Adelaide University has arranged for Dr Guy Debelle of the Reserve Bank of Australia to speak at an exclusive breakfast seminar, part of their UniBreakfast series of events. Dr Guy Debelle works as the Assistant Governor (Financial Markets) at the RBA bank, so it will be very interesting to hear what he has to say. You can read more on him here.

The headline for the event is :

“Hear about the effect of the exchange rate on the economy, what the RBA does each day in the money and fx markets and how this flows through to borrowing rates and mortgage rates.”

I’m told there are over 120 pre-registered attendees, and representatives from the media will also be present. Sounds great!

If you would like to be kept up to date, from 7:30am (Adelaide time) I will be providing live updates throughout the seminar, via this blog post. So check back or refresh your browsers to receive the latest version.

Also, you can contact me during the event via email andy@forbessa.com, or by posting comments on this page.

Event Start Continue reading →

Live blogging @ UniBreakfast, 26/02/2013

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Hi All,

Tomorrow morning I will be live blogging the UniBreakfast with Assistant Governor of RBA event from the National Wine Centre in Adelaide, from 7:30am.

For more details on the event please see https://blogs.adelaide.edu.au/mba/2013/01/31/26-february-2013-unibreakfast-with-assistant-governor-of-rba/ for more details on the event.

If you are going and see me there, please come up and say hi! Otherwise, check back later and see how my first live blogging attempt worked out!

Thanks

Andy

Adelaide Startup Ecosystem and ANZ Innovyz

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On the weekend I attended an interesting talk by Dr Jana Mathews at Adelaide University. She touched on many facets of innovation and entrepreneurship  but of most interest to me was her discussion on the Adelaide Startup Ecosystem and ANZ Innovyz’s work in South Australia.

Firstly, on Dr Jana Mathews. She is an expert in her field of entrepreneurial leadership and business growth. She has a doctorate from Harvard, is co-author of several books (such Lessons from the Edge and Building the Awesome Organization). From Colorado, she has recently been spending significant time in Adelaide as the Managing Director of ANZ Innovyz START program – a 13 week startup accelerator modelled after the US TechStars. Continue reading →

Managerial Finance Strategies to Add Value

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High level overview of some managerial finance strategies to add value to your organisation. Covered as part of MBA subject Managerial Finance (2013).

Managerial Finance Strategies to Add Value

The following strategies to add to the net present value (NPR) of a company by altering the cash flow for the better.

Add Value by Maximising Existing Assets

With an existing asset you can:

Increase revenue by either higher sales numbers (make & sell more), or by raising your prices (charge more). The other side of the coin is the decreasing the expenses incurred when using the asset. Find ways to use less resources through greater operational efficiency and seek lower the prices of raw materials and asset support services through tighter procurement. Continue reading →