May 2010
2 posts
Malcom Moore: ‘Why Foxconn Cannot Stop Its... →
There’s a dicey “human capital” issue… (via daring fireball)
Why is Business Writing So Awful? →
March 2010
4 posts
Apple’s iPad, General Motors, and the shrinking... →
February 2010
6 posts
“In other words, Roth was no diva. He was an operations expert.”
– Business Advice From Van Halen
1 tag
D542 Test Preview
3 essays, 25 MC
Potential Essay Topics:
Cost Allocation - to measure the results of our business.
Transfer Pricing
Contribution Margin - what drives cost? Excludes fixed costs.
Responsibility Centers
Sales Mix
Balanced Scorecard
M/C Questions:
Variance Analysis - O/H
Joint Cost Allocation
sales value at split-off point
net realizable value
physical measurement
CVP
...
D542 - February 6, 2010
Cost Allocation and Product Costs
Accounting for Joint Production Processes
Joint products are two or more products produced simultaneously by the same process up to a “split-off” point.
the split-off point is when the joint products become separate and identifiable.
Separable costs are easily traced to individual products and offer no particular problem
The distinction...
New Ruling May Allow You to Deduct Getting Your... →
January 2010
28 posts
WatchAddendum…
WatchLexus Issues - International Trade and Technology
Olive Tree Issues - Ethnic Conflicts
The other side of outsourcing in Bangalore
Taxes, Read X-Rays, Write Software
Global Economic Playing Field is Being Leveled and America isn’t ready.
Japan outsources to China - business processing and software development, 10’s of thousands of Japanese-speaking Chinese
Globalization 1.0 -...
Jan. 25, 1979: Robot Kills Human →
When this story was retold in the first night of the first class of our MBA program, only one student laughed out loud.
Application for Graduation
Just over halfway through the program, filling out the “Application for Graduation” felt a little premature today.
Considering the classes still ahead of us…
F542 - Financial Analysis and Decision Making
M575 - Topics in Operations Management
M560 - Marketing and Customer Relationship Management
M590 - Strategic Management
…I am not counting my own personal...
1 tag
D542: Cost Management - 1/23/2010
The Value Chain
Research & Development
Design
Production and Purchasing
Marketing
Distribution
Customer Service
Industrial value chain
Linked set of value-creating activities from basic raw materials to the disposal of the finished product
costs are interrelated with suppliers and other external entities
Value-chain framework linkages
internal linkages: relationships among...
1 tag
CRM Usage Grid
Theoretical Repurchase Frequency
High
Rewards Strategy
Personalization - operations, differentiation - Event Planning
Low
Low Potential
Acquisition Strategy
Low
High
Degree of Customizability
1 tag
“Metcalfe’s law states that the value of a telecommunications network is...”
– Metcalfe’s Law
Moore's Law →
A long-term trend in the history of computing hardware, in which the number of transistors that can be placed inexpensively on an integrated circuit has doubled approximately every two years.
WatchUPS CIO interview from the first M552 class, in preparation for next week’s exam.
1 tag
D542 Prep for Next Week
Value Chain
Responsibility Accounting
Transfer Pricing
Three Strategies (Cost Leadership, Product Differentiation, One more that I didn’t get)
Process Value Analysis
Activity-Based Management
Cost Allocation
Joint Cost - Should we sell the product or add additional processing and then sell it?
Did anybody get that third strategy, which I missed?
1 tag
Cost Management Project
Paper is a summary only
12 minutes for presentation
Looking at the Costs associated with your topic (Eve-Lynn and I are working on Imports)
1 tag
Evil Question #18 - Vindication
The infamous question #18 from last week’s Cost Accounting exam contained a misprint (“Production started” should have been “Production Completed”) - so everyone in the class got credit.
If you would like to submit links, photos, videos, text, notifications of group meetings, or anything else for inclusion on the blog visit http://b-school.tumblr.com/submit or e-mail your submission to b-school@tumblr.com.
My Study Plan for the Week Ahead
From what I can see on the syllabi, a hard-charging student should complete the following in order to be fully prepared for next weekend:
M570
read chapter 7, complete q. 1, 2, 5, 6, 7, 12
read chapter 7A, complete q. 3, 4, 5, 7, 10, 15
read chapter 8
read chapter 8A, complete q. 2, 3, 4, 5, 7, 8, 10, 12, 23
prepare Case 2: Community Hospital Evening Operating Room (p. 304-305)
D542
read...
1 tag
“Netbooks aren’t an alternative to notebook computers. They are the new...”
– Jeff Atwood marvels about the democratizing power of Netbooks in this post on his blog Coding Horror.
Netbooks, with their lower price point and performance, also perfectly fit the description of a disruptive technology - filling a gap of non-consumption in the market with a cheaper, simpler...
“The business school professors suggest that goals should come with their own...”
– Daniel Pink, Drive (via dancroak)
“…when one looks at the mechanics of the horse-and-buggy era, it quickly...”
– Failing Like a Buggy Whip Maker? Better Check Your Simile - NYTimes.com
Multicultural Critical Theory. At B-School? →
4 tags
1 tag
Strategic Opportunities and IT
Expressing Porter’s Five Forces Through IT
Can IT change the basis of competition? Transforming and informing create more value than automating.
Can IT change the nature of relationships and the balance of power among buyers and suppliers? (B2B exchanges)
Can IT build barriers to entry? First mover, strategic infosystems require massive investment.
Can IT increase switching costs?...
1 tag
Cohort Halfway Offsite
The inimitable Tony DiGregory is working to organize the Cohort Halfway Offsite, marking the midpoint in our program with an overnight next Sunday (January 17th) at the Blue Chip Casino in Michigan City, Indiana. RSVP with Tony by Thursday to get in on the fun.
Agenda:
Leave Sunday morning
Watch NFL games in the sports bar at the casino
Gamble and drink that evening
Stay the night and come...
“An optimist sees the opportunity in every difficulty.”
– Sir Winston Churchill
Accelerated MBA Program of Study →
We’re currently about 1/2 way through Component 3.
1 tag
Groundwork for IT Management Class
After spending the first couple of weeks focused on information technology, the past few classes in M552 have been focused more on general business strategy than anything directly traceable to IT. I presume that we’re laying the groundwork and then the IT angle will be built on top of that foundation. The ground we’re covering has not been covered anywhere else in the curriculum, so I...
3 tags
Back at it for the New Year
After a 20-day hiatus for the Holidays, classes resumed last night. Due to the structure of our accelerated program, the break fell near the middle of our second 12-week session.
M570
In Operations Management on Friday night, we received the results of our first exam and jumped back into coursework with a quiz over terminology from the next several chapters. With the professor under the...