Tag Archives: MBA and IT

เปลี่ยนมุมมองธุรกิจด้วยการเรียน International Marketing

IT Management series, , ,
ผมพึ่งได้เรียน International Marketing Management จาก MBA class มา
ผมไม่รู้ว่าคนอื่นได้อะไรจาก class นี้บ้าง แต่ที่แน่ๆ มันเปลี่ยนมุมมองในการทำธุรกิจของผม
จากที่เมื่อก่อนอยากที่จะมีธุรกิจเล็กๆเป็นของตัวเอง โรงงานเล็กๆ หรือแม้กระทั่ง retail franchaise เล็กๆ
Dr. Aaron อดิตนักธุรกิจชาวสิงคโปร ได้ให้แง่คิดที่เปลี่ยนมุมมองของผมดังนี้
1) อย่าคิดการเล็กเพราะเราเป็นเพียง 0.05% ของคนทั้งประเทศที่มีความรู้ในการ run ธุรกิจอย่างถูกต้อง
MBA สอนให้เราคิดอย่างรอบคอบ และมีโอกาสล้มเหลวน้อยกว่าผู้ประกอบการอื่นๆ
2) การเปิดร้านเล็กๆ ปล่อยให้เป็นหน้าที่ของคนที่ไม่ได้เรียนมาดีกว่า หรือจะทำเป็น hobby business ก็ได้ แต่ต้องไม่ run เอง ใช้ manage เอา
3) ความยากที่สุดในการทำธุรกิจ คือการก้าวออกมาจาก comfort zone เพราะทุกคนกลัวความเสี่ยง แต่ถ้าจะเสี่ยงแล้ว เราเป็นคนที่มีโอกาสสำเร็จมากกว่าคนอื่น
จงใช้วิชาที่เรียนมา เพื่อคิดให้รอบคอบ ทุกแง่มุม ก็จะสามารถป้องกันความเสี่ยงได้แล้ว มันยากแค่ก้าวแรกเท่านั้น เมื่อก้าวออกมาแล้ว แรงผลักดันจะช่วยให้สำเร็จเอง
4) International business เป็นธุรกิจที่เริ่มง่ายที่สุด โดยเฉพาะการนำสินค้าจากต่างประเทศมาทำตลาดในประเทศ เพราะเรารู้จักประเทศไทยดีกว่าชาวต่างชาติ
ไม่ว่าจะเป็นแง่ของ วัฒนธรรม การเมือง life style ความต้องการ เศรษฐกิจ และ trend ของผู้บริโภค
5) ต่างชาติไม่กล้าเปิดตลาดเพราะขาดความเข้าใจในประเทศไทย ไม่รู้จะเริ่มอย่างไร วิธีที่ดีที่สุดคือการมองหาสินค้าจากต่างประเทศ และ match กับความต้องการในประเทศ
mix & match consumer demand คิดหา business model ของตัวเองที่มีความแตกต่างและยากที่จะลอกเลียนแบบ
6) เริ่มเปิดเกมส์รุกก่อน โดยเข้าพบผู้ประกอบการที่เราสนใจ และขอเป็นตัวแทนในการทำตลาดในประเทศ หรือภาคพื้นทวีป
7) หาตัวแทนจำหน่ายในประเทศจัดจำหน่ายสินค้าแทนเรา เราต้องทำการบริหาร business model และการขยายตลาดเท่านั้น (Think big)
8) การจะก้าวออกจาก comfort zone ใช่ว่าอยากจะก้าวออก ก็ก้าว ต้องมีความเหมาะสมทั้ง timing & opportunities ด้วย จึงจะสำเร็จได้
มันเป็นบทเรียนที่มีคุณค่ามากจริงๆสำหรับผม พอกันที่กับการเปิดร้าน franchise เล็กๆที่อย่างมากก็ได้แค่เพียง ไม่กี่แสนต่อเดือนถ้าธุรกิจดีมากๆ แต่ต้องเสียเวลาดูแลมันทั้งชีวิต
หรือขยายสาขา อย่างมากก็ได้ไม่กี่สาขา เพราะต้องมีคนที่ไว้ใจได้ในการบริหารร้าน ยิ่งสมัยนี้ การทำธุรกิจข้ามชาตินั้นง่ายมากๆ เพียงแค่มีเวปไซด์หน้าตาสวยๆ น่าเชื่อถือ ก็สามารถเป็นเจ้าของธุรกิจได้แล้ว ซึ่งมี business model อย่าง drop ship มาคอยแก้ปัญหาเรื่อง logistic ให้ยิ่ง start up ธุรกิจได้ง่ายยิ่งขึ้น เพียงแค่เลือกหาสินค้าที่มีจุดขายแตกต่างจากเจ้าอื่นๆ บวกกับความกล้าที่จะออกจาก comfort zone ตัวเอง แค่นี้ก็รุ่งได้

MBA: Financial management (nightmare from the past)

IT Management series, ,
Did you know that I got ‘F’ for Financial management in BBA? It still stick in my mind for long.
In the old day, I didn’t understand a bit about this subject. I also don’t know the different between finance and accounting. Now I realized that it because I don’t know what is it application (how to apply it?).
Until I started to learn and interested in stock exchange. I found that FM will help a lot on my investment decision if I understand this.
I count the day to study this subject and also would like to get rid off my nightmare
I passion to know it so much until I decided to cancel free trip to Beijing to attend the class.
My strong wills never disappointed me, I got A grade for this subject.
When you are still young as new jobber, you will hardly realize how important of financial and how to apply to your job (especial in IT field, it looks like financial is another edge of the world from IT). But when you become manager level, you will know that every activity and application must contribute back to business objective. Financial ratio will be used to measure business success, shaping business strategy and telling us which area should be improved.

MBA: Business Research (does it still a must subject in MBA?)

IT Management series, ,
At first, I have a question again why we need to learn this subject in MBA?
This subject is too generic. If we need to know someone opinion, we just simply send out questionnaire. We just set the questions that we would like to know and let respondents answer. Then we just analyze the result that we get back.
When I study more and more, I found that BR is not simple like that. There is a systematic approach and standard procedures how to conduct research.
There are 2 type of research: Applied research (answer specific business questions) and Academic research (conduct to prove theory and set up new theory on top of existing academic research).
I just know from BR that we cannot simply create questions in the questionnaire. We need to follow well studied structure as framework. For example, if we want to know opinion of respondents on service improvement quality, we must use SERVQUAL instrument to do it.
There are 5 categories framework in SERVQUAL that already proved as best practice in measuring service in 5 dimensions
1) Tangible
2) Reliability
3) Responsiveness
4) Assurance
5) Empathy
We need to measure these independent requirements against customer behavioral intention
We need to set Hypotheses on our research and convert them into relationship between independent requirement and behavioral intention. After that, we must set the questionnaire in order to support Hypotheses base on 5 dimensions above.
Once we got the result from questionnaires, we must input them into SPSS and find correlation between each of requirement relationship. This is the difficult part to analyzing statistic data. You must know how to interpret data as well. At the end, you will know that the hypotheses that you set up are valid or not and what is the magnitude of each service items in each dimensions show strong impact on each customer behavior.
In my opinion, the BR method mentioned above try to eliminate bias and finding the blind spot of target audience to get real insight which sometimes the target audience also doesn’t realize the existing needs in their trait.
I got ‘A’ grade for this course although I don’t like it. But I heard that I may need to use it again for MBA project.
I found out that BR concept is old school method. I also found that MBA student may get more benefit to understand more about user experience though consumer journey (CJ). CJ is modern marketing research methodology to find consumer insight. With CJ, it also can help to understand clearly when to use IT solution at which CJ stage in order to acquire and retain consumers to advocate for our product brand. The most important thing is that consumer change their mind very fast by new digital trend. Business needs just more than CJ to react with no loyalty world by introduce design thinking method that can add on and adapt solution to always meet with customer needs.

MBA: Quantitative analysis, do we need it for MBA?

IT Management series, ,
This is the first question that pop up in my mind and most of my classmates sharing the same thought. Even in the classroom, I also put the challenge question at instructor that does it really use in business nowadays?
OK, I believe very rare companies may use in the R&D department but they may not use all topics we studied in class. Anyway, I gave the highest rating to this instructor compare to previous class because the instructor has very keen in topics. The heart of Quantitative Analysis (QA) is to research and analyze for co-relation of data. Instructor knows how to simplify it for the audiences which has variety background (Some of my classmate never know about equation before). In the classroom we learn:
– Linear programming model
– Transportation and assignment model
– Forecasting model
– Network model
– Project management
– Game theory
– Queuing theory

Nowadays, computer is so advance and all of the topics above have been replaced by computer program. Just a few clicks, you already get the answer and ready to use. I also use some of the model in my previous work experience but I’ve never know how to get the figure, only use final result. I got A- for this subject and I’m now knowing how computer calculate safety stock for me, how computer define critical path for me in CPM and PERT. How computer calculate trend and seasonal in forecasting model? I just know that the result figures come from probability concept. Nice to know but who will calculate these manually in this cyber world?

Same question again, do we need it for MBA student? Would it more efficient to MBA student to learn how to use computer program for these QA rather then calculating it manually?

 

MBA: Managerial accounting

IT Management series, ,
I voted Managerial Accounting as the most difficult topic for first trimester for me. I got B+. I accept that I feel stress when take this subject since I have bad experience in accounting during BBA and I feel that I have not enough time to read and do exercise. Anyway, this subject give me the clear concept of cost flow in business and what cost component impact to product margin. More understanding on income statement, Activity Base Costing and cash budget but don’t expect that you will master accounting from MBA. This is just one part of it to focusing on product costing.
Working experience help me a lot in understanding these concepts and make me
through.
Although, Managerial Accounting may not directly related to IT work but it is an essential concept for you to grow up in the organization. You needs to set up your department objectives related to business performance when you are in management position. If you would like to grow up in business world as a salary man, you cannot runaway from business priority and you cannot invent IT project on your own interest. Every resource that you have in IT, you need to have individual IT objective contribute back to business direction and should be able to measure as Key Performance Indicator (KPI).
IT always play important role in providing business reports which related to cost and revenue in order to understand business performance. Yes, this subject will help you understand more the nature of accounting concept.

MBA: Marketing Management (why it so popular in MBA?)

IT Management series, , ,

Marketing Management is my 2nd course in MBA. I got ‘A’ grade for this subject. In fact, I didn’t get much from class room lecturing. But I learnt a lot from group project.

“If you’ve never practicing, you will never know.”

In group project, we need to create marketing plan. It starts from macro scale to understand the whole demands of the world or the country related to your product or service. Then you needs to zoom down bit by bit, to understand demography, geography and psychography of your consumers. You also needs to know your SWOT analysis in competing with competitors. If you thinks that you can gain the market share and differentiate your product from competitors, then you will start to develop famous STP in your marketing plan.

Segmentation, Targeting and Positioning (STP) are the heart of marketing plan. It follows the fact that you cannot serve everyone with your limited capacity. Therefore, you must select the best part out of whole consumer demands by differentiate your product with marketing strategic plan and don’t forget to mention about your goals and objectives.

The heart of strategic planning is how to sit into your targeted consumer heart (listen to your customer) and let them repeat ordering for your product. 4P (Product, Price, Place, Promotion) and 4C (Consumer value, Cost, Convenience, Communication) with IMC (Integrated Marketing Communications, nowadays called as Omni-Channel strategy) play important role here. Once you have a good looking plan, the last part is to make sure that you generate profit within expected time span. Financial plan will be the last part of your marketing plan. If you can do and understand all the above, you will get A.

People love this subject because it allow you to bring out your imagination, there is no right or wrong as long as you cover all topics. Concept is very high level framework, you must elaborate how to win consumer mind. The class continue with less tension compare to other courses. Everybody get a good grade. Once you go deep dive, you will think that Western theory is so deep studying. They are serious and analyze in every possible conditions that may impact to product demand and supply. Many of MBA students impress about it  and would like to know more.

In the old day, I found that it is very difficult to apply IT in marketing world since marketing play with customer emotion much more than logical thinking. Thanks to the digital world, all consumers is moving into digital world and interact with their product via mobile and social media as their main channel. We can say that Digital is the front end of technology toward consumer and IT is the back end engine to present Digital solution.

Once consumer click and browse over internet, IT can capture all the behavior data from their click and moving through the whole webpages. It helps company to understand consumer behavior and personalize into segmentation which leading to personalization marketing. In order to do that, company needs to have big data to keep million customers click, moving along web pages and using data analytic tool to find out consumer insight. Then targeting them with individual digital marketing campaign on all possible channels for particular consumer.