Author Archives: mark

Back from Vacation

It’s official! I’m a newly-minted MBA! And what a wonderful graduation, and a great vacation! Highlights: plenty of Yuengling and Middleswarth chips in PA Mike walked in State College saw the site of Pickett’s Charge in Gettysburg drove by the … Continue reading

Posted in Personal | Leave a comment

MBA Breather

MBA-A-Day is going on vacation so I can relax and celebrate getting my actual MBA, as of Friday, May 14th. I’ll be back with the rest of the articles after a well-earned rest.

Posted in Personal | Leave a comment

MBA-A-Day: Managing Career Growth

If “A = L + E” is the heart of accounting and “credibility” is the heart of leadership, then the heart of career growth is “networking.” Networking means you try to get to know people who know people. It’s not … Continue reading

Posted in Business, MBA-A-Day | Tagged | Leave a comment

MBA-A-Day: Financial Statement Analysis

Financial statements are reports that publicly-traded companies are legally required to file by the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). In order to be traded on a stock exchange, companies need to reveal a surprising amount about their financial situation, to … Continue reading

Posted in Business, MBA-A-Day | Tagged | Leave a comment

MBA-A-Day: Strategy

Keeping your business running from day-to-day is tactics, or execution. You’re making sure the donuts are made on time. But all the big, long-term decisions–what kind of donuts to sell, what hours you’re open, the number and location of your … Continue reading

Posted in Business, MBA-A-Day | Tagged | Leave a comment

MBA-A-Day: Project Management

The single most important part of a project is a shared, detailed, clearly-understood and agreed-upon description of what it is that you’re trying to end up with. Most projects fail because of some minor detail, glossed over in the planning … Continue reading

Posted in Business, MBA-A-Day | Tagged | Leave a comment

MBA-A-Day: IT Strategy

My favorite piece of technology: the wheel. What I mean is, “technology” does not have to be a computer or made of carbon fiber or have blinking lights and a manual in Korean. “Technology” is the application of a tool … Continue reading

Posted in Business, MBA-A-Day | Tagged | Leave a comment

MBA-A-Day: Six Sigma

What “Six Sigma” means is that a process should have output that is so exact, precise and consistent that it would have to be over three standard deviations out from what you’d expect before it was ever unacceptable to your … Continue reading

Posted in Business, MBA-A-Day | Tagged | Leave a comment

MBA-A-Day: Operations Management

A process is something ongoing, like an assembly line in a factory, or a kitchen in a restaurant. There is always a bottleneck, which is the slowest point on the line. Stuff collects behind it. There is no getting around … Continue reading

Posted in Business, MBA-A-Day | Tagged | Leave a comment

MBA-A-Day: Data Analysis

Data Analysis isn’t really about statistics. It’s about looking at data, reaching a conclusion based on what the data shows, and presenting it to an audience. Most people have a negative opinion about statistics, but statistics are just a tool … Continue reading

Posted in Business, MBA-A-Day | Tagged | Leave a comment