Tuesdays with Infoman

As I recall the first day I had in Information Management class, we were asked about our expectation in the class, and I stated that I really want to learn more about the IT world since it is part of my job as a Systems Admin. During the first day, our professor had shown to us various application systems that he would discussed for the whole term and gave a fully-loaded assignments. But I never consider it as a burden, the mere fact that I enjoy doing something new. As I started using the application systems, I thought it was hard to learn and to utilize because I know I am not a computer literate, but I have learned that I should have the willingness to study and explore these application systems that have been presented to us. And this willingness will help me to create good outputs and doesn’t require being a computer literate for it. Edraw mindmap is the first application system I installed in my computer, and this is for making graphs. Though I wasn’t enjoyed using this, at least I know how to operate this one. The best that I have learned in Infoman is using Prezi for making presentations and have applied it to my other subjects and even introduced it to our office. I feel like somewhat a computer genius. =)

The weekly topics that have been reported are a combination of the history and the future. I found it interesting as I can really notice how technology is being approached so fast. And enlightening us of the life will be after 10 more years, I think it will be very indulging and everything will be very easy for us because of the technologies.

The discussion went through out to be simple, painless and exciting. It was like playing yet learning. I defined it as “playing” because that was actually I felt when I was doing projects, like the use of Google Sketchup and photoshop. I was exploring these and I enjoyed them, then resulting for a good outcome (not bad for the beginner).

Partly, I like Infoman class because of my classmates and professor that really added the enjoyment of the whole course. They are all nice and fun-loving person as I could see it to them.

Thanks Mr. Infoman!

F R I E N D S (Patchwork by Photoshop)

Case Study: McDonald’s introducing flexibility downs with the complexity

McDonald’s introducing flexibility downs with the complexity

Background of the Case

http://www.xtimeline.com/timeline/McDonald-s

I. Statement of the Problem

What are the effective strategies that McDonald’s must consider to manage the changing business environment?

II. Objectives

1. Develop a business model as framework for strategic and tactical planning

2. Identify and implement growth strategies

–  Globalization of franchises

–  Increasing price competition

–  Reduced brand loyalty

–  Market Saturation

– Personnel reduction

– Integrated value chain

3. To formulate new strategies that will capitalize on new opportunities that the

industry is facing

3. Manage and monitor implementation of strategies

III. Areas of Consideration/ Major Assumptions

A. Financially Capable to pursue on globalization of franchises.

– McDonald’s remains at the top three to five fast-food chains since the management had reached its maturity level in the business until today.

– Overseas markets are increasingly playing a larger role in McDonald’s profitability.

– McDonald’s has implemented a company-wide recycling program. One of the programs that have been initiated is the Mc-Recycle Program that is devoted to $100 million annually to the promotion of recycled products in the construction and equipping of restaurants.

– McDonald’s stock was selling at 39 times the year’s likely earnings, was not perceived as a bargain. Investors viewed McDonald’s as a solid company and a good long-term buy.

B. Volatile Business Environment

– The competition among fast-food chain industry has heated up, considering this as an opportunity for McDonald’s to change its strategy to focus on increased market share rather than on individual store sales and profitability.

– Opportunities that the technology brings for the improvement of McDonald’s service, focused on speed and efficiency.

–  A need for technological innovations

The frameworks that can be used for this case are the following:

–       Steps of the strategy management process

–       The organization, the levels of its environment and the components of these levels.

–       SWOT Analysis- strategic development tool that matches internal organizational strengths and weaknesses with external opportunities and threats.

–       GE Multiifactor Portfolio Matrix

–       Porter’s Model, determinants of substitution threat

–       Reducing resistance to change concept

–       Factors to consider when changing an organization

IV. Alternative Courses of Action

a. Pursue the existing direction in investing for technological innovations, but develop new growth strategies

Pros:

–       Provide increased company growth

–       Improve the profitability and the flexibility of the company

–       Integration of new resources and capabilities

–       Adaptation to the technology that will satisfy and entice customers

–       For the long-term benefit of the management

Cons:

–       Requires the most careful investigation

–     High cost-of-entry and high risks

–     Requires long period of time

b. Focus on core competence: to sustain its leadership in the food industry.

Pros:

–       Core competence yields a long term advantage to the company

–       Any core competence provides a viable basis for your corporation to create or strengthen a new strategic business unit

–       Improving core process execution

Cons:

–       Cannot offset the low periods. Many businesses have seasonality of highs and lows; if you can acquire a business that has a high-yielding when your business has a low, you can offset the low periods.

–       The company will be bureaucratic.

V. Recommendation

Pursue the existing direction in investing for technological innovations, but develop new growth strategies

Also:

– Boost profits and market share

– Increase brand loyalty

– Increase Market saturation

– Use technology to reduce employee costs

VI. Action Plan

McDonald’s must strategize intensively for its continued success. The company can continue on its traditional path of consistency (being very successful) and quality through standardization, and alter strategies by continuing to provide a variety of offerings and service by means of technological changes.

Presenting business directives by means of web page is one of a good technological investment for the company. Most of the people in the world rely on the Internet and it would be easier for the customers to simply make their orders with just a power of one click. This will be very useful for customers working with their computer and don’t need to call the establishment. This will serve the customer in the shortest possible amount of time. Hence, customers can give their comments or feedback about McDonald’s service immediately and this will benefit the management to improve more of their service.

McDonald’s should conduct trainees or seminar to educate employees of the technologies that will be implemented: like the use of smartcards and improved producing of superior food products like technocratic (improve the preparation and service of the French fries). In adapting to technological changes, everyone in the company, leaders and employees, must be willing for the changes and this will lead to the success of the company.

youtube links- top 3 favorites relating to management

These videos I posted are not actually from management authors, but they show how to improve oneself for the benefit of the management. Leaders must motivate and empowers their subordinates to increase working performances. We must not just study planning, organizing, influencing and controlling, but we must understand each essential ways to improve these management functions.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-Uf7C7rr1O8&feature=related

This video, Motivation at work, is one of the videos I like about motivating employees. This comic is created for humor but speaks on how employees are being motivated. Motivation is not just in a form of money or additional increase in the salary or bonuses, but also empowering and delegating employees to do a specific duty. Another motivation is training or sending the employees abroad for their career enhancement, and this is considered as one of the biggest opportunity that others won’t have.  Coffee breaks, party and dinner with all the employees are another simple way of motivating them and to get to know each other, resulting to a good working relationship. And the last part of it reminds me of my good Boss, a caring boss will always motivate employees. As I also do administrative work as my Boss’s secretary, he never failed to motivate me by his simply showing his care and humor.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6GufMa-J8cI

This video shows how to improve performance in our job. It is just the same video as motivation at work but it’s not in a comic presentation. It shows different situations in the office, different employees that have different way of thinking and attitude towards their jobs. Some are just playing, just reading emails, others are just waiting for the dismissal and others are demotivated. But this video shows that our working performances depend to us, if how we view and see our job and how we value it. Management should engage its employees in trainings relating to Performance Management.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V-KMojzH8Ys&feature=related

From the title of the video itself, how to deal with difficult people at work, speaks about how to handle situation properly and appropriately when there is troublesome at your working place. We are always encountering few stressors in the office and we cannot run from them.  But as I have watched this video, it enlightened me of either we change their attitudes or change our attitude and perception about that person. We must first understand our attitude, or if we have a problem in ourselves, or the way we treat others is fine and professional. Then after assessing it, we must try to understand those difficult people we are considering. And we must take stand when the problem is not our attitude and when it goes beyond the attitude to hurtful action. And never underestimate the power of a good talk, confront the person properly and be just in our words.

youtube links- top 3 favorites for elearning

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ka_VGAnvAbs&feature=fvsr

I love clubbing make-up as I love Michelle Phan’s make-up tutorial! I am one of the avid fans of Michelle Phan, and applying make-up is an artistic work. One of my frustrations is to become a make-up artist; though I know how to blend and put the right make-up that fits the face and occasion. I never allow anyone to put a make-up on my face and I do it on my own. I am always looking at Michelle Phan in youtube as I really want to learn her way of doing and applying make-up. And I don’t need to go on a salon or hire a make-up artist to do it, I know what make-ups should be apply in my face that will look really sophisticated, fashionable yet natural. I also check what brands of make-up that she is using so it will not be difficult for me to choose and buy make-ups at the mall. Well, it’s really a geek-girly thing that I do, collecting make-ups but not often to use this. This is for the sake of beauty and art.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_SWvPTMKMjc&feature=related

The only show I have watched in Disney channel when I was in my high school years is Art Attack by Neil. He’s very artistic and I really salute this guy. Thanks to Disney channel who first aired this show and I was able to apply it in my school projects. Gladly, youtube can feature Neil’s art attack show that my cousin, who is a high school guy student, always viewing Neil’s art collection and he applies it in his project. Why I still love viewing his show? Well, I really enjoy watching it as I learn how I can recycle my things and create a beautiful design from it. I and my siblings bedroom in Tarlac is actually enhance its design from this cool show. Thanks Neil!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ELgr8akJIi8

Main reason why I don’t cook and never learn how to cook is because I have fear in fire. I’m scared of gas stove and I don’t even hold a lighter and matches. But sooner or later I must learn how to cook to serve my husband and children in the future. Aside from desserts, I should also learn how to prepare an entrée for them. Since I love Japanese foods, I want to learn how to prepare it and I know some of the Japanese dishes don’t require a gas stove for cooking. Thanks to the technology that some companies invented a gas stove that there is no fire on it, and the food will be cooked. But it’s expensive and for the meantime, I will just prepare Japanese foods and learn how to prepare it by relying to youtube.

youtube links- top 3 favorite entertainment

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fSEWaziqxcI&feature=related

Tyra Banks show is also one of my favorites. I love Tyra, since she was a model until she has her talk show. She is also the reason why I get addicted to America’s Next Top models because I like the way she says her outlook and I think she is a girl with no hypocrisy. And she has a strong power to convince or influence others even she was black. When I missed some of her shows, I rely on youtube. And the show, itself, features interesting topics which sometimes I can relate and Tyra’s well-opinionated words really catch my attention.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0Y12C_QTRH4&feature=related

Project Runway is one of my favorite reality shows and this video is the collection of the season-five’s grand winner. Aside from it, this was the last season that I have watched all the series, and it was during my undergraduate years. Fortunately, youtube is for free and I can still watch this show even in the busiest days, and it really helps me to unwind. I love this video because the juries, who are fashion gurus, frankly say what is “not” and what is “in” in the style. I also like Nina Garcia, one of the juries and has the same name as my cousin, because she calmly says her comments but slightly attack her negative comments in a mellow tone. And I also learned what the fugly (f**king ugly) styles should avoid. =)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mNgSy8HGWkk

I feel really sexy when I hear this song, Vogue, by Madonna. One of my favorite hobbies is to watch beauty pageant in live or even in television, and this song is often played in the pageant. I feel like I’m walking in the catwalk wearing beautiful bikinis together with the contestants. I am actually daydreamed whenever I hear this. At least I could feed my chimera of being a beauty pageant candidate.

Google Sketchup

I spent 3 hours of my working time doing this google sketchup. It was a bit fun and as I was showing this to some of my officemates, they said that it was cool and it looked like SIMS (I’m not actually familiar with this). Before starting to work for my design, I have checked first the menu and how they function in the system. I’ve tried doing boxes on how I could push or pull them and how they rotate or move. As a beginner like me, what I first done with looked like a crypt or a burial chamber. Then I decided to search a house image as my pattern and then started again. I followed what was in my pattern and tried to put the materials on it so that it would look like lively. Though my google sketchup masterpiece doesn’t even look like the pattern, at least I enjoyed doing it and the house still looks like a house.

What I did is the outer view of the house and not worked with how it would look like inside of it. I know I could do better than this but I want to post this one because this is my first google sketchup ever. =)

2020 Vision (Philippines)

MRT and LRT have a single line passage that serves many stations along Metro Manila. The Philippine vision of connecting provinces around the country by means of the said transits is an ambitious yet vague dream. Considering that Philippines is an archipelagic country and mostly surrounded by body of water, constructing these transits will not be feasible to happen. Somehow it is possible, but instances must be well thought-out. First is the need of big budget for construction. I guess we have a budget but the Philippines has the most corrupt government and making this project is impossible to happen. We must combat the corruption first in the Philippines before doing any big projects. Many leaders had promised of combating corruption in our country but none of them conquers this dilemma. If only we have good leaders in our country, all the beautiful plans that we fabricate can be implemented. Another thing to consider in making this project is that the materials to be used for construction. I know that we have a lot of our own resources here in our country but still we can’t use all of these because the government handles it and manipulate it. Our government is having not only a problem about corruption, but also problem in terms of discipline, supremacy and dispute. In this case we have to buy resources and gadgets or machine to make this project possible. And if this will happen, it will again motivate the politicians to corrupt. It is not that I do not trust our government, but as my 23 years here in this world, I just hear is how dishonest our government is.

I don’t want to be very pessimistic about this, and I’m still hoping for the good of our fellow country people. What if this coming election and for the next elections to come we can vote for the right leaders? Well, I think Philippines in 2020 will improve in terms of political, economical and infrastructures. Not only in Metro Manila but also other provinces will be the center of business industry. The idea of MRT and LRT’s extending its services to provinces can be possible to happen.

youtube links- top 3 favorite videos about environment

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X-D38RKe3V4&feature=related

I’m sharing this video of one of the best sea creatures that God has given to us. Last April 4, 2010, I went to Donsol, Sorsogon and fortunately got an interaction with whale sharks or butanding. It was one of my greatest experiences to see those whale sharks in real. I just wished we have our own video and would upload it to youtube, so I could share our experiences, but what we just got was an underwater camera and got a three shots of those whale sharks. In spite of that we enjoyed a lot. I believe that if we support in taking care of these whale sharks or butanding, we might share the same experiences that I have to the children of our future. And they are good creatures; they are peacefully living in the water and just eat planktons and sea plants. And we as a human don’t have a right to destroy or catch those whale sharks for our own interests. We must save them.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s-_LBXWMCAM

I like this add because it’s about saving our environment for the sake of the children of the future. We should stop destroying our mother earth because we never own it. We are lucky that we have the opportunity to see how beautiful God’s creation is and provides us of our necessities, like food, air, water and shelter. We should save our environment so that we could save our next generation.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zVu9eawb1QY&feature=related

This video shows how we abuse our mother earth. It was so sad to see that we destroy our environment, which giving us all we need to survive. If only we could hear them talking, they would say, “enough”, enough of abusing them. We have to save our environment and don’t wait for the time that we get naked, thirsty and starving because mother earth cannot produce or provide our necessities.

youtube links-top 3 favorite commercial videos

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ljy-TcplGug

This is my favorite commercial since I was in my elementary days, and I love this video because it shows a lot of Filipino traits. One of the traits is taking care of our old relatives and we don’t like to leave them in Home for the Aged or any kind of institutions. We like to take care of them and show that we love our old relatives and this is also the way of returning our gratitude on them. Another trait is the word “favoritism”, which is very common to a family.  Each member of the family has its favorite child or grandchild or sibling. This commercial also shows that everything in this world might be forget by us as we grow old but what is remain to us is that the good things that we did for someone. And these good things are valuable and priceless.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hqRhDG8-z0I

One of the funniest commercials that I’ve only seen in youtube is this Sunsilk commercial. I like what the Doctor had said about having a beautiful hair comes with a great responsibility. The value that it portrays to us is humility. We must not be arrogant of what we have. We don’t have to brag the beautiful things we have, let somebody will notice it and praise it. Another value is that being beautiful is not just seen physically, what is important is how kind your heart is.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5bpUZGUHuFI

I chose this commercial because it made me smile. Even though it was a short video, it shows the attitude of most of the teenagers nowadays. The kids really enjoyed their camping and they were not scared of the bull when they saw it, instead it made them secretly liked it because they had this secretly intention to their beautiful and sexy trainer. Moral lesson: Never wear color red during the camping. hehehe… kidding! The value that I get from this video is taking care of yourself because others might get a wrong signal or impression about you. We don’t know what others will think about us so we better dress properly and act decently.