5 Canadian consumer trends affecting the retail sector

From the link: http://ca.finance.yahoo.com/news/5-canadian-consumer-trends-shape-future-retail-181446012--finance.html

A new study from the Business Development Bank of Canada that identifies five trends shaping consumer behaviour. They are as below:

1. The buy-local movement: Consumers are shopping close to home, looking for locally made goods and aware that buying Canadian-made may be a better ethical and environmental choice.
2. Rising health awareness: The aging population is becoming more aware of healthy choices in food, cosmetics and ergonomically designed products. Half of Canadians consider the health impact of a product when making purchasing decisions and one-third are willing to pay a premium for healthy products.
3. Frugality: Canadian incomes are stagnant and debt is high, meaning consumers are cautious about spending. As the baby boomers retire, an increasing portion of the population will be living on fixed incomes.
4. Desire for customized goods: Consumers are looking to get exactly what they want and new technology makes it possible for them to buy it.
5. Impact of the internet: An increasing amount of research about products is done online, even when consumers don’t buy online. At the same time, online shopping is growing and online reviews are critical.

My blog about Medical Licensure in Canada for IMGs : www.GerryMD.com

Check out my blog about Medical Licensure in Canada for IMGs (International Medical Graduates), as I make the move toward licensure myself, soon. The blog is at the link: http://medicallicensurecanada.blogspot.ca/ or at the URL: www.GerryMD.com

Enjoy,

Dr. Gerry Som, MBA, MBBS
IMG Family Physician and ER Doctor
Toronto, ON
gerrysom@yahoo.com

Healthcare Information Technology Canada

Health Informatics Technology is very relevant to my field, and I am very interested in this vertical. Will do my best to gain more insights into this soon. Health IT is the future, and I will not ignore its potential! Cheers, Gerry.

Demand for the MBA degree FALLS in India in 2013 / MBA degree falls from grace and demand in India in 2013

From the link: http://economictimes.indiatimes.com/news/news-by-industry/services/education/economic-slump-number-of-cat-aspirants-at-seven-year-low-mba-degree-falls-from-grace/articleshow/23177420.cms

Demand for the MBA degree FALLS in India in 2013 (reflected by lower applicants for the CAT test -- Common Admission Test for MBA in India, similar to GMAT).

Reasons? MBA degree has fallen from grace in the backdrop of: 
(a) Dull economy 
(b) Escalating costs 
(c) Uncertain placements and 
(d) Increase in supply of MBAs due to mushrooming new business schools. 

Graduate degree in Engineering is in demand. 

LESSON learned: It is NOT enough to be a Manager / MBA alone. It is important to have current technical skills (in fields like engineering / technology / health / media / other) ALONG with MBA. Not every one can become a manager as not everyone will be hired. The people who have greater chances of being hired are those who are a cultural fit, those who have connections, those who have recommendations and those who have outstanding resumes, grades or specialized experiences in urgent demand at that moment. Otherwise, if you are average as an MBA, there is no guarantee of a managerial job as a new MBA. What to do? Scan the job market. Find out what jobs are in demand. Get training in high demand areas, apart from having an MBA. And this goes without saying --  become VERY VERY computer savvy. It will come in handy, in the long run. You are competing not only against your peers, but also against the next generation -- Generation Y and coming Generation Z!

"Income inequality remains high in Canada & USA" or "Rich-Poor gap or divide is high in Canada & USA"

People in developing countries may imagine that everyone in the developed countries is rich. However, this is not true. There is a rich-poor divide in Canada and USA as well. And it seems that the gap is increasing / remains steady at a high level. In any case, it is not decreasing.

Useful links:

• http://www.thestar.com/opinion/commentary/2013/09/26/growth_of_inequality_in_canada_cannot_be_denied.html#
• http://www.vanityfair.com/society/features/2011/05/top-one-percent-201105

Incomes for the bottom 90 per cent of Canadians averaged just $28,000, according to the report. In contrast, the top 10 per cent took home an average of $135,000. And the top 1 per cent pocketed $381,000.

Average incomes in Canada:

$28,000 --> Bottom 90%

$135,000 --> Top 10%

$381,000 --> Top 1%

----------------------------------------------

In USA:

1/4 of US income --> Top 1%

3/4 of US income --> Bottom 99%

Also,

40% of wealth --> Top 1%

60% of wealth --> Bottom 99%

----------------------------------------------

The top 1 percent may have the best houses, educations, and lifestyles.

TECHNOLOGICAL UNEMPLOYMENT: Can computers take over human jobs? To what degree? How soon?

From the links:

• http://www.futuretech.ox.ac.uk/oms-working-paper-future-employment-how-susceptible-are-jobs-computerisation-dr-carl-benedikt-frey-m
• http://www.technologyreview.com/view/519241/report-suggests-nearly-half-of-us-jobs-are-vulnerable-to-computerization/
• http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Luddite_fallacy#CITEREFFord2009
• http://www.motherjones.com/media/2013/05/robots-artificial-intelligence-jobs-automation

Download this free e-book from the lin below, NOW! Read as many pages as you can! Don't be a Luddite! Coz you can't win!

http://www.thelightsinthetunnel.com/LIGHTSTUNNEL.PDF

TECHNOLOGICAL UNEMPLOYMENT: 

• Can computers take over human jobs? 
• To what degree? 
• How soon? 
• What will be the magnitude of disruption? 
• What can we do about it?
• How should we prepare for the future?
• How can we ensure that we do not lose our jobs in the future?
• How can we stay in demand in the future?
• What are YOU doing about it, now?

The above questions are very vital. If you have not planned for the future, and are not prepared for it, you will face the music / consequences someday. The summary is this:

• Computers are getting more capable with time
• The growth is not linear, but exponential
• The past changes have been slow, but the future changes shall be way faster
• We humans have a perception of linear growth, but we are not very experienced in the perception of exponential growth
• The rich will use computers to do the jobs of humans to save money, improve efficiency, and productivity
• Many of the poor will be out of jobs -- those jobs that can be replaced by mechanization / automation / computerization / outsourcing, and they will have no choice but to become computer savvy
• The computer illiterate will be reduced / limited to working service jobs in restaurant / trades, as everything that can be mechanized / computerized will likely become so
• So, when are you getting started? Now is a good time! How about right now, this very second?

Good luck,

Gerry Som, MBA

75 Useful KPIs for Business Managers

From the link: http://www.linkedin.com/today/post/article/20130905053105-64875646-the-75-kpis-every-manager-needs-to-know

Here is a list:

To measure financial performance:
1. Net Profit
2. Net Profit Margin
3. Gross Profit Margin
4. Operating Profit Margin
5. EBITDA
6. Revenue Growth Rate
7. Total Shareholder Return (TSR)
8. Economic Value Added (EVA)
9. Return on Investment (ROI)
10. Return on Capital Employed (ROCE)
11. Return on Assets (ROA)
12. Return on Equity (ROE)
13. Debt-to-Equity (D/E) Ratio
14. Cash Conversion Cycle (CCC)
15. Working Capital Ratio
16. Operating Expense Ratio (OER)
17. CAPEX to Sales Ratio
18. Price Earnings Ratio (P/E Ratio)

To understand your customers:
19. Net Promoter Score (NPS)
20. Customer Retention Rate
21. Customer Satisfaction Index
22. Customer Profitability Score
23. Customer Lifetime Value
24. Customer Turnover Rate
25. Customer Engagement
26. Customer Complaints

To gauge your market and marketing efforts:
27. Market Growth Rate
28. Market Share
29. Brand Equity
30. Cost per Lead
31. Conversion Rate
32. Search Engine Rankings (by keyword) and click-through rate
33. Page Views and Bounce Rate
34. Customer Online Engagement Level
35. Online Share of Voice (OSOV)
36. Social Networking Footprint
37. Klout Score

To measure your operational performance:
38. Six Sigma Level
39. Capacity Utilisation Rate (CUR)
40. Process Waste Level
41. Order Fulfilment Cycle Time
42. Delivery In Full, On Time (DIFOT) Rate
43. Inventory Shrinkage Rate (ISR)
44. Project Schedule Variance (PSV)
45. Project Cost Variance (PCV)
46. Earned Value (EV) Metric
47. Innovation Pipeline Strength (IPS)
48. Return on Innovation Investment (ROI2)
49. Time to Market
50. First Pass Yield (FPY)
51. Rework Level
52. Quality Index
53. Overall Equipment Effectiveness (OEE)
54. Process or Machine Downtime Level
55. First Contact Resolution (FCR)

To understand your employees and their performance:
56. Human Capital Value Added (HCVA)
57. Revenue Per Employee
58. Employee Satisfaction Index
59. Employee Engagement Level
60. Staff Advocacy Score
61. Employee Churn Rate
62. Average Employee Tenure
63. Absenteeism Bradford Factor
64. 360-Degree Feedback Score
65. Salary Competitiveness Ratio (SCR)
66. Time to Hire
67. Training Return on Investment

To measure your environmental and social sustainability performance:

68. Carbon Footprint
69. Water Footprint
70. Energy Consumption
71. Saving Levels Due to Conservation and Improvement Efforts
72. Supply Chain Miles
73. Waste Reduction Rate
74. Waste Recycling Rate
75. Product Recycling Rate

I noticed that many people disliked KPIs, since they found them complicated, and people prefer simplicity to complexity. My comment was as follows:
Thanks for this post, Bernard. A lot of readers seem to be intimidated by the list. While it is okay for the end user to crave simplicity, I believe that managers should welcome these KPIs, since the business world is getting more technical and metrics- oriented. This is helpful for people performing analysis / evaluation of projects / operations. It is a question of "Adapt or Die". The future is going to IT driven, with focus on KPIs / Analytics, whether we like it or not. The future business trends will be based on market need to reduce costs, customize service delivery and maximize value for the end user. The future will be here, whether we like it or not, and it will not take a survey of our likes / dislikes. We will be hit with the realities, and will have to accept them. If we are not ready for market disruption, we could face career disruption...

Gen Y: Broke, Confused and Educated in Unwanted Fields?

There are so many articles in newspapers these days about:

• Gen Y not being in touch with reality
• Gen Y not studying in the right courses in North America
• Gen Y not having proper career focus and goals 

Some of the links to such articles are here:

• http://ca.finance.yahoo.com/blogs/insight/university-degree-still-good-investment-163927242.html
• http://ca.finance.yahoo.com/blogs/pay-day-/inflation-gen-y-no-idea-coming-191511340.html
• http://ca.finance.yahoo.com/blogs/insight/students-continue-choose-degrees-low-earning-potential-cibc-174640570.html

In India, I remember, people always encouraged their kids to study Medicine or Engineering. Not Law, not commerce, not arts, not sociology or philosophy. Just Medicine and Engineering. There were / are no trade schools in India. People just learn from their parents or mentors. Guess what are the fields in demand, in the world right now? Medicine and Engineering.

There is something wrong in North America. Why do most students not chase engineering or healthcare fields? They chase arts and social sciences. 

Some other scary sentences I read recently (from the articles at the link above):

• “It’s not an advantage to have a degree anymore, but it’s a disadvantage if you don’t have it,” says O’Grady.
• As if crushing debt and limited job prospects were not enough, generation Y has something else to worry about - inflation.
• Too few students are graduating from programs that are in high demand.
• Today's students have not gravitated to more financially advantageous fields in a way that reflects the changing reality of the labour market
• Students are making DUMB choices: they are continuing to pursue fields where upon graduation, they aren’t getting a relative edge in terms of income prospects.
• The average Canadian household currently owes more than $1.60 for every dollar of disposable income it takes in each year
• Inflation: Gen Y has no idea what’s coming

Ten Courses Finance Students Can Benefit From

Modified from the link: http://www.investopedia.com/articles/professionaleducation/09/non-finance-courses.asp

Ten Courses Finance Students Should Take and Can Benefit From Immensely:

1. Mathematics
2. Statistics
3. Accounting
4. Economics
5. Psychology
6. Writing
7. Communications
8. Business Analytics
9. Project Management
10. Information Technology / Information System / understanding of ERP 

I myself plan to chase the areas above, in greater detail, and get better at them by the passing day. 

Cheers, 

Gerry. 

Management jobs down in mid 2013 in Canada + Canadian jobless rate rises

Apparently, management jobs in Canada are down in May 2013 compared to May 2012. The job outlook is not the best in Canada right now.

Even though overall unemployment has been improving since 2008, mid 2013 has hit a rough patch with losses in the public sector as well. The youth in Canada is suffering right now.

Check out this story:
http://www.thestar.com/business/2013/08/09/public_sector_youth_hit_hardest_as_canadian_jobless_rate_rises.html

Mistakes made by job hunters in 2013

From the link: http://www.linkedin.com/today/post/article/20130808140939-11281694-jobseekers-bad-habits-in-the-pull-economy

Here are the top five indicators you may still be (mistakenly, ruinously) operating in ways that won’t have an impact in the Pull Economy (where others, like hiring managers, potential customers, even dates – come to us, in the digital age):

1. Trusting the machine
2. Falling short on networking
3. Never auditing yourself
4. Being stupidly social
5. Putting all your eggs in one basket

How to get your supervisor / boss to notice you / your work

From the link: http://www.linkedin.com/today/post/article/20130808142917-32175171-five-steps-to-get-your-ceo-to-notice-you

Five Steps to Get Your Boss to Notice You:

1. Show commitment
2. Be enthusiastic
3. Show initiative
4. Speak up
5. Be adaptable

September is the beginning of HIRING season!

From the link: http://www.careeroptionsmagazine.com/1524/its-hiring-season/

It’s hiring season!! Many people aren’t aware, but September is a HUGE time to hire new employees. 

In fact there are 2 hiring seasons: 

• September-November and 
• January-April. 

September is by far the biggest of all those months.

Let’s take a quick glance at January-April. This hiring period is for the summer. Deadlines for applications are due around February with interviews taking place up to April. Jobs tend to start in May and end in August. If you want any hope of a serious summer job on your resume, start in January! Most people don’t even look at job postings until April so keep yourself ahead of the competition.

Now for September. This is for the big kids! So you’ve finally reached your 4th year and you have no idea what you’re doing. Well, you think you’ll be working but where? What will you be doing? Is it going to be something retail or in a restaurant to help pay the bills or will you be working to advance your career?

Application deadlines tend to extend into mid-October. The entire hiring process lasts the full year and jobs generally start September of the following year. The jobs employers offer are often amazing opportunities.

They aren’t looking to waste an entire year of testing and interviews for some schmuck to work reception. Even if you don’t get the job you applied for, hopefully you will have made a good impression and the interviewer may put your name in for another position.

Be prepared; there is some stiff competition in these “job competitions” so bring your A-game, do your research, and make sure you resume knocks it out of the park. There are hundreds of resumes to sort through; then they get narrowed down for further rounds of testing.

If you’re looking for some great opportunities that are out now, check with the Government of Canada ( http://jobs-emplois.gc.ca/psr-rp/index-eng.htm) which is currently going through post-graduate hiring but also has many opportunities all year long for all Canadians.

I’d like to quickly flip back to summer jobs again. The government also has an fantastic program called the Federal Student Work Experience Program or FSWEP (http://jobs-emplois.gc.ca/fswep-pfete/index-eng.htm). Students start registration online in October and are put in a master database where employers can pull potential candidates based on their field of study. Students are also free to apply to any job they choose.

This program is built for students, who have little experience, to help them develop their resume. Employers are not allowed to pick students based on their level of experience, so for those of you who have never worked a day in your life, I implore you to register for FSWEP.

The greatest part about getting a job in the government is that once you’re in, YOU’RE IN! The government will always hire one of their own employees over a new employee; the benefits are amazing; and there are great opportunities to work your way up.

If you are doing something, you better like it. If you don't like it, then don't do it.

"If you don't like something don't do it, and if you're doing something then you better like it" 

-- Shah Rukh Khan, Indian actor (said during an interview with Filmfare, Feb. 2002).

How Businesses Can Benefit from Low Employment or High Unemployment

From the link: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/robert-reich/obama-jobs-republicans_b_3703612.html

Some business owners want unemployment to remain high and job-growth to sputter. Why? Three reasons:

First, high unemployment keeps wages down. Workers who are worried about losing their jobs settle for whatever they can get -- which is why hourly earnings keep dropping. The median wage is now 4 percent lower than it was at the start of the recovery. Low wages help boost corporate profits, thereby keeping the regressives' corporate sponsors happy.

Second, high unemployment fuels the bull market on Wall Street. That's because the Fed is committed to buying long-term bonds as long as unemployment remains high. This keeps bond yields low and pushes investors into equities -- which helps boosts executive pay and Wall Street commissions, thereby keeping regressives' financial sponsors happy.

Third, high unemployment keeps most Americans economically fearful and financially insecure. This sets them up to believe regressive lies -- that their biggest worry should be that "big government" will tax away the little they have and give it to "undeserving" minorities; that they should support low taxes on corporations and wealthy "job creators;" and that new immigrants threaten their jobs.

Ten things to avoid during job search / 10 things that hurt your job hunting process / job prospects

From the link: http://finance.yahoo.com/news/stop-screwing-job-search-ten-100100707.html

Do read the full article from the link above. Here are the 10 things to avoid.

1. Giving out references that don't sing your praises
You don’t want a reference to damn you with faint praise. Ask if the person is willing to say you walked on water. If not, find another reference.

2. Laying out your résumé in a microscopic font
Too many candidates think they need to fit all of their qualifications onto a single, illegible page. Either cut down the word count or let the copy flow onto a second page.

3. Failing to say glowing things about your former employer
Even if you were laid off from your last job, find a way to say positive things about your last employer. Hiring managers identify with your former boss, not with you.

4. Saying negative things about your own track record
Even if you are looking for work because your most recent venture has had problems, find a way to put a positive spin on your experience.

5. Talking too much at the start of an interview
It’s fine to give a 30-second summary of your accomplishments, but then you should go into questioning and listening mode, and respond to the interviewer’s cues.

6. Lamenting your difficult job search
Even if you have been on a long job-search slog, find a way to make it sound positive, as though you took a sabbatical by choice and you have enjoyed your time meeting with many different contacts.

7. Being honest about your weaknesses
The rhetoric of job interviews should be sunshine and light. You can talk about a challenge you overcame, but emphasize your accomplishment rather than the problem that preceded it.

8. Saying how much money you want to make
Lots of people get anxious about money and bring it up in the first interview. This is a mistake, say coaches. If you are asked about your salary requirement, you can say, “money is important to me but at this point in my career, fit is the primary issue.” Avoid being the first to name a number.

9. Getting impatient with the process
Know that hiring decisions can drag on for months. Pestering your contacts repeatedly by phone and email will not speed up the process.

10. Spending all your time answering ads and sending out blind résumés
Longtime job coach Ellis Chase says this is “the number one, catastrophic job search mistake.” People don’t get jobs through blind applications, but rather through networking and people they know.

Leadership and Success -- Useful tips from the internet

1. You can really Lead Without a Title.

2. Knowing what to do and not doing it is the same as not knowing what to do.

3. Give away what you most wish to receive.

4. The antidote to stagnation is innovation.

5. The conversations you are most resisting are the conversations you most need to be having.

6. Leadership is no longer about position – but passion. It's no longer about image but impact. This is Leadership 2.0

7. The bigger the dream, the more important to the team.

8. Visionaries see the "impossible" as the inevitable.

9. All great thinkers are initially ridiculed – and eventually revered.

10. The more you worry about being applauded by others and making money, the less you'll focus on doing the great work that will generate applause. And make you money.

11. To double your net worth, double your self-worth. Because you will never exceed the height of your self-image.

12. The more messes you allow into your life, the more messes will become a normal (and acceptable) part of your life.

13. The secret to genius is not genetics but daily practice married with relentless perseverance.

14. The best leaders lift people up versus tear people down.

15. The most precious resource for business people is not their time. It's their energy. Manage it well.

16. The fears you run from run to you.

17. The most dangerous place is in your safety zone.

18. The more you go to your limits, the more your limits will expand.

19. Every moment in front of a customer is a gorgeous opportunity to live your values.

20. Be so good at what you do that no one else in the world can do what you do.

21. You'll never go wrong in doing what is right.

22. It generally takes about 10 years to become an overnight sensation.

23. Never leave the site of a strong idea without doing something to execute around it.

24. A strong foundation at home sets you up for a strong foundation at work.

25. Never miss a moment to encourage someone you work with.

26. Saying "I'll try" really means "I'm not really committed."

27. The secret of passion is purpose.

28. Do a few things at mastery versus many things at mediocrity.

29. To have the rewards that very few have, do the things that very few people are willing to do.

30. Go where no one's gone and leave a trail of excellence behind you.

31. Who you are becoming is more important than what you are accumulating.

32. Accept your teammates for what they are and inspire them to become all they can be.

33. To triple the growth of your organization, triple the growth of your people.

34. The best leaders are the most dedicated learners. Read great books daily. Investing in your self-development is the best investment you will ever make.

35. Other people's opinions of you are none of your business.

36. Change is hardest at the beginning, messiest in the middle and best at the end.

37. Measure your success by your inner scorecard versus an outer one.

38. Understand the acute difference between the cost of something and the value of something.

39. Nothing fails like success. Because when you are at the top, it's so easy to stop doing the very things that brought you to the top.

40. The best leaders blend courage with compassion.

41. The less you are like others, the less others will like you.

42. You'll never go wrong in doing what's right.

43. Excellence in one area is the beginning of excellence in every area.

44. The real reward for doing your best work is not the money you make but the leader you become.

45. Passion + production = performance.

46. The value of getting to your goals lives not in reaching the goal but what the talents/strengths/capabilities the journey reveals to you.

47. Stand for something. Or else you'll fall for anything.

48. Say "thank you" when you're grateful and "sorry" when you're wrong.

49. Make the work you are doing today better than the work you did yesterday.

50. Small daily – seemingly insignificant – improvements and innovations lead to staggering achievements over time.

51. Peak performers replace depletion with inspiration on a daily basis.

52. Take care of your relationships and the sales/money will take care of itself.

53. You can't be great if you don't feel great. Make exceptional health your #1 priority.

54. Doing the difficult things that you've never done awakens the talents you never knew you had.

55. As we each express our natural genius, we all elevate our world.

56. Your daily schedule reflects your deepest values.

57. People do business with people who make them feel special.

58. All things being equal, the primary competitive advantage of your business will be your ability to grow Leaders Without Titles faster than your industry peers.

59. Treat people well on your way up and they'll treat you well on your way down.

60. Success lies in a masterful consistency around a few fundamentals. It really is simple. Not easy. But simple.

61. The business (and person) who tries to be everything to everyone ends up being nothing to anyone.

62. One of the primary tactics for enduring winning is daily learning.

63. To have everything you want, help as many people as you can possibly find get everything they want.

64. Understand that a problem is only a problem if you choose to view it as a problem (vs. an opportunity).

65. Clarity precedes mastery. Craft clear and precise plans/goals/deliverables. And then block out all else.

66. The best in business spend far more time on learning than in leisure.

67. Lucky is where skill meets persistence.

68. The best Leaders Without a Title use their heads and listen to their hearts.

69. The things that are hardest to do are often the things that are the best to do.

70. Every single person in the world could be a genius at something, if they practiced it daily for at least ten years (as confirmed by the research of Anders Ericsson and others).

71. Daily exercise is an insurance policy against future illness. The best Leaders Without Titles are the fittest.

72. Education is the beginning of transformation. Dedicate yourself to daily learning via books/audios/seminars and coaching.

73. The quickest way to grow the sales of your business is to grow your people.

Welcome to the Ryerson Alumni Family

How to excite and enchant your customer -- by Guy Kawasaki

From the link: http://www.linkedin.com/today/post/article/20130719120914-2484700-10-ways-that-small-businesses-can-enchant-their-customers

1. Put likable, competent and passionate people on the front line.
2. Show me that you trust me.
3. Remove barriers to entry.
4. Make it easy to give you money.
5. Go deep in a segment.
6. Sell something that’s DICEE: Deep, Intelligent, Complete, Empowering,and Elegant.
7. Enable hands-on trial.
8. Communicate with salient points.
9. Deliver bad news early.
10. Consider all the influencers.

The single most powerful way to enchant me is defaulting to “yes," and this attitude encompasses all 10 points. It means that you believe that the customer is right and reasonable until proven wrong and unreasonable. Custom order? No problem. Early delivery? No problem. Return for full credit? No problem.

The math might show that if you did this for everyone, you’d go broke, but not everyone will ask for such treatment. In fact, very few will, and those that do will become your greatest evangelists, so they’re worth the exception.

Brand - Redefined...

“A brand is no longer what we tell the consumer it is – it is what consumers tell each other it is.”

 - Scott Cook, co-founder, Intuit

Nice quote about perseverance | Definition of perseverance | Hard work after hard work = Perseverance |

From the link: http://izquotes.com/quote/71444

“Perseverance is the hard work you do after you get tired of doing the hard work you already did” 

Just for fun: How to crash and burn in love, on the Business School campus, Bollywood Eshtyle :)

5 signs of Emotional Intelligence / Qualities of Emotionally Intelligent Leaders

From the link: http://www.tlnt.com/2013/06/27/the-5-ways-to-spot-an-emotionally-intelligent-leader/?fb_action_ids=10152960361120526

The higher up the ladder that leaders are, the more people they impact and their Emotional Intelligence becomes increasingly important. The person at the top sets the atmosphere that permeates the organization, including the Emotional Temperature or Emotional Environment.

1. Non-defensive and open

2. Aware of their own emotions

3. Adept at picking up on the emotional state of others

4. Available for those reporting to them

5. Able to check their ego, and allow others to shine

Some of the companies that I had applied to in the past...

Here are some of the companies that I had applied to, in the past, while doing my MBA studies: Deloitte, Pepsi, Coca cola, Ford Motor Corp, Nestle, McKinsey, Scotia bank, Royal Bank of Canada, HSBC, TD Bank, BMO, CIBC, Pfizer, Johnson & Johnson, GSK, Bristol Meyer Squib, Diageo, P&G, Baxter, Abbott, Apotex, Boeringer Ingelheim, Aventis, Bayer, KPMG, Ernst & Young, Bain, PWC, Syncrude, Suncor, Husky, Exxon Mobil, PetroCanada, Canadian Natural, Medtronics, Manpower, Spherion, Randstad, Novopharm, Genpharm, Taro, Patheon, BD, Biogen, Bioassay, Biovail, Astra Zeneca, Innopharm, Aventis pasteur, Wyeth, Amgen, Eli Lilly, Roche, Innovus, Solvay, Sanofi, Patheon, Jameison vitamins and many many more... 

I applied on their career section of company websites using their portals (Taleo, KeneXa or Brassring). For now, I have decided to focus on the Healthcare Management Sector only.

What I learnt : 

• Do not bombard (carpet bomb) the postings
• Be selective
• Customize resumes

Personal Branding tips for you :)

#Personal-Branding. "Occupy" the internet (Hint: Get accounts on Twitter, LinkedIn, MySpace, Blogs). Develop an online presence - a positive one. Show up in search results - at least the first few pages of Google search results. When shortlisted, recruiters will do an online search of you. Let them see what you want them to see, by having an impressive and positive online profile...

#Hot-Tips: (1) Print your business cards (if not already) (2) Register your domain name and link it (URL forward) to your LinkedIn website. For example www.yourname.com or www.yourname.ca. Alternatively, create a website with your achievements. (3) Google your name. What do you see? If it ain't good, fix it :)

Gerry.

Here below, is a must read article:

http://www.beknownblog.com/2011/11/the-value-of-building-your-personal-brand/

My HuffPost Blog #9: Ontario Elevator Strike: Not an Uplifting Experience for Patients

My Huffington Post blog #9 : http://www.huffingtonpost.ca/gerry-som/ontario-elevator-strike_b_3547294.html

Ontario Elevator Strike: Not an Uplifting Experience for Patients

It is not professional for MBAs to reject job offers after accepting them! Or for companies to reject good candidates after start.

From the link: http://www.businessweek.com/articles/2013-06-28/reneging-on-an-mba-job-offer-it-may-cost-you-20-000#r=read

It is not professional for MBAs to reject job offers after accepting them! Or for companies to reject good candidates after start.

The article above is an interesting one. Business schools can impose fines on students if they reject internships or jobs after accepting them. Hedging your bets is a good thing, but ditching a company is not. Do not tarnish your reputation!

Bonne fête du Canada !!! Happy Canada Day 2013 !!!

<3 Bonne fête du Canada <3 Happy Canada Day 2013 !!! <3

Master's Degree in Business Analytics / Data Mining / Master of Management Analytics in Canada

There are a few Universities offering courses in Business Analytics in Canada right now:

• York University: MSc in Business Analytics 
• Queen's University : http://business.queensu.ca/grad_studies/mma/index.php
• University of Toronto: 
• Telfer University

This is the next big thing!!!

Google Inc. built its $207-billion empire as a leading pioneer in business analytics, so it’s not surprising that 97 per cent of companies with revenues of more of $100 million are now entering this new frontier, according to Bloomberg Businessweek.

Business analytics is also the fastest growing category of global IT software expenditure, according to a recent Forrester Research study, and a McKinsey & Company report forecasts a shortage of professionals in the field of business analytics by 2018.

To help meet this growing demand, the Schulich School of Business at York University has launched Canada’s first Master of Science in Business Analytics program in September 2012 (Fees for Domestic students: $44,000 +).
Business analytics is a $12.2 billion (U.S., 2011) productivity tool, according to Gartner Research. Yet few companies are equipped with the tools and talent to effectively leverage the data at their disposal to create value and drive decision making. The competition for talent to analyze big data is intense. 

Ryerson University Promo : June 2013

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