NUS MBA Students Visit AIM

Yesterday, MBA students from the National University of Singapore (NUS) Business School visited the Asian Institute of Management as part of their study tour.

The 14-strong delegation was here for a week and they visited some of the big Philippine corporation, including Jollibee, San Miguel, SM, and Ayala. I also learned that they dropped by the Philippine Senate and the Department of Finance.

For their stop in AIM, the visitors were welcomed warmly by AIM Associate Dean Prof. Ricky Lim and the committee headed by WSGSB Program Manager Rita Cucio. Prof. Patt Lontoc then gave a short lecture on the External Analysis of the Philippines, which was pretty interesting. (I then realized how I took Economics for granted during my MBA days. :P). After those activities, MBA students from AIM's Cohort 3 and NUS got together for some pleasant chat and networking.

I was able to talk to a few NUS students myself and they said they enjoyed their stay in the Philippines (despite the traffic!). Their only regret was that they spent one whole week in the Philippines and they weren't able to visit one single beach. (Ack! That's like going to Singapore and not passing by Orchard Road, Sim Lim Square and visiting the Merlion . :P)

Professor?

One of the things that make me uncomfortable about handling an online marketing elective here at the Asian Institute of Management is whenever people (usually from my former classmates) call me "Prof" or "Professor."

Yeah, I've been tabbed to teach and develop an elective course for the MBA and executive education courses, but in my mind, an AIM professor is a passionate and learned person that earned his/her stripes from years of experience in teaching the Case Method. My former professors such as Jun Borromeo, Ricky Lim, and Gloria Chan come to mind as genuine AIM professors. I also have to add the likes of Professors Gaby Mendoza, Mel Salazar, Vic Lim, Francisco Bernardo, Capt. Bobby Lim, and Fil Alfonso to that list. (Although I never got to be their official student, their respective reputations live on the stories from faculty and alumni.)

So you could imagine the discomfort I usually feel when people they put the word "professor" beside my name-- Even in jest, I don't think I've done anything to even get a whiff of a scent of that word . Heck, I'm not even an adjunct faculty.

Reunions

Out class, the first 16-month MBA class of the Asian Institute of Management, had a mini-reunion last February 18, 2009 to celebrate our classmate Michelle Yap's wedding to Luther Bersales. Michelle was one of our finance and accounting gurus during our MBA days.

The wedding was a great get-together-- we talked about the "good old days" and got a chance to catch up with what each has been doing since the graduation. Amidst the happy stories, all shared the sentiment that mirrored the dry job scene. Almost everyone has still land a job (although plenty were in the final stages of the hiring process and were having final interviews).

But nonetheless, the evening was fun and we were all happy to join Michelle and Luther on their very special day. :)

Thanks to Mark Ong for the photos.

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Speaking of reunions, the Asian Institute of Management will have its annual alumni homecoming at the Embassy Club on February 27, 2009. Entitled "Hot @ 40 at Embassy," the party will start at 6pm with drinks, heavy cocktails, and valuable raffle prizes.

Tickets are priced at PhP600 and are available at the AIM Alumni Relations Office.

Winning Internet Marketing Strategies & Tactics

The Asian Institute of Management - Executive Education for Lifelong Learning Center (EXCELL) is offering a new program for executives and business leaders entitled Winning Internet Marketing Strategies & Tactics.

Winning Internet Marketing Strategies & Tactics is a three and a half-day course designed to demystify Internet Marketing for executives and top management-- it will give participants a practical understanding of how websites, blogs, and social networks are changing the old rules of marketing. The first offering of the intensive course will be on April 13-16, 2009 and the program fee is PhP 30,000.

The course is really intended for top management, business decision-makers, and corporate types who want to know more about Internet Marketing from a strategic point of view, and be able to suggest Internet Marekting programs to their marketing folks. It also is anchored on AIM's rigorous methodology of case discussions and structured learning exercises.

I'm part of the instructors of this Internet Marketing course, along with notable bloggers and Internet Marketing consultants Anton Diaz of Our Awesome Planet, and Jayvee Fernandez of A Bugged Life. Prof. Ricardo Lim rounds out the course's instructors. The topics that we will be covering include:

• Marketing & the Internet
• Generating Traffic: Internet Advertising & Search Engine Marketing
• Creating the Mindset: Manage Your Company's Brand and Reputation Online
• Building Relationships: Turn Website Visitors into Your Customers
• Web 2.0 & Social Media: The Power & Wisdom of the Crowd
• Blogging & Blog Marketing: Conversations that can lead to Conversions
• Evaluating Your Internet Marketing Campaigns with Web Analytics

If your company is looking for an intensive course on how Internet Marketing can help boost sales, build brands, and reach out to customers, Winning Internet Marketing Strategies & Tactics is definitely worth a look.

For more information, visit http://www.MasterInternetMarketing.net or contact Apple Ani or Yola Genuino of AIM EXCELL at 8932050/8924011 loc. 228.

Blood Donation at AIM

It's Walkabout season again at the Asian Institute of Management MBA's.

Students from the MBA program are holding a Blood Donation program, through the Philanthropic Activities Society (PACTS) organization. PACTS is a student organization that is dedicated to supporting and serving the social needs of the AIM Students, Alumni, staff, faculty and the community.

The program aims to collect blood to support the local hospitals in the area. Here are the details of the event:

• When: February 20, 2009 (Friday), 9:00AM - 5:00 PM
  
• Where: SGV Rooms 1 & 2 (Asian Institute of Management, 123, Paseo De Roxas, Makati)
  
• Medical Team: Dr. Victor R. Potenciano Medical Center
  

Be part of of the event and help save lives. :)

Who Will Be The Next AIM President?

I don't have the slightest idea who the next president of the Asian Institute of Management will be, but I do have the power to nominate who it could be.

AIM alumni received an email from Greg Atienza, Executive Managing Director of AIM's Alumni Relations Office, calling for nominations for the next AIM president, as Francis Estrada will be stepping down this coming May 2009.

The email goes:

Dear Fellow Alumni,

Attached below is a letter from the Search Committee for the AIM President inviting all in the AIM Community to participate in the important task of recommending to the AIM Board of Trustees the persons who are best qualified to take over from Pres. Francis Estrada when his term ends May 15, 2009.

Also attached are the nomination form and guidelines/procedures as well as the Duties and Responsibilities of the Office of AIM President. We hope that as wide a participation of this search in your respective Alumni chapters, clubs, and associations can be undertaken by you, in the spirit of AIM's Multi-Stakeholder approach.

Thank you very much for your continuing support of the Alma Mater.

God bless!

This nomination reminds me of the increasing "crowdsourcing" that's happening all over. (As Wikipedia puts it, crowdsourcing refers to "the act of taking a task traditionally performed by an employee or contractor, and outsourcing it to an undefined, generally large group of people or community in the form of an open call").

I think it's good since talented and deserving folks from different sectors have a chance to assume the leadership position. However, the process may introduce "nuisance candidates" into the mix. (Heck, I could probably be nominated for the post!).

Support the Philippine Cut Flower Industry

The global economic downturn has hurt a lot of industries, from the financial services to the automotive sector. But I'm pretty sure that starting tonight, the cut flower industry (or industry of cut flowers for bouquets and flower arrangements) will be on their annual February sales spike since a lot of people will buy flowers for the Valentine's celebrations this weekend.

But do you know that Valentine's Day is such an important event for the Philippine cut flower industry? A big chunk of their earnings come from this day. I remember watching a television feature before that some flower shops get almost half their annual sales revenue during the days leading to Valentine's Day.

I'm not really surprised. Normally, a stem of rose will be sold between PhP 50-100 in stores, but during Valentine's Day, it goes to PhP 180-200!

But nonetheless, I will support the Philippine Cut Flower Industry and I'll make sure when I buy the bouquet for tomorrow, it will be the locally grown flowers. Industries are collapsing left and right-- we don't another one to wilt.

The Limitation of Marketing

I remember one of the cases we discussed in class, I think it was Marketing, where the problem was about marketing a product that was poorly-designed and ill-fitting for its intended customers.

Why that case specifically? I remember it because I'm involved in the marketing/development of a new product/service from one of the major companies here in Manila. (In the absence of full-time work, my consultancy gigs have picked up :P)

The firm is hoping that it can use its marketing clout and invest a lot in internet marketing to push the product and acquire customers. But from what I'm seeing so far, the product/service is not 100%, inferior to its competitors, and full of OTSU's (Opportunities To Screw Up. My apologies to Prof. Tommy Lopez). The kicker is that the firm wants to launch it soon.

I gave them my assessment: you can't launch the project in its current form. If the early adopters won't like it, the product is doomed to obscurity.

Make no mistake, the company has a very good marketing plan and has implemented very successful, no, hugely successful marketing campaigns in the past. But if there's one thing I learned from the case: No amount of marketing can mask the flaws of an inferior product, no matter how cool it is.

Case Testing

Yesterday, in the Online Marketing elective class I'm co-teaching with Prof. Richard Cruz and Prof. Titos Ortigas, one of the cases I wrote for my Management Research Report (MRR) was tested.(As you may well know, the Asian Institute of Management utilizes the Case Method it borrows from Harvard and newly-written cases must be tested before they are released)

While I was primarily an observer during the class session, deferring Prof. Ortigas' experience in leading case discussions, I felt a sense of satisfaction as I saw the class discuss the case I labored over during the last months of my MBA stint. I guess this feeling is common to all folks who come up with creative or intellectual works, like the feeling you get when an essay you wrote gets published, or when people hum a song you've written. (In my case it's when the members of the class use the words the words I wrote, or debate over the points I raised).


It feels weird really, somehow ironic, since I've been known to skim through cases, especially in Finance classes! :P

Speed Dating, Anyone?

AIM life is pretty rigorous and people need to unwind every once in a while. This February, folks who want to unwind and try something new can go to "One Week Notice," a speed dating event this February 7 at Galileo Enoteca Italian Restaurant and Deli in Chino Roces Avenue, Makati. (I've been to the place! It's nice and near the Asian Institute of Management).

For PhP600, you'll enjoy free flowing drinks, good music, and meet interesting people. Isn't that a great Pre-Valentine deal?

For more info, contact 0922-825-4142, 0927-6509160 or 0908-756-8614. You can also visit this blog.

Questions and Answers

It seems that it's admissions time once again: I've been getting some queries about the Asian Institute of Management in this blog and a certain thread in Pagalguy is active (yeah, I've been posting my own replies to that and a few other threads).

The most common posts are about questions about the school and, of course, placement. Most people there want to balance the information asymmetry by asking all they could ask. There's one commenter who posted a few questions and I decided to answer them here:


Q: I am applying for September intake. You can assess what i am going through right now. Is the education as such shielded from all these nuisance? Do you foresee any consequences on part of the students' prospects out of this spat?

A: Hmmm... you're referring to the labor spat that happened with the faculty and the AIM administration. From my experience, we were pretty much shielded from the labor case. It didn't affect the class and the professors rarely said a word about it. I guess there was a conscious effort to elevate the academics beyond the administrative issues.

Q: My best wishes for you to get a job.. a job you will be most happy with. Any idea how the market scenario will be 2 yrs down the line. Will an AIM graduate find it difficult to find a job?

A: Job market? My guesstimate is that the job market will have gradually picked by then, although there will be lingering corporate and market effects from the job cuts and economic contraction. Will an AIM grad find it difficult to find a job by then? Chances are yes, everyone will still be scrambling for jobs, not just MBA graduates.

Q: Would you recommend going for exchange programs, if I do join AIM. i am referring to job prospects, because i heard bulk of students who havnt been able to get jobs are those who went on exchange programs.


A: I don't have the statistics of the folks who went on exchange who don't have jobs yet, but the International Student Exchange Program (ISEP) does have its own benefits, such as expanding your network and getting exposed to new cultures. I recommend playing things by the ear when you join because at this point in time, it's hard to speculate what will happen in your exchange program.

For more questions, feel free to ask. :)