Top MBA Recruiters: German Auto Manufacturers
The German auto industry is a world leader, with more than 830,000 employees worldwide. It’s an impressive global industry, which is just one reason why it’s attractive for MBA graduates. If you’re interested in manufacturing, these large care makers are a great choice.
Continue reading…Bloomberg, Knight, Stand Out Among World’s Biggest MBA Success Stories
You may (or may not) be surprised to learn that the majority of Forbes‘ Billionaires List features people do not have an MBA. It’s true—Amazon paragon and Washington Post owner Jeff Bezos comes from Princeton, but with degrees in electrical engineering and computer science. Bill Gates is perhaps the most famous college dropout (sorry Kanye). Even the Oracle of Omaha himself, Warren Buffett, only holds a Bachelor’s degree in Business Administration from the University of Nebraska. But that doesn’t mean there aren’t some standout MBA success stories on the list. Continue reading…
The Best Accelerated MBA Programs Available in Seattle
When you need to earn your MBA in less than two years, some schools offer the opportunity to take an accelerated MBA path. These programs typically require full-time attendance but have been designed to be completed in twelve to eighteen months. Over the past few years, accelerated MBA programs have grown in popularity, offering MBA students who already have a background in business a chance to deepen their knowledge and skills in a relatively fast manner.
For MBA candidates living in Seattle, there are two primary accelerated MBA options. Continue reading…
Sloan Director Talks Sweet Spot of Product Platforms
MIT Sloan School of Management recently published an article that conveniently breaks down what it takes to make product platforms succeed, often by “matchmaking” and sharing assets across different offerings. There are assorted challenges associated with developing the necessary assets to launch successful product platforms. MIT’s System Architecture lab director Bruce Cameron, who teaches a course on managing product platforms, puts it simply: “Platforms take a lot of work to get right.”
He explainss that “most companies fail to achieve return on investment on their platform investments” but successful product platforms have the potential to “grow revenue and enter niche markets.”
Take BMW for instance, which reused “gear boxes and other parts across models” and re-purposed the extra cash to “develop 30 percent more vehicle models without substantially growing its engineering workforce.”
Cameron explains that one advantage to a software company—to use another example—opting to reuse part of its code in 10 places is a “reduction in risk,” which will in turn generate a “higher-quality software product across the board.”
Platforms that opt to reduce their risk are faced with a double-edged sword. Cameron cites Volkswagen’s decision to install the same 2.0 liter diesel engine across multiple vehicle models, which saved significant money in the short-term. But it was discovered that the German manufacturer illegally tampered with its own internal software, suppressing the real fuel emissions of its diesel engine cars. The result may end up costing the company billions in settlement costs just in the U.S.
“The idea that this is an engineering or procurement or manufacturing initiative is flawed,” he says.
There are four common pitfalls, according to Cameron: “Forcing platform development down into one product, neglecting to articulate the value of shared benefits, evaluating returns prematurely and attempting to move to platforms without undertaking the necessary underlying organizational changes.”
Cameron says stable product platforms that offer consumer customization options often prevail. The trick is hit that “sweet spot,” like a uniform-sized home appliance available in different colors.
