Unlocking the Power of Data: From Basic Statistics to Intelligent Decision-Making

Statistics, big data, machine learning (ML), artificial intelligence (AI), deep learning (DL), natural language processing (NLP), and natural language understanding (NLU) are crucial to business and society today. These technologies work together to enable organizations to extract valuable insights from massive datasets, optimize operations, and drive automation. They also enhance customer service and enable sophisticated... Continue Reading →

March 6, 2025 0

Evaluating Financial Health of a Company Using Financial Ratios

Understanding a company's financial health is essential for investors, stakeholders, and management. Financial ratios provide a comprehensive way to assess a business’s efficiency, profitability, liquidity, solvency, and valuation. There are five main types of financial ratios that serve as key indicators of performance (Baltova, 2020): Following is an overview of what was covered during our... Continue Reading →

February 26, 2025 0

Operations Management and Supply Chain Management: The Backbone of Business Success

This week we covered concepts related to operations management and supply chain management. In today's competitive market, businesses rely heavily on both Operations Management (OM) and Supply Chain Management (SCM) to maintain efficiency and meet customer demands. OM is the business function responsible for planning, coordinating, and controlling resources needed to produce products, technology, and... Continue Reading →

February 26, 2025 0

Finance Applications – Stocks, Bonds and Capital Investments

This week we explored how some of the previously learned finance concepts can be applied to real-world financing decisions, including valuing stocks and bonds and making capital investment choices. Companies have three primary ways to raise capital: Reinvesting profits Issuing stocks (equity financing) Borrowing money through bonds or loans (debt financing) Stocks represent ownership in... Continue Reading →

February 23, 2025 0

Understanding Horizontal and Vertical Analysis of Financial Statements

Financial statement analysis is essential for assessing a company's performance and financial health. Two common methods used are horizontal analysis and vertical analysis, both of which provide valuable insights into trends and financial structure. Horizontal Analysis: Tracking Financial Trends Over Time Horizontal analysis, also known as trend analysis, compares financial data across multiple periods. It... Continue Reading →

February 20, 2025 0

Fundamentals of Finance – Three Major Financial Statements

This week we covered several topics related to fundamentals of corporate finance. Between BUS501 and ACC505 courses we learned about the building blocks of financial reporting (accounting equation, income statement, balance sheet, and cash flow statement), simple and compound interest, annuities versus perpetuities, and how to calculate time value of money. Understanding the Three Major... Continue Reading →

February 15, 2025 1

Applying Marketing Fundamentals: Brand Positioning, Product Positioning, and Pricing Strategies

This week we learned about the importance of effective brand positioning, product positioning, and pricing strategies. Whether selling products, services, or experiences, understanding these fundamentals are important for any business to stay competitive in today’s market. 1. Brand Positioning: Building a Unique Identity Brand positioning is how a business establishes its identity in the minds... Continue Reading →

February 6, 2025 0

Understanding the 5Cs and 4Ps in Marketing

It was interesting to formally learn about some marketing concepts in class this week. The general impression I’ve had is that ‘marketing’ is essentially the set of activities companies use to promote their products or services, often through advertising and promotions, but seems like there’s more to it. We learned that in marketing, two essential... Continue Reading →

January 29, 2025 0

Industry analysis using Porter’s Five Forces

This week we are learning about how to perform industry analysis using Porter's Five Forces. Understanding the competitive dynamics of an industry is essential for strategic planning and decision-making. By identifying the forces that shape profitability and competition, companies can develop strategies that set them up for success. One of the most popular frameworks for... Continue Reading →

January 22, 2025 0

Business Ethics

In simple terms, business ethics are principles that guide decision-making (Boyles, 2023). Business leaders face many challenges in the workplace because of different interpretations of what's ethical. Situations often require navigating the “gray area,” where it’s unclear what’s right and wrong. This is where business ethics comes on, and I think this visual from Santa Clara University... Continue Reading →

January 20, 2025 0