Getting My MBA at 48

Morning Chores, Afternoon Studying

I spent the morning doing chores that needed getting done and the afternoon I have spent studying.

I was reading in the Wall Street Journal, about how Ford was in talks to sell Volvo to the largest automotive maker in China, Zhejiang Geely Holding Co. and is expected to be in talks till the beginning of 2010.

GM, as of now has totally given up on Saab, both Ford and GM have said that both Volvo and Saab have been losing money for awhile.

Now I for one really don’t get it. There had to have been something there for either car company to purchase into the Swedish car companies. Some quality they were looking at, yet since the good old boys in Detroit couldn’t and haven’t figured out how to sell quality cars like there counter parts in Germany or Japan, so they are dumping the lines, blaming poor sales and no profits.

The Big 3, for years have made cars the way they wanted, sure they marketed those car to us, but it wasn’t for the betterment of the masses instead it was for the lining of corporate bank accounts.They have been using a variation of Henry Ford’s theme “They can have any color they want as long as it was black” So we will give them what we want, not what they need.

Sure America has been the largest cash cow of excess for the automotive industry worldwide for years. Americans have been eating up the marketing campaigns, telling them to have the biggest badest, vehicle on the block. Show your status, Tell people, I am in the Upper Class, that I have 3 vehicles in my driveway that cost more a month than others make. But where has that gotten us.

For years car companies have been making billions, and where is it all. Gone. Like the lottery winner who wins the jackpot, instant millionaire only to be flat broke the next year. They haven’t learned.

I still believe in the Human Spirit, and that you can take both Volvo and Saab, combine them under one Swedish roof and make exceptional cars, ones that people want to buy, ones that are fun, stylish, fuel efficient, and in doing so make a profit for the company. Isn’t making a 1 million dollar profit every year for the life of the company better than a fluctuating profit and loss year after year? To me the first one is a better value and a better company.

But you have to have vision, and have to be in the position to put that vision into place.

There are lots of companies that completely turn around from Bankruptcy to Industry Leaders.

Apple is one of them, on the verge of Bankruptcy it borrowed $200 million from Microsoft, now look at what it has become. One of the most value companies in America, the Virgin brand is another company who has changed and become bigger and better in the process.

To many corporations cut and slash, CEO see this as a way to winning. Trimming the fat is always a good thing but vision and passion is a better bet. Most top executives know the financials, yet few know their people, the employees and the customers, and forget that those people are the number 1 and number 2 assets for a company.

In my Accounting, it shows the books must balance, straight numbers yet I see too many CEO’s use straight numbers to run their companies. Which is narrow minded thinking, because numbers like conspiracy theories can say anything you want them to say. You have to be creative, your top executives have to be creative. I also believe that is what is missing in MBA programs, classes being creative.

There are few leaders that use the vision and passion along with the numbers to grow a company.

It is late in the evening and I am still on stand-by today, the trips in open time have been crazy. They have been going in an out continuously, so many calling in sick for the Christmas Holiday, now the scheduling department is asking for Volunteer Fly.

After I get this done, back to reading my Accounting book and maybe becoming creative with scheduling to get a better trip.

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