Movie Review: The Inside Job

 

 

Finance is not limited to those who study it. It is a phenomenon rather than a major or profession. Today most people in our Arab world do not understand the financial crisis of 2008 & its implications. They have no clue what CDOs mean & they do not understand how IB (Investment Banking) came to exist. That is simply because financiers made sure that they complicate financial terminologies, which in return made it easier to scam normal individuals like you and I. To have a better understanding of the financial crisis, I recommend watching the “Inside Job”, an Oscar winning documentary that stars Matt Damon as the voice behind the scenes. I found it very luring as it does not take the pace of traditional documentaries. It also tries to eliminate any boring scenery that could make it tenuous & painful to watch.

Being a finance major, I understood the financial crisis very well, as most of my banking and risk courses were based on this particular “Black Swan” & how to regulate the financial markets. Yet, I found it very hard to explain it to people outside of my major. Inside Job simplifies it & makes it interesting to watch. I think it is very important to have the whole world aware of the mess caused by a few irresponsible individuals. I think it’s as important to make people aware that most of the individuals responsible for this mess went off the hook with almost no penalizing what so ever. Most of the unethical habits have been savored & nothing has changed. Big bonuses are still checked in by high level executives and their pay is still incomprehensible by logic.

 

I won’t be ruining the movie for you, but I truly think It is a movie worth the watch. Tune into Inside Job on Netflix!

Previous Review: The Founder

 

McDonalds, McDonalds, McDonalds, what a success! Well, all credits go to a man named Ray Kroc.

 

In the mid 1950’s, after numerous attempts to sell milkshakes to restaurants, Ray Kroc suddenly got introduced to a well performing California Hamburger Stall that was getting a lot of attraction from customers. He later was able to convince its owners to franchise it and was able to turn it into the Godzilla of fast food brands. Throughout the movie, Ray Kroc stumbles upon many challenges and debates with the owners but always manages to overcome them given his supreme persistence behavior. As the franchise grows bigger, he gets greedier yet more persistent and clever. Eventually, he went on to becoming the founder of the biggest fast food restaurant in the world.

 

This movie/documentary offers amazing insights into the world of franchising and the challenges that come with it in terms of competition, sales and creativity. One of the concepts showcased in the movie and emphasized upon is the importance of evolving and changing in business. Ray Croc who started as a partner and franchisee of the Mcdonald’s brand was always an enthusiast of adding new ideas, products, innovations and services. Whereas, the McDonald’s brothers (The Founders) were satisfied with the status quo and against any idea proposed to enhance the business and innovate on the products and service. We all know that businesses that fail to change and innovate die one way or another for change is the only constant.

Another concept of importance was the value of customer service and satisfaction, Mcdonald’s was one of the innovators in terms of Total Quality Management. This was mainly through the way the kitchen was designed, the division of labor inside the kitchen and the speedy service to the customers who by the way got their food by waitresses to their cars.

This bright, absorbing biopic – in a very real sense, a monster movie – sets out how he did it. It’s eye-opening, well-acted, and darkly entertaining.

 

 

 

Patience, persistence and perspiration make an unbeatable combination for success.   “Napoleon Hill”

Movie Review: Joy

Joy

General Plot:

 

The story of an entrepreneur called Joy , who is leading a very difficult life full of adversity.  Joy is attempting to create an empire from her product. A cleaning mop!.The movie truly portrays the challenges, failures and circumstantial issues that face many people who attempt to start their own businesses.

Why Should you watch it?

Many business students dream of starting their own business one day, mainly to leave the corporate world and be their own boss. This movie provides amazing insight on the reality of such choices and teaches valuable lessons on persistence and perseverance.

 

Lesson learned:

“You make your own luck”