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”

5 Things To Consider Before Doing Your Masters

 

Taking the decision of going abroad is never an easy one, it usually requires some planning and some decision making to make sure it’s the best fit. When choosing to do masters program abroad you should consider the following:

 

The Program:

Choosing a suitable masters program is one of the toughest decisions I had to make. It’s the kind of decision with the point of no return ( especially if you paid your tuition at the beginning).

When considering a business program apart from the general MBA which requires some years of experience, you have 3 options.

1. Choose a continuation program of your major. For example: If you have a bachelors in finance you can continue a masters degree in finance, get more knowledge in the field and do your research accordingly.
2. Choose a program under the umbrella of your bachelors program. For example: Mastering in corporate finance if you have a bachelors in finance or international marketing if you studied international business or marketing.
3. Doing something completely different! For example: If you have a a bachelors in management but with a twist for an entrepreneurial spirit, doing a masters in entrepreneurship is always a great option

 

The School:

When looking for a good business school, you will be drowning in options. The choices are many, but the ones who attain certain qualities of education are a different story.

It is recommended to take a good look at the accreditations a business school has. The definition of accreditiations is:

Accreditation is a process of validation in which colleges, universities and other institutions of higher learning are evaluated. The standards for accreditation are set by a peer review board whose members include faculty from various accredited colleges and universities.

Make sure the school has at least 1 accreditation and a good reputation. This will definitely influence your job opportunities later on

 

The Courses:

Once you settle on a program, take a quick look at the courses offered for your program. The difference between what you have in mind and reality might come as a shock and influence your performance if you have no clue what to expect.

The Country:

 

Do your research on the country you plan on living in for it will be a year minimum. Check the visa requirements if you need one, the cost of living there (including food, rent and transportation). Take a quick look on the culture, things to do and student life. You are not going to be working 24/7!

Countries like France for example offer students help in rent expenses and is a great place to have fun and check the area and culture (Also, the wine is amazing)

 

The tuition:

When looking for a suitable business school, you will be surprised that many schools offer almost the same programs while having relatively the same reputations and accreditations. The only difference would be a sizable sum of tuition especially if you are interested in going to Europe. Choose wisely!

 

Stay tuned for more articles on how to choose the best business program for you!

 

 

 

 

Our trip to Paradise: The ecstasy of imagination

As kids of the 1993 generation, I remember when we used to play “kitchen”, “firefighters”, “cow boys”, “husband-wife & kids” and all these games that were spurred by our imagination. I remember when we had no access to technology, and when watching a movie meant we were going to be the characters for the next couple of months. I was Ash from Pokemon, the father in the patriot; I discovered that my Nintendo could actually make me part of the Digimon world. It was all so beautiful. That stayed the case till 9^th grade. Then the games just leveled up. I won an Oscar, a Grammy and noble prize all in the walls of my room in front of my mirror and it was announced by my deodorant pack. That beautiful one million deodorant pack was always my companion when I imagined myself singing and reading my poetry aloud. Some-how and even though I was bombarded with all this new technology, I managed to keep my dreams till I graduated university. Once I started my career, social media (what I like to call imagination inhibitors) kicked in.

 

Last month, one of my partners in Mindfortinc (Ahmad) took us to see his house in a village in Lebanon called “Jeb Jeneen”. It was all greenery and farms. We walked around picking fruits from trees (apples) and isolating ourselves from social media. It was a great experience being able to connect with nature. Somehow I felt like every breeze of air was giving me back my soul again. I felt like young Yahya was back. Lucky for me we spent a night there eating the best food and breathing the real essence of oxygen. Days later, I had the chance to roommate with my roommate when I was back in University (also one of the partners at Mindfortinc “Hamed”). The conversations we had sounded like our old selves. We were dreaming again, we re-set our goals and somehow our vision of our future clarified. It dawned on me here that maybe social media has enough toxicity to overweigh its pros. Maybe we all need to take a step back from social media and isolate ourselves every now and then just to be in-touch with our 5 year old selves so we can remember the taste of imagination.

 

This brings me to a bigger concern. If our generation is starting to forget what imagination felt like, what about the generation that hasn’t tasted it in the first place? A generation that learned to play with ipads & iphones before they even learned talking. I think it is worthwhile to take a minute and think of how this impacts the future of business & the world. Would Thomas Edison have created the light bulb if there were no imagination? Would Steve jobs create the iphone
? Or Henry Ford create the car?

 

 

Get Out Of Your Head!

Have you ever felt so bored and helpless? Of course you did. Remember some occasions where you just wanted time to pass and get done with it. For students and people seeking a good experience, feeling bored and being stuck, counting seconds is part of the package.

Whether you are in a boring class or you are just having a dull day in your internship, you conclude that you just aren’t feeling it! I remember attending certain classes where I spent half of it staring at the wall and the other half scrolling through my Facebook page.

This mental  system is something I have devised to help get me back on track. It is very simple and will help you re-motivate and reset. After you’re done daydreaming or scrolling through your social media ,just ask yourself a couple of questions

1.Why am I here doing this?

2.What will be the end results after all of this is over?

3.Who am I doing this for?

4.What value will it add eventually?

Thinking about the answers gets you into a state of awareness. That new state will help you acknowledge that pulling through this class is a must to get your degree, or getting through this certain project will help you add a valuable experience on your resume. When you feel too comfortable or stuck in your comfort zone, ask yourself these questions, re-invigorate yourself and get to work!

 

Show me the Money!

This is the kind of article talking about a couple of examples where some kind of knowledge comes in handy. For a young business student or fresh graduate,