Comments on: Hitting the Books http://www.scottcorner.org/2007/hitting-the-books/ A Notebook of Ideas and Experiences Fri, 21 Nov 2008 23:44:09 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.0.2 by: James http://www.scottcorner.org/2007/hitting-the-books/#comment-3400 Wed, 30 May 2007 15:01:25 +0000 http://www.scottcorner.org/2007/hitting-the-books/#comment-3400 We are Windows-only. I find that a well-trained Excel user is much more efficient than a user employing a canned planning system. Most retail companies (even the big ones) still use Excel as the basis for inventory planning. The job is too flexible to respond well to a traditional monolithic systems approach. We are Windows-only. I find that a well-trained Excel user is much more efficient than a user employing a canned planning system. Most retail companies (even the big ones) still use Excel as the basis for inventory planning. The job is too flexible to respond well to a traditional monolithic systems approach.

]]> by: jared http://www.scottcorner.org/2007/hitting-the-books/#comment-3399 Wed, 30 May 2007 14:55:59 +0000 http://www.scottcorner.org/2007/hitting-the-books/#comment-3399 yes, sounds like very intellectually rewarding stuff, my job used to have that fascination, though now it has petered out and the challenge is mostly gone. are you guys a windows only shop, or do you deal with linux on the IT side? as I recall, it seemed like your tool of choice was Excel yes, sounds like very intellectually rewarding stuff, my job used to have that fascination, though now it has petered out and the challenge is mostly gone.

are you guys a windows only shop, or do you deal with linux on the IT side?

as I recall, it seemed like your tool of choice was Excel

]]> by: James http://www.scottcorner.org/2007/hitting-the-books/#comment-3398 Wed, 30 May 2007 14:52:36 +0000 http://www.scottcorner.org/2007/hitting-the-books/#comment-3398 Jared, I work in the inventory planning area at Coldwater Creek. We manage the company's inventory investiment and basically decide where to send product and when, based on how different locations perform at different times of year. I used to work in the actual planning of inventory but now am a "process" manager, meaning that I spend my time trying to figure out how to improve our process or introduce new processes. I work with IT on new systems implementations and also build some systems myself. I find it requires a lot of creativity and constant learning to figure out how to proceed to the next level of efficiency. Jared, I work in the inventory planning area at Coldwater Creek. We manage the company's inventory investiment and basically decide where to send product and when, based on how different locations perform at different times of year. I used to work in the actual planning of inventory but now am a "process" manager, meaning that I spend my time trying to figure out how to improve our process or introduce new processes. I work with IT on new systems implementations and also build some systems myself. I find it requires a lot of creativity and constant learning to figure out how to proceed to the next level of efficiency.

]]> by: jared http://www.scottcorner.org/2007/hitting-the-books/#comment-3397 Wed, 30 May 2007 12:33:09 +0000 http://www.scottcorner.org/2007/hitting-the-books/#comment-3397 by business manager, are you over a specific department, or over all departments - as in the COO, if it is not too personal, I would be interested in what you do as a business manager. by business manager, are you over a specific department, or over all departments - as in the COO, if it is not too personal, I would be interested in what you do as a business manager.

]]> by: James http://www.scottcorner.org/2007/hitting-the-books/#comment-3391 Thu, 24 May 2007 20:12:28 +0000 http://www.scottcorner.org/2007/hitting-the-books/#comment-3391 I've always considered that life is too short to have only one career, so a major part of why I want an MBA is so that I can make a career change later in life. My two favorite ideas now are (1) business / computer education in developing countries, or (2) teaching at a university. But I'm afraid both those options pay quite poorly, and at this point in life, money matters. But once I've had my fun in the corporate world I'd really like to make the switch. For now, an MBA will help me climb the proverbial corporate ladder, which in practice means more interesting work and more management responsibility. A lot of my coworkers talk about working for themselves, but you have to be realistic. I work 45 hours a week for excellent pay, three weeks of vacation, and benefits to my retirement savings and insurance. If I was self-employed, I would be working twice as many hours, no benefits, and no vacation. Yes, some people working for themselves do become wildly successful but it's certainly not the norm among the self-employed people I know. Plus, there is a tremendous load of stress that descends on a person when you know you are solely responsible for bringing in the bacon: doing all your own marketing, taxes, financing, loans, accounting. You have to be a certain type of person to enjoy that kind of stress. And BTW, I've found that in general I have been rewarded for my hard work and ingenuity, even in the corporate setting. It's certainly not as immediate but it does come. I've always considered that life is too short to have only one career, so a major part of why I want an MBA is so that I can make a career change later in life. My two favorite ideas now are (1) business / computer education in developing countries, or (2) teaching at a university. But I'm afraid both those options pay quite poorly, and at this point in life, money matters. But once I've had my fun in the corporate world I'd really like to make the switch. For now, an MBA will help me climb the proverbial corporate ladder, which in practice means more interesting work and more management responsibility.

A lot of my coworkers talk about working for themselves, but you have to be realistic. I work 45 hours a week for excellent pay, three weeks of vacation, and benefits to my retirement savings and insurance. If I was self-employed, I would be working twice as many hours, no benefits, and no vacation. Yes, some people working for themselves do become wildly successful but it's certainly not the norm among the self-employed people I know. Plus, there is a tremendous load of stress that descends on a person when you know you are solely responsible for bringing in the bacon: doing all your own marketing, taxes, financing, loans, accounting. You have to be a certain type of person to enjoy that kind of stress.

And BTW, I've found that in general I have been rewarded for my hard work and ingenuity, even in the corporate setting. It's certainly not as immediate but it does come.

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