3/07/2007
We've moved (viturally anyay)
2/17/2007
80 degrees in the middle of winter
2/15/2007
CU Football is Back!
2/14/2007
Darius Goes West
2/12/2007
Anniversary Bike Ride in Santa Barbara
- Name: SB Bike Ride
- Activity: Cycling
- Location: Santa Barbara, CA, USA
- Total Time (h:m:s): 01:00:00
- Moving speed (mph): 15.8 (avg.) 16.9 (max.)
- Distance (miles): 15.8
- Elevation Gain: 800 ft
Resource for bloggers
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2/01/2007
3 years and counting: Wedding Anniversary
US Population reaches 300 Million (in October)
As for a teaser, below are other figures released by the Census Bureau. They show how America has been changing since previous population milestones.
- In 1915, immigrant citizens came mostly from Germany; in 1967 from Italy; and in 2006 mostly from Mexico
- The average US family had 4.5 people in 1915, 3.3 in 1967 and 2.6 in 2006
- Some 45.9% of Americans were property owners in 1915. That grew to 63.6% in 1967 and reached 68.9% in 2006
- There were 4.5 million people aged 65 and older in 1915, or 4.5%; 19.1 million in 1967 (9.5%) and 36.8 million in 2006 (12.4%)
- Life expectancy was 54.5 years in 1915, 70.5 years in 1967 and 77.8 years in 2006
- About 23% of women were in the work force in 1915, compared to 41% in 1967 and 58% in 2006
- There were 2.5 million cars in 1915, 98.9 million in 1967 and 237.2 million in 2006
- John and Mary topped the list of most popular names in 1915; Michael and Lisa were favourites in 1967; and Jacob and Emily were preferred in 2006.
1/20/2007
How far did you walk/run?
- The walk/run route around Balboa Island is 2.6185 miles.
- http://www.gmap-pedometer.com/?r=655635
- My first bike ride of 2007 was about 9.0527 miles.
- http://www.gmap-pedometer.com/?r=655800
1/19/2007
Free 411 Calls
1/16/2007
A lesson from Bobby Knight?
But thats not really what I appreciate most about you (referring to the NCAA win record). When I was at Indiana you were on 60 Minutes. In your interview you said one single thing that I took to heart. I reminded myself of it while it was in school at Indiana. I reminded myself of it when I failed. I reminded myself of it before any of the many businesses I have started I will continue to remind myself before any of my endeavors going forward. Its also the best advice I've been able to give people of any age who ask me for advice. Its also the characteristic I look for when choosing a partner or hiring. I saw it in Avery Johnson. Ive seen it in Phil Garvin. It was obvious in Todd Wagner and Martin Woodall and many, many others that have put me in a position to succeed. You said, and Im paraphrasing: "Everyone has got the will to win, its only those with the will to prepare that do win" Words for every athlete and those of us who partake in the Sport of Business to live by Thanks Coach.Mark Cuban's Post I need to write it out myself: Everyone has the will to win, it's only those with the will to prepare that do win.
1/15/2007
Classic Startup Mistakes
1/11/2007
Best Web 2.0 Acquisition Bait
1. FACEBOOK This social networking site is gaining on MySpace as the hipster destination. Reportedly, it spurned a $750 million offer in hopes of netting $2 billion.
2. DIGG Claiming 20 million users a month, Digg is the Mack Daddy of news filters. News Corp. is rumored to have flirted with a purchase, but Rupert rejected the reported $150 million asking price.
3. TECHMEME Think Google News for tech blogs. The well-trafficked aggregator also has drill-downs for gossip, politics, and baseball. A deep-pocketed owner could easily extend it to dozens of other niches.
4. WIKIPEDIA You know it. Heck, you prob-ably contribute to it. The crush of traffic would be a financial windfall for any buyer, but the site is famously independent. Founder Jimmy Wales won’t even accept banner ads.
5. ZILLOW Thanks to this real estate data hound, everyone can know what you paid for your house, give or take a few grand. Accuracy is questionable, but every savvy home buyer has the site bookmarked.
6. TECHNORATI How else do you find out what the blogosphere is saying? The site tracks 59.7 million blogs, a few of which might even be talking smack about you.
7. WORDPRESS The new de rigueur blog-management software, WordPress is favored by the majority of high-traffic posters. One caveat: It’s open source and unlikely to accept a corporate come-on.
8. FEEDBURNER Probably the largest, most reliable provider of RSS services, FeedBurner cleans up and reformats RSS for blog sites. It then channels the feeds to nearly 30 million subscribers.
9. 37SIGNALS With its vaunted collection of Web-based collaboration and shared productivity tools (to-do lists, calendars, and so forth), 37signals offers the most genuinely useful service here.
10. RIYA This photo-search engine’s signature site, like.com, helps shoppers find celebrity-look-alike fashions. Still in alpha, it might change the way we sort through images.
I'm familiar, and a user, of 7 of the top ten. I've heard of Riya and Wordpress but have not used either and I've never heard of Techmeme. I'll have to check those out soon. Kudos to Facebook though. I would agree that they are next up in the major web 2.0 acquisition game.
1/09/2007
Make It Beautiful
For you created my inmost being; you knit me together in my mother's womb. I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made; your works are wonderful, I know that full well. My frame was not hidden from you when I was made in the secret place. When I was woven together in the depths of the earth, your eyes saw my unformed body. All the days ordained for me were written in your book before one of them came to be.—Psalm 139:13-16In November of last year, a young girl named Courtney suddenly passed away a few days before her 20th birthday due to complications from a bone marrow transplant. I never met or knew this radiant young woman, but her story has touched me deeply. The family’s online journal tells a story of grief, confusion, courage and, above all, thankfulness, faith and love. Below is an excerpt Courtney’s mom wrote in the journal five days after, as she put it, her youngest daughter earned her wings.
“I have spent much of the past 24 hours looking back on Courtney’s life and the view of her life that I was lucky enough to get a glimpse of. As a very young girl, Courtney was really a Mama’s girl, always by my side - she truly was my baby…When I first learned that Courtney had cancer in Sept. 2000, I thought to myself, she is such a little girl - so fragile. I wasn’t sure that she could handle what she was about to be forced to. But I was wrong, she was so strong - she never asked why, she never felt sorry for herself - not in 2000 and not in 2006. She accepted her life and made it beautiful…As a mom, who is mourning her daughter, I know that Courtney would want me to pass along a few words of advice. Love your children (and family) like there is no tomorrow - hug them tighter, smile at them brighter and be sure to tell them you love them as often as you can.”SOURCE: Family blog Each person was made special, delicately woven by his or her Maker. God makes no mistake and knows the plans He has for us and our bodies. One of the beauties of this family’s journal is that they understand this. Courtney’s family knows that God has a plan for her even when her body, that He created, got too weak and sick to be here. The family misses her terribly, but they know she served God’s purpose on earth and they’re thankful for the gift of their time with her. Courtney was a girl who never felt sorry for herself and accepted her life and made it beautiful. None of us has the promise of tomorrow. You do have this promise: You have a Maker who made no mistake in how He created you. He made you the right size, shape, temperament and personality. My suggestion? Make sure you are making your life beautiful using what God gave you, like Courtney did. GOING DEEPER: 1. You have been given the exact right genetic make-up. How can you use what God has given you to make your life beautiful, no matter the circumstance? 2. Who in your life do you need to hug a little tighter? FURTHER READING: Ephesians 2:10; Philippians 4:13-14; James 4:14-15
1/04/2007
Free Hugs
Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for men, since you know that you will receive an inheritance from the Lord as a reward. It is the Lord Christ you are serving.—Colossians 3:23-24
In September of 2006, a video was released on the popular Internet site YouTube. The video took place in a walking mall in Sydney, Australia and showed a man, known as “Juan Mann,” holding a sign offering “Free Hugs.” As you watch the video, you see person after person walk by and ignore this hugger. In fact, at one point the police make him stop. People eventually warm up to the man and the video ends with many people approaching him for a hug. Months after the video’s release, nearly 7 million people have viewed it; all over the world, “Free Hug” campaigns are being held as a way to give a gift with no expectation in return.
Mann simply did this because he felt that sometimes people just need a hug to feel better. In fact, the first woman who stopped for a hug shared that that very morning, which was the year anniversary of her daughter’s death, her dog had died. All she needed this day when she felt so alone was a hug. And there was Mann to give it to her, freely.
I remember as a kid being challenged to do one nice thing for someone every day without expecting anything in return. Sometimes it is hard to do something for someone else unless you know you will get a “thank you” or a pat on the back or the favor returned. The Lord calls us to a different standard. We are to work with all our heart for an audience of one, God alone. We are not to work and toil for the approval or applause of man. We are to serve and give out of purity and thankfulness of heart.
What have you done lately for someone else without expectation of anything in return?
GOING DEEPER: 1. What can you do today for somebody else? 2. With whom do you work or interact who needs a hug in the form of grace or encouragement or understanding or help? Perhaps you should extend that to them this week. FURTHER READING: Leviticus 19:18; Proverbs 16:3; 1 Thessalonians 5:11
12/27/2006
The President's Putter
The President’s Putter Rye – isn’t that where they play the President’s Putter? Yes it is, since 1920 in fact. The Oxford & Cambridge Golfing Society, founded 22 years earlier for ex-participants in the golf match between the two universities, decided in addition to fixtures against various clubs to hold an annual meeting at Rye in early January. The format of the main event is scratch match play, the basis of university golf, and currently attracts a field of about 160. Thus the winner must survive seven or even eight rounds over four days, frequently in adverse weather, without undue delay since at that time of the year play is only possible between 8.00 am. and 4.30 pm. But herein lies the genius of the instigators, for the length of the evenings provides ample opportunity for sociable reunion, if not an obstacle course for those aspiring to success on the following day. Nearly everyone stays in or around the ancient Cinque Port of Rye, where amid its cobbled streets a myriad of inns and restaurants contributes to the congeniality. Players range in age from 20 to 70, some playing regularly – David Hayes the 2006 winner with a handicap of plus two – others barely picking up a club from one year to the next as work and family commitments intervene. Nevertheless the Old Course at Rye can be a great leveller and with the greens at their slickest and best in winter, never truer was the adage that ‘the man who can putt is a match for anyone’. Serious fun is the theme, exemplified by the presentation of a silver medal to the winner in exchange for the victorious ball. On the back of the medal are inscribed the Latin words ‘Primus inter pares’, which are freely translated by everyone else as ‘he was lucky to win’.
12/26/2006
Body Scans and Green Juice
- FDA Body Scan Information
- Questionable use of Body Scanners (used for fitting clothing- wow Cornell, is that research?)
12/23/2006
FT article on Said Business School (Oxford)
10/29/2006
Odeo
This interview was hosted by Brendan Greeley, the blogger-in-chief for the US public radio program Open Source, and the author of The Economist’s survey on new media, Andreas Kluth.
10/26/2006
10/18/2006
Welcome Back!
WeThink
The basic argument is very simple. Most creativity is collaborative. It combines different views, disciplines and insights in new ways. The opportunities for creative collaboration are expanding the whole time. The number of people who could be participants in these creative conversations is going up largely thanks to the communications technologies that now give voice to many more people and make it easier for them to connect. As a result we are developing new ways to be innovative and creative at mass scale. We can be organised without having an organisation. People can combine their ideas and skills without a hierarchy to coordinate their activities. Many of the ingredients of these forms of self-organised creative collaboration are not new - peer review for example has been around a long time in academia. But what is striking about Wikipedia, Linux, Second Life, Youtube and many more is the way they take familiar ingredients and combine them to allow people to collaborate creatively at mass scale.The rest is here: http://www.wethinkthebook.net
Charles Leadbeater is one the world's leading authorities on innovation and creativity in organisations. He has advised companies, cities and governments around the world on innovation strategy and drawn on that experience in writing his latest book We-think: why mass creativity is the next big thing, which charts the rise of mass, participative approaches to innovation from science and open source software, to computer games and political campaigning.
10/17/2006
10/16/2006
Rehearsal Dinner Video
The video shown at the rehearsal dinner. More pictures and videos to come from the wedding.
Write and Read E-mails Better
- Use a subject line to summarize, not describe.
- When you copy lots of people (a heinous practice that should be used sparingly), mark out why each person should care.
- Use separate messages rather than bcc (blind carbon copy)
- Make action requests clear.
- Make your e-mail one page or less.
- Understand how people prefer to be reached and how quickly they respond.
- Check e-mail at defined times each day.
- Use a paper "response list" to triage messages before you do any follow-up.
- Charge people for sending you messages. [I like this one]
- Answer briefly.
- Ignore it.
Stever Robbins is an authority on overwhelm in the workplace. A veteran of nine startups (can you say: overwhelm to the max?) over 25 years, Stever co-designed the "Foundations" segment of Harvard's MBA program. He is the author of It Takes a Lot More than Attitude to Lead a Stellar Organization, and has appeared on CNN-fn and in the Wall Street Journal, Investors Business Daily and Harvard Business Review. Stever and his monthly newsletter can be found at http://SteverRobbins.com/.
10/12/2006
Drive home from Yahoo! Music
10/04/2006
Google vs. Yahoo
- E-mail funcationality (Advantage Google)
- E-mail loyalty (Advantage Yahoo!)
- Webhosting (Advantage Yahoo!)
- Search (Adv Google)
- Personal page. i.e., My Yahoo!, Personalized Page (Adv Google)
- Fantasy Sports (Adv Yahoo!)
- News (Adv Yahoo!)
- Finance (Adv Yahoo!)
- Overall style (Adv Google)
- Content (Adv Yahoo!)
10/03/2006
Home-price comparison
9/10/2006
Oxford MBA Graduation
Kelly created a short video with images from the last week at Oxford. Hear Graeme Glover sing at the graduation ceremony and view pictures from the Turf Tavern, Sheldonian Theatre, and the Examination building. You can also see a few more pictures at www.mcfaddenplace.com (click on graduation link) |
9/09/2006
Off to the Sheldonian
9/05/2006
1,000 miles for Alzheimer's
9/04/2006
Nigerian Report on Team Oxford
Glitt Personality They are four MBA students from the prestigious Oxford University. A Chinese lady, Lijun Jiang; Michael J Mcfadden and Jayne Thorpe, both from the US; and from the home turf, Timothy Ojo. And what is the quartet's mission to Nigeria? They are on an eight-week Oxford/Access Scheme with particular focus on leveraging the strategy and service delivery content of retail banking. While imparting ideas on brand strategy, service delivery standards and knowledge retail banking to Access Bank Plc., they are expected to take back home something of the work ethic, business philosophy, culture, socio-economic milieu and even political peculiarities of both Access Bank Plc and Nigeria. The scenario is expected to enrich the cross-Atlantic knowledge bank. Incidentally, this is the first such project between Access and Oxford. Actually, the first with any bank in Nigeria. Beyond this, it is also the first such project from the MBA class in Oxford to come to Nigeria. Obviously this scenario surely transcends retail banking. But then in knowledge acquisition projects, apparently setting too stringent boundaries may defeat the fundamental attraction of the quest. Shaka Momodu encountered the four knowlegde 'explorers' to glean something of their quest within the larger context of Access Bank's courting of the sector's knowledge edge to move them to the next level... Lijun Jiang We open with the the Chinese lady Lijun Jiang, bowing to the old English tradition of 'ladies first'. What the ancient Chinese culture, which predates the English, has to say on this is a matter for another expose. She comes across as a very focused personality. She speaks politely but with the alluring unmistakeable lilt of her Chinese tongue. Who is Lijun Jiang? "My name is Lijun Jiang. I come from China and I have worked with China commercial bank for more than 16 years. I graduated from Beijing University, which is one of the best Universities in China. I studied English Literature and Language for my undergraduate degree. I have spent 12 years working in the Foreign Exchange section of the bank and four years as a branch manager, I was also in charge of Marketing and Operations. I also worked as the General Manager of Commercial and Financial Department." Why is Jiang on this Oxford/Access scheme? She smiled, looking somewhat amused "We are very fortunate that Access Bank could offer us this precious opportunity to be part of this wonderful project in Africa. And one of the reasons that I am also interested in it is the fact it has afforded me opportunity to come Africa. Another reason is that I think that I can contribute to the Retail Business in Access Bank." Has Jiang learnt anything in the past seven weeks she's been in Nigeria, especially concerning Access Bank? She took a deep breath, then paused. "This bank is young but very forward thinking especially its top management. They are set to lift this bank to the world class commercial - retail bank. The technology level is quit high, they have made a lot of investments in the technology which is one of the most advanced in the world, to increase their competencies. "This is quite impressive, but in terms of Retail banking I think it is not just only Access Bank, all the other Nigerian banks are at the starting point, compared to China. We would help them develop strategies to their brands, especially retail brand, we also tried to develop a blueprint for Retail banking which I think it is one of the most important issues that the bank has to confront." Jiang seems to place a lot of emphases on retail banking. Is that her area of specialization in China? "That is what we are going to contribute, they asked us to do that Access Bank used to be very strong in proper banking and commercial banking, they have strong potentials to grow and they are quite passionate the future of the bank. And am impressed. Nigerian people we decent, they love new things, they people want to do business with the bank. I see great potentials here." The passion was clearly unmistakable, and the temptation to probe her further was irresistable. "I can come back in the future to develop matual business between Access bank and China bank, for now, I have to go back to my bank because I was sponsored by them, it is quite interesting because China bank is also undergoing very rapid growth and we must exchange ideas and experience. I would encourage my bank to her into a relationship with Access bank." Impressed by her sharp understanding it was naturally interesting to find out what she learnt about the bank, the people and culture. "We visited some cultural sites and we watched some events. We have made a lot of contacts with the Nigerian people and some are good in persons, such as the bank's staff here. They are quite dedicated to their work, they have the strong ambition to make their bank the leading bank here but generally the living condition here especially the infrastructure, are quite backward compare even with China. They still have a long way to improve the whole country, investments environment and the peoples living standards. They must try to solve the problems of poverty and the health issues because a member of our team is down with a very serious high malaria." Michael J. Mcfadden He flaunts the usual American confidence. And with good reason. He has the professional track record and wherewithal to back it up. Who is Mcfadden? "My name is Michael J Mcfadden, a student at the University of Oxford, studying business for MBA. I am originally from the United States, from California, working for the food manufacturer, Head of New Products and Marketing. I came over to Oxford for my MBA to round off my marketing experience in finance and entrepreneural skills. I chose Access bank to come and work in Lagos, Nigeria for a few reasons. One of those reasons I wanted to come and work with Access bank is that it is a growing company that has ernomous potentials operating in a highly competitive banking industry. The opportunity to come in and make impact over the weeks and to work with such a vibrant team are irresistible." Did he chose Access Bank on his own? And before now did he know about Access bank? "We chose Access on our own. Basically there are 50 projects which students go and work in different countries of the world. Some go for IBM in New Zealand, in India, working for government areas. Our perception and views on Access bank to become a world class bank. "Throughout the year before I came here I have been aware of Access Bank. I came from the United States I was performing entrepreneur tasks at Oxford, England, getting to know more about the industry. We have six Nigerians on the project, so I was able to learn quite a bit about Nigeria and I got to come over here. So, I am here to learn and I am in the middle of the seventh week, I am spending eight weeks." According McFadden, choosing Nigeria was influenced by couple of reasons. "One, I guess there is a lot of options to coming into West Africa. Why did I decide to come to Nigeria? A country that has so much potentials and is moving in a very clear and delicate situation. Over the next five years it is going to be ten times greater, so to be here in the midst of that and to be a part and hopefully contributing to that moving forward was quite an honour." In his perception, what exactly does this programme aim to achieve? He wasted no time articulating the objectives of their mission. "We had a couple of objectives in coming down here, one is to help establish the Retails brand of Access bank so as Access is strong in commercial and corporate bank but it can also position itself in the marketplace as a retail bank. We are doing that to help bring marketing and consumer skills into the banking and into the group. They have a strong team there to help bring certain knowledge and we have certain experiences. "The second aspect of our objective was to bring in some service delivery standard not only in the retail but in the bank as a whole. We have been doing that with several other sectors within Nigeria. You see what Virgin Nigeria has accomplished within their short stay here. One of the members of our team Lijan is from China and has spent 16 years working for a bank there. So, there is a lot of experience to kind of transfer down here." What is his assessment of the bank so far? Listen to him. "On a personal standpoint, I have being very impressed with the professionalism, the attention to details, and the vision of the team of managers for the bank. We didn't actually appreciate what we were stepping into and so as we have spent 7 weeks and we have seen the DNA of the company. It has been fascinating to see the diligence, the hardworking culture, which is a culture thing within Access bank. There is hardwork and determination among the workers, we have been quite impressed at all levels. I am impressed with the Aig, the Managing Director, am impressed with all levels within the number of branches." What has he seen so far that is different from what he is learning in Oxford and where he comes from? "In the UK, their service is poor in retail banking. So, to come here and know that there is a striving for improved standard, striving to be world class is an thing amazement to me. There are still a number of parts that need to move and work together but I would that say that of the banking industry as a whole, especially, the consolidation of the past year which is still young. But it has made a huge start that would eventually lead it to a world-class company, comparable to any other in the world." How would what he has learnt here benefit the Business School in Oxford ? "I will tell you one thing that I will be taking away is seeing how running a business within a country whose political situation is where it is, coming up in an election year it is fragile. It has made a huge step forward but now we are coming into another part to see how a strong bank like Access is moving in a certain direction. On top of that, in such a competitive industry you can read case studies, you can look at the way businesses function in the UK, in Europe, in the US but to be in the middle of a Ground Zero is fascinating." What is he taking away from Access Bank? "One thing that I would take away for sure is the work ethics, there were days that I left the office at 11.00pm and I was not the last person to leave. Every day, I would get up at 6.00 a.m and you find people already working in the office. The workers there work extremely hard, I would take that away for sure. "The other thing that I would take away is the youthful spirit, the energy, the excitement are the other things that I would take away from Access Bank. Then the pride in an healthy way, the people at Access Bank are proud to be there, you don't necessary see that in every business across the world." If Access Bank offers him the opportunity to work with them, would he accept? "I would consider it, I brought my wife here for the first four weeks that I was here. She back home now in California, I would give it a big consideration." Did he make friends? Mcfadden answeres in the affirmative. Is this the first partnership work between Access Bank and Oxford University? "This is the first project between Access and Oxford and it is the first with any bank in Nigeria, this is the first project from the MBA class in Oxford to come to Nigeria. There have been few projects in South Africa, in Egypt, in Morocco, but this is the first project with any bank. We hope that the relationship continues, we have improved. We have learnt immensely." Lastly, would he consider settling in Nigeria and if not what would he take away from Nigeria as a whole? "I don't know if we would permanently stay over a long time because of our families, maybe when we have a direct flight to LA, but it would be wonderful for both countries if we could restore direct flights. I will be leaving on Friday, August 25. I would take away the laughter, the smiles in the country are quite inspiring, I would take those things away. And interestingly, you could shop in the traffic, just anything. It is amazing." Jayne Thorpe She is the second American in the Oxford quartet. A lively fellow in all the senses who brings some precision to her talks. Hear her: "My name is Jayne Thorpe and I am from North Carolina in the United States, I am from a family of five children where everyone else is a doctor but I am the Black sheep, I am an Accountant. I decided to go to Business School because I wanted to get more of finance. I decided on Oxford Business School because I wanted to do a one year programme and of course I wanted the international experience." Why did she choose to come to Nigeria? "I had this thing in my head that I want to go to Africa and so when the offer came I saw it as an opportunity that would be just perfect. What we here to do but wasn't my strength which is marketing but it involves Retail Banking. We had a very well rounded team." Why not South Africa and what has she learnt from this programme? "I wanted to spend the entire period in Africa so that I can get a grip of it, the other reason is that I came to introduce a project which has been very well received. I think that we came down here with a different perspective on what we are going to be able to achieve and what we have achieved. I think we have achieved a lot more than we thought we are going to achieve as far as helping to develop a retail banking is concerned. We helped develop new products including products that would hopefully be launched very soon and the ones that would be launched next year. "We also helped developed financing models by making sure that the products are profitable or what actually is the goal of a particular product. If your new product is customer acquisition then we are not going to think of making some profits. Another thing about the bank is it quality service management and we are excited about what we have been able to do here." What is his assessement of the bank itself? Right now I feel very, very good. Their marketing skill is phenomenonal and their energy is incredible with everyone working so late in the night yet they will be at their desks by 7.00am the next day. I feel very inspired, I see the people as the member resource that the bank has." Tell me, if the opportunity to work for Access Bank presents itself, would she accept it? She laughs: "May be in the future, near future. I intend to come back to Africa." What has she learnt about Nigeria within the short period of stay? "They are very business-minded and sociable. I visited an orphanage here in order to see the real Africa not just looking at it from inside of a bank. Corporate responsibility make institutions leaders in their sectors and there is much more to be done to uplift the society." Can she make a bit of comparison between working for a bank in Nigeria and the United States? "I have worked with a retail bank before doing some other work but they did not work this hard. Banking in Nigeria, keeps bankers on their toes 24 hours a day. In New York city people work so hard, Access Bank would be a fine comparison to that. I have worked in Chicago, generally, Americans are hardworking people. But I have learnt here that Nigerians are just as hardworking. I really appreciate that." What is she taking away from Access Bank? "What I learnt was the way to work at strategy. And it is great." Timothy Ojo The fourth member of the visiting Oxford MBA class is Mr. Timothy Ojo. He holds a Bachelor's Degree in Economics from the Obafemi Awolowo University Ife, He has over 8 years professional banking experience in between Nigeria and the UK during which he has garnered relevant experience across key banking functions which includes business development, product development, relationship management and core banking operations. Prior to his MBA programme at the prestigious Oxford University, He worked with the Small Business division of the retail-banking arm of Barclays, where he was substantially involved in client relationship management. While at Barclays, Timothy was involved in the re-design of one of the banks leading business products and prior to that helped set-up the Wealth Management unit at Skabol Finance and Investment Management Ltd. He has worked with a couple of Nigerian Banks amongst which include EcoBank Nigeria, Fidelity Bank and Equitorial Trust Bank. He currently led a team of 4 Oxford University students to Access Bank Plc on a Strategic Consulting Project as part of the assessment for the MBA programme and building partnerships across international borders. Timothy is a recipient of the University of Oxford's SBS Scholarship Award.
8/28/2006
Kelly and Michael Reunite!
8/27/2006
Jayne Thorpe Update
8/14/2006
A Link to Getting a Job in Silicon Valley
8/10/2006
Golfing in Lagos: some good shots and better shocks
8/09/2006
Malaria hits our team. What about the others?
7/31/2006
Week 4: Kelly's last week in Nigeria
7/27/2006
Class of 96 - Laser Optics Picture
7/26/2006
VIDEO: A Day in the Life in Lagos
An Oxford MBA team is spending 8 weeks in Lagos on a consulting project with Access Bank. In the next 3.5 minutes, mcfaddenplace productions will take you to where the team, Jayne Thorpe, Lijun Jiang, Timothy Ojo, and Michael McFadden, are working diligently on their task at hand. Be on the watch out for a special guest appearance by Kelly McFadden. |