Whats the most important subject did you learn from your MBA studies?

Nation building via learning and being the best in business

Is it strategy, financial management, marketing?

Early on in my career as a businessman, right after MBA, and fresh from stint as a marketing guy in a Filipino pharma multinational, we decided to put up a business.   And this post was frantic on what essential skills and knowledge must I be prepared with to handle the unknown task ahead.  Was it strategy, HR, marketing, finance or operations?    No.

I weighed things  and said it was Entrepreneurship.   I had only one book on the subject and it was even based in USA and not with practical PHL examples.  Thats all I had.

And there was this Regional Head of a computer company  who decided she will marry and reside in USA.  She will put up a business.  What skills will she need?    Entrepreneruship.  And thats what I taught at GSB.

Thats what you need as a start up -  knowledge of ENTREPREURSHIP

Can Cassava (kamoteng kahoy) be a rice substitute

Looking forward to the future of business

My uncle (as seasoned agri businessman) and I were discussing what possible businesses to introduce to constituents of an elected relative to provincial positions.  While mine was agri forestry which takes 5 or more years to harvest, he proposed cassava.  It grows every where is not dependent on too much water, not prone to diseases and not very much affected by typhoons.  It bears tubers in five years or less.

Why not try?

He suggests area of 100 hectares or more mechanized.    Cassava can be used for flour, startch (as what Liwayway now Oishi did) ethanol, pharmaceutical and confectionary and beauty products (as sorbitol)

and even biogradable plastic

While the issue of rice importation, tariffs are highly politicized, may it be suggested that we work on substitutes or alternatives.