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Data and Decisions

There is a lot of talk around data science, analytics and visualization today. Big data, machine learning and artificial intelligence are changing the way we understand and influence the surrounding environment and society through analysis and manipulation of fluxes of data. We request for fresh data on a regular basis, from our colleagues, our bosses, our clients, institutions and online public sources such as open data ones. We want them to be clean, reliable, and accessible to extract useful information and knowledge in an easy and shareable way but: Do we really know what are the relevant data we need? Do we always extract knowledge from them?  Are we really able to take informed decisions based on them?  Do we really know how to deal with information overflow ? Do we know how to avoid misinterpreting data with the risk of taking wrong decisions? "Data and decision"is a tough subject to talk about today. Further to involve the understanding of statistics and
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Meetings and Presentations: Strategies and Techniques for Crafting and Planning

Working into a business requires managers and most employees to make presentations. The real challenge is to make them relevant, time efficient and hopefully enjoyable for the participants. Their frequency could be occasional, frequent or with a repeating schedule. Some presentations might be risky, with significant effect on one's career, driving success or failure. We might enjoy the challenge of public speaking, or suffer while preparing and attending the experience. Multiple variables have to be taken into consideration, such as the goal, the context, the culture of the audience, the "way they do it", and many others. Your delivery must be appropriate to the audience's knowledge and abilities. A successful presentation is the result of attentive preparation and the ability to manage multiple variables and conditions around it. Further to it good preparation is the key to confidence, which is the key to you being relaxed. Years ago, as a consultant , I had

The Accounting Module

Accounting: Why? Before running a marathon better to learn how to walk, before playing a symphony better to learn how to play scales, and before being involved into a business better to learn enough accounting for the role we want to play. Accounting might be a tough subject for somebody (as it is to me), even esoteric at the beginning, but it has proven to be a useful tool in my pocket to overcome the technical perimeter of the roles I covered so far, providing me with an embedded business-friendly sensitivity, especially in difficult situations. While it is called the language of business, it is easy to understand why MBA programs set it as core discipline and strong asset in the skillset of any professional, manager or not. Understanding the impact of financial transactions on financial statements, learning to read and prepare balance sheets, income and cash flow statements, using such instruments to understand the profitability and financial health of an organization, interpr

Why I Have Chosen an Online Executive MBA

Considering context and timing In October 2019 I decided to apply to an  online executive MBA : a full year course, on top of the usual work and family schedule. Honestly the yet-to-start-course is already keeping me between the excitement of the challenge and the scare of the mess that might happen during such a long period of studies. I started considering an MBA as a prerequisite for who really wants to grow a successful professional career in his mid-30s and 40s but, after being admitted, a  mix of questions  are now coming up to my mind: Did I take the right decision?  Is the effort and sacrifices worth it? Is it the right moment during my career development?  How would my manager, colleagues and human resources react to it?  Will I be able to deal with the required time management and stress? Will I plan and direct my efforts to the right direction, to get the most out of it? Will I be able to develop the proper "soft" skills to build upon my current rol