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HP Forum Archive 13

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MBA Bashing in this forum
Message #1 Posted by Mark on 3 June 2003, 6:39 p.m.

I am a degreed electrical engineer with 15 years of experience in the hands-on development of embedded systems (hardware, firmware, and software).

I'm a major fan of all the old HP engineering calculators, classic LED, scientific and graphing.

Five years ago I maxxed out my salary in engineering management and went back to night school for an MBA. Let me tell you those three years were no picnic; not a tenth as difficult as getting an engineering degree but still a lot of work. Now as a side benefit, I command a bigger salary with increased responsibility, but I also (more importantly) get to fully understand and enjoy the old HP financial calcs.

Please, let's cut the MBA bashing. Really bad decisions can be made by any moron in a position of power, including morons without an MBA. Remember the Peter principle applies to all organizations, and it is blind to academic degree.

      
Re: MBA Bashing in this forum
Message #2 Posted by Jim L on 3 June 2003, 7:21 p.m.,
in response to message #1 by Mark

I don't think that telling engineers that an MBA program isn't even 1/10th as hard yet leads to more money is any way to get them to stop bashing. :-)

That said - I don't think you're the kind of "pure MBA" the bashers have in mind. You're more of an engineer with just a hint of evil. :-)

            
MBA vs. Engineer
Message #3 Posted by Norm on 3 June 2003, 8:00 p.m.,
in response to message #2 by Jim L

The best people have deep strength in at least one career area, along with knowledge and respect of other career areas also.

Therefore, the best boardroom people will have knowledge of both Engineering and Business. We might safely say Mr. Hewlett and Mr. Packard very nicely fit the need.

The current crop of MBA's disdain engineering. This is why you get Ford/Firestone deaths, or NASA/Dittermore deaths, or an Enron balance sheet.

I would suggest that the MBA's in power stop disdaining engineering. Engineers did not throw the first rock. Engineers have every respect for proper management of profit, loss, investment, risk, and the balance sheet. It is the MBA's who snicker when somebody says 'lets talk about load margin vs. tire pressure and temperature'.

Mark is not the type of MBA who is the problem, because he has knowledge of both engineering and business. I'll guarantee you Carly doesn't and Dittermore doesn't.

                  
Re: MBA vs. Engineer
Message #4 Posted by Gene on 3 June 2003, 9:54 p.m.,
in response to message #3 by Norm

Well, my undergrad was computer science, then an MBA in Finance - 60 graduate hours.

Now I work for Ford Credit. Use my 12c everyday, but still dig out my trusty HP-41c.

Dumb decisions are made by people. Period.

      
Re: MBA Bashing in this forum
Message #5 Posted by James Stephens on 3 June 2003, 10:15 p.m.,
in response to message #1 by Mark

Perhaps this very reasonable commentary can serve as a nice segue into all-purpose calculators. An hp-12c with the addition of scientific functions should appeal to the lucrative financial calculator market, as well as providing an RPN scientific.

HP has produced an all-purpose calculator or two in the past. If the market does support financial calculators of professional quality, but the scientific and engineering market is too small to justify the models we like, maybe this would be a solution that would make all of us happy.

            
James... disagree
Message #6 Posted by Norm on 4 June 2003, 1:50 p.m.,
in response to message #5 by James Stephens

Hi James, there is no reason why they need to keep shaking up the milkshake. They already had their models. They dont need a hybrid of 12C and 15C .

12C is a completed design. 15C is a completed design. Build the 15C on the same production line as the 12C.

Committing to such a project would be trivial. They could call it "15C Classic" and charge $175 a pop and make good money. Then the MBA's and the engineers aren't in disharmony over what buttons to put on the calculator

MBA would say: "derrr, what's this "LOG" button, I am not a logger, I am an MBA" ..............

Engineer says: "Hey, why is there a 'fraud estimation' button on my scientific calculator, I never had anything like that on my slide rule".

Better each group get their own calculator, the designs are already completed, they could build them and make money if they choose to.

Why dont they ??

What Gene said "People make dumb decisions. Period."


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