Loyola Schools Bulletin Volume 2, Issue #4 & #5 - Ateneo de Manila ...

October 2006we build community we nurture hope5An afternoonwithJemmie Lynn Belmonte, JGSOMJohn GokongweiALYSON YAPFor a student of the JohnGokongwei School ofManagement, trained andeducated for excellence inentrepreneurial pursuits, there isnothing more exhilarating thanbeing able to meet and interactwith a definitive trailblazer in thearea of entrepreneurship. ASeptember 20, 2006 forum withMr. John Gokongwei, Jr.provided for exactly that. Theforum entitled “SOMeConversations with Mr. JohnGokongwei, Jr” was anopportune moment for learningat its finest as student leadersfrom the John GokongweiSchool of Management andyoung entrepreneurs enrolled inthe JGSOMBA (JohnGokongwei School ofManagement BusinessAccelerator) Program wereprivileged to be able to talk faceto-faceand learn first hand fromthe man of the hour, who isChairman Emeritus of JGSummit, one of the largestconglomerates in the Philippines.ALYSON YAPventures such as Jack ‘n’ Jill, theRobinsons mall chain, CebuPacific, Sun Cellular, and C2. Thelearning experience began themoment he arrived—eager,prepared, and ten minutes early.Contrary to commonmisconceptions of tycoons asserious, silent, and formidable,Mr Gokongwei was warm,friendly, and very open inanswering the questions and insharing his experiences, insights,and wisdom aboutentrepreneurship. Beyond hiswords of wisdom lies an attitudeof humility and openness tochanges and a vitality forexcellence, which enabled him toovercome obstacles in hispersonal and business life. Theatmosphere of eagerness andlearning continued even after theprogram proper as the studentswere able to personally approachand talk to Mr. Gokongweiduring cocktails. Through theforum, Mr. Gokongweistrengthened his legacy ofexcellence by educating andinspiring budding entrepreneurswho can use what they havelearned as a driving force in theirfuture paths.ALYSON YAPMr. Gokongwei is the brainbehind amazing entrepreneurialMr. John engages his audienceWould-be entrepreneurs listen upALYSON YAPJames Michael Lafferty, the newPresident and General Managerof Procter & GamblePhilippines, delivered a talk onthe importance of ethics inbusiness to some 200 seniormanagement students onSeptember 12, 2006 at theEscaler Hall. The talk wasorganized by the BusinessOrganizations of Ateneo (BOA),an umbrella group coordinatingthe various business-orientedstudent groups in the LoyolaSchools.In his talk, Mr. Lafferty madedistinctions between what islegal, what is moral and what isright and exhorted the studentsto “do the right thing,” in theprocess citing many examples ofethical dilemmas that employeesface in daily corporate life. Mr.Lafferty also said that “a principleis not a principle unless it costsyou” and related anecdotes in hiscareer at Procter & Gamble toillustrate one’s adherence tointegrity.P&Ghead talksonbusinessethicsIn the open forum that followed,he was effusive in recounting hisnear-death experience whilevacationing in Phuket during theDecember 2004 tsunami disaster.Asked how one can get employedin P&G, he invited the studentsto call him personally at his officeso he can arrange for a planttour—as it is important to knowthe company culture before theyapply, especially as comparatorcompanies like Unilever andCitibank are also great places towork in.Anna Galvez of JGSOM led theNational Anthem. CarmeloLopez of the Department ofLeadership and Strategy deliveredthe invocation. Arturo Valencia,also of the Department ofLeadership and Strategy,introduced the speaker and actedas moderator.Cocktails at the JGSOM Dean’sOffice followed, with faculty andselected student leaders attending.avalenciaThe 7 th Business Leadership Forum:ChangingThe theme of the 7 th BusinessLeadership Forum was“Changing the Rules of theGame”— apt given the rapidlyshifting business landscape in theworld today. The speakers werefrom various industries—telecommunications, finance,beverages, automobiles,advertising, and real estate.Most of the speakers discussedinnovations in the areas ofproduct, pricing, distribution andpromotional strategies. Theydiscussed the shift of theircompanies’ focus from beingproduct- to customer-centered.Most striking was their call to goback to the basics – research themarket, know it well. Thecommon thread linking their talkswas the emphasis on changing therules of the game, thinking outof the box.The speakers acknowledged thatchanges in the businessenvironment are mainly fueled bysocial and economic changes.The market is currentlyundergoing a massive cultureshift. People behave, act and, talkdifferently, depending on theprevailing socio-economic forces,the Rules of theGamebringing changes in purchasedecisions and consumer behavior.The ability to craft flexiblemarketing strategies and retoolbusiness thinking and practices isof prime importance. Traditionalmethods of creating andmarketing products are no longerguaranteed formulas for success.Once again, the old adage“Information is power” holdstrue. Market research mustconstantly be updated, accurate,and relevant. Knowing one’smarket intimately and harnessingthis knowledge is one of the keysto creating effective marketingstrategies.Another common thread amongthe talks is the attention is nowbeing given to the bulk ofFilipino consumers–the masses.More and more, companies arestarting to tap the purchasingpower of the population in thelower income strata of the societythrough aspirational marketingapproaches. The lower half ofthe pyramid now becomes a goldmine. More creative marketingstrategies are designed to addressthe needs of this emergingmarket. Some valid concerns,such as dilution of the brandimage and how one’s perceivedquality may be affected, wereraised by the audience but theywere assured by the speakers thatthis is all part of the growthstrategy.In this era of fickle-mindedconsumerism, the marching ordersfor most companies seem to be“Adapt or perish.” The continuallychanging business landscape needscompanies to be more flexible andadaptable to market conditions.Failure to do so brings an erodedcompetitive advantage. At the end ofthe day, companies need to assess ifit is simply a matter of changing therules of the game, or addressing thechanging rules of the game. bmlim