Obama's "New Deal" -- what it means to MBA prospec

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Its clear with Obama's election will come one of the largest public-sector fiscal injections since the New Deal. But what does this mean for MBA prospects?

1. Energy
Obama favors down payments in sectors that will grow and provide generational job traction (vs. repaving roads). He regularly mentions the energy sector -- Obama has talked about how Germany has the same solar panel installations as California, despite having a climate like Michigan's. Renewable energy will get a lot of tax-credit investment under an Obama adminstration; an MBA prospect should re-tool to the rising tide. Buzz words such as 'sustainability' need to translate into concrete, managerial skillsets. To differentiate, one should consider cross-pollination with classes from environmental engineering & school of natural resources (I'm serious).

2. Return of the auto industry
No, I have not had too many cocktails. Obama mentioned the car industry & Jennifer Granholm (gov of Michigan) in his first economic address. In fact, she was seated to Biden's right in his group of 17 economic advisors. Obama seems determined not to see the US auto industry collapse. What this means tactically will be interesting -- clearly, there will be a large injection of funds, but will they come w/stipulations? (e.g., only to be spent on certain technologies, etc). As the US auto industry transforms under Obama, it will require a different type of managerial talent -- MBA prospects, keep a close eye on this one, as there will be opportunity to be had.

Aveek Guha, President, www.mbadaycamp.com

https://mbadaycamp.typepad.com/mbablog/
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by biker317 » Mon Nov 10, 2008 12:55 pm
Hello Aveekguha,

Interesting perspective, I am not sure how much Obama is going to emphasize on energy but in the grand scheme of things the role of Energy conservation is bound to play a critical role in global businesses.

With that in mind, I was wondering what area I would need to specialize in my business program..would it be stratergy, enterprenuership or marketing (the usual cornerstones of an MBA)? I already have an Environmental eng. background with a job focus on eco restoration. So please give me your opinion on this.
Thanks

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Specialization...

by aveekguha » Mon Nov 10, 2008 1:13 pm
Do what makes you happy -- these 3 are not terribly far apart anyways. Just make sure you emphasize all that you have learned in the environmental space, because it will be a strong differentiator to recruiters.

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by biker317 » Wed Nov 12, 2008 5:59 am
thanks for the quick response!