This presentation was part of a semester-long group project for QST-SM131: Business, Ethics, and the Creation of Value. Groups were given two companies sharing an industry and were tasked with presenting 2 investment recommendations comparing the companies at the beginning and end of the semester. Groups were expected to develop a grading criteria evaluating cultural, ESG/CSR, financial, marketing, and operational aspects of each business.
I was originally designated to compare ESG/CSR initiatives at Ameriprise Financial, Inc. and Hamilton Lane, Inc. but elected to join a group comparing Veeva Systems and NextGen Health after they lost a member. Their operations specialist dropped the course only a day prior to their first presentation.
Transitioning from my position evaluating ESG/CSR for asset management firms to operations in telehealth was disorienting to say the least. Not only did the previous operations specialist leave no notes to their group regarding their work, but it was abundantly clear nobody in the group knew what services either company had provided. Listening to their first presentation gave the impression both companies provided technical support and scheduling services to healthcare providers. Though this is partly true, their comparison and assessment neglected the stark differences between the two companies and almost made it sound like NextGen and Veeva were fighting tooth-and-nail for market share. The reality could not be further from the truth. I had no plan to take charge of the group but ended up doing so in getting my bearings. We were all getting our bearings that day.
I found this project to be extremely insightful into my own experiences as a manager, teaching me how to balance the strengths and weaknesses of my groupmates, scrutinize data to derive meaningful information and knowledge, and use time-controls to manage workflows among many other essential functions. It was through my strong skills in organization, planning, and management skills that I was able to effectively manage our team. As a result, we were awarded the highest grade of any group among all the sections that semester: a 91%. When your university has the highest average grade deflation of any school in the country (I believe it was 14% at the time), this was a major accomplishment.
Even after my transfer to Rutgers Business School, I still think fondly about this project. My work in the group was instrumental in my journey realizing my power as a business student and a researcher, instilling me with an unrelenting spirit to be the most well-researched and prepared in my work.