Merging Technology with Trading in the Classroom

                                               

It was interesting to take a note of this improvised project by the SMU Cox school of Business. Something that really showcases the intentions of this business school to contribute to the world of business. Two words - 'Interesting and innovative' - something that really sets Cox apart when it comes to the stream of finances.

The kiit Investing and trading center was recently opened in the year 2011. This 1458 square feet space hosts classes for students who want to learn finances. There is a 110'' LCD video wall aided by 24 Pixel stickers that the professor will regularly use to explain you the if(s) and but(s) of major stock indices. To give students the edge to perform in the Wall Street, the trading room uses Data Bases by Bloomberg, Capital IQ, Thomson One to train the young minds with real time business scenario. Personally, if I have to monitor screens in the Wall Street, I would love to get my hands dirty with these technologies beforehand so that I don't lag behind others ! And then there are trading tools by Morning Star, FactSet, Bloomberg, ideally the closest resemblance one will find with the Wall Street and something that sets Cox apart in the big list of schools recommended for business education. Probably, the only b-school which currently hosts such a classroom where technology is blended with the concepts of trade market, stock exchange -where the share indices of various stocks will rise and fall and I have to make fast decisions, get the phone in my hand and strike a bell to knock a profit in. most of us would love to learn from such a classroom right ? Think of it - "Well I am studying for my MBA but at the same time, I am trading 24x7 in the market. I know which stock is going to get me profits tomorrow and I will be bang on ! and in my trading, I am not alone but using the experiences of my knowledgeable professors to guide me over my moves !"

I think most people will agree here that we learn things better when we first study about it, get our concepts clear and then make fast moves while applying our concepts in a practical environment. This way, not only we get to know What effects the stocks in the markets but also can see how are the stocks getting effecting in a testing environment.

In my last post, I mentioned that Cox promises to be a center where a student can experiment, learn and grow into the future. In this post, I would conclude by mentioning that - Dallas in fact is staring at a bright future laying its trust with the SMU Cox School of business ! I shall grab my chances. Hope many other students and aspirants will be gearing up to be a part of this 'enrich and grow while you learn' environment.                                                

Looking into the future : Dallas

Rightly put in by the Dean himself - Dallas is THE CITY of hope and optimism and why I agree with that is because the rate of growth of Dallas. When I compare it with corporates across the world, I am reminiscent of Alibaba in China or a Flipkart in India, two of the fastest growing giants in the business of e-commerce. The Bansals have given a stronghold fight to the biggies like Amazon and have rightly set the foot for a new millennium in the segment of e-commerce in India. If I compare Dallas as a product , then in the product life-cycle curve, we can easily put Dallas in the Growth segment whereas put cities like New York or Chicago somewhere in the late phase of maturity. I beg to differ with the Dean on the aspect of population growth of Dallas- we grow by a million in every ten year but I agree that we shall be a metropolitan by 2030 with an expected population of approximately 9/10 million people, drawn from across the globe. And thus, we can see that Dallas is a prospective large market for the future ! Prospects of doing business is high too as there can only be an upward curve for any business in the city. Whereas cities like Los Angeles, New York or Washington are approaching stagnation, Dallas only promises to get bigger and better. I won't say "rivalry" in any sense. Its just the aspect of growth. I hope to see the entertainment industry blooming as well in Dallas, apart from hi-Tech, Retail and finance ! May be the next league of the Katty Perrys and Angelina Jolies may spring up from Dallas :P

However, the fitting competition is between New York and Dallas when it comes to the corporate incentives. No.1 and No.2- the old concept of Champion Vs Challenger ! Remember Australia Vs India in cricket or Brazil Vs Argentina in soccer ;)

Having put in the thoughts above, its quite believable now - why is Dallas considered the largest laboratory for doing business in the United States. Gives me a similar feeling of India - the largest prospective growth market for the world and whenever there are opportunities to experiment, analyse, ideate and grow, there is always a spark of creativity and energy to throttle forward . Even the scope for personal growth, the sense of freedom and satisfaction of putting in their minds at work- its all large. It depends upon us now - to make it large ! Hence, it is quite imperative to find in people with the creative swords for Dallas. That is where SMU COX comes in. an institute of repute and located in the heart of Dallas- not just the alumni want it to grow but also the community as a whole comes in together to see a great business school contributing to Dallas's future and that is where we current students and alumni chip in- with a sense of respect to Dallas, with a sense of pride of being a part of this growing community and an honor to representing a lovely B-school and the people of Dallas. We love you ;)

Surely, we can also get better. We have 18 of Forbes 500 companies there. As Cox, we will see many more by 2030. On a personal note, I hope to see a couple of Entertainment firms too. The likes of Warner Bros or a Disney may be !

A better tomorrow. A stronger tomorrow. Happy Mustangs !