Tim Calder

Our share investment company Chicken Stock Group Limited has just completed its purchase of Scott Technology shares which is a local public company in based in Dunedin. Earlier this year my Otago MBA syndicate studied Scott’s as part of our Financial Accounting case study report paper. After establishing that although Scott Technology is small compared to it international competition, with its large amount of cash reserves and innovative history this company is well positioned to take on international contracts that the larger firms have pulled back from. Thanks to the support of our broker Peter McIntyre from ABN AMRO Craigs, Chicken Stock Group also has shares in the New Zealand Agricultural sector as well as Australian Health care. I formed Chicken Stock Group Limited two years ago with four other friends that attended St Peter’s School in Cambridge.

One of our Otago MBA papers this module is Human Resource Management with PJ Bardsley from Polson Higgs. PJ has valuable business experience in small to medium enterprises with her work with the Employers Association as a Business mentor and her role as a Registrar at the Employment Tribunal. PJ has consulted on issues such as recruitment and retention, policies and practise, performance management, personal grievances and disputes, HR Audits, Systems analysis. Today we were fortunate to have Nick Winder, General Manager of the Dunedin Casino and an Otago MBA graduate, come and speak to our class to give us some insight into how the Casino operates and manages their human resources. Our class is now required to put together a report which identifies possible future problems and ways that they can be prevented or mitigated and procedures improved.

The Start.Manage.Grow event was a great way to get introduced to the new business services on offer from our well known government departments and to meet their local representatives. Hon Clayton Cosgrove introduced the National Launch of these new business services in Dunedin last night where he highlighted the significant value of SME’s to the overall New Zealand economy and how the government plans to support their development with the new publication & website ”Start, Manage and Grow your business“. Local entrepreneur Nigel Bamford from Escea explained how these services were fundamental to the sucess of his firm and how providing cash grants for R&D were particularly important. 

It was great to be part of the 10th of May Graduation Ceremony where I graduated with my Bachelor of Commerce and Master of Entrepreneurship. The best part was the address from the guest speaker the great David Kirk who talked about the need for us graduates to try new career opportunities that confront us. I will graduate with the Otago MBA that I am currently studying for in 2010 which will complete my University Education. The only disappointment of the day was that the Highlanders were beaten by the Blues in front of their home crowd. Our party made the second half after a perfect dinner at Plato. 

Last night was a hugely successful night for the Otago University School of Business as it hosted a dinner at the University Staff Club for all past and present MBA graduates, lectures, as well as supportive local business people which make the MBA Business Study Case Reports possible. The speaker for the night was former TVNZ presenter Susan Wood who is also an Otago MBA graduate. Susan spoke about her high profile career as a television journalist and how tricky it has been to reinvent herself to pursue other career opportunities. It was great to speak to so many other people that have completed there degrees and to hear where their careers have been taking them. Many of whom traveled a long way to be there. Hats off to the organisers as this night was truly an exceptional event.

BioSouth is Dunedin’s network of biotechnology and technology-based businesses. Through the Otago MBA Business School I received an invite to their biannual showcases held in in the Conference Room of the Dunedin Art Gallery. I thoroughly enjoyed this showcase as someone interested in business with out having a background in science. The next upcoming event is the Student Function on the 28th of May. This event will showcase some of the exciting career prospects that students have in Dunedin and will be held at the Centre for Innovation on the University of Otago campus.

It has been a long two months but my MBA Syndicate group and I have finally completed our Financial Investment Report on publicly listed, Dunedin based company Scott Technology. We have received excellent assistance from Chairman Stuart McLauchlan, CEO Chris Hopkins and former CEO and Director Graham Batts who have helped us gain great insight to form our opinion and recommendations. Our report is being assessed by Forsyth & Barr analysts Ken Lister and Lynette Scott as well as Otago University lecture Garry Heaton.

The Otago University put on an excellent night of entertainment on Wednesday with their first Bear Baiting competition. Barry Colman was on his fine “Dragons Den” form for the event laying into the competitors with some tricky questions. All competitors had great, creative ideas which made for entertaining pitches. As the idea alone was being judged there was no requirement for long boring financials. Damian Newell, the MC for the competition, did a brilliant job of running the event and controlling the Bears (”Be nice!”). Congratulations to Christine Grove of Supportit who who the $5,000 of UPSTART mentoring.

Its great to see former Otago MBA student Graeme Hart shoot up 135 places this year to be ranked 201 on Forbes world rich list. Although it has been 20 years now his class picture still hangs on the wall. This year is the 32 year of the Otago MBA.