Critical thinking: a description

Every generation needs a revolution - an entrepreneurial revolution

A graduate school is offering this for off campus students at five numbers entrance fee.  Fortunately, I had a chance to learn this and even teach this in entrep course I was handling at GSB.  I teach this/train our staff on this skill

It is very easy to fall into the conventional non critical thinking as we deal with our relatives and rest of our work force.  Critical thinking essentially stems from desire to decide intelligently,, separate the chaff from  the grains, and think logically.  Covered under the critical thinking topics are:

1.  Olo  -  observe learn observe

2.  Deductive reasoning (from general to particular)

3.   Inductive reasoning (from particular to general  (conclusion from data)

4.  Classifying, labelling

Not because an event happened before a another does it mean that it is the cause.

A particular event can not be held as universal truth.  Yet surveys make us think that way.

Innovative thinking, lateral thinking as formulated by Edward de Bono should be included here?

What was not discussed during my time is how crisis and extreme difficulties can can cause us to search for solutions that are bizarre and not done before

Food Trip report by Sherwinism

Re-sending.. This mail bounced back over the Holy Week Vacation..

Sherwin

From: Sherwin Pontanilla <sdpontanilla@zuelligfoundation.org>
Date: Sat, 23 Mar 2013 10:52:26 +0800
To: <profjorge.entrep.ateneo@blogger.com>
Cc: Sherwin Pontanilla <sdpontanilla@zuelligfoundation.org>, Sherwin Pontanilla <spontanillamd@yahoo.com>
Subject: Food Trip

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FOOD TRIP…

AGSB MBAH 10-B

Entrepreneurship

By: Sherwin D. Pontanilla, MD

Date: March 9, 2013

Location: Power Plant Mall, Rockwell, Makati City

While some members of the class, me included, regularly go on “food trips” and/or “drink trips” after Saturday classes at AGSB, this food trip was different… it was a class requirement. Everybody was present including our professor.

Fist stop was Banana Leaf, a Thai restaurant. The ambience was ok. Although the restaurant had no doors to separate it from the mall, they managed to create a different feel once you stepped in. The staff was properly draped en-synced with the Thai feel. First reaction for some of us new to Banana Leaf was “Where are the plates?” Yes, they had no plates. True to its name, the plate they used was the “Banana Leaf” neatly lay down on our table. The waiters were very courteous enough and accommodated our number to be seated beside each other. That required about 6-7 tables moved with accompanying chairs. We didn’t get to choose our food, it was pre-selected by our class officers but looking at the menu, their prices were fairly lower than other Thai restaurants of the same caliber which I frequented. Their selection was pretty much the same as other Thai restaurants, I guess it would all boil down to the taste. The waiting took a decent 10-15 minutes, I guess it was ok with the volume of food we ordered. Soup was served first, “Malayan Seafood Laksa”, and it was lovely. Then the rice (which was perfectly cooked) came in with the main dishes, “Tilapia fillet”  (which was plated well) with different Thai dip sauces; “Phad Thai” (which authentically tasted good); “Stewed beef with Oyster Sauce”; and “Malayan Chicken Curry”(again tasted “Thai-ly” good). I may have missed out on some other dishes but rest assured they were all good. For the drinks, we got to choose our own, and I picked “Iced lemon grass with honey”, a very refreshing drink.

Second stop was Sugar House. Although I was already full as most of the class were too, a few sweet slices wouldn’t hurt that much. Ordered for us was “French Apple Pie”, which for me was not that good as the apples were still a bit hard which made it too chewy and heavy to eat plus it had grated cheese on top which was a bit odd for me; and the other cake was “Chocolate Truffle” which was heavenly for me, as it had the sweet taste of the chiffon filled cake with chocolate buttercream and the contrasting bitter taste of coffee! Perfect!

Last stop was supposed to be coffee, but since most of the coffee shops were full, we settled for our usual “drink trip” place… Draft. For a beer pub it was perfect! They have all kinds of beer from all around the world. While others had enough room for some beer, to my dismay, I had to settle for coffee. I ordered for a “Cappuccino” and it tasted great.

In conclusion, our first stop, Banana Leaf, was a great Thai restaurant. Given the quality of food they serve plus their very affordable prices they have, I’m definitely coming back for more. For our dessert place, Sugar House, the Chocolate Truffle will definitely be a sureadd-on to my list. And lastly, Draft, we still have two more semesters to go so me and my classmates would surely have a lot more Saturday afternoons in this place!

The food trip for me was a great activity, I had the chance to practice my OLO activities/senses again. And sharing it with great, lively and fun classmates and professor made it lovelier! Happy to be in entrep! Happy to be 10-B!

Entrep Food Trip Report by Arlo Cristobal

Entrep Food Trip

By Arlo Cristobal

A-Venue Tent

                I have always been a fan of Banchetto style food exhibits. It's a place where you can find a wide array of food choices that are relatively affordable compared to restaurants. It is also a good avenue to try out innovative food products for vendors since the capital is smaller compared to renting a space for a restaurant.

                For the food concept, there is a variety of offerings, ranging from isaw to different pasta dishes. Besides the food option, what makes this place unique is the experience itself. A lot of times, we find ourselves deciding which place to eat, often thinking of the food offered in the restaurant. In the A-Venue Tent, you can just opt to go there without planning and simply decide which food to buy without the need to break-up the group. For this reason, this had attracted a lot of young professionals who want to enjoy different types of food, while keeping the cost down. I also noticed a lot of foreigners in the area, which can be attributed to the location.

                To add to the variety of food, there was also a stage set-up for a band. This also gives the place a restaubar feel, where you can hang-out for an extended period of time. This set-up creates a lot of interest to passers-by and, in my opinion, is successful in pulling customers in.

                This venture is definitely a success if the product that you sell caters to the interest of the crowd. Also, since this isn't a high-end place, the price of your food should also be affordable. Another proof of its success can simply be traced to the volume of people in the area, which is quite significant given that we visited on a Tuesday.

Dona Dona BBQ

                Normally, I stay clear of Korean restaurants in Manila. The main reason being the cost. The concept of the Dona Dona BBQ restaurant is quite straight forward – bring the Korean food experience in the Philippines. Although the ambiance of the place doesn't feel very Korean, the food certainly did. Being served by the owner, Dona from Korea, also pushed the experience to the next level.

                The innovation part of this restaurant would have to be the price. For me, authentic Korean restaurants are relatively the same in terms of the food they offer. The main differentiator for Dona Dona BBQ would be how they managed to lower the cost, yet still offer authentic Korean food. Lower price in this case is relative to other Korean restaurants both in the Philippines and in Korea. I'm actually quite interested on how they source and make their ingredients. If it's imported, they are doing a really great job to keep the price down. If it's sourced locally, then they are doing a really good job transforming it to a Korean delicacy.

                Given that the restaurant had been there for 5 years, it's obviously a successful venture. However, success is really subjective, and it seems that the success that they are getting is quite limited to their view of success. They may be profitable, but their profitability may be limited. They are located in a good venue where traffic of people is high. But still, competition in the area is also very high. If they really intent to maximize profit, they should differentiate their restaurant from the competition by starting with the ambiance. They may offer authentic restaurant food, but I would not have known that from the outside. To add, the place looks a bit shabby and would greatly benefit from a good scrubbing.  

Goldilocks

                To cap the night off, the group ordered cake and coffee in Goldilocks. Goldilocks had already made a name for itself so we can't really argue with their success as a dessert chain. One thing that could be noted in the branch, however, is that it was the only dessert place I saw in the area. It's also quite convenient since it's along the street.

                Aside from location, the convenience of buying in the place is also quite genius. They were able to maximize the small place, placing a shelf in the middle, while still allowing customers to browse through their products. Their range of offering also doesn't compete with the surround restaurants, but instead complements it. They have cheap, but good coffee. They have snacks, desserts and even cakes that you can buy to surprise the birthday celebrant in the neighboring restaurant. They aren't renting a big space because they don't need to. It won't surprise me if they are generating better profit compared to some of the restaurants in the area.