BancNet

The last company we visited was BancNet. Bancnet, Inc. is a Philippine-based interbank network connecting the ATM networks of more than forty local banks. It is considered the largest interbank network in the Philippines in terms of the number of member banks and annual transactions. The Network's tagline is Nonstop Banking. BancNet is also the exclusive gateway of China's UnionPay, allowing access to the nearly 1 billion ATM cardholders from the People's Republic of China. BancNet has forged an alliance with global payment brand JCB International. Through this alliance, JCB cardholders can now do cash advances at participating BancNet member ATMs nationwide to provide the highest quality of services to its over 62.5 million customers around the world. BancNet serves 8 million members with over 4,000 ATMs and more than 10,000 POS terminals. (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/BancNet)

The ones who had the talk were leaders in BancNet. I am amazed how they got at the peak of the banking industry. Starting from small ATMs to partnering with multinational companies.

Truthfully, I didn't enjoy this company visit because of the speakers. I think they were boring and didn't interest me. But they really have nice presentations. I just didn't like the way they spoke.

Overall, this trip to BancNet was the least enjoyable and educational for me. But admire the work that they have done to reach the mountaintop in the banking industry.

JPMorgan Chase & Co.

The third company we visited is JPMorgan Chase & Co. It is an American multinational banking corporation of securities, investments and retail. It is the largest bank in the United States by assets, and as of 2012, it ranks as the second largest bank in the world by assets. It is a major provider of financial services, with assets of $2.509 trillion and according to Forbes magazine is the world's second largest public company based on a composite ranking. (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/JPMorgan_Chase)

JPMogan Chase & Co. is one of the highest paying BPO's in the Philippines. This company is one of the prestigious companies in the country. They have been guiding their clients to manage their finances and business for more than 200 years. The environment of their building is really a nice site. They were very strict for taking pictures inside their company. We were only allowed  to take a picture in the rooftop (as shown below).

Rooftop of JPMorgan Chase & Co. Philippines

There are several speakers who had a talk. They are all bosses and employees in the company. They explained things very well and made us understand what they do. Some of them has great sense of humor. After all the speakers were finished, we had a tour. One of the best part of the tour is when we entered the telepresence room. Inside the room is a very large television/monitor and few phones. They showed us what is the room for by making us call our other classmates that are staying in another room. After the call, the faces of our classmates flashed on the screen. The purpose of it is for meetings with people abroad or in far places. You can talk to them at the same time see them. This is a very efficiend way in communicating with clients.

The other thing that I like in the company is the no-charge vending machine. The drinks taste so good. You can choose from any different drinks and get them for free.

This trip in JPMorgan Chase & Co was very educational mainly because many people talked and interacted with us. This is a very nice experience for me and my classmates.

NetworkLabs

Last March 15, our class visited NetworkLabs located in UP Techno Hub. It is a joint venture of Nokia Siemens Networks. NetworkLabs is the premier R&D center in the Philippines that focuses on providing mobile networks infrastructure including Nokia Siemens Networks Flexi Base Stations as well as providing the leading Packet Core systems for Convergence Internet Connectivity markets high-capacity mobile solutions for the world market.

The main speaker was Mr. Vanson So who graduated from De La Salle University-Manila. He finished BS-IST. From all the companies that we visited, NetworkLabs is the coolest. They have a very comfortable workplace for the employees. They have rest areas with XBox, vending machines, soft chairs, well-designed walls, karaoke room and a great ambiance. We had a chance to see this all because of the company tour. I also heard that they offer a high salary here. They accept fresh graduates with high grades. If I were to choose where will I work for my first job, NetworkLabs will surely be one of my choices.

NetworkLabs is a very good company to work in. They are one of the best in the telecommunications field. I will work hard in my studies to qualify for the requirements in NetworkLabs and apply here after I graduate college.

Brady Philippines

The first company we visited is Brady Philippines. Brady Corporation is an international manufacturer and marketer of complete solutions that identify and protect premises, products and people. Its products help customers increase safety, security, productivity and performance and include high-performance labels and signs, safety devices, printing systems and software, and precision die-cut materials. Founded in 1914, the company has millions of customers in electronics, telecommunications, manufacturing, electrical, construction, education, medical and a variety of other industries. (http://www.bradycorp.com/en/about/company-overview)

Ms. Carol Co was the first one to speak. She is the Site Director of Brady Manila. She gave us a brief introduction and showed us a video about Brady Philippines.

After the video, Mr. Allan Goh was introduced. He is working at Brady in Singapore for 7 years. He is an IT Infrastructure Manager for APAC and has 17 years of experience in the IT industry, 10 years in the vendor environment and 7 years in the user environment. He talked about how IT is important in BPO.

I gained knowledge about the evolution of IT infrastructure and the key factors in an IT career. This are the key factors according to Mr. Goh:

• Good work ethics
• Positive attitude
• Good communication skills
• Time management abilities
• Problem solving skills
• Interpersonal relation
• Self-confidence
• Flexibility/adaptability
• Working well under pressure

I think these are only some of the factors you need to develop to become successful in the IT field.

So why did I post a picture of a box of Krispy Kreme here? Because this is the best thing that happened to me in this company visit! It was so delicious that I needed to come back three times to get more donuts. Not to mention the free C2 drinks.

I really liked this visit to Brady. Not only that the speaker taught me a lot but also because of the tour inside the company.

Health Information Systems

Last February 16, our class attended a seminar in Asian Institute of Makati. It is about Health Information Systems. The speakers were Dr. Alberto Romualdez and Dr. Alvin B. Marcelo. The seminar focused on how technology can improve the health industry.

The first speaker is Dr. Alberto Romualdez. He was the former secretary of the Department of Health and was a dean in the University of the Philippines. He mainly talked about the health problems in the Philippines. He stated that poor performance of primary, secondary, and tertiary health care services also brought an impact on the health problems.

Dr. Alvin B. Marcelo was called next to talk. He is the Chief Information Technology Executive of PHILHEALTH. He talked about the history of Health Informaton Systems and how Health Informations is important to the health system. He added that it is essential to have standard-based information architecture.

The last thing we did after the seminar is eat. The food was great and satisfying. I would really love if companies serve food after the seminars.

In conclusion, I learned a lot from this seminar.The speakers delivered very well and explained clearly the main topic of the talk.