A visit to JPMorgan Chase & Co.

As part of enrolling in IT-EXPO, we have the perks of visiting many big companies in the Philippines, including JPMorgan Chase & Co. located at Net Plaza Building, Bonifacio Global City. 

The organization was established by Mr. J. Pierpont Morgan, it merged with Chase Manhattan Bank during 2000, thus, the name JPMorgan Chase & Co.  It is one of the oldest, largest and best-known financial institutions in the world. The firm's legacy dates back to 1799 when its earliest predecessor was chartered in New York City. They currently operate in more than 60 countries with over 240,000 employees. The firm serves millions of consumers, small businesses and many of the world's most prominent corporate, institutional and government clients. Moreover, JPMorgan Chase & Co.  is a leader in investment banking, financial services for consumers, small business and commercial banking, financial transaction processing, asset management and private equity.

Some trivia regarding JPMorgan Chase & Co.:

  ●     The monopoly game was a tribute to Mr. J.P. Morgan

            

 

      ●     The firm funded the construction of Titanic

        ●     Publicized the name of Cebu Pacific

        ●     Advised SM Corporation to purchase Makro

        ●     Advised Facebook and Google to go public

        ●     Mr. Salmon Chase pioneered the ATM

        ●     Forbes awarded JPMorgan Chase & Co. as the most admired company for 2012 (4 years

                     consecutively),  and the most admired megabank in 2012 

      ●     The firm is a bank more than a BPO

The first part of the tour was the pantry, which is open 24hours a day. The pantry houses several food, drink, and dessert concessionaires which are tailored to fit the budget of their employees that’s why most of the employees spends their lunch at the pantry. Not only that, they also sell JPMorgan Chase & Co. merchandise (i.e. shirts, tumblers, pens) inside the pantry.

Afterwards, we were allowed to see the meeting rooms, configuration rooms, and most especially, the telepresence room. We were really impressed by the telepresence room since it allows real-time conversation to happen through a set of television screens and microphones wherein it can detect the position of the person speaking.

Trivia: All rooms within the company should be closed at all times, if any person leaves the door open, the JPMorgan Chase & Co. Singapore will call to reprimand them.

Due to lack of time, we immediately went to see the penthouse and there it stood --- the stunning view of Bonifacio Global City.

After visiting JPMorgan Chase & Co., I can say that they really uphold their record of being one of the most admired company/megabank, because they prioritize the security of the company and its employees by having a baggage x-ray machine and body scanners upon entering the vicinity. Taking of pictures inside is also prohibited since they are a banking firm.

Being able to visit JPMorgan Chase & Co. was a great opportunity for us students since a lot of us are not very acquainted with the firm. We, IT-EXPO students, were very lucky to have a company tour at JPMorgan Chase and at the same time, be warmly welcomed by their staff because it was a chance for us to get to know the working environment of the firm.

 * Some pictures were grabbed from the Internet

Company Visit: NetworkLabs

As part of our IT-EXPO class, we get to visit NetworkLabs in UP Ayala Land Technohub last March 8, 2013, which is a joint venture of Nokia Siemens Networks (NSN) with various partners to establish a Research and Development center to support the operations of Nokia Siemens Network. They provide software solutions and application support for the many projects that NSN undertakes. 

We were accommodated by DLSU alumni, Mr. Alvanson So and Mr. Marlon Tong. 

Mr. Alvanson So (picture below), an HR staff, briefed us on what NetworkLabs is, what they do, and where they currently stand. He also showed us some of NetworkLabs' software (for attendance, recruiting, borrowing of rooms/equipments) that HR is using to efficiently carry out the process in the department. 

Meanwhile, Mr. Marlon Tong (picture below), the line manager and Software Engineer of NetworkLabs, answered our questions regarding the company. 

With fellow IT-EXPO students

Mrs. Arcilla and Ms. Abesamis together with the speakers after giving the certificate and token of appreciation 

Afterwards, we were given the chance to tour the two-story office of NetworkLabs! \m/

 Upon entering the lobby, this is the first room that caught my attention. The exam room where applicants will take the exam, and also where employees get their foods. 

1st floor - golf themed (picture above) and 2nd floor (picture below) office

Trivia: all employees regardless of their positions work at the same place, there is no special room for employees with high position (this is to show that all individuals are equal)

Here are some of the hang-out spots or meeting place within the office:

Of course, there's also a pantry where employees can enjoy their lunch and take a time off to relax! 

1st floor pantry - Boracay-ish setting

Perks of working at NetworkLabs? XBOX!!!

... and Karaoke room! 

2nd floor pantry - Finland-ish setting

The tour wouldn't be complete without pictures with friends and classmates...

 NetworkLabs most definitely became one of my chosen companies after the tour. I can see that they provide the best experience for their employees by transforming the office as though it is their home. Also, they treat each other as equal individuals which I think is a good practice. 

* Some pictures grabbed from JJ Granada

Brady Company Visit

The first ever IT-EXPO Company Visit was at Brady, Mandaluyong, which was scheduled last March 1 from 9:00AM to 12:00PM. 

We were greeted and welcomed warmly by the friendly Brady staffs. (AN1MO!☆)

Ms. Caroline Co, one of Brady's HR staff, showed us a very informative clip made by Ms. Kiran Budhrani and other DLSU students that features Brady's Call Center. 

Afterwards, she introduced the speaker who happens to be visiting the Philippines, Mr. Allan Goh.

Mr. Allan Goh, the IT Manager of Brady Singapore, discussed Brady's IT infrastructure, and the role of IT in call centers. 

He also predicted the top 5 technological trends for 2013-2015: 
1. Consumerization and Mobility, 
2. Big Data, 
3. Hybrid Clouds, 
4. Reducing IT complexity, and 
5. Integration of Social Media

Lastly, Mr. Goh shared the key success factors in an IT career which is based from Microsoft's survey of 500 IT executives. 61% said that soft skills were more important than IT skills. Some of the soft skills are:

• strong work ethic
• positive attitude
• good communication skills
• time management abilities
• problem-solving skills
• interpersonal relation
• self-confidence
• working well under pressure 

And the most interesting part of the company visit was, of course, the tour!

Locker room of employees (employees are not allowed to use their cellphones
inside the office so they need to put it in the locker)

Brady's Sports fest award which is separated by departments

The almost empty office of Brady (employees come in at afternoon)


While touring, Ms. Caroline happily answered our questions

 What intrigued us the most was the room names in the company which were named after famous destinations/getaways in the Philippines (e.g. Boracay Room, Baguio Room, El Nido Room). 

And, interestingly, they have a male and female sleeping quarters which consists of several beds to accommodate their employees most especially those who came from the province. Not only that, tired employees can take some time off to rest in the sleeping quarters. 

Free Krispy Kreme! 

      Some pictures taken with my IT-EXPO group mates

                

 

Freebies from Brady (Shirt and Notebook w/ Pen) + Prize of Chopsticks with Spoon & Fork

S15 IT-EXPO class w/ Ms. Pauline Abesamis, Ms. Caroline Co and Mr. Allan Goh

                                       
* Some pictures grabbed from Jan Marvin Tee