Goodbye Mr. President!
2012 is not just the year of the Dragon, but also a year of the elections, or so it seems. Through the course of this year, voters will elect (or in some cases, not elect) the leaders for France, Russia, China, the United States, and even Romania (as Alex often reminds me). Not in the same bracket of global importance or significance, but it was the year when I also handed over the reins of my position as Class President to the newly elected leader for the 2013 class. As I write that sentence, it just seems bizarre to me to have to compare my 10-month term as the president of a 128 strong MBA class, in comparison to what some of these leaders have to endure… While a Sarkozy is thinking about his country’s downgrade and the perilous position of the Eurozone, or an Obama is worried about the US job market and a resurgence in the US economy, my biggest worry is planning the next social event or dealing with a particular concern with a course.
Some Kind Of Wonderful
I don’t know about the others but I must admit that I kind of miss my MBS Classroom environment.
Currently all full-time students from class 2012 (like myself) are under our final mission, the International Business (IB) project. The IB Project is a consultancy project that a group of student will have to work with the client to guide them through their global ambition. We have to conduct a rigorous business research (will try our best, sir!), provide the best possible recommendation to clients and at the same time provide the best impact on MBS reputation. This project is called IB because it involves serving international clients or clients with global ambition. (The pre-requisite of this project is the international travel). This year we have 22 groups serving around 20 clients (and will travel to at least 10 countries around the world, depend on the project)
My client is a very successful company in the UK. They have recently expanded to the US. They are so successful that now they want to conquer the world with aggressive business expansion plan. They are not afraid of the competition. (It’s blue ocean business) My project is to identify the highest potential markets and provide them the market entry strategy. Sound fun but there were a lot of blood, sweat, and tears behind it. We identified 20 variables to be studied and used them to rank 60 countries. ( 20 X 60 = 1,200 data points to be collected in 2 weeks. Let alone identifying the weights of these factors). We had our top 10 finalist today and ready to be discussed with the client tomorrow! XD
Do You know that normally we cannot choose our own group to work with at MBS? Basically, the school will randomly assigned a group for us for every subject. (I think it is good for students because we have chance to work with many people. And finally, you know what kind of people you enjoy working with) However, there is only 1 course that we can choose our own team member, and it is the final one, the IB project. So my previous experience on working with many classmates came in handy. I have teamed up with all 3 of my friends from my marketing group (my first group at MBS), one from my UKCP group, and one new. We compose of a PHD Russian bombshell, an ex-IBM peruvian consultant who can speak Italian, an ex-P&G brand manager who was born in Myanmar, an Egyptian political activist who worked in finance, an incredible IT guy (McKinsey-to-be) who hope that his family will find him a wife, and myself, an accountant who won a marketing award that changed her life (Hopefully, my MBS will twist it again). lolz
My group works from Monday to Friday (and sometimes during the weekend) from 10am to 6pm or more. (Others might run on a different schedule. As far as I know, one group manages to work from 1pm to 9pm everyday 
) I like my project but sometimes I can’t help missing studying in the classroom during my first year. Studying in the classroom requires less brain to function. You can just attend the class. You have options to note down the key points, or to just sit back and relax (not recommend!). You can express your opinions during class discussion, if you like. At the end of the course, you study for the exam. Easy right? But the real life is much more complicated. In the IB project, you work on the real business problems. There is no powerpoint presentation from the Professor but the expression from the client’s face that we have to identify the underlying needs. There are millions of possible solutions to be explored. Only the best one should be identified, and justified. Follow by some options as alternative plans. There is a result to be delivered every week and we are trying our best to deliver the best project. I must admit that it is much easier to study in the classroom than to work in the consulting project. However, as part of our MBA life, we need to be able to combine our past experience with what we have learned in MBS, and move higher. And the IB project is the perfect final step that will sharpen our skill more before going out to the real world (again).
Best of Luck for the interim presentation week!!!
P.S. Since I am on the mission, I can’t tell you the name of my client or the name of my agents (team members). Sorry for that XD
MBS Library and IB Project help
Don’t forget that MBS Library can assist you in your IB Project research. Whether you require:
Secondary research data: guidance, access and use
Library Databases: how to find and access a wide range of databases available both on/off campus
External Sources: starting points for finding external research
Library Enquiry Service: help and support throughout your project
One-to-One/Group Discussion: a confidential discussion with a member of the library team once your bid is secure
we can help you to make the most of the library resources for your project. Also, don’t forget our quick guide, available on Blackboard > BMBA60116 > Course Content > Project Support
or just get in touch to see how we can help you!
Essential Research Apps for 2012: TED
As part of our commitment to supporting you with all your research needs, over the last few months we’ve been recommending some useful business research apps for you to download to your iPads, some of which are for accessing our databases and some which are for useful external sources.
We thought we’d start 2012 by introducing you to TED. This app is a real favourite for discerning iPad users throughout the world. It brings a diverse range of interesting lectures from people that are at the top of their game together in one place and the subject matter is truly diverse.
The app allows you to stream a whole host of TED talks in video or audio format. Features include browse and share which brings up the latest TED Talks videos as soon as they’re published; and all this can be browsed in the TED library by theme, tag or rating.
There is also a playlist function called “Inspire Me”, which can build a tailored TED Talk list for you to listen to, just tell the app what kind of lecture you’re after and it’ll pluck out some likely candidates. All the lectures can be shared on Facebook, Twitter and by email.
There are two new additions to the app as well: a bookmarks tab enables listeners to save talks for later, whilst the TED radio brings a station full to the brim with TED Talk audio 24/7. Even better is that it will work when the app is closed down.
In practice the app works extremely well, with a clear and intuitive user-face combined with some great content. This app is a must for anyone interested in the world around them, and it’s free to download!
To access simply download the free app from the App store and add it to your Home Screen:
http://itunes.apple.com/us/app/ted/id376183339?mt=8
Remember to make certain to add the MBS Library Service page to your Home Screen for easy access to all the Resources we have to offer you for your research. Simply open our page then tap the arrow in a box symbol next to the top URL line and then select “Add to Home Screen”. You can even edit the name of the Web Icon, after you’ve done this – tap the “Add” button.
Moments….
Life is all about a few moments..
Moments, which bring out in you,
A sea of emotions and stick on to your mind like a glue,
Moments, which sometimes make you go so ballistic,
That you ruin everything in one tick,
Moments, which make you wonder,
if I could only stop, think and ponder,
Moments, which drive you so crazy,
That all your future becomes hazy,
Moments, when someone makes you realise,
that after all darkness has to give way to sunrise,
Moments, that suddenly change your whole attitude,
And you start cherishing every moment with gratitude,
Even a chirpy little bird and a pleasant sunlit morning infuse
Into you a burst of energy that takes you beyond your blues
To a place where the canvas of your life again becomes colorful,
And you finally experience how this Life can be so beautiful….
MBS Library Service and Essential Research Apps: The reviews so far…….
As part of our commitment to supporting you with all your research needs, over the last few weeks we’ve been recommending some useful business research apps for you to download to your iPads, some of which are for accessing our databases and some which are for useful external sources.
We thought now would be a good time to re-cap on those we’ve looked at so far and to highlight some of the essential apps we’ll be looking at next. We’d also love to hear from you with any recommended apps you think might impress your fellow cohorts.
EBSCO’s new app is free, and offers the convenience and rich functionality that enables users to:
- Choose which databases to search
- Limit Results to full text or peer reviewed
- Sort by relevance or date
- Retrieve full text results in HTML and/or PDF formats
- Save results for offline access at a later date
- Email results to self or others
…..Read More
Thomson Reuters Marketboard allows for:
- Analyst research from leading investment banks around the globe
- Transcripts and briefs through Thomson Reuters 2StreetEvents
- Full Company Report providing a comprehensive company snapshot in PDF format
- Premium news on the company level
- Save and review news articles and research offline
Thomson Reuters News Pro provides:
- Access to breaking news from around the globe
- A customizable watch list for monitoring your stocks and companies
- Detailed company profiles and business descriptions.
- Constantly updated stream of the best pictures from around the world.
- Video coverage of the biggest news and business stories
- Science, technology, health and internet news
…..Read More
SciVerse’s ScienceDirect is a leading full-text database offering journal articles and book chapters from more than 2,500 peer-reviewed journals and more than 11,000 books. Standout titles you can access via this platform include:
- The Handbooks in Economics Series
- Accounting Organizations and Society
- Journal of Accounting and Economics
- Journal of Banking and Finance
- Journal of Financial Economics
- Long Range Planning
- World Development
…….Read More
Coming Soon…….”TED” and “GoodReader”
Bookmark Business Research Plus. the Home of Research App Reviews using the QR Code Reader on your iPad
Second Years Go For Gold!
Congratulations are due to Alex Bute, Fernando Machado, Katy Mirzaie and Tarun Sakhrani who recently won the second annual RSM Private Equity competition.
The MBS team beat strong competition from 7 leading business schools including last year’s winners, London Business School, Rotterdam School of Management, Hong Kong University of Science and Technology, ESADE, IE, IESE, HEC.
The competition required the team to evaluate an investment in one of three Canadian gold mining companies. Once they had completed the evaluation had to pitch the selected company to panel of judges (the investment committee), comprising industry experts, academics and entrepreneurs.
Round one consisted of a 25-minute presentation and 5 minutes of Q&A by each of the participating schools. IESE beat tough competition from HEC in group 1 and the MBS team, edged out the hosts on the back of a strong presentation style and commendation for their investment approach. The final began with a presentation from IESE, followed by 20 minutes of Q&A from the panel of judges. The MBS team were the second team to be interrogated and continued their strong presentation style, also delivering some very detailed answers during the Q&A process. In the end, once again, on the basis of a strong presentation, some detailed answers, good research and rational investment strategy, the MBS team emerged winners!
We encourage and support our MBAs to participate in competitions, the next one on the agenda being the Venture Capital Investment Competition (VCIC) .. the European Regional Finals being in Oxford in March. Given this recent success of our second years it seems that the pressure is on for our first year VCIC team!
Prof Elaine Ferneley
MBA Director
5 Degree water and they liked it!
Ahoy,
A very nice and very post from Vishal about the RYA Level 1 classes.
Guys, it takes lots of strength to sail into these condition, I was really amazed to see all of you so dedicated!!!!
So lets now read about Vishal experience:
What would you call a bunch of prospective MBAs, a lot of whom do not know swimming, going for Dinghy sailing on a grey, windy day? Frustrated lot trying to commit suicide?
Nah! Far from it! That’s the adventurous and enthusiastic MBA class of 2013 for you!
Yes the sailing club for 2013 has already oriented its sails to the wind and has left the shores! Thanks to the enthusiasm of Eric Gaudin and Manmeet Poonia from 2012 and the initiative of Gareth Wilson and the sailing committee from 2013, we had 24 students from our class participating in RYA Level 1 Dinghy sailing events spread over two weekends at Hollingworth Lake.
This is the first club that has seen this high a participation in a paid event in such a short time of its inception!
It all started from hearing the word “Dinghy” for the first time. Googling it was the very next step.
Two teams of twelve each went sailing on two consecutive Saturdays and Sundays respectively. A lot many of us capsized our boats lot many times, some vowed not to sail again and were sailing after 15 minutes of having said so…the hunger for adventure was simply impossible to resist! We learnt how to assemble our own Dinghy, what is each and every part of the boat called, how to steer, how not to, how to get ashore with a broken sail, and what happens when you try to be over smart with those tiny boats!
Sailing on a Dinghy is a good test of one’s presence of mind, thirst for adventure, focus and co-ordination. As we reached the lake on day 1, we saw how pristine the place is. All got into their skimpy and sticky wetsuits quickly and after a short briefing (stop trying to visualize us, come back), we were wetting our feet into the ice cold waters to get onto the boats we had proudly assembled. As one boat left after the other, things went on smooth till we realized that turning the boat and getting to its bow required us to be nimble and use our rusted athletic abilities. Result – an inverted boat with a freezing and panting soul underneath!
Well but all of that learning helped us prep up for the rest of the day when we got so enthusiastic that we dashed into each other as we sped across the lake. We then did some orientation exercises where we all manoeuvred our boats in line with each other and that was a beautiful sight that no one cared to take a picture of. The second day’s session involved sailing on rough waters with very fast winds and had to unfortunately stop given the excessive windy weather with rains. The good part? We got an extension for this session in April…An English breakfast with all the sailing buddies in a cottage restaurant across the lake was the perfect way to celebrate!
A lot many of us are working on the agenda of getting MBS to a better position during the forthcoming Regattas, and I believe this RYA Level 1 certification is a big and concrete step forward. This activity gave people a flavour of what they are headed for and the best part is that most of us are in for it! There is a definite amount of passion for sailing that you can see in our team and that itself may help us move onto reaching new heights at the sailing competitions!
Cheers to our team and hope we attain new shores!!!
Vishal!
Congratulations to the MBS Business Summit 2011 Organisers
The MBS Business Summit on Friday 28th October 2011 was one of my proudest moments so far in my capacity as MBA Director at Manchester Business School. The Business Summit was launched in 2010 with the aim of delivering a one-day intensive event when the current MBA Classes, alumni and business leaders could network and learn from each other. It’s organized and managed by the second years .. and I’m confident that those who stepped forward to become members of the Organizing Committee had no idea of what they were letting themselves in for!
Before I write about the summit itself I must thank the following members of Class 2012:
Core Committee: Dan Taffler, Rohit Duggal, Kayus Fernander, Tarun Sakhrani, Laura Mace
Support Team: Voravan (Mo) Asavametha, Alex Bute, Haidar Haidar, Manmeet Poonia, Katayoon Mirzaie, Andy Blain
Also I should thank the members of Class 2013 who gave of their time to help make the summit such a success: Hugo Tapia-Parreno, Varun Verdhan, Saif Khan, Neil Ratcliffe, Shaurya Aggarwal, Fred Cheung, Suze Pluviose, Mo Abdalla
Finally a special thank you to Kalsuda (Claire) Plangsiri and Chris Garlick for their roles as official photographer and energy panel host, respectively.
So, having given thanks where they are due (and apologies to anyone I may have missed), I would now like to write a few words based on my personal experience of attending the day.
Firstly I should mention the venue… I’m a life long fan of Lancashire County Cricket Club (LCCC) and have been going to Old Trafford since I was a small child (but still don’t really understand the game). So I was delighted when the Summit organisers decide to choose The Point at Old Trafford Cricket Ground as the venue for this year’s event.
Arriving at 8.30am I was pleased to see a stream of attendees heading towards the venue and I’m sure the Summit organisers were equally relieved, I understand that close to 300 delegates attended the event.
The MBS Business Summit’s theme was “sink, swim or fly: opportunities in a post-recession world”. The conference chair was Dr. Tim Weber, the BBC News Online Editor and a fellow of the World Economic Forum. The first keynote was Michael Parker, former CEO of Dow Chemicals and also BNFL and an alum of school. His reflections on the three major economic ‘bubbles’ of the last 3 decades made chilling listening. The first ‘bubble’ he discussed was the fall of the NIKKEI in the late 1980s and its subsequent effect on world markets. The second ‘bubble’ was the late 1990s dotcom ‘bubble’ and the associated rise and fall of the US NASDAQ. Whilst the third ‘bubble’ was the US housing ‘bubble’ which is widely attributed as the root cause of the current global financial crisis. Michael’s wise advice was to avoid ‘following the crowd’ and learn how to recognize bubbles before they burst.
There then followed a number of panel sessions on Finance, Natural Resources, CSR, IT and Entrepreneurship more details of which can be found on the MBS Business Summit’s home page.
The closing keynote speaker was John Timpson CBE who gave a highly insightful presentation on how he has turned the management of his family owned business upside down. I ordered John Timpson’s book ‘Upside Down Management’ within hours of the Business Summit finishing and then read it from cover to cover within days .. I read I’d really recommend.
Finally I would like to that the organising committee once again for putting on such an excellent event and I look forward to attending an equally successful MBS Business Summit next year.
Well Done!
Prof Elaine Ferneley, MBA Director
MBA Sailing Club: Mission TOP 3 for 2012
A fantastic campaign 2011 finished at the 6th of the MBA Sailing League.
This year was exceptional. For the first time we welcomed Global MBA onboard. The Alumni core is stronger than ever and the club start getting some real buzz in the school. We presented 2 crews at the Cranfield Regatta and 1 crew at the Rolex Regatta.
Looking forward the 2012 campaign, this becomes really interesting. The 2013 class is progressively taking over the club. They organized sailing classes for beginner. We have 24 participants with Global, 2012 and 2013. Our apprentice sailors will hopefully get their RYA 1. A RYA2 is planned for spring, and more training to come! This way we will have a fully trained team for the 2012 campaign, with a very ambitious goal:
Get into the top three!!!
The club is using the winter to get organised and to find sponsorship. If you are interested by our activities, feel free to contact us: eric.gaudin@mba.mbs.ac.uk
Ahoy,
Eric!
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