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FROM IMD Admissions Blog: Photo blog: the IMD gym |
Given how much delicious food IMD's restaurant allows us to gorge ourselves on each day, it's lucky that we also have a rather good gym where we can work all those calories off again: Cardio is catered for with a number of different devices Lots of weights are there for those that like to pick up bits of metal and put them back exactly where they found them And for those who prefer their weights to be a little more guided and the muscle movements a little more isolated, a whole array of machines are also available There's a sound system in each room, although we've got to be aware of the neighbours... ...especially at 7 in the morning. We can work off the tension from the workload... ...and do so together. By the end of the year we should all look like this guy! |
FROM IMD Admissions Blog: Country Dynamics... |
Last week, the importance of the nation ruled. We had the final lectures of our International Political Economy module. Directed by the peerless Prof Carlos Braga, the course was a whirlwind tour through all of the issues that could conceivably influence global business today; from the (arguably) declining influence of the USA to the controversial events in Ukraine, the course was fascinating particularly since it was led by our professor who just happened to be a leading light at the World Bank, and thus party to many of the key conversations that have shaped our economy in recent times. As you might imagine with topics such as these, and an international student base, there were a few heated discussions amongst classmates with different perspectives, but it was great to see these differing points of view, and I really had some of my preconceptions challenged. It wasn’t just in International Political Economy that the importance of nations and national identity was central. In our Strategy module, my Classmates from India and China respectively gave presentations around what Strategy means in their respective cultures. It was fascinating to see how these two ever more dominant economies have a totally different approach to business. At the moment China’s formula appears more immediately successful, but perhaps India’s is more sustainable? Yet another cause for heated debate. The tone at IMD has shifted from learning facts and models, to really implementing and questioning these facts and models, and I’m really enjoying the intellectual challenge that this presents, and the fascinating debate that ensues. For anyone interested in seeing our debates and argumentative spirit in action, we’ve got an on-campus visit scheduled at the end of the month – come and join us! Just check out the website for more details. This week – it’s Finance nearly all week! So I’m dusting off my excel spreadsheets for a top-secret two day exercise designed to test our newly-acquired knowledge to the maximum. Yet another few days when I can see little sleep on the horizon. But I can’t complain too much – on Saturday we had a fantastic class barbeque on the beach by the lake – a great way to relax after a long week. That’s it for now! Nick. |
FROM IMD Admissions Blog: Fun Finance |
Finance = Fun? I never would have thought of such equation when we started Nuno's class 5 months ago. But surprisingly yesterday we had lots of fun in our finance course. We learned our negotiation skills in the negotiation class a couple of weeks ago, and finally we could use them in a real "simulation." Each group received a corporate acquisition case to study. We needed to analyze whether it would be a good idea to accept the deal. We then needed to negotiate the deal with another group with the conditions given. When all of us finished our negotiations, Nuno showed us each group's results. If one would look rationally at the price offers, all the groups should have easily reached agreements. Actually many group did not, mostly due to emotional reasons triggered during the negotiation process. The moment when the group decided not to have a deal was due to the feeling that the other person "might" try to be dishonest and take advantage of situation. It reminded me of the fight when my 3-year old girl refused to share her toys with her big sister because she believed that she was being taken advantage of... With this enriching experience, we said goodbye to Nuno and finance class for this module. Now there is still the finance exam to prepare for and then we will start other projects! Stephanie Seller Ahmed, "They have no idea how valuable our company is. The offer is just ridiculous!" Buyer Elie, "They are cheating us! They try to rip us off by blowing up the price. We refuse to accept it!" |
FROM IMD Admissions Blog: A critical event in the European calendar... |
Yesterday marked a critical event in the European diplomatic calendar - yes, it was the Eurovision Song Contest... Inspired by the prospects of tactical voting, bad music and a chance to have a barbeque, the majority of the class appeared last night to take in the delights of the show, joined by two of our finance faculty no less! A great night was had by all, particularly the Europeans who had the opportunity to cheer on their acts (and in the UK's case, the act needed all the help it could get...). It was great fun, and one of the many events that the social committee have organised to great effect over the year. This week, we have another 'integrative exercise', which translated out of management speak, means a couple of days designed to starve students of sleep, and provoke arguments. Let's see what ensues this time. I can't say I'm wholly looking forward to it... However, one thing that I am looking forward to, is the 'mystery' trip. I think I wrote about a mystery trip organised directly after the exams - well, the mystery is no more... We are off to Istanbul, for a packed schedule of cultural, political and economic enlightenment. And obviously, IMD being IMD, this isn't a holiday - activities start at 8am every morning. Despite the early mornings, I can't wait to go back to Istanbul, and find out more about this economic powerhouse developing on Europe's doorstep. Until next time, Nick. |
FROM IMD Admissions Blog: How to run a company? |
Many of us decided to do an MBA because we would like to become a general manager in the future. Some of us have already experiences running a company and some not yet. We spent 2 days this week "running" a company in a simulation program. Each team was responsible for running a company with specific conditions and funds. We needed to make decision what to produce and sell. The market was completely random and fluctuated periodically, just like in real life. We also competed with other teams in the same markets at the same time. At the end of each period, we received our financial reports and we would see how well (or not well) we did, and we could change our strategy accordingly. Even though it was just a simulation, we experienced very "real" situations. Many surprises and unexpected market reactions happened and we needed to act within a short time. One thing I know remains the same in both "virtual" and "real" worlds is that when it comes to making decisions in a group, there is no short-cut or simple solution. Lots of discussion and pursuasion is essential. Stephanie Running a company from our headquarter |
FROM IMD Admissions Blog: And we're off!!!! (nearly |
At the moment, I'm perfecting my multitasking skills (who said men can't???). Currently, my main task is to revise for my finance exam tomorrow, and then the subsequent strategy exam on Thursday. However, I'm also blogging (and no, I'm not distracting myself from revision, honest...) but also packing for the class trip to Turkey. We are leaving directly after the exam on Thursday, so I'm expecting this will be the only time in my life when I'll drag a suitcase with me to an exam - doubtless I'll either forget something vital for the exam, or else my passport. We are all greatly looking forward to the Turkey trip (let's not talk about the exams), and the team have put together a fantastic schedule for us, including some heavy-weight speakers. More details when I'm back, but whilst I'm sure the lectures around Turkish cultural and economic matters will be great, all eyes are on the Bosphorus dinner cruise! My main discovery in the last week or so has been my local open-air swimming pool. Swimming is one of my favorite hobbies, and it's been great to take a revision break daily, and plunge into the pool - particularly since the weather has been consistently around 25 degrees for the last week or so - fantastic! Revision isn't all hard work, after all! Other than this, over the last week, I've been looking at a few options for my projects over the summer - we'll see what transpires - but right now, the focus is on exams, then Turkey. Until next time - probably after Turkey - greetings from a beautiful Lausanne! Nick. |
FROM IMD Admissions Blog: One done, and one more to go |
We had our finance exam this morning, and there is still strategy exam for tomorrow. Lots of stress has been relieved after the more difficult part has been completed. After the exam, we had a short briefing on our Turkey trip. I feel excited as it is going to be my first time visiting a fascinating country. As Nick mentioned yesterday, it is difficult not to get distracted by the thought of the trip. It requires lots of multi-tasking skills to organize the exam preparation as well as the trip preparation. We will definitely give some reports on the up-coming trip soon! Stephanie |
FROM IMD Admissions Blog: The east of the west, and the west of the east - Istanbul study trip |
We were lucky to have something new this year - a study trip after the final exam to Istanbul. The purpose was for us to meet academic scholars and companies from the region and get to know better the political, economic, religion and cultural situation of the country. It was my first time in Istanbul. As soon as we landed at the airport, I knew that I would love the city. The immediate impression was that the city resembled Asian big cities, such as Singapore or Malaysian. There was the resemblance in modern buildings, air-conditioned room everywhere, the humid and warm weather, and the busy pace of life. On the other hand, it reminded me also of Sicily, where I have spent extended period of time and where the Arabic culture influenced the region for a long time even till now. One knows that one is in Istanbul because of the chaotic taxies nagivating the street in perfect choreography, the loud and easily-excited people, and all walks of life trying to earn a living anyhow, everywhere and anytime. And the Bosphorus, which has witnessed the metamorphasis of the city since centuries, nutured the richness of the region. We met wonderful people: intellectuals who stayed in the city to contribute their talents, smart entrepreneurs who created remarkable businesss opportunities, and taxi drivers hoping that the election would boost Turkish economy. The study trip has provided knowledge and experience beyond the textbooks and case studies. It is going to be one of my most memorable IMD experiences. Stephanie |
FROM IMD Admissions Blog: Back from Istanbul! |
As you’ll have seen from Stephanie’s blog the class had a fantastic time in Istanbul. It was a brilliant experience, and particularly special that we had the whole class together to immerse ourselves into some cultural and educational experiences. And yes, some parties too… The trip was so intense that I have taken up sleeping as my new hobby over the last few days, as I don’t think I got more than around four hours sleep on average per night in Istanbul, but still (hopefully) made the most of all the fantastic experiences that we had. Fingers crossed that this event will be repeated for next year’s cohort of MBA students. Last week, the trip was directly followed by some events held by our careers department. We had several major companies coming to speak to us about potential careers within their organisation, and it was fascinating to see such a breadth of different industries and opportunities – most of which I’d never experienced before. This was topped off with a networking event on Saturday where we had a huge turnout of alumni from many previous years, who came back to IMD to catch up with old friends, and to make new connections with the existing class. This week, the lull in work has stopped, and it’s full steam ahead to prepare for our ‘Navigating the Future’ conference later in the week, where we’ll be joined by some top-level executives who will hear the MBA class’s view on the key trends that we believe will affect corporations in the near future. Watch this space! Nick. |
FROM IMD Admissions Blog: Another busy week! |
Another incredibly busy week at IMD. This week we had the 'Navigating the Future' conference. This was an opportunity for the class to present some key note speeches to an invited audience of guests over a two day period. Topics ranged from 'regulation' (my group's topic), to 'speed of change', and involved some audience interaction - a great opportunity for all of us in the class to put into practice the presentation, analysis and teamwork skills we've been accruing over the course of the year. It was another hectic time putting together the presentations and making sure they were sufficiently polished for our guests - the midnight oil was being burned again at IMD this week! It was fantastic to network with our diverse range of guests - some of which were MBA alumni themselves, and it was great to learn the experiences that they had enjoyed since graduation. Next week is the last week before our summer break - but I haven't really had a chance to look to the summer, as next week entails another whirlwind of activity. I am going to be meeting the team behind my ICP - International Consulting Project, where I'll be part of a team providing research, advice and practical solutions to a property company looking to restructure its portfolio of assets - I can't wait. The team and I are plotting our strategy so that we can hit the ground running when we meet the management team on Monday. And in other news - Lausanne has been bathed in superb sunshine today - it's amazing how different the city feels in summer - long may it last! Nick. |
FROM IMD Admissions Blog: Kick-off ICP |
Just right before the start of summer,my group had our kick-off meeting for the ICP project. As Nick mentioned in the previous post, ICP (International Consulting Project) is an important part of the second half of the MBA program. Each group is assigned to a company, which has a specific project for the students to work on. We will work full-time over 7 weeks from Sept to Nov on this project and then present the final result to the client. This week our group met the client for the first time. We got to know the teams involved on both sides, and the scope of the project. It was especially interesting for me to discover an industry I had had no knowledge nor experience of. The scope of the project will involve not only understanding of the value chain of the industry both upstream and downstream, but also the main players involved. We will be visiting the company's headquarter in Switzerland on Thursday to know better the business. I have a good feeling that it is going to be an exciting time after the summer, and am looking forward to it! Stephanie |
FROM IMD Admissions Blog: Istanbul trip in reminiscence |
Enjoy some photos of our Istanbul study trip thanks to our great photographer Nick Allen! Stephanie |
FROM IMD Admissions Blog: It's the summer!!! |
Summer is here - finally! All of the class went on a hiking trip to the mountains at the weekend to mark the end of the first part of the MBA programme, and it was a great opportunity to reflect on what an enriching, challenging, but really enjoyable time that we've had. Now the class is dispersing across the globe for a four-week break, during which time we'll all be looking forward to having a break, but importantly working on our individual projects. The individual project is an opportunity for us all to 'deep-dive' into a particular area that interests us - some of my colleagues are doing a short internship, whilst others are investigating a particular issue by way of desk research. Summer isn't just for a rest - it will be a hive of activity as well! I'm in Lausanne for a few days before heading back to London to enjoy the British summer season - can't wait! Nick. |
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