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There hasn’t been so much comment on the MBA course of late, so here is an update.  Firstly I can’t believe it is week 8 already.  We are super busy with many modules converging with presentations in the next few days.  There is the conclusion of Practise of Management, a module that I feel I have got a lot from working with our Charity organisation and where we have really made a small difference to working life.  We will have another Dragons Den experience with this and this time I am presenting!

The MAM module has just handed out a case study.  The idea is to be a critical customer of a model given to you as a manager in a report.  Our case is quite topical as it presents a model to equate credit ratings to likely default on mortgage payments!  There will be plenty to go at then.  The assessment did cause some confusion however as it was not clear on the weightings – I suspect it was rushed together at the last minute.

Today I have my first Entrepreneurial Finance meeting.  Luckily my whole group is on campus – the syndicate groups are a mix of distance, exec and full time MBA students. This should be a great benefit and I am looking forward to meeting my new team.  The first submission for this is a week Friday, then every Friday for the next 4 weeks.  It is full on, especially as these hand ins won’t be assessed and they go over exam week for us.

Strategy yesterday was a great class.  We covered a whirlwind tour of Mergers & Acquisitions and then had a debate on the case: Nestle v Rowntree’s.  It was good as our team had to role play Rowntree’s, another Nestle.  Made for an interesting session and something quite different to the norm.

In both Marketing and Management of Change Innovation and Entrepreneurship was covered.  This was a great couple of sessions and it was good to get right under the how and the why on this subject that is close to my heart.

A couple of us on the Student Staff Liaison Committee have also been working hard on putting together an end of term Ball for the class.  We have as small budget from the fee’s the class has paid.  The plan is coming together nicely and it should be a great event if we can pull it off amungst all our other commitments.

Finally, the modules this term seem to be delivering but I have to say looking back, the first few weeks were a little light this term and now it is nearly all over.

The inspiring yet ultimately tragic story of Andrew McAuley.

At the begining of 2007 he set off from Australia for New Zealand in a Kayak.  The 1600km trip took in some of the worst weather the sea could generate, storms and swells of over 30ft.  The irony here is that he survived the big waves and the mental challenge to capsize and drown in relatively calm waters.  After 30 odd days spent in his kayak he got to within 30km and within sight of land.  Rescue crews found the kayak but not him.  Most of the footage from the film was recovered from one memory card on one camera that he took.  You see total range of emotion. A link to the blog is here.

Have a look at this link I was put onto about how the US is going to be spending their money.  Makes an interesting read for those who are considering their future careers.

The cloud as it is often referred too, is not something light and fluffy, but simply lots of computers connected together on an industrial scale.  They are supported by very real infrastructure (advanced air conditioning, high security, massive diesel back-up generators) and are only set to grow in number in the future, as more and more software delivery is moved off PC’s and onto web-based interfaces.

What a great weekend.  Valentines was a great excuse to spend some time with lovely my wife.  One of the unseen challenges is balancing family life with the intensity of MBA study.

For many on the course it is not an issue but for others this balance takes its toll on their loved ones.

Simply good food, good company and uninterrupted time together was great.  We even popped in at the cinema to see the much talked about Slumdog and I am glad we did.  A very thought provoking film that confirmed much of what I have seen on India.  A good love story too and apparently based on a true account.  If you get the chance, watch it.

The reputation of Entrepreneurial finance is with good cause.  We got the folders for the module last Friday and the work load is significant.  Although fully intensive, one does sometimes feel we are not being pushed hard enough on the MBA so this module will certainly make up for it; especially having to give submissions through the exam week of this term.  I am really looking forward to it and to meeting the lecturer flying in from UCLA.

In the last week also, the momentum has started to build for everyone on the project and job front.  The PepsiCo presentation, where they brought fridges full of produce!, was very popular with the cohort and I am sure they will get many applications.  Rolls-Royce are in this week and there is a session on renewable energy solutions that I will be attending.

I am looking at projects in growing sectors (if there are any!) in the field of business strategy and development, rather than say with a business operations focus.  Ultimately however, my approach is always to understand what the business issues first.

The country has ground to a halt as snow has descended and councils have run out of salt (that incidentally lowers the freezing point of water to stop ice forming.)  Even life at WBS has been effected as Marketing class this week has been delayed because of snow interrupted flights for the professor.

Those who have hung onto their 4×4′s must have been happy however.  Lets hope this prolonged cold spell has improved sales for my friends at Land Rover.

It is the PoM individual assignment hand-in day today.  For many the cancellation of Marketing will have been a blessing in disguise!  I managed to get mine done towards the end of last week and quite enjoyed the exercise, once I got into it.   The team survey was really very revealing, even for our team that gets on really well.

A wonderful snowy London scene. If you happen to be interested in what its like to do an MBA in the UK, have a look around my blog with pleasure.

For my information on my strategy consulting services, click here.

Keep warm and have a great day!

For the real story behind the FT MBA rankings see the MBA Resource pages.