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The most amazing experience.  What a month!

http://www.carolineandsamir.co.uk/

I never thought I could write so much!  Twenty something thousand words and 140 pages later, the MBA dissertation is done.

So to is the course itself.

It has been a roller-coaster of a ride and I now find myself spat out the other end with new plans, new friends and new ways of looking at the world around us; much more than I ever imagined in fact.

Where next?  I am not sure.  There are some projects bubbling and I hope to start a new business in the near future.  Now however is a time for celebration of success and quiet moments to reflect on the last 12 months.  I am also looking forward to spending time with my wife again (an MBA widow of the last few months it has to be said!) and also catching up with friends.

For those reading this and starting on Monday, if you let it, the course will change your life for the better and for good.

Best of luck to those job seekers at the moment!  Sounds like you are having some success and this could be perfect timing to pick up on the recovery.

What a year!

Check out Brooke Fraser. An introduction to me from my lovely wife.  Imported from NZ and videos on YouTube.

Top Gun made an appearance in discussions today around my dissertation!  All those hours spent watching the film were not in vain.  How great!

The scene is now set for the summer months ahead.  The days of sitting in the lecture theatre are now a pleasant memory.  As I near the end of my last assignment, International Business on joint ventures in emerging markets, it is an exciting time ahead again.  Time to put all this theory into action!

My dissertation will be on developing and evaluating the reasonable prospects for a new venture.  The subject: Motorsports.

It was a brave step to take this route as I had a confirmed offer from a successful multinational company in the technology sector.  However, opportunities only come along so often and I decided to take this one.  More details will appear through the summer, as I can tell you about them.

The world of motorsports is in some turmoil. If you have missed it in the news, it is not because of the recession but because of political things.  The fighting is a shame because the F1 season is shaping up to be a classic.  Jenson Button is out in the lead but his rivals have caught up in terms of machinery.  Looks like we will have another good fight until the end; although not to the last corner of the last lap, please Jenson!

Wimbledon also started today.  Murray is through, having dropped one set. He has a very solid game and is more emotionally stable than Henman.  This doesn’t make it so on the edge of your seat, but great to see the Brit’s doing well in sports.

The chilli are looking good and we had our first home grown strawberry today!

“The Newfoundland Fisherman”

A boat was docked in a tiny Newfoundland fishing village. A tourist from Toronto complimented the Newfie fisherman on the quality of his fish and asked how long it took him to catch them.

‘Not very long,’ answered the Newfie.

‘But then, why didn’t you stay out longer and catch more?’ asked the Torontonian.

The Newfie explained that his small catch was sufficient to meet his needs and those of his family.

The Torontonian asked, **’But what do you do with the rest of your time?’

‘I sleep late, fish a little, play with my children, and take an afternoon nap with my wife. In the evenings, I go into the village to see my friends, have a few drinks, play the guitar, and sing a few songs… I have a full life.’

The Torontonian interrupted, ‘I have an MBA from Queen’s University and I can help you!  You should start by fishing longer every day. You can then sell the extra fish you catch. With the extra revenue, you can buy a bigger boat.’

‘And after that?’ asked the Newfie.

‘With the extra money the larger boat will bring, you can buy a second one and a third one and so on until you have an entire fleet of trawlers. Instead of selling your fish to a middle man, you can then negotiate directly with the processing plants and maybe even open your own plant. You can then leave this little village and move to St John’s, Halifax, or even Toronto!  From there you can direct your huge new enterprise.’

‘How long would that take?’ asked the Newfie.

‘Twenty, perhaps twenty-five years,’ replied the Torontonian.

‘And after that?’

‘Afterwards? Well my Friend, That’s when it gets really interesting’,answered the Torontonian, laughing ‘When your business gets really big, you can start selling stocks and make millions!’

‘Millions? Really? And after that?’ said the Newfie.

‘After that you’ll be able to retire, live in a tiny village near the coast, sleep late, play with your children, catch a few fish, take an afternoon nap with your wife and spend your evenings drinking and enjoying your friends.’

And the moral is:

Know where you’re going in life… you may already be there”

-The big news this week is that the sun is shining and my lovely wife is expecting a baby!

For those that are interested to know how the Business Decision analysis course went, well it was a game of two halves; the first half excellent, the second half not very well recieved by the majority.  Some useful software presented which should be very useful for my dissertation and beyond I hope.

This week however belongs to the expectation of the new arrival; I have been overwhelmed by peoples kind words.