Wednesday 30 April 2008

Distinguished Speakers

One great thing about studying in Oxford is the very large number of illustrious speakers who visit the business school. A short list of the speakers who have visited the business school so far this year include: Sir John Rose, Chief Executive, Rolls Royce; Tony Tyler, COO, Cathay Pacific; Sir Lyndsay Owen-Jones, Chairman, L'Oreal; ex-US president Jimmy Carter, ex-US Vice President Al Gore; Neville Isdell, CEO, Coca Cola Group; Tim Harford, author of The Undercover Economist and member of the Financial Times editorial board; and George David, CEO, United Technologies Corporation, to name just a few.

It would be pointless to try and extol the virtues of listening to the experiences of men who have achieved so much. The opportunity to hear such a large number of distinguished speakers and the chance to actually have a one-on-one conversation with them during the post-talk drinks reception makes it one more reason to choose Oxford.

A few days ago the school had its annual public lecture, delivered by Oxford Graduate Nicky Oppenheimer, the billionaire chairman of the De Beers group. The lecture delivered was an informative discourse on the company's business and perspectives in the extremely complex mix of diamonds, development, and democracy.

Indeed there have been (and I suspect there will continue to be) questions about the ethics of the diamond business in Africa: issues relating to conflict diamonds, development of communities and countries in some of the poorest parts of the world, and to De Beers' role in influencing matters (including politics) in these areas. Regardless of the merits (or indeed lack of) of such arguments, it was refreshing to hear the company's perspective, and to Mr. Oppenheimer's candid submission that a lot more could be done, and needed to be done, in these areas. It was also amusing to hear, when he was introduced as an Oxford graduate who started as the chairman's assistant, that Mr. Oppenheimer was quick to explain that the only reason he could do that was because the chairman whose assistant he started out as was his father.




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Saturday 19 April 2008

Invisible

It's amazing how a good comic can amuse people without words - or props. And some comics are better than most others. Check out these videos of Rowan Atkinson that rather vividly demonstrate the point.







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Thursday 17 April 2008

The Blues Book: SBS Unplugged

Many students coming to the Said Business School and to Oxford, especially those coming from very different parts of the world with very different systems and cultures, need all the help they can get to fit in and to make the transition as smooth and as hassle-free as possible. Those researching the school with a view to applying often do not get to know enough - after all, official sources, like the fabulous SBS and Oxford University websites, can only give you so much information. Some students search the internet for any information, anywhere, while others trawl the various internet MBA groups and forums hoping to find someone with the knowledge they seek. But most prospective students often miss out on the most valuable perspective - that of current and past students, and on little nuggets of information too mundane to be included in official websites .

Therefore, some enterprising students in the current class have set up this Wiki site to help all Said Business School prospective students, applicants, and aspirants to gain a better understanding of what life is like in Oxford, what the business school and studying here is like, what to expect, and what to prepare for. The site is still in its infancy and contains limited information at the moment, but as current and past students share their experiences and opinions it should evolve into something really useful.

It is important, however, to note that the Wiki site contains the opinions of the writers - the school's students, and has no official standing whatsoever. Also, as a Wiki site it can be edited by absolutely anyone, and therefore prospective students should use their own judgment in evaluating all information, opinions, and experiences detailed on the site.



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Trinity begins

Trinity term started for me today with my first class of the term - Business in China. It was a fascinating class to begin the term with. International business in this rapidly evolving and shrinking world is dynamic and challenging as it is; business with a country like China, even more so. The country's politics, culture, markets, and legal systems are perhaps as different as they can get from the capitalistic west. Yet, more or less every company in the western world wants to do business there. So much so that it has become a cliche to say that one really cannot afford not to be in China. This paradox of evident attraction versus apparent risks makes the study of business in China even more interesting.

Incidentally, many classes, including this one, have started this term in what is still Week zero. This is partly because of complex scheduling and the availability of the lecturers, and partly because of the MBA tournament (more on that later) in the second week of May. The term promises to be the most difficult one yet. Like Hilary, we have electives and different study groups for different modules. However, unlike Hilary six different electives mean more assignments and six different study groups. Though the exact number of assignments during the term depends on the exact electives opted for, I suspect most people would have close to 15 different assignments during the term. I have 14.

I have some very interesting electives lined up for the term, in addition to 'Business in China': 'Branding and Communication', 'Marketing Innovation', 'CSR and Ethical Marketing', 'Retailing', and, 'Strategic Decision Making in Dynamic Environments'. If nothing else, this great mix of subjects should result in fantastic learning opportunities.

We are technically half-way through the year and into our last academic term (the final, summer, term is for projects, internships, theses, etc.), and the rest of the year should really fly by from here.


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Tuesday 8 April 2008

Trinity - the start of a new term

Well, here we are - half way through the one-year MBA programme, and what a six-month period it has been! After the first term - Michaelmas, and the second - Hilary, the third term - Trinity, starts on Monday.

Michaelmas was characterised by getting used to being a student, to attending classes, to learning new stuff, and to making new friends. Hilary, with us now settled in, was about capitalising on the learning opportunities in terms of academics, social networking, career planning, and life in general. This was capped by the first real sense that we've learned an awful lot in six short months - by way of the Entrepreneurship Project. A lot happened during the term, however, and it whizzed past in a blur. Looking back it is hard to identify landmark events that help bring a sense of scale to time - maybe it is just me, but I have a feeling a lot of my friends will agree.

Trinity, I have been reliably told, will be even more of a blur. It's like being on a roller coaster - we're moving along at incredible speed; yet we have no idea when we're going to reach the top (or even if we have already passed it).


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Tata Motors and Blu-ray

No, they're not connected in any way. Except that I wrote about both shortly before conclusion of affairs in each case. Therefore, an update is called for.

First, almost immediately after the last post on Blu-ray, Toshiba conceded defeat and that proclaimed Blu-ray as the undisputable technology leader. So, we can now go out and buy Blu-ray players and recorders, certain that we are not buying obsolete technology - though with the cheapest Blu-ray players currently selling for £200 in the UK it may be a while before they become ubiquitous.

Second, shortly after Easter the finalisation of the $2.3bn Jaguar-Land Rover deal between Tata and Ford was announced. Ford will also contribute up to $600m to the pension plans of the two brands. The sale is expected to close by mid-year.


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