Cabaret at Stafford Cripps

Our batch had to maintain a tradition – perform a cabaret event during the orientation week. Now before someone gets me wrong, it isn’t the typical cabaret as one may imagine – we keep our clothes on – though a few could be in weird attire.

The preparations were on for many hours, since almost all streams had decided just last evening what they would perform. The occasional sounds of chanting from a lecture room were the only signs of who’s doing what. All streams made best attempts to keep their concepts under wraps. As the clock drew nearer to the time of start, one could feel the adrenalin rise and hearts beating faster. Our stream was the first off the block with a medley of international songs as a symbol of diversity – after all we have 18 countries represented by 41 of us in Red stream. The audience hummed along with the songs of China, Columbia and Mexico, cheered on the song of Britain, swayed to the lyrics of Indian “Chaiyya Chaiyya” and Kenya’s “Hakuna Matata”. The next performance was “Percussions” – a piece prepared by our Stream Rep Tom, who is a drummer himself. And what a performance it was – the sounds of cascading drums and other equipment juxtaposed with each other in a rhythmic fashion – the entire audience was on its feet, clapping thunderously. I missed the overall impact because I was concentrating so hard on my part of the beats – so I trusted the audience when they were all praises for our performance. Our third performance was a parody on Bohemian Rhapsody and referred to the experience at Cranfield so far. It was all the more amusing with Charlie (Britain), Marieke (Netherlands) wearing big black wigs and singing in strange high pitched voices, thereby creating the look and feel of the band “Queen”.The last performance was another song and then the Red streamers retreated after a scintillating cabaret performance.

The Green stream started on a serious note with Marc (German) standing behind the podium wearing a business jacket and tie and gelled hair to remind one of the great infamous General of war history. He invited us to experience the German sense of humour and stepped out from behind the podium …………. And the audience fell off their chairs. The other piece of the business suit was missing and instead he wore fishnet stockings………… Surprise….surprise………John Glen - our Director of FT MBA - was invited to the stage to receive a symbolic and huge cardboard cheque of “25 big ones” (representing the damage to our pockets for fees) that was handed over extremely ‘reluctantly’. John was at his best and matched the witticism of ‘reluctant handing over’ by kissing the cheque and hugging it…… and also Marc.

Green stream started with a dance performance on a Punjabi Indian song led by Varinder Anand (India) which brought the audience to their feet. This was followed by a classical dance performance by Seema Padman (India) supported by a host of international students dressed in the Indian dress – salwar kameez. A skit followed depicting the trials and travails that students undergo at WAC time. For the uninitiated, the WAC (Written Assessment of a Case) is a dreaded assignment to be done in extremely tight timeframe. The MBA Diary will surely give a blow by blow account of actual WAC experiences later. The skit was followed by a couple of group songs that were loudly cheered and applauded.

Blue stream took over and well……….actually held the audience spell bound. The start was delayed due to endless preparations that went on behind the curtains. The curtain was removed to show the long lost twin “weeman” brothers’ – of Blue stream orienteers Paddy Radcliffe (Britain) and Santi Mayo (Spain). What we were about to see were a few accounts of dwarf twins Paddy and Santi’s daily routine on campus. The Blue streamers had recreated the magic of theatre. It was an amazing performance by David Stark, James Peer, Nick Williams and Nicholas Shaw. This was followed by a spirited Latina song and dance number with Aleida Martinez (Mexico) and Alex Mita (Peru) in the lead.

And then the lights went out. In pitch darkness, suddenly a flicker of a matchstick came up to light a candle, and another candle and another……. Slowly, there were host of candles burning and we could see the entire Blue stream on stage swaying to music. I literally got goose bumps when they started singing an improvised version of “We are the world, we are the children”. It was an amazing and pretty creative setup done by the Blue streams. Thus ended the performances by the three streams. But it wasn’t the end of the evening.

After a few minutes break, the band went on a roll, and everyone hit the dance floor. This was the MBA Band – Paradigm Shift – from the outgoing MBA batch of 2003/04. With Kofi (orienteer) as the lead singer and Prof. Sean Rickard on the electric guitar, they played until the wee hours of midnight. It was a treat to hear Claire – the lead orienteer – as the fitting finale to the night.

Vote for me…………..please!

Ever since I arrived on campus, I had been wondering “how do I get to know so many new students and some facts about their countries”. Little did I realize the school had read my mind. Day 4 of our orientation started with an interesting exercise on ‘Effective team working in a multi cultural environment’. Inter-stream teams of six were made and a country assigned to each. A native student of the assigned country was made the team leader. Some background text material was provided and a short presentation had to be prepared. My team was assigned Germany and Marc Guse was our lead presenter.
Post reading and summarization of quick points, we then went to the Stream rooms just after lunch where each team shared their understanding and observations on their assigned country. There couldn’t have been a better way to get to know interesting and/or business environment related facts about six different countries.
The elections of Stream and Diversity Rep’s were scheduled next and after some pep-talk by the orienteers, the list of candidates went up significantly. Each of the candidates came up with a one minute speech to the class and then the class went to vote. In true spirit of competition that the school represents, the results gave a tie between two candidates. So the class went to vote again and what fun it was. “What if there is a tie again?” – was on everyone’s mind.
The clapping was thunderous for the winner elected to represent our Red stream – Tom Keohane (Britain) – and the clap was equally thunderous for the other candidate who lost BY JUST ONE VOTE! Wow! That was breathtaking for every one.
Meanwhile, in between the declaration of results of Stream Rep, the class had gone to vote again – this time for the Diversity Rep. And the list was even longer than that for Stream rep. I too pitched in and had come prepared with my speech –which I eventually forgot when my chance to propagate my candidature came. The orienteers came back with a smile on their faces – the class knew that the results will be out soon.
Something was definitely unique about our stream because IT WAS AGAIN A TIE – this time for the Diversity Rep – and it was a tie BETWEEN THREE OF US – including myself. By now the stream was in rolls of laughter and excitement – this was proving to be real fun. So we all voted again to chose one from the three and Rola Mikati (Lebanon) was eventually elected as Diversity representative for RED STREAM.

Sweat it out……guys………sweat it out!!!!

The Forum was buzzing with cries……… only these sounded more like battle cries. Chants of ‘Blue…..blue…..blue’ were interspersed with ‘Go greens go……..go greens go’ and ‘Red stream…..red stream’. A visitor to the campus would have been in for a surprise. Even the faculty members passing by could hardly ignore the contagious smiles on the faces of every student and their partners. Adding to the colours were red painted faces and green powdered heads of orienteers. “Lead by example” – and they sure did!!

With throats crying themselves hoarse, the streams reached the lush green grounds. After briefings by Adam (orienteer), the inter stream games began. Soccer and softball games started together on separate grounds and one could hear the cheers and jeers all around.
As the games progressed and the points of the winning team put on the score board, one could see people biting their nails and hear Tarzan cries. On a parallel note, the fun-games also began. Rajeev (India) and Aabhas (India) threw eggs at each other …I mean TO each other .. increasing the distance between themselves after each successful catch till…………..the egg finally hatched….sorry ….broke. Those enthusiasts who wanted participation in more than one event could be seen scurrying from one field to the other. Soccer, softball and rugby – all happened quickly one after the other. A bit of a drizzle earlier in the day further spiced up the sports day. After all the ‘serious’ and ‘fun’ games were over, the mother of all games – tug-of-war – was held. All throughout the events, every time my stream lost, I kept calling out – ‘Red stream gives happiness to others!!!!’ And when the tug-of-war took place, it was time to WIN! And what a pull that was – a combination of not just sheer brute strength but also wits at play.
The day ended with prize ceremony for all winners and aching bodies… we all then dispersed only to collect once more at the Social for post-games drinks and celebrations.

What would you do??

I read this quote some years ago – “Winning is not always important, what is important is to stand for something. If you do not stand for something, what do you win?”

And here we were, faced with four different situations in the lecture on Business Ethics. As we deliberated the issues in our randomly assigned sub-groups, it was quite interesting to hear answers ranging from the idealistic to the practical. For most students, ethics was the over-riding deciding factor. Others explored wider dimensions – especially on the issue of outsourcing to developing countries. Overall, a very interactive and interesting session. Dr.Lance Moir (Senior Lecturer in Finance & Accounting with special interest in Corporate Social Responsibility) added to our enthusiasm with his flair.

In the second session for the day, we were asked to analyse the financials of a car manufacturer, and then present the results to the company’s shareholders, in order to seek their approval of its pricing policy. The presentation was scheduled for Thursday.

The orienteers then briefed us about the Representatives election coming up on Thursday and Friday. Every stream (Red, Blue and Green) would have 4 different representatives. The Stream Rep is the voice of the class who is the focal point of liaison between the stream and the faculty. The Diversity Rep represents the entire years’ diversity to maximise the sharing of ideas and cultural traditions. The Sports Rep organizes sporting events and encourages participation. The Social Rep’s are the heart and soul of MBA, organizing parties and helps make the year full of fun.

It was a very insightful experience to see the way these orienteers had scheduled our week. The first day (Monday) had begun at 0900 hours. Tuesday and Wednesday had started at 0830 hours. Thursday was scheduled to start at 0815 hours. Do I see a pattern? Yes, and as if this wasn’t enough, in our schedule for Wednesday, we had been allocated some time to study(!) for the lectures for next Monday.

Thankfully, the day was over earlier…..but we still had to sweat it out later.

International night

The evening was equally magnificent, if not more. It was the International night for all students together with their partners. Dressed in traditional Indian attire, as I walked in, I was overwhelmed by the variety of colours and shades. Diversity was visible in the language and skin colour, in mannerisms and traditions, and also in the dresses. However, diversity becomes meaningless when it comes to passion. Passion is eternal and is the same for everyone, everywhere. The passion that was exuded by each student to come dressed in their national costume was the overarching trait of the evening.

The buzz in the hall in Cranfield Management Development Centre (CMDC) was reverberating. My eyes could hardly capture one beautiful sight when the next one appeared. Be it students or partners, all were at their traditional best. Charlie in his pin-striped suit and bowler hat was the quintessential English gentleman while John McIntyre, dressed in a flowing robe took me back to the middle ages of British history. Then there was Veronica Tapia showing off her Mexican dress, complete with ribbonned plaits and Rola Mikati in her traditional long Lebanese dress. Divya, Seema and Aparna – the Indian women - attracted equal attention with their traditional bright sarees. It was quite a pleasant sight to see Gautam Sharma dressed in a black Achkan (an Indian jacket) with a red rose on his lapel, reminding one of Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru (India’s first prime Minister).

Well, those who weren’t there indeed missed something very special.

I found my family!!

Amongst various tools used at Cranfield, the most often talked about is the Learning team. A very carefully crafted combination of individuals that bring diversity in their background, education, age and career, the learning team is the most critical step taken by the school towards the education of each student. And to top it all, each learning team has an assigned tutor.

At 0900 hours on this Tuesday morning, I found my new family. Andrew Cox (Britain), Charlie Sincock (Britain), Jumoeke Omotesho (Nigeria), Mahesh Raghavan (India), Maria Herrera (Columbia) and myself. And the diversity reflected in the background as well – besides me, we had a Marketing expert, an ex-Army Captain, a Project Manager, an Oil Industry maintenance specialist and an IT expert from banking industry. Our lives on earth so have ranged from 25 to 39 years long and together we speak over 7 different languages. During our first team meeting, we got to know some facets of each others’ personality.

Then the air crash happened!!!!
In a simulation exercise, our plane crashed in a desert somewhere in Africa but with Cranfield’s amazing grace, all six of us passengers (like other learning teams) survived. The pilots didn’t. We had 15 different items as part of salvage and had to choose our priority list. So off we went again to our syndicate rooms (dedicated places for each team to hold their meetings) to finalize the list. And it was during this discussion that it suddenly struck me – my learning had already begun. It was interesting to hear each of us share his/her reasoning as to why one item should be prioritized over the other. Despite having an expert in our team (the Army captain), we did not simply follow his list. Instead, to my surprise, I found him a patient listener.

All teams re-assembled in the lecture room post discussions and then we were shown the video of what a specialist from the forces had to say. It was mighty interesting to hear his explanations and priority list. The game plan was simple – first each individual wrote down his/her own priority list, then the team’s and finally compared them with the recommendations of the specialist. Well, the idea of the exercise was not to make us specialists in desert survival, but to highlight how a team operates better than any one individual.

Post lunch and administrative briefing on laptops, we then went through quick lectures by Richard Kwiatkowski on learning teams and by Ruth Bender on an introduction to Case studies. As one keeps meeting the equally diverse faculty, one can’t help being amazed at the resources the Cranfield SOM has. And I felt proud as I thought – “I shall be learning from such a rich pool of resources. It is bound to be a magnificent experience for me!!”

The time has come…….

Soon enough the time had come to commence the journey. This was after an invaluable week-long break, wherein we could manage to get most administrative details sorted out – bank account, grocery shopping, familiarising ourselves with the campus, etc.

And so 126 enthusiastic, budding would-be MBA’s poured into the Forum. As I walked in with mixed feelings of excitement and apprehension, I felt a lump in my throat………. I could see numerous men and women buzzing excitedly. For the big day had arrived.

As the clock hit 0900 hours, the Director of the school Prof. Michael Osbaldeston addressed us. It was interesting to hear why Cranfield calls itself a “School of Management” and not a business school, and his statement that we should think of ourselves as investors rather than as customers. And it was even more interesting to hear John Glen, Director of full time MBA programme share his expectations that were sprinkled with a good dose of humour. We were straight away made to experience the fine organizing skills at work in Cranfield - we had already been divided into three streams – Red, Blue and Green, and our name badges together with coloured pins representing our stream were handed over to us.

We were then introduced to Claire Priest, the Lead Orienteer (an outgoing student from the 2003/04 batch of Cranfield MBA’s). She set down the agenda and the orienteers, wearing respective coloured t-shirts led us to what will be our home for Term 1 – our Lecture Theatre. And oh boy! What magnificent hues of Red (my stream) could be seen all around the class.

GET IN! No….no……. this wasn’t any orienteer shouting instructions to us. It was the THEME. And our orienteers’ were no less diverse than our batch – Jan (Germany), Kofi (Ghana), Adam (Britain), Kai (Hong Kong) and Namrita (India). Our introductions – first in pairs and then in fours continued till lunch time. Post lunch, we completed the registration formalities, paid the fees and received our laptops. Then we went on a campus tour and later re-assembled in our lecture rooms. Then the (R)evolution began….

It was not exactly a trip down memory lane, but more of an account of the orienteers’ experiences at Cranfield. Besides covering the do’s and don’ts, it gave us an insight as to how we should extract the best out of this one year – extract from not only ourselves, but also from the faculty and the complete year at Cranfield. It couldn’t have been better than that! Or could it? The best part of the day was yet to come – we went horse racing!!!!!

Now you may wonder, how on earth can a management school take its students horse racing. Well, the fact is …….it did just that. The only difference was…..the grounds were the Stafford Cripps hall and the racing was happening on-screen. The vocal cords were stretched to the fullest capacity and the crowd cheered and roared. At stake was just fun money but the enthusiasm was real. With very falling horse, the voices went hoarse. And with every dark horse suddenly taking the lead, came even louder cheers.

The evening ended with dinner, drinks and loads of fun.

Evening welcome and Drinks

As is the tradition every year, the incoming batch of MBA students get together on the night before the session begins for an informal party / get together with their partners and children. So on the 26th September, all roads led to Mitchell Hall dining room. As I entered in along with my family, I was over awed by the voices talking excitedly with each other and I was wondering, is it really the first time these guys are getting together? It was just amazing to see eager people extending their hands to shake with each other, telling their names and a few necks craning to catch the correct pronunciation, bouncing off further queries, where are you from, what were you doing last, etc. etc. More interesting was to so many beautiful and colourful partners (hope my wife doesn’t read this!!!!) And even more interesting was to note that there were partners who shall continue working in their assignments but have changed base just to be with their partner while s/he pursues the Cranfield experience.

The end....... only to begin soon.

Time flies…..and it really does! We experienced this first-hand with the Pre MBA. The two weeks for 16 of us (and four weeks for another 25) practically vanished into thin air. One minute we were arriving on campus and settling down, running to Sainsbury’s or the Open market at Milton Keynes or to Tesco`s for groceries and other purchases, and of course attending lectures and other activities. And then – Poof! the time just disappeared!
With the tiring WAC over, it was time to hit the dance floor. Jana from Germany and Antonio from Uruguay volunteered to be the coordinators for the Pre MBA closure Party (we`re going to have plenty of those throughout the year...I guess we just need an excuse to let our hair down!).
And oh boy! Did they have a tough time? Well, no actually, since they showed leadership skills aptly by making sure that each team organised something. So our team, "Maria`s gang", took over the desserts (fruit cream) while others took pizzas or salad and so on. With all eight teams working on their assignments, Jana had to just make sure that no one failed....because over 50 hungry stomachs were at stake. She did a magnificent job with Antonio (with the everlasting matchstick twirling between his lips) who also made good use of his booming voice when needed.
And so the party began at 7:00 pm......and surprise surprise, all of us spun out of control straight away trying to get to the food! Well, no one could have ignored the appetising salad, the mouth watering Indian raajma curry with rice and of course, the chinese chilli chicken with the secret recipe. And was it hot? Well, if 100 degree C was the benchmark, it was very very hot indeed.
None of us could have guessed how good Antonio would be as the compere for the evening. Both the DJ and karaoke equipment were all ready to go but none of the teams prepared their homework (a team song to be performed at the party)! After the performance by A1 team, we all knew it would be a piece of cake.
The selection of songs was as diverse as our class profile – ‘Paradise City’, ‘Dancing Queen’, ‘I`m Too Sexy’ (with Bibhas wooing Andrea), ‘I Want To Break
Free’, ‘Wake Me Up’ and a CHINESE SONG with Kaifeng pulling his left ear and then the right ear in sequence and hopping like a kangaroo. It was really good fun!
As we earlybirds heard later, the extended party in Lanchester Hall continued till the early hours of the next day. Some guys have all the appetite for fun and food, I guess!

Whacked!!

The Pre-MBA students were given a Written Analysis of a Case (WAC) to do over a strict time period - all good preparation for the `real thing` in a few weeks` time!

WHACK!!!! That`s what a WAC sounds like isn`t it? Well if the expressions of all the students were anything to go by, it was actually as if each one of them had been WAC`d!
With many of us working late last night to get as much of the work out of the way as possible, our eyes were red and watery by morning. But the perseverance was visible with most of us up and running by normal time.
Our team was no different ... we held a morning meeting. After sharing notes and our individual findings, we dispersed since this was an individual assignment. 1500 words were required in a specific format and with a lot of common sense applied. Believe me, it wasn`t easy!
With the submission deadline of 1730 hours hovering above our heads, we were all busy typing out our manuscripts. So when I saw Peter from Denmark walking in the MIRC with a "cool" look, I became even more anxious. How was he managing to be so calm when I wasn`t? He must have submitted his report! Oh Gosh! I’d better do it fast!
I must have typed at the fastest speed of my life (well, at least I know I have a possible alternative career), so you should have seen the grin on my face when "plop" went the WAC report into the box at Reception.

Time will tell ....

The day started with Prof. Cliff Bowman taking us through the content and process of Strategy. During the class I was forced to concede to myself that I liked to think that "I know what strategy is and I can do a great job working on it". But Strategy actually goes much much deeper than my shallow understanding.
This belief of "I know enough" was eroded as Prof. Bowman took us through the cycle of strategy and also discussed the meaning of synergy.
This was followed by a lecture on Entrepreneurship by Mary Creagh. We were informed that an entrepreneurial tradition started at Cranfield with Robert Wright (FTMBA 1981) and has continued ever since. Each year, a number of graduating MBAs start their own ventures. In fact the outgoing 2004 year group has a few such entreprenuers. One of them, Rodica Druc, is developing her idea to bring health-care professionals from Eastern and Central Europe to the UK, as there is a shortage of health-care assistants here.
I am sure there are sufficient entrepreneurs sitting in our class, too! Time will tell...

Showman

The Pre-MBA timetable told us "Project Management by Stephen Carver". And it was going to be for the full day.
Amidst a few groans and sighs, the day started. Everyone was thinking - how do we sit in one topic for the whole day? Little did we realize that when the day would end, we would be asking for more and more.
Stephen Carver - an alumnus of Cranfield - is a natural. And when he uses lego toys to teach what project management is all about, he made it clear that he is a man students love to love. Every minute of the entire day he captured the full attention of every single one of us.
I would not just call him a great teacher but also a great showman!

Bargains galore!!

One year is a very short time and we will only realize how short when the MBA is over. So when we saw dozens of ‘For Sale’ and ‘Offer’ notices all over the campus, we were taken aback. What is happening?!
It then dawned upon us that it was an annual ritual. The outgoing students have to hand over their rooms / flats in the condition they had got them. As a result, whatever assets they had accumulated during the year had to go - either with them or somewhere else.
A microwave @ £10/- and a washing machine @ only £ 45/- may be unheard of deals, but they were a reality at Cranfield. And when you buy something from an outgoing student, something else is often pitched in free.
We realized that it was a great decision to be at the Pre MBA module - not just the period to settle down but also to do loads of shopping at unbelievable prices!

What an evening!!!!!

When the Indians on the Pre-MBA were asked, we didn`t think long before responding with, "Yes. We will!"
No, it wasn`t any mass marriage ceremony, it was all of us confirming that we would hold an "Indian Curry night" for our fellow Pre-MBA students. So we got together and put our culinary skills to good use by throwing a party on Saturday. The preparations began early during the week with Bibhas taking the role of coordinator/lead chef.
Well, if the turnout was anything to go by, the night was a stupendous success with nearly all of the partners on campus also being present. Even our Pre MBA Director, Graham, brought his better half with him!
The curries were followed by sweets and even the chefs weren`t aware that we would be able to serve such a variety of different Indian sweets! This was because Rajeev Sethi`s wife, Shweta, joined him just two days before the event and brought sweets with her - now that`s authentic cuisine for you!! Rajeev didn’t want any of the sweets though as his life had already been sweetened enough by a reunion with his new bride after two whole months apart!
Well, many people left with tears in their eyes, but it wasn`t emotion, much as we would love to believe so! The tears were courtesy of the spices so we led the battle cry through the hallways ......... WE SPICED UP YOUR LIFE!!!

End of week 1

The day started with Ms Vivien Harrington, the Director of ‘Cranfield Management Association’ telling us about what CMA does and the resources that will be available to us after registration day on 27th September 2004.
`Amazing` was the word that sprang to my mind. A superb database of over 9000 alumni with every possible detail would unfold before us. Interesting ... Cranfield`s alums are known for their passion and affection towards the school and are a vital resource for placements and job searches every year.
Similar reactions had been elicited by yesterday`s briefing on the Management Information Resource Centre (MIRC) presented by Ms Heather Peake. A huge collection of books in hard copies as well as in electronic form awaits us. So much to cover, so much to do and so little time. Not difficult at all when associates such as Heather are available, we are sure.
The latter half of the day saw Bill Williams (Lotus Cars), an alumnus of Cranfield, share his perspectives and views about how Cranfield brought about a transformation in his life. What an amazing speaker he was!
In the evening, sport was scheduled and we played a game of soccer. Graham Heard, our Pre MBA Director, led all the way in the full game. Of course, then there were players like me who participated just for the kicks!! After missing a number of sitters, when I tried to save face with a justifiable excuse - I was playing soccer for the first time in my life.....I was laughed out – “Don`t call it PLAYING! You were just running!” So much for my fragile ego!

Life....... in general

Life is not kind...
...or is it?! Well, only time would tell. To be "different" from other boards, our team had decided to dress appropriately. So here we were - shaven (of course the lady not included) and dressed in our business suits to give that formal look.
And in our market, we were the first to present our forecast. It was good and bad. Good because, we started the day fresh (and also because if some other teams took a sling at us, we would get opportunities in their presentations that were to follow). Bad because ....... well, no marks for guessing - the job wasn`t easy.
The business suits didn`t help us in any way......... the shareholders ripped us apart..... with John (moderator) pitching in too! Nor was our performance on any scintillating level. But we were saved by the bell as the allotted time for the presentation ran out. Then the other three teams in John’s group followed with their projections too.
The finale for BMC was when all the teams came together and the analysis of the moderators unfolded. Every slide and bar chart was followed by cheers and jeers (and thankfully no tears). Some did better than their projections, but some were worse. In the end though, it was all about learning.
Candy packs won by the teams did the rounds in the hall as we broke for lunch. Oh! By the way, you may ask what happened to us? Well, forget it, I ain`t telling!!!! Life wasn’t kind after all!

BMC continues.....

The BMC continued with two more rounds of decision making. By now, our team had seen enough of fluctuating fortunes. Just before lunch we gave in our final round of decisions and then post lunch we sat down to work out our projections based on the last round.
The assignment: To present our company performance to the shareholders.And who else would be shareholders? Members from the competing teams!!!!!! We had til the following day to prepare..
The evening saw a session on Accounting by an outgoing MBA student (who is also a Chartered Accountant). However, needless to say where our minds really were!
The preparations for presentations continued till late in the evening (and some teams worked till very late at night too). With anxiety in their minds and grim looks on our faces, we called it a day.

Another day in Paradise????

Another day of Pre-MBA learning!

The morning started with a detailed report on the outcome of our Business Trial decision. We had gone bust! But as students at Cranfield we can do that – just not in the real world!
And what a humbling experience it was!!!! I was reminded of an old statement I heard: " When three economists sit down to discuss, there are four opinions". And we were no different. More than the results, the learning pertained to team dynamics......I am sure all decision-makers in corporations face ditto situations.
Well...the day saw four rounds of decision making. Our team succeeded, slipped, recovered, and again slipped. The day ended with throbbing heads and reflections on our decisions. No one amongst us had anticipated what the day would be like. And we went back to our nests wondering "What`s next?!"

We've only just begun.

After I settled down over the weekend, it was time to begin the journey that promised to be a life changing experience.
41 new faces from 18 different countries all together to start two weeks of the Pre MBA module. Well, actually 25 of these had been attending the 4 week module already and 16 of us had now joined them. So ice breaking and introductions were happening in the Forum (a bay area where one can relax, study, read, have tea / coffee and chat with other fellow students). Then all were taken to the lecture rooms that will remain abuzz for the next year.
And what do you expect a business school to do to begin with? Get down to business! So we were introduced to Minimax. We had not even realized that we were sitting together with our assigned team members! My team comprised of Mikhail (Russia), Maria (Columbia), Mahesh (India), Chendong (China) and myself. Amongst us, we had 3 engineers (each from distinct fields of mechanical, electrical and software), a Fund Manager/CFO and myself from Finance & Commercial operations.
It was a small simulation wherein business decisions were to be made in a market...with three other teams competing against us. We managed to fare well in our markets.
Post lunch, we were introduced to ‘Business Management Challenge’ - a full-scale set-up involving multiple parameters and constraints. The introduction to the rules was followed by a trial run. As a team we chose to experiment with a few different combinations of pricing and marketing spends in various markets to test ourselves.
And that`s where we began!

UK......here I come

As the aircraft landed at Heathrow airport last Friday, I was wondering: What am I going to do - new land, new people, different culture, a new chapter in my life....... Yes, these were my first steps out of my native country and I was going back to school after 13 years of a corporate career.
My job had involved quite a bit of travelling within my country, hence I kept feeling that I was on yet another tour...I had to keep reminding myself that this was a tour like no other...one promising to be full of adventure!
Our arrival at Cranfield was as smooth as the flight was. A sleek car with a sleeker looking driver picked us up...I was actually wondering if he was a driver or one of the people working in the University offices...or even some Professor!!
I am right now in the process of settling in. The campus is gorgeous set in green countryside. I keep getting the feeling that I am on one of those weekend getaways where one is cutoff from the world...no television or radio or mobile phones -so far!... but we’re getting there!!
Like the title lyrics of a beautiful song by ABBA, "We`ve only just begun........."