What you learn from an MBA ?

One of the MBA applicants asked me – “There is always a confusion in choosing between american & european MBA schools.. Which one do you think is better ?? “

I was surfing net & happened to come across this interesting speech by Newsweek CEO, which aptly summarises what applicants should look for in a school when applying

Newsweek CEO on MBA & changing business models

“What I learned at school here was an approach,” he said. “How do you look at a problem strategically? There’s competition. There are consumer trends. Where is there tension in the business model? Where is there opportunity? Those general approaches work every time. It doesn’t really matter what the business is.”  – Tom Ascheim, CEO of Newsweek

It does not matter whether you learn these skills in America or in Europe or in Asia. World is getting flatter everyday… Knowledge is beyond geographical boundaries… What matters is that you learn these skills, you learn how to apply them in real business situations and than embark on your own journey…

Tiramisu feast !!!

A couple of MBA34 girls got together to try their hands on preparing Tiramisu…

End Result – A wonderful Tiramisu feast to the whole MBA gang after the class next day..

Thanks ladies…  yeh dil maange more

HEC MBAT 2009

MBAT or MBA Tournament, which is organised by HEC every year, is one helluva event…

Approx 1500 students from leading business schools across the globe met in May to flex their muscles and enjoy 3 days of full fun. Apart from the official sport events, some were lucky to enjoy other sport events as well… good going guys !!!

SDA won bronze in Salsa, a gold, 2 silver & 1 bronze in Tae-Kwan-Do (killer performance) & gold in sailing. Forza Bocconi !!!

For the official ones, You can find photos at www.mbat-photos.com !

Project Management – Fincantieri shares their way

This week we had a very interesting presentation by Fincantieri, one of the largest groups in the world in the design and construction of merchant and naval vessels. 

Some of the key learnings:

Building a ship is not about building a large boat but building a 5 star hotel  floating on water.

Duration of project – ~ 4 years

# of stakeholders – 3000+

Money involved – ~1Bn dollar (varies widely depending on size and type of ship)

Net Profit Margin –   3 – 5%

Considering the tiny profit margins along with billions of $$$ investments locked-in for 3-4 years, 1 mild recession is enough to kill the company. The key to success is sound project planning and risk management.

It was interesting to listen how Fincantieri manages its projects & working capital in such a complex environment.

SDA Bocconi jumps FT ranking!!

Great news! SDA Bocconi is now ranked 38 , jumping 10 places from 48 last year in the  Global MBA rankings!

Forza Bocconi!!

From China to Italy by Motorcycle

Some five years ago Stefano Mangini travelled some 25,000 kilometres on his motorbike from Shanghai to Italy to attend an MBA course at the SDA Bocconi. Now the 2,000-odd photographs he took on that marathon trip have been assembled in an exhibition entitled “From China to Italy by Motorcycle”, which will run from 18 April to 2 May 2007 at the Hong Kong Visual Art Center. The exhibition is sponsored by the Bocconi as a way of rewarding the enterprising young Mangini for his extraordinary grit and staying power.

The photographs document his four months on the road, braving fatigue and the elements as he travelled from China to Pakistan, then through Iran and Turkey, reaching Italy finally through Greece. During the trip he had to pass from the searing heat of the Gobi desert to the icy heights of the Kashgar Pass (4,700 m) joining China with Pakistan.

After his Italian sojourn he moved to Hong Kong, where now lives and works. “Until not long ago I was production director for the Céline brand of Louis Vuitton; now I’ve set up on my own.”

But he still has itchy feet and a longing to be on the move. “Along with the exhibition I will be presenting a book in English recounting my adventure, a sort of travel-diary,” explains the 36-year-old from Lavagna. “I’m also working on a website called ‘restless travellers’, which will detail the philosophy of people like myself who have the irrepressible urge to rove the world.”