We finished yet another residence session at Ithaca - our last one. I know that I am looking forward to graduation. However, at the same time, it has been a whirlwind of activities - assignments to be done (on time!), cases to be analyzed, finals waiting to be taken, and finally deadlines that must be met. Even then I am (almost!) feeling nostalgic. After what seemed like an intense residence session of analyzing Financial Statements, and connecting the dots in Supply Chain, I am looking forward to Financial Markets and Strategic Brand Management.
The end of summer saw frantic activity in preparation for the Global project. It was the highlight of the previous semester. The projects covered a wide variety of topics. Our team focused on the BRIC nations and came away with a new perspective of doing business in Brazil No amount of "virtual" research can compete with the "live" experience. Given the rise of BRIC nations, we chose Brazil as our country for our new business opportunity. Although, I must confess that I went into the program thinking that the project would be a somewhat more focused on the financials than we actually were. Overall, I think it was an experience that helped me grow and think beyond the obvious and beyond my comfort zone. Also, it helped me think beyond the numbers and about the true drivers of profitability.
Who can forget International Finance, when we could readily see the impact of inflation on Brazilian Reals? Issues related to economies in the global environment, international financial markets, operating firms in a global market - were not only relevant but also timely in this economy, when we are increasingly becoming a global market. It was hard to remember all that on the Ipanema beach and the "happening" Sao Paulo .
Coming to the our sessions at Palisades , I must confess that I found Leadership Assessment fascinating. I was forced to question my deeply held beliefs. I reevaluated some of those beliefs, while reinforced some other beliefs.
'Financial Statement Analysis', to a large extent, is more interesting that it sounds. It focused on financial analysis to make business and investment decisions. Prof Bhojraj covered strategic ratio analysis, building pro forma financial statements etc in this session. He also introduced us to the Parker center, which is amazing facility for the Johnson School MBAs. For more on Parker center, click here.
The real value for me to is not only continued growth and learning but also the ability to get to my goals using the tools and skill that I have learned here . If there is one thing that I have learnt, it is that the answer is not 42*. We all have to find our own pathways and answers.
* Sorry, Hitchhiker fans - The hitchhikers guide to the galaxy.
Thursday, February 4, 2010
Sunday, December 20, 2009
Residence Session
The summer of 2009 went by so quick - Time travels at a warp speed, especially when you enroll in a program as rigorous and enriching as ours. It is almost unbelievable how far we have come since we started.
It seems like yesterday when we were in lovely Ithaca, (albeit cooped up all day in the class) talking about valuation principles. We could not have asked for a better instructor than Prof Weinbaum. He made this course not only palatable but also extremely interesting and insightful. What is there not to enjoy a valuation principles project when doing it is with your group at 1:00 AM on a balmy summer night? Estimating Free Cash Flows, Multi-year projections, EVA and discounted EVA, Options -- all perfect for a light summer reading. Click on the link below to meet Prof Weinbaum.
We were extremely fortunate to have Prof Rao teach us Marketing Strategy. Click on the video link below to meet the venerable Prof Rao. I must confess that I found the course enlightening unearthing a quantitative dimension to Marketing -- perceived more as a qualitative course.. This course introduced us to various methods of defining opportunities and threats, and to the process of formulating long-term marketing strategy. MarkStrat Simulations revealed "rational" and sometimes "irrational" behavior of the market manifesting in quantitatively obvious but emotionally unobvious outcomes. I also learnt that I was not as risk averse as I thought was!
At the end of the summer residence session, it reinforced my belief in the Cornell MBA and the life-changing experience that creates an indelible value in the forms of tools and techniques that it adds to an executive's arsenal of capabilities.
It seems like yesterday when we were in lovely Ithaca, (albeit cooped up all day in the class) talking about valuation principles. We could not have asked for a better instructor than Prof Weinbaum. He made this course not only palatable but also extremely interesting and insightful. What is there not to enjoy a valuation principles project when doing it is with your group at 1:00 AM on a balmy summer night? Estimating Free Cash Flows, Multi-year projections, EVA and discounted EVA, Options -- all perfect for a light summer reading. Click on the link below to meet Prof Weinbaum.
We were extremely fortunate to have Prof Rao teach us Marketing Strategy. Click on the video link below to meet the venerable Prof Rao. I must confess that I found the course enlightening unearthing a quantitative dimension to Marketing -- perceived more as a qualitative course.. This course introduced us to various methods of defining opportunities and threats, and to the process of formulating long-term marketing strategy. MarkStrat Simulations revealed "rational" and sometimes "irrational" behavior of the market manifesting in quantitatively obvious but emotionally unobvious outcomes. I also learnt that I was not as risk averse as I thought was!
At the end of the summer residence session, it reinforced my belief in the Cornell MBA and the life-changing experience that creates an indelible value in the forms of tools and techniques that it adds to an executive's arsenal of capabilities.
Thursday, October 15, 2009
Welcome Sheetal Gupta
Over the last 16 years I have worked in various leadership positions from technology product management to management consulting. Silicon Valley to Wall Street reinforced my belief that it is the knowledge of the "business of technology" that drives successful innovations. In order to complement my technology experience with business knowledge, I strongly felt the need to acquire the finer nuances of corporate finance, business strategy, and negotiating techniques. After having completed a year at the Johnson School, I found this journey not even close to what I had imagined. It has been tiring and exhausting but way more enriching and rewarding than I ever thought it could be. Through this blog, I hope to share my experiences in the metamorphosis of a "technologist" to a "business technologist" and the role of businss school education in this transformation for other professionals like me.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)