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.
