Rice Not Representin’

Ouch. Rice’s debut game in this year’s College World Series was abysmal: a 17-5 loss to Fresno State. We went through seven pitchers and gave up three home runs. Only late in the game did we mount any offense at all and, by then, it was too little too late. Oh well, as one announcer put it, perhaps Rice was trying to get all of its bad play out of the way in the opening game–this way we’ll play top-notch baseball all the way through the finals. I hope that’s the case!

It was a good weekend for Bulldogs as Georgia upset the #1 Miami Hurricanes. I’m sure my brother, who played baseball at Trinity University and is finishing his PhD in marine biology at the University of Miami, is hurting now as much as I am. For both of our sakes I wish both the ‘Canes and the Owls good luck in their losers bracket games this Monday and Tuesday respectively. Go Rice!

Mock Interviews

Yesterday we received our final grades for the “Building Blocks” (academic) portion of our year here at IMD. I did very well overall, but I am most proud of the improvment I deomonstrated in the areas where I came in with the least background. As I have written before, I certainly don’t know it all–if I did, what would be the point in sacrificing $200k+ for an MBA? The best that I can do is identify my areas for greatest improvement (and those of greatest interest) and work hard to develop them. Although grading is only one, imperfect way of measuring competency, it indicates that I have improved significantly in my weaker areas and exceled in those that I think are critical for my future career. This gives me confidence not only in my skills today but also in my ability to improve and grow constantly throughout the rest of my life, which will be crucial for my effectiveness over time.

Today we continued in the Career Services vein by practicing our interviewing and networking skills with IMD alumni. We were given the opportunity for one of three types of interviews: industry, consulting, or finance. I chose industry and thoroughly enjoyed the experience. The feedback I received from my interviewer was very helpful (The areas for improvement, such as- making better use of silence–diplomatically put, are all areas I can improve with practice and preparation.) and the entire session was videotaped, so I will have the chance to review my performance next week.

The day finished with a party on the restaurant patio. There I met many other interesting, successful, diverse alumni and had a great time to boot. Several of our professors came too and it was fun to “party” with them now that grades were out of the way.

Luxury Disillusionment

Today was the official start of on-campus recruiting. Several companies made presentations throughout the day about who they were, what they did, what positions they offered, and why we should work for them.

Most of the companies participating in on-campus recruiting this year are outside of my target industries (technology, energy, space exploration, sports, and wine–very focused, I know!) so I will spend the majority of my job search pursuing opportunities off-campus. However, I was intrigued by two luxury brand conglomerates that presented today, one because it owned several wine brands and one because we studied one if its major acquisitions in Strategy.

I was curious to find out if these companies were really just about luxury and image or if they had more . . . “substance” to them. Did they offer anything of value to society or did they really just exist to fulfill the desires of the upper class? I asked the presenters questions about environmental and social responsibility but was disappointed in the responses. I’m sure their PR departments have good arguments but the fact that their recruiters didn’t know them indicated something about the cultures of these two companies. More pointedly it indicated that they weren’t places where I wanted to begin the next phase of my career and mission to change the world for the better.

I think this is the real benefit of on-campus company presentations: not helping you decide which companies DO interest you, rather learning enough about industries you don’t know well to decide firmly that they do NOT interest you. That is helpful to the students and to the recruiting companies.

Simulation

Today we finished a three-day business simulation. Each study group represented a company bringing new products into a new, international market. In a turn-based, simulated universe, we competed against each other to position our products, make marketing decisions, optimize our supply chains, and work within the constraints of international regulatory uncertainty.

My team did not finish in the top 3. We made a key supply chain planning error in Q3 and another blunder in Q5. The key learning comes not from the errors we made but from the group dynamics and processes that allowed them to occur. As many of you know, I am extremely achievement-oriented so not winning doesn’t sit well with me. However, this year has been a lesson in embracing failure for the associated opportunities to learn. It is better to learn these lessons in a simulated universe than in a real one, where profits, jobs, or even human lives might be on the line.

Africa

Another day with no homework, another day of watching movies about Africa. This time I watched Shooting Dogs and Hotel Rwanda, both about the genocide of Tutsi Rwandans in 1994. It’s amazing the hurt sub-Saharan Africa has endured, and not just by the evil white oppressors, but by their own countrymen. I suppose that’s part of the issue; the countries are arbitrary boundaries that cramp warring tribes together. Whenever one tribe is in power, it commits atrocities against the others. When the others are in power, they want revenge. The tit-for-tat cycle continues indefinitely and I have no idea how it could be broken. Our Discovery Expedition to Kenya in two weeks will be very interesting and I look forward to it.

In more upbeat news, Rice earned its spot in this year’s College World Series with a win over Texas A&M tonight. Go Rice!

Movie Night (and Day)

What a day, yesterday. I didn’t leave my apartment at all but not because I was studying. I spent most of the day watching movies, one of my favorite pastimes.

In preparation for our Discovery Expedition to Kenya I watched two assigned films: Darwin’s Nightmare and The Last King of Scotland. Darwin’s Nightmare is a documentary about the fishing industry in Tanzania, where foreigners smuggle arms in and export fish out while the locals starve. Not pleasant.

No less pleasant were some of the scenes in The Last King of Scotland, in which Forest Whitaker brilliantly plays brutal Ugandan dictator Idi Amin. The plot was very similar to that of Playing God, which I regard as one of the worst movies ever made. The two movies have another connection: Playing God stars David Duchovny while The Last King of Scotland stars his x-files costar Gillian Anderson. Gillian wins this round; hers was a good movie and I’m glad I finally saw it.

To lighten things up I also watched Dan in Real Life. There wasn’t much to this romantic comedy, but it was a refreshing way to wrap up the movie day. Then it was on to more important things, like watching Rice beat Texas A&M 9 – 6. Another victory today will secure the Owls’ third consecutive trip to the CWS. I wish I could be there for the games, but, since I can’t, thank goodness for the Internet!

Mid-90’s

Although I leaned on Mozart for my exams, I still had a chance to continue my chronological exploration of American popular music last week. I’ve made my way through 1996 now, almost through the end of high school for me. Ace of Base, Coolio, Sheryl Crow, Melissa Etheridge, The Cranberries, Snoop and Dre, TLC, Blues Traveler, Hootie and the Blowfish, Alanis Morisette, and the Notorious B.I.G. entered the scene in a big way. Some stuck around and some were gone almost as soon as they had arrived. Then there were some timeless artists who just kept on churning out hits: Madonna, Michael Jackson, Elton John, and Eric Clapton to name a few.

In high school I was still living in my classic-rock-oriented world and was only peripherally aware of most of this music. Actually that’s not entirely true. I was most definitely aware of the #1 song of 1996: Macarena! What a high point for American music and dance.

Recovery

“My head hurts, my feet stink, and I don’t love Jesus” -Jimmy Buffett

That’s about how I feel right now after last night’s festa Brasiliera, organized and hosted by our four Brazilian students. We had dinner at a churrascaria and then moved next door to the adjoining club. I only stayed out until 2 or so (Many of my classmates saw the sun come up, I’m sure.) but I packed a lot of festa into that time. I’m not sure how many caipirinhas I had but, well, it was obviously enough. 🙂 What a blast, though; I needed that release after the exams!

Now what am I going to do today? Work out, sure, but after that? I don’thave anything to study for and Rice baseball doesn’t start its domination of the Aggies until 9 PM (Lausanne time) tonight. Without anyone telling me what to do, I’m almost at a loss–what a great problem to have!

First Dip in the Lake

Strategy went well today and, to celebrate, Mario (Brazilian), Martin (Czech), Tomas (Slovakian), and I forewent studying for tomorrow’s IPE exam to play some beach volleyball. The weather, ~55 degrees F and drizzling rain, was hardly ideal, but we didn’t let that stop us. We played for about two hours straight and all of the games were really close. It wasn’t the best volleyball any of us had played but, by the end, it felt great.

Instead of using the showers by the courts, Martin insisted on taking a dip in the lake. In that I’m pretty sure the shower water is just lake water anyway, why not? I followed him in and Tomas and Mario weren’t far behind. The water wasn’t too cold . . . for a lake fed by glacial runoff! So it was pretty bracing to say the least. It was very clear and we could see the bottom as far out as we went (not very far). We only stayed in for maybe five minutes but, for those five minutes, there was no exam to study for, no job search, no pressure at all. We were just four boys splashing around in the water; it’s a memory of my IMD experience I will definitely take with me.

Now it’s back to the “real” world, however. Most of the other students don’t seem to be studying for the IPE exam claiming that there is nothing to study. I think there is plenty to study and will be spending tomorrow morning pouring over our semester’s worth of presentations on the issues faced by every region of the world. Tomorrow’s exam should be less about regurgitating facts and more about analyzing global issues to make sound policy recommendations. Still, it can’t hurt to have the facts fresh in my mind!

Strategery

Finance went well today. I and Gong Ping, my Chinese classmate, finished first so we spent some time playing ping pong before studying for tomorrow’s Strategy exam. He is much more accomplished than I at ping pong (He’s been playing since he was 3!) so he coached me on my forehand smashes. It was very helpful and I appreciate his willingness to work with me instead of just beating me mercilessly. The spirit of collaboration at IMD extends all way to recreational sports!

Now I am wading through 100+ pages of a Strategy case (plus supporting materials) in preparation for tomorrow’s Strategy exam. The case, unfortunately, was written at Harvard Business School. We have noticed all year that HBS cases tend to be much, much longer than IMD cases, requiring much more time to read and much more focus to distill out the relevant details. No wonder it takes American programs two years to finish an MBA!