Time to move on...

13th of December, Saturday, 3:05 PM... sitting alone in Lorange - our beloved MBA class auditorium. It’s been more than a week since we graduated. Most of the classmates have dispersed, spread across the world - from Agentina to Mexico, USA to Canada, UK to Russia, Lebanon to Nigeria, India to Japan... and all the way to Australia and New Zealand.

I am sitting on the same seat that I was allocated on the very first day of coming to the MBA class. That was an year back... the day was full of excitement and anticipation, with the combined energy of 90 brilliant individuals coming together for the first time. Today, the auditorium is empty, but I can still feel their presence and spirit here!

We have come a long way together. IMD took me places - Kenya, Qatar, India, Singapore, Norway, Portugal to name a few. I met some of the smartest people on the planet - the IMD professors who taught us how to think beyond the obvious, the guest speakers who showed us the power of the ‘individual’, the array of high achievers who constantly pass through these corridors... and of course the MBA class of 2008. I am convinced I will be proud to see each one of them being the thought leaders and change agents in years to come.

Here's to you my friends!

back from Kenya

Came back from the 10 day country discovery trip from Kenya. The objective of the trip was for the class to get a 360 degree understanding economical and social environment in the country. Met with the country's political, corporate, financial and social leadership ... a very facinating experience indeed! The safari gave some light moments, but a day spent in the slums was the highlight of the trip... no-one was left untouched by the misery all around. The continent has been screwed by the imperial powers of yore and by the corrupt puppet dictators braced up by the bigger powers for long... its sad to see how the common people still keep their spirits up and continue fighting for a better future, which may never materialize.

Coming back to Switzerland was a stark contrast. Reminds one of H.G. Wells' 'Time Machine' in which the protagonist finds himself in a peaceful, prosperous world inhabited by beautiful, happy people who spend their days enjoying the luxuries of life without doing much work... only to realise later that this pretty, sunny world is propped up by a very ugly, underground world inhabited by another class of people who live in disgusting conditions and do all the dirty work without getting anything in return, and without any hope for a better life. This is not ethical, and this is not sustainable!

Getting ready for my round the world trip starting day after tomorrow: Toronto - HK - Singapore - Mumbai - back to Lausanne!

Th 2nd Integrative Exercise (IE - 2) was held over the weekend. We got a M & A case on riday evening in which a large power rental company (Aggreko) was to decide between acquiring one of the 3 potential targets. Al groups made their first presentation to Stewart Hamilton on Saturday morning, post which we were handed follow-up info for presenation same day evenng. Then we were given bunch of extra data which was to be used for presentation on Monday morning fst to a panel of IMD judges and then the selected teams were to present to the CFO of Aggreko in the afternoon. The CFO, who's a 92 batch IMD grad had flown down for the same. My group was one of the 2 groups selected to present to the CFO... guess since we were the only one's who took a 'do not buy' position.

It was quite interesting... the intensive time pressure of the IE exercises brings out the best and the worse in all ... my study group seemed to handle it well. We saw people in the study group handle it in all types of ways... some who deep dived into the exercise and put all their heart into it, some who wanted to get through wit a 'good enough' end result, and one who simply withdrew! We debriefed after the final presentation to give feedback to each oter ... as we say it @IMD - 'put fish on the table'. There wasn't much fish there, only some litle shrimps.

A lot of water has passed under the bridge since I last updated this blog. 1st term exams went by like a breeze... and the results were surpising... I cleared all the courses with respectable grades! That's quite a relief...

2nd term has brought in some intersting new subjects, especialy International Political Economy. Its a no taboos course where we have a free-for-all discussion on internationa political issues... so u hear the Chinese defending their position on Taiwan, the Americans taking some flak from the the developing world, and so on. I thoroughly enjoy the subject.... the professor is an absolute authority on the subject... his hands-on practical experience on the global stage brings in delightful insights.

Wifey visited me this month for a week... we had a great time hanging around. She got along dozens of 'Kitchens of India' ready to eat packs... am still enjoying those!

Its been a crazy fortnight. Pressure's building up and people are beginning to crack... to the extent of receiving profesional counselling. Am doing OK till now... had just 2 hours of sleep last night, and it's gonna be a late night tonight as well. Maybe I am going crazy as well... today I tried to move the cursor pointer from my laptop screen onto the screen of the laptop next to me... :-)

Going through the infamous 'Integrative Exercise' since yesterday... its a case study which we have to dissect over 2 days by analysing it from all possible perspectives - financial, marketing, strategy and organizational. Its a live case about the introduction of a new product in Pakistan in 2007... the story is still evolving. People have been eating and sleeping on the campus since yesterday.

There's been a substantial amount of focus on emerging markets in the program till now. The econ prof - Ralf, gave us an excellent big picture perspectve on what's happening in the world ... India and China are changing their chips and that is causng fundamental changes in the global scenario. I wish to go back and participate in the growth of my country... there's so much that can be done back there !

Have been waking up at 5:45 in the morning and going for a jog for 45 minutes along Lake Geneve' for the last few days. Its insane jogging in the freezing cold so early in the morning... but I love it! The fresh, crisp air fills the body and the soul with pure life...

Paul, the Brit, today showed a 5 minute video to class comprising of pix taken over the last month and a half... showing various facets of our life @ IMD - bewildered faces trying to make sense of the stuff on the blackboards, the chaos in the study groups, the partyieng on the weekends... excellent job there Paul! This video is gonna be uploaded on youtube.

Am home at 9 (again)... I have a sneaking suspicion am gonna get royally screwed next month when the exams hit. People are still sitting in the campus reading stuff while I am home doing nuthin'! When will I learn to start being a lil' more organized and prepared???

Its been a packed week. The eco quiz went off well... got 8 out of 10... could have been 9, but that wouldnt have changed the world, so it doesnt matter.

Bad hangover today. Last 2 nights have been spent pubbing. ... have a hazy memory of coming back realy late... Pedro, Cyril and myself jumping over the fences in people's gardens ... and lying flat on the grass. Looks like tonight's gonna be a late night too. Have to slow down a bit one of these days.... and get some healthy exercise to recharge the batteries.