This firm sure has a LOT of work to do. I am a member of this unique group called "Development Group" and we added one more person to this group last week. This person is a BCG consultant and will spend 6 weeks in Santiago with us. Everyone i meet is so surprised that the firm needs three people to work on its next version - but in reality, it does. Actually, we've been involved in deep conversations on how the firm will manage the milestones we set for it once all of us leave. So I'm not surprised at all.
It is not just this we discuss about. The three of us discuss anything and everything about how we want to take this wonderful firm to the next level. It may well seem like we are creating opportunities for the firm. The truth is that this is a company brimming with possibilities and we are just trying to prevent and save the company from doing mistakes. We are, in effect, trying to give the company a meaning, a direction and tell them what makes sense and what does not. Very importantly, we are trying to help them see how in the long run, these decisions will place them better than just taking up everything that comes their way.
Needless to say, I am learning a LOT and enjoying myself in the process. The fun of exploring a new city and a new culture also adds to the really good time I'm having here. This weekend we were busy socializing, with a dinner on Friday, sight seeing on Saturday and another dinner on Sunday. I'm also meeting a diverse group of really interesting people in the process and am learning on multiple fronts from them.
Overall - this promises to be a summer (well, it is winter in Chile) to remember and even though I am constantly tired with all the work and socializing, I am certainly enjoying every moment of it.
Monday, July 07, 2008
Wednesday, July 02, 2008
A consultant's moment
Everyday, my friend from HBS and I have lunch at a Sandwich place near our work place. The food is unbelievably fresh, healthy and incredibly yummy! We have a heavy lunch (as is the culture of Chile) and on our way back to office, we have honey-roasted-nuts for dessert ;) This stuff is apparently available in New York City too - and is sold by a Chilean!
Yesterday, the two of us suddenly ventured into estimating how much the nut-vendor earned per day! We went around on a sound discussion (we have about 3 blocks to walk to reach office) and by the end of it, we had brought in standard deviation, the bell curve, estimated population of Santiago, estimated floating population in this touristy city, % of them in downtown, approximate "office hours" for the nut-vendor, number of packs he could make in an hour, number of packs people could consume in an hour, and perhaps many other parameters. The analysis fast and furious - for understandably no reason. Finally - we settled at an excessive estimate of a revenue of 150000 Chilean Pesos (approximately US$300) for the nut vendor per day.
During our dessert time today, we got curious and asked him.
His answer: 120000 Chilean Pesos (approximately US$240).
Considering it was a blind estimate - not bad eh...
Yesterday, the two of us suddenly ventured into estimating how much the nut-vendor earned per day! We went around on a sound discussion (we have about 3 blocks to walk to reach office) and by the end of it, we had brought in standard deviation, the bell curve, estimated population of Santiago, estimated floating population in this touristy city, % of them in downtown, approximate "office hours" for the nut-vendor, number of packs he could make in an hour, number of packs people could consume in an hour, and perhaps many other parameters. The analysis fast and furious - for understandably no reason. Finally - we settled at an excessive estimate of a revenue of 150000 Chilean Pesos (approximately US$300) for the nut vendor per day.
During our dessert time today, we got curious and asked him.
His answer: 120000 Chilean Pesos (approximately US$240).
Considering it was a blind estimate - not bad eh...
Tuesday, July 01, 2008
The ScoreTop Fiasco
The story came to existence when GMAC shutdown the website and then BW covered the story (BW Story 1). The initial estimate of around 1000 violators by GMAC was then increased to 6000 and it made big news; BW published another article (BW Story 2) and there is a huge debate in their forums (BW discussion thread). GMAC tried to answer some questions with a ScoreTop FAQ, but I guess it still left a lot of questions unanswered.
This is hot topic in probably all business schools. This site is a disgrace. The well-being of the site highly depended on a snow-balling effect, in test takers coming back and reporting scores. Of course, it is well documented that Mr. Lei Shi himself appeared for the GMAT thrice, but that's hardly sufficient to run the site for 5 years. The mere existence of the site for well over five years is a clear reflection of the times we live in. When people are desperate, most of them take the easy way out. But guess what, Karma hits back!!!
It is ridiculous to see the perspectives thrown around in numerous discussions. "Test takers were innocent" say many - they're clearly not on firm footing. "How could GMAC cancel my score. I will sue them if they do so." say others - not knowing it wont stand the test of law. "Will my percentile score improve?" or "Will I get off the waitlist because of this" - question a few self centered ones! Some even have the audacity to publicly say "I scored well and got into a M7 school purely because of this website. If they cancel scores, I'll never be able to score the same again", not knowing that GMAC is never letting them sit for the exam again. Even more audacious is when someone says to this person "Don't worry! You haven't done anything wrong." Some even argue "These students must be kicked out because one of the qualities of a successful business person is to do a mistake well and leave no trace; and they have failed in that regard." I've been lost in this maze and don't know what's worse...
My opinion is certainly not going to change anything, but to me this is straight forward. In my eyes, anyone who signed up for the VIP membership has violated GMACs test policies. They clearly had an unfair advantage that others did not have. It was all but common knowledge that the JJs had live GMAT questions. Actually, this has been settled beyond debate in the court of law - the very reason why the website is down. I wouldn't be surprised if GMAC cancels scores of all 6000 students who signed up for the VIP access. But that decision involves a lot of subjective evaluation and would be a bit too rash from GMAC. I'm sure GMAC is more sensible than that. There are violators who went on to post questions in the forum from their tests - and these guys are definitely getting their scores cancelled. In theory, most of these VIP members could be students or alumni of top business schools in USA and hence the repercussions of GMAC cancelling a bunch of scores could be intimidating.
I believe GMAC will certainly cancel scores of many people, otherwise the point of the whole exercise is lost and the signal that it wants to send to such websites will not be sent. I am quite curious to see how this unfolds. If you had a VIP membership, pray!
This is hot topic in probably all business schools. This site is a disgrace. The well-being of the site highly depended on a snow-balling effect, in test takers coming back and reporting scores. Of course, it is well documented that Mr. Lei Shi himself appeared for the GMAT thrice, but that's hardly sufficient to run the site for 5 years. The mere existence of the site for well over five years is a clear reflection of the times we live in. When people are desperate, most of them take the easy way out. But guess what, Karma hits back!!!
It is ridiculous to see the perspectives thrown around in numerous discussions. "Test takers were innocent" say many - they're clearly not on firm footing. "How could GMAC cancel my score. I will sue them if they do so." say others - not knowing it wont stand the test of law. "Will my percentile score improve?" or "Will I get off the waitlist because of this" - question a few self centered ones! Some even have the audacity to publicly say "I scored well and got into a M7 school purely because of this website. If they cancel scores, I'll never be able to score the same again", not knowing that GMAC is never letting them sit for the exam again. Even more audacious is when someone says to this person "Don't worry! You haven't done anything wrong." Some even argue "These students must be kicked out because one of the qualities of a successful business person is to do a mistake well and leave no trace; and they have failed in that regard." I've been lost in this maze and don't know what's worse...
My opinion is certainly not going to change anything, but to me this is straight forward. In my eyes, anyone who signed up for the VIP membership has violated GMACs test policies. They clearly had an unfair advantage that others did not have. It was all but common knowledge that the JJs had live GMAT questions. Actually, this has been settled beyond debate in the court of law - the very reason why the website is down. I wouldn't be surprised if GMAC cancels scores of all 6000 students who signed up for the VIP access. But that decision involves a lot of subjective evaluation and would be a bit too rash from GMAC. I'm sure GMAC is more sensible than that. There are violators who went on to post questions in the forum from their tests - and these guys are definitely getting their scores cancelled. In theory, most of these VIP members could be students or alumni of top business schools in USA and hence the repercussions of GMAC cancelling a bunch of scores could be intimidating.
I believe GMAC will certainly cancel scores of many people, otherwise the point of the whole exercise is lost and the signal that it wants to send to such websites will not be sent. I am quite curious to see how this unfolds. If you had a VIP membership, pray!
Sunday, June 29, 2008
Internship: Week 1
There is a novelty to advising C-level executives of growing firms, even if they are from relatively small firms, and I am going to experience that novelty throughout my summer. My typical day involves multiple interactions with the General Managers of various departments of the firm i work for and also a few meetings with the CEO. In my first week, I've also met all the members of the Board of Directors and discussed about the firm with them. I feel like i am and could add a LOT of value to this firm, which we believe is at the brink of explosive growth. All going well, this promises to be a great summer experience.
I am here in this firm basically because the CEO wants to take things to the next step and he's asked a 40+ consultant to investigate on what has to be done. This consultant has put together a short term group - that includes two interns: me and another person from HBS. The two of us want to leave this place with clear directives in place, so that this person can aide the CEO in making the changes we recommend. We obviously need to get the Board's buy-in before we leave. That, believe me, makes for a really exciting summer.
I've gotten to know Santiago better over the last week. I've stopped using the expensive cabs and have started using the highly efficient and affordable Metro for everyday commute. I'm picking up Spanish words and have started using them whenever possible. I've explored a little bit of the city and have started making plans for short trips around Santiago. I've learnt how hospitable Chileans are and am growing to like this culture and the way everything is done here. Overall, it is a lot of learning in 10 weeks - but I am sure the experience will help me in numerous ways!
I'll close this post with an interesting fact: The last summer i saw was Chennai August 2007 and if i do spend time in a summery place next year, I'd have spent two years without seeing summer. For someone born and brought up in Chennai, that's crazy!!!
I am here in this firm basically because the CEO wants to take things to the next step and he's asked a 40+ consultant to investigate on what has to be done. This consultant has put together a short term group - that includes two interns: me and another person from HBS. The two of us want to leave this place with clear directives in place, so that this person can aide the CEO in making the changes we recommend. We obviously need to get the Board's buy-in before we leave. That, believe me, makes for a really exciting summer.
I've gotten to know Santiago better over the last week. I've stopped using the expensive cabs and have started using the highly efficient and affordable Metro for everyday commute. I'm picking up Spanish words and have started using them whenever possible. I've explored a little bit of the city and have started making plans for short trips around Santiago. I've learnt how hospitable Chileans are and am growing to like this culture and the way everything is done here. Overall, it is a lot of learning in 10 weeks - but I am sure the experience will help me in numerous ways!
I'll close this post with an interesting fact: The last summer i saw was Chennai August 2007 and if i do spend time in a summery place next year, I'd have spent two years without seeing summer. For someone born and brought up in Chennai, that's crazy!!!
Tuesday, June 24, 2008
From one winter to another
Chile is cold. This is winter here and i was shocked the moment i walked out of the airport and saw snow on the roofs of all cars! This winter is not like the winter i encountered in Brazil. This is harsher. But the winter means that i see snow capped mountains circling around Santiago, and my 19th floor apartment looks right into these mountains through a string of skyscrapers - making a wonderful sight to wake up to.
Santiago is a nice city and I've had a good two days here in the capital of Chile. The city breathes in Spanish and Spanish only - too bad for me! I really need to learn Spanish. It is going to be very difficult to get my way around the city and live here for 10 more weeks without learning the language. I'm picking up words and recollecting those I've learnt earlier - but the curve is harshly steep! The plan is to learn enough to communicate smoothly by the end of the internship.
My internship began three hours after my 40 hr flight journey ended and i was able to keep up the entire day because of the exciting conversations all day along. This is a great opportunity to positively impact a company that is ripe with opportunities and I'm very glad i made this choice. The next 10 weeks i will be working on taking this company to the next level and hopefully get the CEO to invest in the infrastructure and man-power required to do so. In my first few conversations with him, he seems to be more than willing to listen to us.
Us? Yeah - i have a partner, at least for the next five weeks. There is a Harvard half-MBA who has been here for three weeks and will return in five weeks. He's a Spaniard and speaks fluent Spanish, so i seek his help to talk to people around. Yesterday, we were involved in a wonderful conversation about what we can do for this company and we'd walk out happy if we can achieve the things we discussed. He's done some great work in the last three weeks and we hope to take that forward in the next 10 weeks. We'll see how that goes.
I feel like August 2007 in Chicago - new city and not many friends. I've made a few friends in the last two days, but i need a translator to talk to most of them. There is a bunch of interns in the city and we need to meet up pretty soon and start exploring the city and Chile. More updates as it happens...
Santiago is a nice city and I've had a good two days here in the capital of Chile. The city breathes in Spanish and Spanish only - too bad for me! I really need to learn Spanish. It is going to be very difficult to get my way around the city and live here for 10 more weeks without learning the language. I'm picking up words and recollecting those I've learnt earlier - but the curve is harshly steep! The plan is to learn enough to communicate smoothly by the end of the internship.
My internship began three hours after my 40 hr flight journey ended and i was able to keep up the entire day because of the exciting conversations all day along. This is a great opportunity to positively impact a company that is ripe with opportunities and I'm very glad i made this choice. The next 10 weeks i will be working on taking this company to the next level and hopefully get the CEO to invest in the infrastructure and man-power required to do so. In my first few conversations with him, he seems to be more than willing to listen to us.
Us? Yeah - i have a partner, at least for the next five weeks. There is a Harvard half-MBA who has been here for three weeks and will return in five weeks. He's a Spaniard and speaks fluent Spanish, so i seek his help to talk to people around. Yesterday, we were involved in a wonderful conversation about what we can do for this company and we'd walk out happy if we can achieve the things we discussed. He's done some great work in the last three weeks and we hope to take that forward in the next 10 weeks. We'll see how that goes.
I feel like August 2007 in Chicago - new city and not many friends. I've made a few friends in the last two days, but i need a translator to talk to most of them. There is a bunch of interns in the city and we need to meet up pretty soon and start exploring the city and Chile. More updates as it happens...
Monday, June 16, 2008
10 days in the Metro
I'm home! Been here for 4 days now. Have done SO much work. It is fun to catch up with Chennai roads and the mad rush of traffic. And it is more fun to be reunited with my motorbike :)
Exam week was crazy. I gave a final Monday morning, finished off a take home that took me almost 25 hrs and gave a client presentation that was well received. On the way back, i met with almost half the Indian GSB admits in Delhi (including my mentee) and had some good conversations! Looking forward to September to spend more time with them, but looks like recruitment starts very very soon! So we'll see :)
I'm flying out this Saturday, contingent to the issue of the Chilean Visa. My agents say it should be fine. I'm very keen to begin the internship but am certainly not looking forward to the 40 hour flight from Chennai to Santiago.
I'm hosting a GSB mixer in Santiago. Hopefully there will be a decent turn out. If there's any native from Santiago here, any suggestions for a place to arrange an informal meetup???
Exam week was crazy. I gave a final Monday morning, finished off a take home that took me almost 25 hrs and gave a client presentation that was well received. On the way back, i met with almost half the Indian GSB admits in Delhi (including my mentee) and had some good conversations! Looking forward to September to spend more time with them, but looks like recruitment starts very very soon! So we'll see :)
I'm flying out this Saturday, contingent to the issue of the Chilean Visa. My agents say it should be fine. I'm very keen to begin the internship but am certainly not looking forward to the 40 hour flight from Chennai to Santiago.
I'm hosting a GSB mixer in Santiago. Hopefully there will be a decent turn out. If there's any native from Santiago here, any suggestions for a place to arrange an informal meetup???
Saturday, June 07, 2008
Wind on your face...
This might sound mundane for many of you, but I just realized how blissful it is to experience a ride with the wind flowing on your face. Especially if the ride happens to be right next to a beautiful water body like Lake Michigan. To really understand what it means, you must have experienced the Chicago weather. Not just the winter, but the stop-gap method in which it transitions from winter to summer.
That's right, Spring is not a long-term affair in the windy city. There's really 10 - 15 days of spring, not continuous; and then the sultry summer is here. I just happened to be in the right place (inside a car on the lake shore drive) at the best time possible - a springy dusk. My heart weeped like a kid whose candy was stolen, when the car took the exit closest to my destination.
In one blissful moment, I suddenly felt at home.
Thursday, June 05, 2008
A truly Golbal MBA?
One half of my status line in facebook reads "Iday is gonna live in 3 continents over the next 30 days!"
My journey across the globe and back starts this Tuesday, only after i finish one in-class final, one take-home final and one client presentation in 30 hours. And i have another case writeup to turn in after i reach home. I dont even know the miles i would have clocked at the end of the journey, during which i would have flown over (and actually set my foot on) 4 continents, 4 Countries and 6 Cities. I would have also met one of my mentees (first year GSB student), a bunch of first years, some old and new friends, my summer employers (and exciting Chilean) entrepreneur, other entrepreneurs in the region, GSB alum in Chile and nearby, a group of exciting people from different b-schools working with other entrepreneurs in Chile (and hopefully Argentina too), prospective applicants from Chile at a GSB event and make a lot of Chilean friends. I'll also work in an industry completely different from my earlier experience and in an economy unlike India or USA. The take-aways are numerous.
I'm excited to say the least.
The other half of the status line: "A truly global MBA experience..."
My journey across the globe and back starts this Tuesday, only after i finish one in-class final, one take-home final and one client presentation in 30 hours. And i have another case writeup to turn in after i reach home. I dont even know the miles i would have clocked at the end of the journey, during which i would have flown over (and actually set my foot on) 4 continents, 4 Countries and 6 Cities. I would have also met one of my mentees (first year GSB student), a bunch of first years, some old and new friends, my summer employers (and exciting Chilean) entrepreneur, other entrepreneurs in the region, GSB alum in Chile and nearby, a group of exciting people from different b-schools working with other entrepreneurs in Chile (and hopefully Argentina too), prospective applicants from Chile at a GSB event and make a lot of Chilean friends. I'll also work in an industry completely different from my earlier experience and in an economy unlike India or USA. The take-aways are numerous.
I'm excited to say the least.
The other half of the status line: "A truly global MBA experience..."
Sunday, May 25, 2008
Half an MBA!!!
It is quite surprising, but year one of Business school is about to end. The obvious question at this juncture is this: "Three quarters of GSB - has it been all that i expected it to be?" I must admit - I certainly learnt more than i thought i would learn in Business schools. I certainly plan to do a year-1 review at some point of time in the near future.
Life has turned on its head with a few recent domestic developments. One of those c'est la vie moments! It brought with it its own fair share of realizations and revelations though!!! Things are better now for everyone, and will hopefully continue to improve.
Life in school is as busy as usual. It is hard to believe we are done with 9 out of the 15 issues of Chibus we are responsible for. It has been a great experience so far and I'm definitely enjoying my time inside the tiny Chibus office. Yours truly danced at the GSB Follies - the annual artsy show put together by students. I also enjoyed my first skydiving experience at a pad near Chicago. It was totally breathtaking (quite literally) and I would totally do it a million times!
Taking four courses at the GSB leads to a lot of burn out! I'm right in the middle of one and am SO looking forward to bring this quarter to closure. It also, i guess, makes one focus more on academics and this has arguably been my best performing quarter yet. Hopefully the grades befit the effort :)
I'm flying to Chennai for about 10 days after the finals, and flying to Chile straight from there. I'm still working out my Chilean visa though. Looks like i dont have enough time to get a Visa in Chicago. So I'm planning to apply for the visa in Chennai. Hopefully the process will be as smooth as it was for the Brazil visa.
So - looks like I'm right in the middle of a million things; and that exactly is business school :) Still cannot believe I'm gonna be half-an-MBA in 2 weeks, but I cannot complain. I've loved the experience so far and certainly look forward to the second half of the roller coaster ride.
Life has turned on its head with a few recent domestic developments. One of those c'est la vie moments! It brought with it its own fair share of realizations and revelations though!!! Things are better now for everyone, and will hopefully continue to improve.
Life in school is as busy as usual. It is hard to believe we are done with 9 out of the 15 issues of Chibus we are responsible for. It has been a great experience so far and I'm definitely enjoying my time inside the tiny Chibus office. Yours truly danced at the GSB Follies - the annual artsy show put together by students. I also enjoyed my first skydiving experience at a pad near Chicago. It was totally breathtaking (quite literally) and I would totally do it a million times!
Taking four courses at the GSB leads to a lot of burn out! I'm right in the middle of one and am SO looking forward to bring this quarter to closure. It also, i guess, makes one focus more on academics and this has arguably been my best performing quarter yet. Hopefully the grades befit the effort :)
I'm flying to Chennai for about 10 days after the finals, and flying to Chile straight from there. I'm still working out my Chilean visa though. Looks like i dont have enough time to get a Visa in Chicago. So I'm planning to apply for the visa in Chennai. Hopefully the process will be as smooth as it was for the Brazil visa.
So - looks like I'm right in the middle of a million things; and that exactly is business school :) Still cannot believe I'm gonna be half-an-MBA in 2 weeks, but I cannot complain. I've loved the experience so far and certainly look forward to the second half of the roller coaster ride.
Monday, May 19, 2008
India Business Conference @ GSB
The South Asia Business Group of Chicago GSB hosted the Annual India Business Conference on Saturday. GSB Sutras, a classmate, just published a comprehensive writeup about the day in his blog.
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