The end of a chapter

I finished up my MBA last week in the rather anti-climactic setting of the local branch of FedEx Kinko's. My dissertation ended up at 25,856 words and 141 pages of strategy, marketing, operations and technology management content that I felt was a fitting way to finish a great year at Warwick Business School.

It's become clear to me since returning to California that the good folks at WBS are serious when they say that your involvement with them doesn't end the moment you finish the MBA.

I've had contact with WBS Personal & Career Development staff in the last few weeks who have reached out proactively to offer help and assistance.

I've enjoyed an afternoon showing the sights of San Francisco to my mentor from the Practice of Management module.

Of course there's also been plenty of contact with former classmates too - telephone calls, e-mail - a fun trip up to Napa Valley with a classmate who scored a job in London with that well known internet search company, and has already made it out to the Bay Area on business.

The end of one chapter, but the start of a new and exciting one with many of the same characters I'm happy to report!

Saluté!

"Saluté! You inspire me!" was all I needed to hear.

I've been back in the Bay Area for a couple of months now and getting re-acquainted with Mt. Tamalpais. My bicycles have proved a constant and necessary companion over the last 12 nomadic months.

So as I began my ascent of Marin's famous peak yesterday, hearing the motivating cries from a lady on the sidewalk in Mill Valley, was all I needed to put an extra big smile on my face.

I've always been more comfortable going uphill on a bicycle than down. Something to do, I suspect, with a nasty mountain biking crash many years ago, and subsequent road biking crashes in quick succession, that took chunks of flesh out of my legs, and left them permanently scarred to this day.

Don't get me wrong, I enjoy the downhill part too; I'm just really happy when I get into a climbing rhythm and seem to effortlessly glide up an incline. The climb up Mt. Tam yesterday for the second time from Bolinas was just idyllic - no cars, the road to myself, amazing views, plenty of sunshine, and a little shade when I needed it!

So, cheers to the unknown lady in Mill Valley for her words of encouragement!

Yesterday's roller-coaster route through the hills, valleys, and canyons of southern Marin County:

Words

I've now written about 16,000 words of my dissertation, which partly explains my sorry reticence here, although doesn't by any means excuse it. It's all about priorities, as Nicholas Bate would say.

And I have to say, I'm thoroughly enjoying the process. I was lucky, I picked a topic that I'm interested in and a good company to do it with. So the last month has had me consumed with busy work days and grabbing time in the evenings and weekends to put pen to paper on the dissertation.

My 16,000 words, whilst over the minimum word count of 15,000, probably represents a level of completeness of about 75%. Still lots to do; words to throw away, re-structure, or re-write.

So as I sit in the warm California sunshine, happily delving into the bowels of the University of Warwick's expansive library, accessing databases far and wide, I feel quite blessed that technology allows me to do this. How things have changed, even since I did my first degree.

I'll soon be done. The deadline is Sept 11 and the remaining weeks will fly by I'm sure. It seems a little strange that I will conclude my MBA experience by dropping a padded envelope full of words into a FedEx bin, but that, I'm afraid is unavoidable at this point.

Warwick Business School in pictures

Thanks to Gaurav for capturing the moment!

The Time Has Come

As I prepare to return to the United States and begin a new exciting chapter in my life, I'm acutely aware of the new friendships I've formed over the last 10 months at Warwick Business School. One of the great things about a full-time MBA; the many wonderful new friends you make along the way.

It's a little sad to think most of us are now dispersed and heading out to embrace projects that will complete our MBA experience, but reassuring to know those friendships will last a lifetime.

Another dear friend and reknowned Kiwi artist, Emma Wright captures much of the sentiment that for me epitomises the MBA journey rather well in a description of her wonderful work:

"My paintings offer a suggestion about how life can be lived. The texture in my work represents all that life throws at us. If we embrace and enjoy the ups and downs, they become the most interesting and rewarding part of life. When we remain clear and strong about who we are (hence the strong, bold shapes) the texture of life gives depth and beauty to our journey the rougher the surface, in fact, the more interesting it becomes. It is when we try and compete and fight against life as it is, our experience becomes small and confined. If someone looks at my painting and reflects on how they are approaching their life I feel I have achieved my purpose. I like to think my paintings capture an irreverent and determined attitude to life. An attitude captured in Alan Curnow's words: 'by sailing in a new direction we can enlarge the world'. It is my intention that my paintings in some way leave the world for the people who enjoy them a slightly bigger place".

International Marketing

I walked out of Warwick Business School this week with a smile on my face; my last module done and the taught portion of Warwick's MBA over. It's a little sad to think there will be no more good times in the lecture theatre that had become like a second home, but my smile was nevertheless in place due to a sense of satisfaction and new found freedom.

I chose to conclude with International Marketing - a module delivered by visiting academic, Professor Colin Egan.

We learned that you can milk a dog, and if two dogs get together, the end result can be a cow. Of course, I refer to BCG's famous matrix; a handy little tool that makes an appearance at regular intervals throughout any MBA. Sadly misunderstood and wrongly applied by many, Professor Egan explains the BCG box from the perspective of someone who has rolled up his sleeves and practiced what he preaches.

Great companies such as Philips, IBM and BP have benefited from Colin's depth of experience and knowledge. He talks with authority about international marketing strategy and backs up his arguments with economic theory and example after example of how it's been done in practice.

It's a tough call for any academic to hold the attention of a room full of rambunctious MBA types for a whole week. Colin pulls this off with ease and balances the serious stuff with welcome humour and stories from his worldly travels and experiences.

This module rounds off the classroom portion of my MBA with content that is highly relevant for me and applicable immediately as I embark on my project/dissertation.

More on Colin at www.colinegan.eu. Thanks for a great week.

Calm amid the storm

Interesting article in The Independent about the sanctuary of business school during times of economic turbulence. Good to read that the Warwick MBA "continues to carry huge prestige."