The Dynamics of a profession!!

As if the marvel of competitive strategy was not enough, i had an amazing lecture on macro economics. The prof said, when you will be CEO flying in your own jets, you will not open books, you will not have time to find figures and make excels, you will read newpapers and try to predict which market works for your busines and which does not. This was a simple man, standing infront addressing a class of 70 to be MBAs. He had videos on commanding heights and he had pateince to take each concept step by step.
I have never had such a deep respect for teaching profession before coming to ISB. With every passing day, this is getting faded. There are people who command respect. Professors are smart, they are better than consultants and some of them have immense knowledge of world.
Here, i have been linking all my knowledge to reading economic times and here was a prof who said, " I will share some newspaper clippings, if you get time, get them in class too, we will see how macro economics works. I dont care if you know quant or not, we will apply common sense and simple concepts. The paper will be based on these discussions." (Kick off those books and excels, get your brain sharpened) :)
Teaching is redefined. Profs are innovators, independent, marketers. They consult companies world over and unlike most of us, they are free. :)

Common Sense!!

Two months down in one of the premeir b school. I like everything that i study here. The concepsts in economics, accounts, marketing, strategy. Every time i listen to a term and try to assimilate, i just know that its all common sense. It has always existed around me. Is MBA all about making you more aware about your surroundings?
Yes, i believe it is. The conviction is getting stronger with every passing day. Just the way i always challenged science as an enginner for all kind of ideal scenarios it projected, i feel the same way for B school subjects. They teach you, GIVEN all is fit and fine, you can think straight, just that nothing will be fit and fine in real world.
Then what is success and business all about? This for sure is not the theory i read in books. Its all common sense, guts to play the game and handle it with full vigour if things goes wrong, or may be just a very very strong belief where you do not know what can not happen? After having read many autobiographies, i tried to draw some conclusion, successful people were passionate about what they wanted to do. They were not greedy about a royal life, but an original life and they all knew less about what would not work. Had they read all the books, they would have never dared to start any business...
Hmm.. MBAs are needed to run the business, a methodical MBA can be harful to start the business.. :)

The Economy of marketing!

Call it a 4P, 3C (alright, i have learned ABC new way:)). And then its about MR= MC. Interesting is the fact that marketing exploits all the constraints that economics puts in books. If economics says that price should be constant if many players stay in market, marketing says that you differentiate and create a new market. If economics says that you can at max value your product based on consumer surplus available, marketing says call it value based pricing and forget that there was ever a slanting line which said consumer surplus existed. So, i am loving it. The point is, i never believed in constraints. So, i go with marketing. I agree that nature will find its balance and finally economics principles will even out the playing field, only to make a firm move into new market and create a new imbalance. After all, business is all about generating values out of gaps, the moment equillibrium is achieved, business stops making sense. Business in every form is dynamic, fast moving, and opportunistic. The knowledge of constraints just lets you know, till when can you survive in same game. Given globalization and competition, economies achieve equllibrium faster, and hence the survival of business is becoming more and more challenging.

Sleepless in ISB

3 weeks down and it seems like eternity. It seems like ages ago, when i was asking my friend, how can a day be 20 hours long? I think everyone gets to sleep for 6 hours, but no thats not the case. Its a 20 hour day at ISB. Red eyes, dull faces, lectures, sometimes smiles, sometimes frown, thats what a b school is all about.
Term 1 comes with lots of surprises. CP, quizzes, case studies. Perfect was the mode to sell blades in indonesia. People all around were all bent to make it a successful marketing plan. The ideas dont stop, deadlines seem to haunt. Finally indonesia has had it. The urban male population better shave, it took us 3 sleepless nights to entice them into it.
Its fun. I dont know about the scores and books, but this place definitely teaches you to work hard, manage timings, being with people and i guess with so many tests coming up every day, i will learn to face all tests in life without stress. :)

The Puzzle

I will talk of a puzzle in my blog. Its a very complex puzzle. All parts are perfect and shining, but there is an element of apprenhension in each part. Each part wants to fit in its favourite place. Everyone wants to be a part of completed puzzle. Each part is equally good, but rather than looking at its own value, it is bothered about the other part. The puzzle is smiling at the pieces. It always knew that it was one puzzle. Blocks were cut out from it. Each piece has its place, still each part thought that it will find its place first. The parts forget that the puzzle is not complete till all parts find their place. After all the pieces are cut from it for a reason. :)

School dayz r back..

Reminds me of movie, "Sleepless in seattle." An avid sleeper, happy go lucky to hard working human. Thats the kind of transformation life is seeking from me. I am loving every moment of it. Have never stayed awake beyond 10 willingly, but time flies by here. Thats a b school. :)
Have never felt asleep while talking to anyone, but yesterday i fell asleep while talking to someone on phone, so here is the beginning. I always thought i can not sleep when a session is on, but my bheja was completely on to slide under the table while prof teaches. So, the naughty side is up. I am back to college.. :D

First Day in School.. :)

It was Noni’s first day in school. My brother, knowing that I am excited to see his reaction in school, took me alongwith. Looking at 3 people, accompanying the child, teacher said, he will never stay in school, but what the heck, when he has a whole trail of people to love him, prince will have his followers follow him. :) Amazing was the experience. He had never seen so many kids of his size and then there were fishes in aquarium. He was excited. Like all kids, he loves animals, he was happy in jim Corbett last week and was really amazed to see tiger in nainital zoo. ( I m not telling my kids that there is a zoo in Nainital, it requires a lot of climbing the hill and kids ride on your back and refuse to walk. All of us were almost dead by the time we got to see snow leopard in zoo. :( ). It was all fun until we left him with kids and teachers. When we went in after 10 minutes, he came running and hugged us. It was one moment, when I lost all brain that I had ever had. He was scared that we had left him alone. He was crying and the tears were of fear. Something which had never happened earlier, I did not know why did the teacher let so much fear settle into him. I was furious.
We got him back home. Talking about the same to my mum, she smiled. She said it’s the same thing everytime I let you or your bro go. I have brought you up. However much life demands out of you, you remain to be someone who had been extremely dependent on me when you were infant. When I left you for 2 hours in first school, I cried because I was not sure if world will love you the way I do. Then things settled in my brain and now it’s a change every year. Still, when I let you go to a new world, my fear is that world out there does not hurt you, not to see tears in your eyes. It’s the way emotions are.
I did not know what to infer. But thinking on the same, I am heading for a b school in two days. I am too old to cry, but I am sure that I feel what Noni feels. It’s a feeling of excitement and fear. I also feel what my family feels, that they are letting me go into a world which is not so protective of me. They are excited because it’s a step forward in life, but they also feel sad that I will have to stay awake for 20 hours and will have to take the pressure of competition. Like my bro said, why did you not opt for studio apartment? Have your meals properly. You have never stayed awake for 20 hours, do your best, but not at the cost of your health. I am still Noni for all. Finally, why Noni will go to school is, because he knows he can play with kids and his mum will come to take him back home. So, I will go ahead in life because I know I have a wonderful family which loves me. :)

Nothing has changed since age 2 till now.. :)