Holidays are here!!

The finals are over.. and so is the party that followed it. [Was that a party or what!!]
A fabulous end to a fabulous semester... it is time to take a pause and recharge the spirits!

So wish you all a Merry X'mas & a Fabulous New Year!
And so I'll end my last post of the year with this great line I came across... Eat till you're stuffed, drink till you fall and laugh till you hurt!

Happy Holidays!

Here comes another bubble

Check out this really funny video on the tech bubble... or its non-existence thereof!

I saw this link on a Don Dodge post.. also read his post on trading two $50K cats for a $100K dog!

'Beowulf' is out, finals are in...

Finals week is here! It's not too bad... I've seen worse!

Btw..the futures market for Beowulf has closed[Check my earlier post for the details]. The movie earned less than $77 million when the market closed, as against my estimate of $86 million in first 4 weeks. I still had a few of the 'less than $80M' contracts, so I did make some money - though not as much as I thought I would!

Interesting observation - The Will Smith movie "I am Legend" released last week and grossed $77M on its opening weekend; Beowulf did less in 4 weeks.

The 'Manimal' turns 31

'Manimal' is the moniker given to one of our MBA classmates...
I've just posted sum pics of the party we had..

For those who don't know the 'manimal', I just came across a YouTube link.... watch out for the narration at the end.. I found it really funny!

Tippie Marketing Forum

The MBA Marketing Forum was held on Friday...and neither snow nor the ice storms could dampen the spirits!
It was great to hear alumni reflect on their time during MBA and how that translated into their current career paths and goals. I particularly liked the presentation by Jeff Myers, currently VP-Special Interest Media at Meredith Corp.. Jeff literally walked us through a turnaround story at his company and it was almost like an impromptu strategy class! Albeit one of the most entertaining strategy classes I've had.

And as for the fencesitters considering a marketing career, I'm sure the forum would have swayed them over...
And the lunch did help too! Yes Jim, it was the best lunch of the semester.. :)

East Asia beckons...

Today evening we had the pre-departure session for our Hong Kong-China trip next month.
The session was a lot about the course work we need to do before leaving [The trip is part of the course in International Marketing]. Four case studies and two other assignments due before Jan-2nd... So there goes my winter break.. :(

We leave for Hong Kong on Jan 9 for the two week trip. We'll be visiting over six companies across Hong Kong and mainland China. This is in addition to classes over weekends and other events like the one planned at the Hong Kong Chamber of Commerce.

I've got the feeling that I'm in for two amazing weeks! I can't wait!!

Just another manic Monday....

And no.. I don't wish it was Sunday.. coz I was working on the weekend too!
There were a couple of reports due today [I'm writing this on Tuesday night] and that was way more work than I had estimated.
One of the reports was a financial reporting analysis of John Deere and boy..was that was a mixed bag!
The part I liked best came after we turned in our reports. We had Dan Dolan, the Director of Management Reporting at John Deere, come to class and talk to us about the case. It was great to hear the 'insider' version of the case and why Deere does the things it does.
And this is one of the things I really like about Tippie. Lots of the work we do in class deal with real life data and this makes the analysis seem much more relevant. And then actually having someone from the company talk about it and answer questions gives you a clarity of understanding which I don't think is possible otherwise.

Well.. now I've got a couple of days with no deadlines and that feels good! But considering that finals are around the corner, I wonder if I should be feeling so relaxed..

Mobile Commerce, Breakfast Meetings and CFOs

This week went by so fast, it's almost a blur!
I had an early start to the week - a breakfast meeting with Keith Mitchell, CFO of Mobilians Inc.
It was interesting to hear Keith, who is a Tippie alumnus, talk about the trials and joys of managing a start-up venture. Mobilians will soon be introducing mobile commerce in the US and it will be exciting to see how this will affect online transactions.
The current focus of Mobilians is to grab a pie of small value transactions [<15$]. When a user makes an online purchase, along with the current payment options, 'MobiCash' will be available as a payment option. An authentication code will be sent to the user's mobile phone, which is then used to complete the transaction.

Since we are on the topics of CFO's... a few weeks back we had a chat with Larry Zimmerman, the CFO of Xerox. Larry is one of the key people involved in the turnaround at Xerox and it was captivating to hear the "inside" version of the story.
Keith and Larry are CFOs at opposite ends of the spectrum, yet a common theme in their talks was the importance of soft skills. "Technical skills are a given. They get you in the game; soft skills get you ahead."

Talking about mobile commerce, I wonder how things will change once the Google phone is out. And I'm waiting to see what Android will do to change our world! Click here to see more on Android.

Beowulf, Angelina Jolie and the Futures Market

What is the best way to learn about prediction markets?? Trade future contracts in real money!!!
So as part of our marketing class we get to trade futures on the latest movies and predict their fate at the box office. The rules are straightforward - you write a report detailing your forecast and then you invest in the IEM [Iowa Electronic Markets] .

So this time we have to predict the fate of the latest Angelina Jolie movie - 'Beowulf'. Now, given the budget-size of these movies, one would think that Hollywood bosses have a good idea of what works and what doesn't. [Though history tells us otherwise!]

So I've submitted my report on why I think this movie will be a hit - the stars, the story, the timing of release and of course, the marketing blitz. [I wonder if anyone can put a figure to the interest generated due to Angelina Jolie... isn't that how stars should be getting paid?]

I haven't done too bad on the trading floor, either!
But I'm revising my estimate of the 4-week collections - I predict between $80 and $90 million domestic collections. Most movies make 30%-40% of their 1-month earnings on the first weekend; and given that Thanksgiving weekend will see higher gains at the box office, I think an estimate of $86 million for first 4-week grosses is a good call.

As of now, Beowulf has grossed $56 million in the domestic market and is going strong.
Check out the market quotes and contracts for Beowulf here.
I'll keep you posted!

[I get grades and I get to make money..this is fun!!]

Tippie Pics

The Tippie College of Business

MBA Classroom at The Pomerantz [The 'Rantz]




The Walkway to the Biz Bldg




Old Capitol [University Landmark]

The Henry Fund

A portfolio managed by select MBA students, the Henry Fund has consistently beaten the S&P 500 index.
Though I'm not too keen on portfolio management, I think that this is an absolutely fabulous opportunity for those who are inclined towards such a career. The fact that the Henry Fund has outperformed the market for the last 13 years is no mean feat!!
Every fall, a new student team is chosen to manage the fund. And this year's deadlines are around the corner. Quite a few of my classmates are sweating out the Thanksgiving holiday poring over the finances of Yahoo Inc . Best of luck to you all!!

The Entrepreneurial Way

Risk must be taken, because the greatest hazard in life is to risk nothing. The person who risks nothing does nothing, has nothing, is nothing.
- Manny Villafana

Tippie has some of the best resources for future entrepreneurs. The initiatives taken by JPEC are simply astounding - interaction with VC firms, links with successful entrepreneurs and alumni, entrepreneurial labs, incubation centers etc the list goes on.
Lots of MBA students work with JPEC in various capacities - making investment recommendations for VC firms, providing management consulting to start-ups, creating business plans, financial forecasts etc.

The course in Entrepreneurial Business Consulting involves student teams completing advanced business projects for early-stage companies. The projects typically involve market assessments of new technology products or services, strategic planning, financial forecasting etc.

My personal favorite would be the lecture/speaker series hosted by JPEC. I think that, given a short time frame, you can learn more about business and leadership through close interaction with successful entrepreneurs than anything else.

TGIT - A Tippie Tradition

TGIT is a weekly event organized by the MBA Association. Held every Thursday, usually at a downtown bar, it has evolved into a great way to connect with your fellow students in a more informal setting.

What's a typical TGIT like??
Well... TGIT stands for "Thank God It's Thursday" !!!!!
Need I say anything more?

Networking, football and tailgates

Every week brings along at least a few opportunities for networking - with alumni, corporates and fellow students. The tough part is prioritizing which events you want to go to. There are so many events and opportunities that you'd just burn out if you tried to catch 'em all!

Football is BIG in Iowa. Every home game, a river of black & gold flows towards the Kinnick . [Yes.. it's gold, not yellow!! :) ]. The Hawkeyes start tailgating as soon as the sun comes up... and neither rain, shine, hell or high water can stop the celebrations!
[For the uninitiated, Hawkeyes/Hawks refer to the Iowa team and its supporters. ]

And for us, Tippie MBAs, tailgating is the perfect opportunity for networking with alumni and corporates. This season we had corporate sponsorship for all the tailgates - and these sponsored tailgates are perfect events for companies and students to interact and know each other better.
Networking aside, I feel that the amazing food and beer should be reason enough for tailgating!

One of my most depressing moments in Iowa was after the last tailgate of the season... Everyone had left.. the remaining few of us packed up the stuff... and there was this emptiness where moments ago was a carnival. Almost made me cry :(

First week of the Tippie MBA - IMPACT

hi !!!
I've had the draft for this blog sitting on my notebook for the last 2 weeks... Recap is tough!!!

Our first week at Tippie was called the IMPACT week...
A very eventful week - team building activities, outdoor "get-out-of-your-comfort-zone" activities, networking dinners, alumni interactions, and even a business case on the world's fastest car!

One of the best aspects of Tippie is the diversity one gets to experience here. I was heartened by the sheer diversity of backgrounds... in addition to the usual engineers and bankers, there are doctors, lawyers, air force pilots, entrepreneurs... the list goes on. And add the fact that about 1/3 of the class consists of international students... wow!

At Tippie, most of the work is done in teams. On the first day of IMPACT, everyone is assigned to a team; and this would be your team for the rest of the semester. Our first serious team effort was a case study on the Porsche Carrera GT . The case presentation was judged by a panel of faculty and alumni, with the winners announced at the concluding luncheon. Now, considering that there are only a little over 1200 Carrera GTs ever made, it was a pleasant surprise when an alum actually got his Carrera GT to the luncheon!!!!

Here's a pic... [this one's a beauty & a beast! :) ]

The University of Iowa

As the plane prepared to land at the Cedar Rapids Airport, I was greeted with a vast expanse of cornfields.
This scenery was expected, but having lived in large cities for most of my life, a part of me still longed for the frantic pace and energy I had left behind.
Little did I know that beneath the veneer of calm was a bustle that would soon leave me gasping.

The University of Iowa was all it promised to be - and more. And Iowa City, I soon learned, was the best of both worlds. A Midwest city with a cosmopolitan culture, it has a unique identity. It has all the advantages of a cosmopolitan culture - great diversity, an exciting cultural scene, a happening nightlife etc. - with none of the pitfalls of the big cities.

I had a couple of days before the MBA program started and I used this time to acquaint myself with the city. A piece of advice for anyone joining a MBA program - arrive on campus at least a couple of days before the course starts. You will need those days to take care of several petty tasks like arranging your new apartment, getting your student ID etc.

And yes... realize that the MBA program will be challenging. There will be moments of ecstasy and frustration in equal measure. It is a marathon and not a 100m sprint - so you will need all your reserves of energy and mental strength.
If possible, try to take a break before you come to campus. Quit your job 2-4 weeks early; go on a nice holiday, relax and de-stress yourself before you get here.
Trust me, you'll need those 2 weeks of rest more than you'll need the money.

Welcome to my journey!

Hi!
Over the past couple of months, I have been replying to numerous emails & phone calls from friends and acquaintances who wish to get an 'insider' account of the Tippie MBA - what is an 'average' day like?, is it what you expected?, what is the best/worst part of the school?, what is the current class profile etc etc etc...

First, let me point out that there is no 'average' or 'typical' day at Tippie. However cliched it may sound, that is the way it is. Period.
So I figured that it is much more efficient to write a blog chronicling my experiences at Tippie.
And that, my friends, was how this blog was born.

I guess that explains why this blog has started halfway into the semester. So I will spend the first few entries trying to bring you up-to-date with my journey so far.