Tuesday, 29 Sep 2009
Today we had a strategy session using HTC ( http://www.htc.com )as the case study. HTC is now the worlds 4th largest manufacturer of smart phones, behind Apple (iPhone), RIM (Blackberry) and Nokia, with approximately US$4b in sales.
The case was focused around HTC's competitive positioning and what it can and should do to move forward and realise the company's aim of being one of the big three smart phone manufacturers. To make matters more interesting we had Peter Chou the CEO of HTC present for the discussion. Peter is a Harvard Business School AMP 171 graduate. He also had the opportunity to speak to the class on HTC and for us to have a Q and A session. Once again you can only marvel at the power of HBS to be able to entice these global executives to come and give up a day of their valuable time.
The strategy sessions are taken by Prof. David Yoffie. He is among other things a director of Intel (the computer chip company) ( http://www.intel.com )and has held this position since 1989, a company that that turns over a mere US$35b and has a gross margin of more than 50% (that's some business).
Not all the classes are this insightful and there are a couple of lecturers that while they are able to facilitate reasonable discussion, we feel that there is not really the depth of learning or new insight hat we would hope for.
Some of the participants are starting to get a bit distracted as their spouses arrive (or are due to arrive) for the mid-term break. This is the first time HBS have had the family program during the course, it is normally at the end to coincide with graduation. It will be interesting to see what the view is, but personally I think that now we are in the right mindset and routine fully separated from our normal professional and personal lives, it is a shame to risk derailing things by introducing family into the process.
We also got our 360 degree feedback pack yesterday afternoon. It is an interesting process to work through and there are certainly a few learnings and things to work on there for me. A big thanks to everyone that was asked to fill it out as I know the sheer volume of questions was a bit daunting. I promise I will try and be a better person!!
30 September 2009
28 September 2009
Harvard Business School - Day 22
Monday, 28 Sep 2009
Much of Sunday afternoon was spend preparing for a case study we had today on the Space Shuttle Columbia tragedy in early 203.
This was the first time HBS had used this case (they had just finished compiling it). It is presented as an amazing multi-media case whereby you are presented with video tapes, email records, recordings of meetings, news clips etc.
The purpose was to try and tease out the many interwoven issues surrounding the tragedy and attempt to gain an understanding of the events and culture at NASA that contributed to what occurred.
Such is the strength of Harvard Business School that they managed to procure the attendance of two very senior NASA managers. One is the current Chief Knowledge Manager (Ed Rodgers) and the second was Rodney Roche who is the Divisional Chief Engineer - Structural on the shuttle team.
He was one of the individuals within NASA that identified the potential problems associated with the foam damage to Columbia's left wing after lift-off, but at that stage wasn't able to promote the issue onto the agenda of the senior managers responsible for the mission. He spoke genuinely and bravely about many issues including his own personal shame at not having taken steps to push his concerns further. He also spoke of steps taken within NASA since then to rectify the many issues that we're identified in the ensuing investigation post tragedy.
After class I had a game of squash with Peter Weaver the Australian in the adjacent working group. He is a good guy (from Melbourne) and we get on well. We are also both complete bunnies at squash so are pretty even and give each other a good run around.
Much of Sunday afternoon was spend preparing for a case study we had today on the Space Shuttle Columbia tragedy in early 203.
This was the first time HBS had used this case (they had just finished compiling it). It is presented as an amazing multi-media case whereby you are presented with video tapes, email records, recordings of meetings, news clips etc.
The purpose was to try and tease out the many interwoven issues surrounding the tragedy and attempt to gain an understanding of the events and culture at NASA that contributed to what occurred.
Such is the strength of Harvard Business School that they managed to procure the attendance of two very senior NASA managers. One is the current Chief Knowledge Manager (Ed Rodgers) and the second was Rodney Roche who is the Divisional Chief Engineer - Structural on the shuttle team.
He was one of the individuals within NASA that identified the potential problems associated with the foam damage to Columbia's left wing after lift-off, but at that stage wasn't able to promote the issue onto the agenda of the senior managers responsible for the mission. He spoke genuinely and bravely about many issues including his own personal shame at not having taken steps to push his concerns further. He also spoke of steps taken within NASA since then to rectify the many issues that we're identified in the ensuing investigation post tragedy.
After class I had a game of squash with Peter Weaver the Australian in the adjacent working group. He is a good guy (from Melbourne) and we get on well. We are also both complete bunnies at squash so are pretty even and give each other a good run around.
Harvard Business School - Day 20 & 21
Saturday, 26 Sep 2009
Well I have finished class for week three. It has been a fantastic week of learning and insight, but I am glad I have some time off this afternoon and tomorrow.
It is a beautiful day here and four of us took Neil’s (one of our working group) car up to Salem, which is north of where I am at HBS. Salem is where they burned the witches in a very ugly period of American history in 1692 due to some religious Puritanism that escalated to a point where-by woman were being accused by young girls (who as it turns out were just pretending to be possessed and having a bit of sport) of being witches and hanged when found guilty. Neil’s car is a convertible Volvo happily on loan from Hertz Rent A Car, and although it was a bit tight with four of us in it it was a nice day to have the hood down. The traffic was appalling and what should have been an easy 30 minute drive ended up taking over an hour and a half.
I decided that I would fly solo and go and check out Boston, and find some shops to to buy a few toiletries etc.
I took the underground (the MBTA) from Harvard Square into Boston. I had used the map facility on my iPhone to identify a J C Penney (department) store, which required me to walk about 2 kms from the MBTA station. Having walked there all I found was a J C Penney warehouse, not a retail outlet. Sometimes you shouldn't rely completely on technology, but not to work, I got to walk back to the MBTA and then found some other shops nearby.
I did a bit of work Sunday afternoon and then grabbed some dinner with Neil (which was much cheaper and equally as nice, if not better, than the night before).
Well I have finished class for week three. It has been a fantastic week of learning and insight, but I am glad I have some time off this afternoon and tomorrow.
Salem itself was a bit of an anticlimax, there were a few loosely themed witch type attractions and we did spend $8 each sitting through a very average presentation on the historic events at the Witch Museum. Never mind it was nice to get out and the trip home was no where near as troublesome. Neil, Philippe and I had dinner at a restaurant called Mortons Steak House ( http://www.mortons.com/ ) it was quite nice but very expensive, and the steak they served, although well cooked, was obscenely large and at least half of it got wasted. Both Neil and Philippe are wine buffs, so I am getting the opportunity to educate my pallet on some old world as well as American wines which I am enjoying (picture is of Neil on the left and Philippe).
Sunday, 27 Sep 2009I decided that I would fly solo and go and check out Boston, and find some shops to to buy a few toiletries etc.
I took the underground (the MBTA) from Harvard Square into Boston. I had used the map facility on my iPhone to identify a J C Penney (department) store, which required me to walk about 2 kms from the MBTA station. Having walked there all I found was a J C Penney warehouse, not a retail outlet. Sometimes you shouldn't rely completely on technology, but not to work, I got to walk back to the MBTA and then found some other shops nearby.
I did a bit of work Sunday afternoon and then grabbed some dinner with Neil (which was much cheaper and equally as nice, if not better, than the night before).
25 September 2009
Harvard Business School - Day 19
Friday, 25 Sep 2009
Avoiding talking about class, for a moment or two, one of the highlights of the day was lunch!! (isn't it most days?).
One of the participants Tammy Pearson is Vice President of a fast food restaurant chain called "Chick Fill A" and although I have never heard of them they have 1430 outlets, in 38 states and they turn over nearly US$3 billion in sales per annum.
The most interesting thing about it is their promotional campaign. In 1995 they started a themed series of advertisements which they are still running today (reminds me of ASB and Goldstein in NZ). Because it is a chicken restaurant they came up with the concept of using cows to promote Chick Fill A ( http://www.chick-fil-a.com ). I know it doesn't sound that appealing or effective so far, but bare with me.
In a kind of Gary Larsen type thought process the Cows are used to convince people to eat more chicken.
In fact today they even had a a mascot cow (the poor guy inside must have been hot as all hell) with a sandwich board around its neck, upon which were written the words "Eat Mor Chiken".
I guess it just appeals to people, in a reverse reality and perhaps subliminal way.
Unfortunately I am unable to report that the sandwiches and associated fair where superb cuisine because they weren't. In fact they were pretty average, but that in a nutshell is American fast food for you.
When we were done with our pre-work for tomorrow we went off to a American College football (gridiron) game between Harvard University (Harvard Crimsons) and the "Browns", who I now know come from Brown University in Providence, Rhode Island.
It was interesting, but not exciting and we left at halftime (about 1 hour into the game) and walked into town for some dinner.
The most amazing thing was that the Crimsons had at least 80 people kitted up in their gear standing on the sideline. I have no idea how many of them actually got game time, but there is a continual interchange of players as defensive and offensive plays take place. I don't imagine they need any real amount of aerobic fitness.
Avoiding talking about class, for a moment or two, one of the highlights of the day was lunch!! (isn't it most days?).
One of the participants Tammy Pearson is Vice President of a fast food restaurant chain called "Chick Fill A" and although I have never heard of them they have 1430 outlets, in 38 states and they turn over nearly US$3 billion in sales per annum.
The most interesting thing about it is their promotional campaign. In 1995 they started a themed series of advertisements which they are still running today (reminds me of ASB and Goldstein in NZ). Because it is a chicken restaurant they came up with the concept of using cows to promote Chick Fill A ( http://www.chick-fil-a.com ). I know it doesn't sound that appealing or effective so far, but bare with me.
In fact today they even had a a mascot cow (the poor guy inside must have been hot as all hell) with a sandwich board around its neck, upon which were written the words "Eat Mor Chiken".
I guess it just appeals to people, in a reverse reality and perhaps subliminal way.
Unfortunately I am unable to report that the sandwiches and associated fair where superb cuisine because they weren't. In fact they were pretty average, but that in a nutshell is American fast food for you.
When we were done with our pre-work for tomorrow we went off to a American College football (gridiron) game between Harvard University (Harvard Crimsons) and the "Browns", who I now know come from Brown University in Providence, Rhode Island.
The most amazing thing was that the Crimsons had at least 80 people kitted up in their gear standing on the sideline. I have no idea how many of them actually got game time, but there is a continual interchange of players as defensive and offensive plays take place. I don't imagine they need any real amount of aerobic fitness.
Harvard Business School - Day 18
Thursday, 24 Sep 2009
The classes are still very interesting. This morning we had our first Marketing session, followed by a macro-economics case study on Australia the a strategy session on Apple.
There hasn't been a single class where I haven't, a) learned something new, or b) gained a new perspective or new insight into an issue or subject.
As an example in the macro-economics vase on Australia there was much debate over the current account deficit and whether that was good or bad, and regardless of the answer whether it was sustainable (some significant parallels to NZ here).
The discussion then moved to the foreign investment in Australia, in particular the huge amount of Chinese investment and equity ownership in the Australian minerals sector. When you have 4 Australians and 3 Chinese in the class all with various and often opposing views it leads to some very interesting debate.
The classes are still very interesting. This morning we had our first Marketing session, followed by a macro-economics case study on Australia the a strategy session on Apple.
There hasn't been a single class where I haven't, a) learned something new, or b) gained a new perspective or new insight into an issue or subject.
As an example in the macro-economics vase on Australia there was much debate over the current account deficit and whether that was good or bad, and regardless of the answer whether it was sustainable (some significant parallels to NZ here).
The discussion then moved to the foreign investment in Australia, in particular the huge amount of Chinese investment and equity ownership in the Australian minerals sector. When you have 4 Australians and 3 Chinese in the class all with various and often opposing views it leads to some very interesting debate.
24 September 2009
Harvard Business School - Day 17
Wednesday, 23 Sep 2009
We had a very interesting lecture this afternoon by Prof. David Moss on the Global Economic Crisis. He is apparently working for the Federal Government on addressing the gaps in the system and regulation that allowed the current situation to eventuate. What was interesting was the way he explained how the Sub-Prime market was structured in the USA, the activities (Low Doc Loans, Mortgage Backed Securities, Collateralised Debt Obligations and highly leveraged financial institutions with unquantified off-balance-sheet liabilities) and assumptions (that the risks within the MBSs and CDOs were low and uncorrelated) that underpinned it, and how when some of these assumptions were invalidated it quickly morphed into a Global Credit Crisis, which in term spiraled out of control into a Global Economic Crisis.
It was very insightful and interesting, but also surprising and worrying in so far as there no widespread agreement or consensus as to the causes of the crisis and if you lack causes it is very hard to identify appropriate remedies and put in place safeguards against a similar occurrence in the future.
There does seem to be growing optimism that the reactionary steps taken to date have probably (with a small p) worked and that there are "green shoots' in terms of positive signs of a recovery.
Another point made was the the hypocrisy of the USA in respect to the Asian Crisis in the 1990s. At that time the US argued very strongly and vocally against the Asian economies taking similar steps to what the US has taken now (i.e. borrowing heavily and running huge government deficits to provide funding to stimulate their respective economies).
We had a very interesting lecture this afternoon by Prof. David Moss on the Global Economic Crisis. He is apparently working for the Federal Government on addressing the gaps in the system and regulation that allowed the current situation to eventuate. What was interesting was the way he explained how the Sub-Prime market was structured in the USA, the activities (Low Doc Loans, Mortgage Backed Securities, Collateralised Debt Obligations and highly leveraged financial institutions with unquantified off-balance-sheet liabilities) and assumptions (that the risks within the MBSs and CDOs were low and uncorrelated) that underpinned it, and how when some of these assumptions were invalidated it quickly morphed into a Global Credit Crisis, which in term spiraled out of control into a Global Economic Crisis.
It was very insightful and interesting, but also surprising and worrying in so far as there no widespread agreement or consensus as to the causes of the crisis and if you lack causes it is very hard to identify appropriate remedies and put in place safeguards against a similar occurrence in the future.
There does seem to be growing optimism that the reactionary steps taken to date have probably (with a small p) worked and that there are "green shoots' in terms of positive signs of a recovery.
Another point made was the the hypocrisy of the USA in respect to the Asian Crisis in the 1990s. At that time the US argued very strongly and vocally against the Asian economies taking similar steps to what the US has taken now (i.e. borrowing heavily and running huge government deficits to provide funding to stimulate their respective economies).
23 September 2009
Harvard Business School - Day 16
Tuesday, 22 Sep 2009
This week is moving along rapidly and many of us our looking forward to and thinking about what to do on our mid course 4 1/2 day break starting noon on Thursday, 1 October.
My intention at this stage is to head north and have a look around some of the other New England states. My old rugby mate Craig "Crazy" Sutherland lives about 10 hours drive west of Boston in Pennsylvania, and I would like to try and catch up with him also for a night if possible.
I was on the Avis website last night looking to book a car and found out they have a special on a big double-cab Chevrolet pick-up, so using the basic premise of "when in Rome, do as the Roman's do" I booked it.
I was slightly disappointed as while I was able to optionalise it up with sat nav, despite extensive searching, I was unable to find the check box for a rifle, gun-rack or hound dog. I am presuming that these will be complimentary, as well as a confederate flag in the back window and a carton of Budweiser tucked under the seat.
The course has ratcheted up a level in so much as much of the first two weeks was aimed at bringing everyone up to a common level of basic understanding around the key functional areas of business. In particular finance and accounting, but also strategy and macro economics.
Some of the subjects are now getting a bit more meaty.
As an example under the "Leading High Performing Operations" course we had a case study based on the (Kiwi) Rob Halls ill fated and tragic commercial guiding trip up Mount Everest in 1996, where between his party and another associated one 12 lives were lost that May, including Hall's. The worst day in Everest's history.
The objective was to unpack the issues that contributed to the tragedy, grouped into areas around a) technical/system, b) cognitive, and c) leadership. Having done that the discussion focused around the parallels that can be drawn for business. It was a very interesting and fascinating discussion.
Tomorrow we have a full day split into three sessions on the Global Economic Crisis and the U.S. Current Account Deficit (mountaineering seems so much more appealing!).
This week is moving along rapidly and many of us our looking forward to and thinking about what to do on our mid course 4 1/2 day break starting noon on Thursday, 1 October.
My intention at this stage is to head north and have a look around some of the other New England states. My old rugby mate Craig "Crazy" Sutherland lives about 10 hours drive west of Boston in Pennsylvania, and I would like to try and catch up with him also for a night if possible.
I was on the Avis website last night looking to book a car and found out they have a special on a big double-cab Chevrolet pick-up, so using the basic premise of "when in Rome, do as the Roman's do" I booked it.
I was slightly disappointed as while I was able to optionalise it up with sat nav, despite extensive searching, I was unable to find the check box for a rifle, gun-rack or hound dog. I am presuming that these will be complimentary, as well as a confederate flag in the back window and a carton of Budweiser tucked under the seat.
The course has ratcheted up a level in so much as much of the first two weeks was aimed at bringing everyone up to a common level of basic understanding around the key functional areas of business. In particular finance and accounting, but also strategy and macro economics.
Some of the subjects are now getting a bit more meaty.
As an example under the "Leading High Performing Operations" course we had a case study based on the (Kiwi) Rob Halls ill fated and tragic commercial guiding trip up Mount Everest in 1996, where between his party and another associated one 12 lives were lost that May, including Hall's. The worst day in Everest's history.
The objective was to unpack the issues that contributed to the tragedy, grouped into areas around a) technical/system, b) cognitive, and c) leadership. Having done that the discussion focused around the parallels that can be drawn for business. It was a very interesting and fascinating discussion.
Tomorrow we have a full day split into three sessions on the Global Economic Crisis and the U.S. Current Account Deficit (mountaineering seems so much more appealing!).
21 September 2009
Harvard Business School - Day 15
Monday, 21 Sep 2009
An overview of my Working Group colleagues is necessary. These are the other 7 individuals that I share a living space with. We jointly prepare all the cases for class in advance of the lesson.
An overview of my Working Group colleagues
Steve Barnes, is an American living in Cleveland, Ohio and is Vice President, Operations, Parker Seal Group, a division of Parker Hannifin Corporation, a company which turns over more than US$10 billion per annum. Steve is a practicing Mormon, attends Church on Sunday, doesn’t drink or swear and has a down to earth personality and is genuinely caring about those around him. He has a much more worldly view than many Americans I have met. As an example he is critical of the course for its American centric viewpoint (which those of us that aren’t American don’t see).
Ajay Camania, is an Indian engineer who is currently Executive Vice President and Global Head of Product Engineering Services, a division of Patni Computer Systems Ltd. Based in Mumbai. His division employs over 2,500 people. AJ is first and foremost a very competent engineer but is deeply interested in developing his management skills. He has a warm caring personality.
Wei (Wayne) Chei, is the Chinese Managing Director and Global Partner (VP) for Hay Group in Greater China, based in Shanghai. English is his second language but he communicates well and is a good guy. The opprtunities and developments in China are a constant source of amazement for me.
Andres Ergas, is a Chilean banker based in Santiago, with a role as Chief of Corporate Sales for Banchile Adm Gral de Fondos SA, a US$20 billion business. Andres is a devout Jew and as such only eats Kosher food. He struggles a little with English, but is improving rapidly. He is genuine and caring.
Neil Graydon, is an Englishman based in West Yorkshire. He is the CEO of Pace Plc. Pace is the company that makes most of the set-top-boxes used by TV companies. As an example Pace has made every box Sky TV has every used in the NZ market. Neil took over the company a few years ago when it was turning over around US$250m and losing money, it is now on target to generate US$2 billion in sales for 2009. Neil is incredibly down-to-earth. He lacks any formal tertiary education but the results speak for themselves.
Phillipe Robert, is a Frenchman, based in London, with a home in Paris. He is a partner of Permira Advisers LLP, a large private equity firm managing investments of over US$20 billion. He is a very interesting guy, with all the typical French characteristics and he also has some amazing stories about what he has done, not just professionally, but also personally.
An overview of my Working Group colleagues is necessary. These are the other 7 individuals that I share a living space with. We jointly prepare all the cases for class in advance of the lesson.
An overview of my Working Group colleagues
Steve Barnes, is an American living in Cleveland, Ohio and is Vice President, Operations, Parker Seal Group, a division of Parker Hannifin Corporation, a company which turns over more than US$10 billion per annum. Steve is a practicing Mormon, attends Church on Sunday, doesn’t drink or swear and has a down to earth personality and is genuinely caring about those around him. He has a much more worldly view than many Americans I have met. As an example he is critical of the course for its American centric viewpoint (which those of us that aren’t American don’t see).
Ajay Camania, is an Indian engineer who is currently Executive Vice President and Global Head of Product Engineering Services, a division of Patni Computer Systems Ltd. Based in Mumbai. His division employs over 2,500 people. AJ is first and foremost a very competent engineer but is deeply interested in developing his management skills. He has a warm caring personality.
Wei (Wayne) Chei, is the Chinese Managing Director and Global Partner (VP) for Hay Group in Greater China, based in Shanghai. English is his second language but he communicates well and is a good guy. The opprtunities and developments in China are a constant source of amazement for me.
Andres Ergas, is a Chilean banker based in Santiago, with a role as Chief of Corporate Sales for Banchile Adm Gral de Fondos SA, a US$20 billion business. Andres is a devout Jew and as such only eats Kosher food. He struggles a little with English, but is improving rapidly. He is genuine and caring.
Neil Graydon, is an Englishman based in West Yorkshire. He is the CEO of Pace Plc. Pace is the company that makes most of the set-top-boxes used by TV companies. As an example Pace has made every box Sky TV has every used in the NZ market. Neil took over the company a few years ago when it was turning over around US$250m and losing money, it is now on target to generate US$2 billion in sales for 2009. Neil is incredibly down-to-earth. He lacks any formal tertiary education but the results speak for themselves.
Amnuay Ponpued, is based in Bangkok in Thailand and is Mill Director for Phoenix Pulp & Paper Plc, which had global sales of US$9 billion in 2008. Amnuay also struggles with English, but is improving and gaining in confidence. He is naturally cheeky and good fun to be around.
Phillipe Robert, is a Frenchman, based in London, with a home in Paris. He is a partner of Permira Advisers LLP, a large private equity firm managing investments of over US$20 billion. He is a very interesting guy, with all the typical French characteristics and he also has some amazing stories about what he has done, not just professionally, but also personally.20 September 2009
Harvard Business School - Day 14
Sunday, 20 Sep 2009
Under a general agreement with my Working Group today was a "no work" day, or at least a day when the group had agreed not to meet (I think all of us did at least a little study on our own).
The highlight of today was a bus trip organised by HBS around Cambridge and Boston.
There is certainly lots of European history to be found here some of it dating back to the original settlers just after the turn of the seventeenth century, when a bunch of disenfranchised English dissidents (who had issues with some aspects of the Church of England) arrived after a brief and potentially life saving sojourn in Holland.
From about 1620 through until 1776 when the British were vanquished from the eastern shores of the continental United States (leaving their tea at the bottom of the harbour) there was a very strong English influence and indeed rule from across the Atlantic for the first 150 years.
You can see it in the architecture, and although the monarchy has long gone, at times in Boston, you could be forgiven for thinking you were in London, with the brick buildings and row after row of terraced housing.
The six states comprise about 186,000 square kilometers (NZ=268,000) and has a population of 14 million (NZ=4), but interestingly enough Boston is the biggest city with around 600,000 (so bigger than Christchurch but well under half the size of Auckland).
.JPG)
Some random act outside of your control occurs and greater powers than you in an ironical twist of fate close you down thereby gifting your business to the building you usurped when you constructed yours.
Quite clearly if someone is going to commit a terrosrist attack in a city near you, then only the nest and biggest will do as a potential target.
All that aside Boston is hugely multi-cultural and surprisingly European. After they had sent the English packing they could hardly embrace their architecture so there is significant French, German and Italian influence in many of the buildings.
Sick of being cultured I found a beer and a burger and settled into watch the New England Patriots beat the New York Jets in NFL (Gridiron) expect they didn't. So the very first day I barrack for a team that everyone is picking to win and win comfortably..... they loose.
I am sure that if my sporting allegiances continue to go this bad I can claim diplomatic immunity or political asylum and scurry home.
Under a general agreement with my Working Group today was a "no work" day, or at least a day when the group had agreed not to meet (I think all of us did at least a little study on our own).
The highlight of today was a bus trip organised by HBS around Cambridge and Boston.
There is certainly lots of European history to be found here some of it dating back to the original settlers just after the turn of the seventeenth century, when a bunch of disenfranchised English dissidents (who had issues with some aspects of the Church of England) arrived after a brief and potentially life saving sojourn in Holland.
From about 1620 through until 1776 when the British were vanquished from the eastern shores of the continental United States (leaving their tea at the bottom of the harbour) there was a very strong English influence and indeed rule from across the Atlantic for the first 150 years.
You can see it in the architecture, and although the monarchy has long gone, at times in Boston, you could be forgiven for thinking you were in London, with the brick buildings and row after row of terraced housing.
The tour guide described it as monarchy in a republican setting (not as in “republican” the GW Bush American political party, as this is the heart of the democrats, think JFK and Roosevelt).
So as part of this tour we went up the second tallest building in New England.
New England for those of you that aren't familiar with the geography of the eastern seaboard of the USA, comprises of the 6 states that are bordered by the Atlantic Ocean to the East, Canada to the North and New York State to the West.
The six states being Connecticut, Maine, New Hampshire, Rhode Island, Vermont and Massachusetts.The six states comprise about 186,000 square kilometers (NZ=268,000) and has a population of 14 million (NZ=4), but interestingly enough Boston is the biggest city with around 600,000 (so bigger than Christchurch but well under half the size of Auckland).
Part of the tour was to go up the second tallest building in New England at about 50 stories high. It was a beautiful day and the views and vistas were truly spectacular.
The interesting thing is that if I had been here prior to September 11 I would have been able to go up the HIGHEST building. But because it is deemed a security risk public access has been closed by the government.
It is a bit sad if you own the highest building (which in reality isn't much higher than the one we went up) and derive a nice little additional revenue stream from charging tourists to shuttle up and down your lifts for a 360 degree view of Boston and beyond..JPG)
Quite clearly if someone is going to commit a terrosrist attack in a city near you, then only the nest and biggest will do as a potential target.
All that aside Boston is hugely multi-cultural and surprisingly European. After they had sent the English packing they could hardly embrace their architecture so there is significant French, German and Italian influence in many of the buildings.
Sick of being cultured I found a beer and a burger and settled into watch the New England Patriots beat the New York Jets in NFL (Gridiron) expect they didn't. So the very first day I barrack for a team that everyone is picking to win and win comfortably..... they loose.
I am sure that if my sporting allegiances continue to go this bad I can claim diplomatic immunity or political asylum and scurry home.
19 September 2009
Harvard Business School - Day 13
Saturday, 19 Sep 2009
Finished class at midday, then read for a couple of hours prior to meeting as a working group to discuss the cases for Monday, in order we can have tomorrow off.
AJ booked an Indian restaurant for us in Boston for our working group. Only four (of eight) of us were able to make it (Neil, Philippe, AJ and myself), but it was a really nice meal.
Neil and I stayed on afterwards for another hour or so and faound a nice Whiskey Bar to dialogue in.
Over the next few days I intend to try and introduce the 7 members of my working group. They are all awesome
Working group members
Finished class at midday, then read for a couple of hours prior to meeting as a working group to discuss the cases for Monday, in order we can have tomorrow off.
AJ booked an Indian restaurant for us in Boston for our working group. Only four (of eight) of us were able to make it (Neil, Philippe, AJ and myself), but it was a really nice meal.
Neil and I stayed on afterwards for another hour or so and faound a nice Whiskey Bar to dialogue in.
Over the next few days I intend to try and introduce the 7 members of my working group. They are all awesome
Working group members
- Andres the Chilean Jew
- Neil the Pom
- Wayne the Chinaman
- Amnuay the Thai
- AJ the Indian
- Philippe the Frenchman
- Steve the Yank
18 September 2009
Harvard Business School - Day 12
Friday 18 Sep 2009
We are only part way through the morning, but have already had some entertainment.
Our first class was part of the Business, Government and the International Economy (BiGIE), with the case and discussion on India (Singapore yesterday, China tomorrow).
Part of the discussion was around the geopolitical political issues in the region and of course covered the Jammu Kashmir region.
Prof. Vietor did a nice job of gaining both Indian and Pakistanian insight into the issue. He stated that there was one art that was under Parkistan control, and one part that was under Indian control but this was disputed by Pakistan.
The Pakistanian guy says this is wrong that the whole area was Pakistanian, while the Indian's counter that with the fact that when the British left (they both agree they can blame the British for most things that are wrong and unfair in their respective countries, the fact that they are having the argument in English seems to be lost on them) they did not make a determination on the Jamma Kashmir region, and the sheik (or tribal ruler) of that area decided after due consideration to pitch his tent with the Indians.
This was starting to get a little interesting (although conducted in good humour), when this Chinese guy (who has never said anything in class to date) stands up in class moves towards the Prof. and starts ranting on about this class being about economics not politics while waving a piece of paper around (which turns out to be a map). He was very passionate and not very articulate (it is very hard to be articulate when English is your second language).
He demands the Prof. put the map up on the overhead, which he duly does. It turns out his issue is that, while the map the Prof. had up showed some of Kashmir as being under Chinese control, it missed (or didn't provide enough granularity to show that part of the northern area shown as India between Nepal and Butan, was in fact also under Chinese control.
It certainly made for a bit of entertainment.
We are only part way through the morning, but have already had some entertainment.
Our first class was part of the Business, Government and the International Economy (BiGIE), with the case and discussion on India (Singapore yesterday, China tomorrow).
Part of the discussion was around the geopolitical political issues in the region and of course covered the Jammu Kashmir region.
Prof. Vietor did a nice job of gaining both Indian and Pakistanian insight into the issue. He stated that there was one art that was under Parkistan control, and one part that was under Indian control but this was disputed by Pakistan.
The Pakistanian guy says this is wrong that the whole area was Pakistanian, while the Indian's counter that with the fact that when the British left (they both agree they can blame the British for most things that are wrong and unfair in their respective countries, the fact that they are having the argument in English seems to be lost on them) they did not make a determination on the Jamma Kashmir region, and the sheik (or tribal ruler) of that area decided after due consideration to pitch his tent with the Indians.
This was starting to get a little interesting (although conducted in good humour), when this Chinese guy (who has never said anything in class to date) stands up in class moves towards the Prof. and starts ranting on about this class being about economics not politics while waving a piece of paper around (which turns out to be a map). He was very passionate and not very articulate (it is very hard to be articulate when English is your second language).
He demands the Prof. put the map up on the overhead, which he duly does. It turns out his issue is that, while the map the Prof. had up showed some of Kashmir as being under Chinese control, it missed (or didn't provide enough granularity to show that part of the northern area shown as India between Nepal and Butan, was in fact also under Chinese control.
It certainly made for a bit of entertainment.
17 September 2009
Harvard Business School - Day 11
Thursday, 17 Sep 2009
Very busy here, and while I don't have much time for the blog, I also don't have much to say. It is now Thursday and I haven't been off campus all week.
The subjects, the lecturers and the other participants are all fantastic, but the learning is something you have to internalize and understand, and I think would make reasonably boring blog reading!!
We have Sunday off, so hopefully will get out and explore some more.
The summer is morphing into autumn here and the trees, of which there is a bountiful supply, are just showing the first signs of browning off.
The mornings are definitely a degree or two cooler than when I first arrived.
We did have a presentation by Robert S. Kaplan, he of the Balanced Scorecard fame a few days ago. It is interesting that there are so many of the so called management/business gurus available to us, either as resident professors at HBS or as associates or invited guests. He spoke on the global economic cris, and while he spoke authoratively and with confidence I didn't think he provided a whole lot of insight.
Very busy here, and while I don't have much time for the blog, I also don't have much to say. It is now Thursday and I haven't been off campus all week.
The subjects, the lecturers and the other participants are all fantastic, but the learning is something you have to internalize and understand, and I think would make reasonably boring blog reading!!
We have Sunday off, so hopefully will get out and explore some more.
The summer is morphing into autumn here and the trees, of which there is a bountiful supply, are just showing the first signs of browning off.
The mornings are definitely a degree or two cooler than when I first arrived.
We did have a presentation by Robert S. Kaplan, he of the Balanced Scorecard fame a few days ago. It is interesting that there are so many of the so called management/business gurus available to us, either as resident professors at HBS or as associates or invited guests. He spoke on the global economic cris, and while he spoke authoratively and with confidence I didn't think he provided a whole lot of insight.
16 September 2009
Harvard Business School - Days 8, 9 & 10
14 to 16 Sep 2009
It is getting a little like "Ground Hog" day around here. I don't mean that in a negative way, but in a nut shell we get up, attend 4 or so lectures a day, fit in breakfast, lunch and dinner (some exercise if we can get up in time), and then work through until at least 10pm or 11pm each night.
It is very interesting, engaging, stimulating and challenging for me, but I am not sure how I can do it justice in a small blog (that I don't really have time to write).
On Tuesday for instance we had a class on Negotiations, one on Strategy, a third on Leadership and a fourth on Finance. Each one required a case study to be read, assimilated, the requisite questions answered, discussed with your working group, and summarised in a way that can be discussed and debated in class.
There is more work than there are hours in the day so you have to develop a way of sharing the work among your working group. I think our group is working OK, we can certainly get more efficient but there is also a need to bring the slowest learned along and up to a reasonable level.
It is getting a little like "Ground Hog" day around here. I don't mean that in a negative way, but in a nut shell we get up, attend 4 or so lectures a day, fit in breakfast, lunch and dinner (some exercise if we can get up in time), and then work through until at least 10pm or 11pm each night.
It is very interesting, engaging, stimulating and challenging for me, but I am not sure how I can do it justice in a small blog (that I don't really have time to write).
On Tuesday for instance we had a class on Negotiations, one on Strategy, a third on Leadership and a fourth on Finance. Each one required a case study to be read, assimilated, the requisite questions answered, discussed with your working group, and summarised in a way that can be discussed and debated in class.
There is more work than there are hours in the day so you have to develop a way of sharing the work among your working group. I think our group is working OK, we can certainly get more efficient but there is also a need to bring the slowest learned along and up to a reasonable level.
13 September 2009
Harvard Busines School Day 6 and 7
Saturday - 12 Sep 2009
Got through class on Saturday, finished about mid afternoon.
The lecturers here really are fantastic, they have huge knowledge in their chosen fiel, but alo are very skilled at making the lectures engaging and entertaining.
One of the guys had organised tickets to the Boston Red Socks Baseball game.
The tickets had a printed price of $85 but we ended up paying $180.
The game was supposed to start at 7pm but was delayed because of rain, until after 9:30pm, this wasn't so bad as there was plenty of people watching to do, and beer to drink. This seemed like a good idea until you realise that the beer is $7.85 per plastic cup! (that's USD not Kiwi). Throw in an equally overprice hotdog into the equation and a two and a half hour wait is quite expensive.
The game eventually got going around 10:00pm. A game can typically go for 3 to 4 hours.
I'm undecided whether it was a good or bad thing but it rained again after about two and a half hours, and they stopped play. At that point we gapped it, which was the right thing to do as it never re-started and the Boston Red Socks were eventually declared the winner.
I will go to another one before I leave.
Sunday - 13 Sep 2009
A quiet day today. Working Group meeting at 0800, which I found reasonably difficult as I hadn't had much sleep.
Had some brunch, then a game of tennis. I went for a walk across the river into and around Harvard Square.
This place really is beautiful, very picturesque.
Got through class on Saturday, finished about mid afternoon.
The lecturers here really are fantastic, they have huge knowledge in their chosen fiel, but alo are very skilled at making the lectures engaging and entertaining.
One of the guys had organised tickets to the Boston Red Socks Baseball game.
The tickets had a printed price of $85 but we ended up paying $180.
The game was supposed to start at 7pm but was delayed because of rain, until after 9:30pm, this wasn't so bad as there was plenty of people watching to do, and beer to drink. This seemed like a good idea until you realise that the beer is $7.85 per plastic cup! (that's USD not Kiwi). Throw in an equally overprice hotdog into the equation and a two and a half hour wait is quite expensive.
I'm undecided whether it was a good or bad thing but it rained again after about two and a half hours, and they stopped play. At that point we gapped it, which was the right thing to do as it never re-started and the Boston Red Socks were eventually declared the winner.
I will go to another one before I leave.
Sunday - 13 Sep 2009
A quiet day today. Working Group meeting at 0800, which I found reasonably difficult as I hadn't had much sleep.
Had some brunch, then a game of tennis. I went for a walk across the river into and around Harvard Square.
This place really is beautiful, very picturesque.
11 September 2009
Harvard Busines School - Day 4 and 5
It has been a very busy couple of days. The work has picked up, the time available to complete the work has shortened, so the pressure is mounting.
Yesterday I worked from about 0700 to midnight. In a strange way while it is intense it is still very rewarding.
My working group seems to be gelling reasonably well, considering the cultural diversity. It must be incredibly hard to attempt to complete a course like this, when English is your second language.
We have class tomorrow (Saturday) through until about mid-afternoon, then we are free (other than homework, of which we have plenty) until Monday morning.
There is a group of us going out to watch a Boston Red Socks v Tampa Bay baseball game Saturday night. Was tempted not to go, but then thought, hey..... you need to do this stuff, and so I am!!
Incredibly sad news about Guy Bull, he was such a nice/loving/caring/genuine sort of person. I don't even really know how old he was, but I do know that he deserved a few more years than he got. RIP my friend. It seems wrong to be here when the people I love and care about are having to deal with such a loss.
Yesterday I worked from about 0700 to midnight. In a strange way while it is intense it is still very rewarding.
My working group seems to be gelling reasonably well, considering the cultural diversity. It must be incredibly hard to attempt to complete a course like this, when English is your second language.
We have class tomorrow (Saturday) through until about mid-afternoon, then we are free (other than homework, of which we have plenty) until Monday morning.
There is a group of us going out to watch a Boston Red Socks v Tampa Bay baseball game Saturday night. Was tempted not to go, but then thought, hey..... you need to do this stuff, and so I am!!
Incredibly sad news about Guy Bull, he was such a nice/loving/caring/genuine sort of person. I don't even really know how old he was, but I do know that he deserved a few more years than he got. RIP my friend. It seems wrong to be here when the people I love and care about are having to deal with such a loss.
09 September 2009
Harvard Busines School - Day 3
9 Sep 2009
Made it out of bed again and went to the gym. They have organised a twice weekly (Monday and Wednesday) 0615 spin class. The room was full (maybe 30 stationary bikes). It took a while to get going as there were a number of people who hadn't done spin before and needed assistance to set up their bikes.
Today we have two cases on Nike to present, then we receive another case after our first class session this morning (also apparently on Nike, this is preented just after lunch is our second session, then we receive another case, which we have which we need to prepare for a third class later this afternoon.
Attached is a picture of McArtur Hall (or residence on teh right)looking back from a bridge over the Charles River and also two photos of the common area in or dorms.
Made it out of bed again and went to the gym. They have organised a twice weekly (Monday and Wednesday) 0615 spin class. The room was full (maybe 30 stationary bikes). It took a while to get going as there were a number of people who hadn't done spin before and needed assistance to set up their bikes.
Today we have two cases on Nike to present, then we receive another case after our first class session this morning (also apparently on Nike, this is preented just after lunch is our second session, then we receive another case, which we have which we need to prepare for a third class later this afternoon.
Attached is a picture of McArtur Hall (or residence on teh right)looking back from a bridge over the Charles River and also two photos of the common area in or dorms.
08 September 2009
Harvard Business School - Day 2
8 Sep 2009
I didn't sleep that well last night. I had thought that I had fully synced my body clock with Boston time, but perhaps not fully yet.
I got up with 3 of my fellow working group colleagues and went to the gym this morning at 0600.
We had a course overview from the dean at 0900, who talked us through what to expect over the next 8 weeks, then our first session at 0945 through to 1100 on the Nike (A)case study which covers the period 1972 to 1982.
The whole program splits into two lectures each of around 80 people. The HBS case study method involves lots of student participation and discussion. This is a little hard to manage with 80 or so people in a class, and there are a few individuals (as is apparently always the case) that love the sound of their own voice, so hog the bandwidth. Someone droning on in a thick Chinese or Serbic accent can be a bit hard to listen to. Regardless the session was interesting and informative.
At the end of the first session we were handed two more cases which we needed to read and prepare before 1400.
I won't bore you with all the details of what we do each day, but a typical weekday routine is:
0600 Exercise (opinional)
0700 to 0800 Breakfast (any pre-class study)
0830 to 0945 Class
0945 to 1000 Break
1000 to 1100 Individual work/preparation
1100 to 1145 Discussion Groups
1145 to 1245 Lunch
1245 to 1400 Class
1400 to 1500 Individual work/preparation
1500 to 1515 Break
1515 to 1630 Class
1630 to 1715 Individual work/preparation
1515 to 1830 Guest Speaker
1830 to 1930 Dinner
1930 to 2230 Group Preparation
There seems like a lot of individual and group preparation time, but we are expected, once we get fully up to speed, to be reading and preparing (for discussion in class) 4 cases per day, each of varying complexity with up to 20 pages of reading per case as well as the associated exhibits and financials.
Fun fun fun
I didn't sleep that well last night. I had thought that I had fully synced my body clock with Boston time, but perhaps not fully yet.
I got up with 3 of my fellow working group colleagues and went to the gym this morning at 0600.
We had a course overview from the dean at 0900, who talked us through what to expect over the next 8 weeks, then our first session at 0945 through to 1100 on the Nike (A)case study which covers the period 1972 to 1982.
The whole program splits into two lectures each of around 80 people. The HBS case study method involves lots of student participation and discussion. This is a little hard to manage with 80 or so people in a class, and there are a few individuals (as is apparently always the case) that love the sound of their own voice, so hog the bandwidth. Someone droning on in a thick Chinese or Serbic accent can be a bit hard to listen to. Regardless the session was interesting and informative.
At the end of the first session we were handed two more cases which we needed to read and prepare before 1400.
I won't bore you with all the details of what we do each day, but a typical weekday routine is:
0600 Exercise (opinional)
0700 to 0800 Breakfast (any pre-class study)
0830 to 0945 Class
0945 to 1000 Break
1000 to 1100 Individual work/preparation
1100 to 1145 Discussion Groups
1145 to 1245 Lunch
1245 to 1400 Class
1400 to 1500 Individual work/preparation
1500 to 1515 Break
1515 to 1630 Class
1630 to 1715 Individual work/preparation
1515 to 1830 Guest Speaker
1830 to 1930 Dinner
1930 to 2230 Group Preparation
There seems like a lot of individual and group preparation time, but we are expected, once we get fully up to speed, to be reading and preparing (for discussion in class) 4 cases per day, each of varying complexity with up to 20 pages of reading per case as well as the associated exhibits and financials.
Fun fun fun
07 September 2009
Havard Business School - Day 1
7 Sep -2009
Well I made it.
Got up this morning and went for a jog for about thirty minutes. The track alongside the Charles River is a beautiful tree lined one. I can't wait until the leaves start to change colour as autumn advances.
Went back to the hotel and checked out. Shared a cab over to Harvard Business School (HBS) with an Australian named Mark.
To say this place is impressive is a gross understatement, it it awesomely impressive. We were greeted by porters and checked in and processed with regimental like efficiency. From there we were shown to our rooms, given time to unpack, then we dropped our iPhones into get set-up so we can access the learning nexus.
Our first two lectures were on Case Preparation and Presenting in Class. Both were very useful.
Our first lunch was a big surprise IT WAS HEALTHY, something that is uncommon in America (in my experience), lots of salad and fruit and in case Breen reads this yes there was plenty of CHEESE.
After lunch we had an escorted tour of the HBS campus, which is equally impressive with all its Edwardian architecture. We were shown the health and fitness centre, which makes the Gisborne YMCA look very second rate. Without wanting to bore people with the details this place has everything. I am looking forward to using it.
The picture above is of the Harvard Rowing Club as seen across the Charles River from the HBS campus.
There is certainly going to be a lot of work to get through with 4 case studies per day for our learning groups to process and present each day.
There are about 160 people on the Advanced Management Program. I had a quick count up and they represent 45 countries. That's a lot of diversity.
And my room 51-8 is small but adequate, cute and cosy. It has its own bathroom, a good sized desk area, a desktop computer, about 1 million case studies to read!!, a single bed and nice views of the courtyard (would have preferred the river).
We had a session on technology that HBS provide that will assist participants during the course.
We then had drinks with the dean and then dinner, again pretty healthy.
We are all split into teams (working groups) of eight people, who have seperate rooms, but share a common kitchen, living and discussion area.
My team has representation from China, India, France (he lives in London), UK, Thailand, USA, Chile and obviously NZ (our group is entirely males which is perhaps not suprising as on the entire course of around 160 I would suspect there are perhaps a maximum of 10 females).
We sat around after dinner as a working group and had a discussion about who we are, what our expectations of the course are and agreed work patterns/schedules and limitations.
06 September 2009
Getting to Harvard
4 Sep 2009 Left Gisborne on NZ2134 at 1555 (209 miles), the Auckland on NZ8 to San Francisco (6531 miles) just after 1900. Was lucky enough to get an upgrade to business economy, with the lie flat beds. It is a great way to fly. Watched a couple of movies the only memorable one was Hangover, which was very funny and refreshingly different to the typical cliché riddled American comedies that rely on forced jokes and a named star to pull funny faces. I owe Bridgette an apology as she suggested we go and watch it a few weeks ago and I wasn't keen. Got a shuttle in from San Francisco airport to my hotel, which is the Holiday Inn Fishermen’s Wharf http://www.hifishermanswharf.com/ Had a rest for a couple of hours, then went for a walk for about an hour west along the parade around Fort Mason, with some stunning views of the Golden Gate Bridge, Alcatraz, the harbour and the city. Came back had a shower and will go out for something to eat. 5 Sep 2009 Left hotel in Fishermen’s Wharf and took a shuttle to the airport. United Airlines UA176 departed at 1115 and took about 5.5 hours to get to Boston (2698miles), which is three hours in front of the West Coast, so it was about 2000 when I arrived. Got a cab into Cambridge which is where Harvard University is (couldn't see much at night), and checked into the hotel. I am staying at The Inn at Harvard Hotel for two nights before going to McArthur Hall where we will stay for the remainder of the course. http://www.hotelsinharvardsquare.com/ Walked into town and found a meal (lobster risotto) which was very nice, was going to get up early this morning and go for a run (or at least a decent walk). 6 Sep 2009 I woke up at 6:00am then immediately fell back to sleep and didn’t really wake up and didn’t get out of bed to midday!! Hopefully that means I have shrugged off any effects of jet lag. Cambridge is really beautiful, it reminds me a bit of Christchurch with lots of trees and old stone buildings (of course much older than Christchurch). Walked into town and found a Mexican restaurant for some lunch. There is quite a bit of pre-work to do for the course and I have been slowly working my way through it. Being captured on two airplanes for 18 hours was a great way to force yourself to read stuff that is a bit tedious. Went for a jog along the Charles River, which only proved how unfit I am, but that is one goal I intend to address while away. There is an invitation to meet any other course participants in the lobby of the hotel at 1830 this evening for dinner, which will be the first time I have any indication of who the people are on the course. Every time I come to America and I have been a few times now as far back as the early 1990s I am amazed at the predilection for quantity over quality and efficiency. As an example the cab I got in from Boston Logan Airport to Harvard was this huge V8 Ford, with phallic bonnet and equally large boot (trunk), but the room in the back seat was, while not exactly cramped, far from spacious, then they add a security shield which cribs a few inches of your space and the whole experience seems more like the back of a plice car on a B grade movie. I am not joking when I say that a Bridgette's Ford Focus would be have much more room in the back. There are 3 million taxicabs in the USA, so there is one easy way of reducing carbon emissions and congestion. Then there is the obsession with giant sized portions of food, crap food. The pleasure and satisfaction of food seems to be measured by the pound for mainstream America. Quantity always seems to win over quality at a given price point. The sun is out and it is about 19 degrees here today, which is apparently 66 degrees Fahrenheit (funny I can work pretty well in both metric and imperial until it comes to temperature).
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