Smurfit Business School – Page 2

Sojourn to China – A Lifetime Experience

This sojourn to China proved to be an eye-opening experience for me as I found the tour beneficial for my career, and educational on a personal level. This international study trip is a brilliant idea to ensure that MBA students are well rounded both academically and practically. Visiting emerging markets such as China and South Africa (members of the BRICS countries) is very relevant at this time as it will assist Smurfit MBA students to appreciate different business environments, and allow them to apply what they have learnt during the tour.

The trip was an incredibly valuable experience and pivotal in my MBA journey. It served to de-mystify China while bringing forth the true challenges of the very real global business environment that China often represents. With visits to excellent companies such as CISCO, IBM, HUAWEI, YOUKU, CELAP, and BAOSTEEL, we had the opportunity to discover what operating in China and navigating the international marketplace is truly like.

Furthermore, the trip provided a tremendous opportunity to network with and to develop closer relationships with my classmates. Smurfit School’s ability to lay out such a well-organized and well-thought-out experience reflected the professionalism and quality of the School. I was absolutely thrilled with the study trip.

This International Study Trip to China was truly the pinnacle of my MBA experience. While I’ve had prior international experience working with Western European countries, I had very little previous exposure to business in China. Having the opportunity to visit on site with several different Chinese businesses, in different cities, in different industries and attend lectures given by experts in Chinese culture, technology, HR and manufacturing has dramatically broadened my understanding of both the opportunities and challenges of doing business in China. The trip provided an exceptional view of the Chinese business environment and how it intersects with culture and government. The insights I gained on this trip will certainly serve me well as a future manager in a global context.

Apart from business studies, we also enjoyed the breath-taking sightseeing, Chinese folk culture, and exquisite Chinese cuisine, all of which enriched our China tour and made it a lifetime experience.

Deepak Sharma ~ Full time MBA Student

The MBA Experience Curve

fb3120d53e434477be7cc1af458c0f18 — Time is Precious

It’s fair to say, that despite lots of warnings, most of us were at various stages during the first semester almost overwhelmed by the time constraints involved in holding down a fulltime job, completing an MBA and having some semblance of a personal life. We knew it was going to be a substantial commitment but nothing really prepares you adequately for it until you actually go through it. As a result, many of us have been forced to significantly ramp up our productivity levels in order to meet our various deadlines. Fortunately we learned something about this in our first case study in Competitive Strategy. Well, sort of.

The experience curve is an idea developed by the Boston Consulting Group (BCG) in the mid-1960s. The more experience a firm has in producing a particular product, the lower are its costs. Bruce Henderson, the founder of BCG, put it as follows: “Costs characteristically decline by 20-30% in real terms each time accumulated experience doubles. This means that when inflation is factored out, costs should always decline. The decline is fast if growth is fast and slow if growth is slow”.

The ‘cost’ to an MBA student is undoubtedly time, which pretty much evaporates. However, all is not lost. The Christmas break, after the shock treatment of semester one, has allowed many of us to apply the various productivity lessons that we have learned. At our Christmas drinks party one classmate revealed that he recorded himself reading his notes so that he could listen to them while in the car commuting to work each morning and then to class that evening. Another classmate then revealed that she had discovered an app that reads PDF files to you, which she also listens to in the car, however saving her the time necessary to record herself reading those same notes. The MBA experience curve in action.

Conor Connolly ~ Year 1 Executive MBA

Capstone Project – The Final Hurdle

449d8ba01e904230df5643cac4fc143d — The Importance of Team Dynamics

We’re well and truly under way with Semester 4. As noted already by Niall Twomey in his recent post, this is the semester that reflects your personal choices. I have heard varying comments in relation to ‘having more time’ on our hands, which is clearly a relative comment. With my choices of Negotiations Skills, Corporate Governance, Management Consulting (by audit) and Managing Sales Relationship I cannot associate with this view, but that’s my choice I guess!

Notwithstanding the workload ahead of us in Semester 4, teams are also beginning to consider the Capstone project that will ultimately bring a close to this 2 year adventure. It’s quite amazing to hear the variety of projects being considered. I certainly never anticipated working on a project relating to sustainable food systems, and how Ireland (through a partnership of Irish Government agencies including Enterprise Ireland) can export expertise in this crucially important area which is expected to grow significantly in the years ahead. I know very little about sustainable food systems right now, but along with my Capstone colleagues and armed with some key MBA learnings, that is sure to change in the coming months. It is with a little trepidation and excitement that teams are proceeding in trying to define exactly what they hope to achieve with the Capstone project. It strikes me that first and foremost, before any considerations around the actual topic, getting the right team dynamic is the most important ingredient in order to ensure a smooth journey from now until July!

It’s hard to think about the end given that we’ve only started Semester 4, but as my wife keeps telling me, the evenings are getting longer, you’re just not seeing them as you’re in Smurfit most of the week! While not entirely true, I choose my battles wisely.

Paul Dunne ~ Year 2 Executive MBA

The calm before the storm…

Week three, semester two, year one, and there is a sense of calm within the class that is both unfamiliar and a little unsettling. I have to admit, I’m enjoying this part of the semester. We have time to properly read the required reading for each new module. We have the time to prepare all case study questions and example questions and problems assigned to us each week. We have a sense of clarity and calm in order to really analyse and appreciate the material and messages the lecturers are trying to get across to us. Unfortunately, this may just be the calm before the storm.

It may sound like the work load has significantly decreased but alas I fear it is more likely that I have just grown accustomed to the madness that is the Executive MBA. I’m doing 15-20 hours a week on top of lectures however I know this will continue to increase as the weeks progress. The attitude from week one of semester one of Sunday’s and Friday nights being sacred has long since disappeared. I have yet to speak to one of my classmates who did not get sick over Christmas following the marathon that was semester one and the concluding exam schedule. The talk around the class has turned to the best way to avoid getting sick – fruit, vegetables, exercise, honey, sleep, Berocca, the list is endless but will any of it work.

There is however one tiny sense of achievement that is fuelling us to continue and that is the fact that we all made it through semester one alive! We are reenergised after the Christmas break and excited for what is to come.

I was initially a little apprehensive about some of the modules this semester but following two weeks of lectures they have exceeded my expectations and I’m excited for what’s to come.

results-or-excuses — You can't have both

This time last year, I was only starting to consider the EMBA as being a real possibility for me. At that point, I never thought that I would be half way through the first year now. But someone along the way advised me not to keep looking for excuses to put it off and to start it as soon as I could, as there would always be plenty of excuses to delay. That was one of the best bits of advice I received. At least now I know that this time next year, I’ll be on the home straight with the future looking much brighter.

Dorothy Chestnut ~ Year 1 Executive MBA

Fat, Sick and Nearly Dead

You are what you eat, or so the old saying goes. If this is true, by the end of Semester 1, I was tea and toast with chocolate on the side. Nobody can prepare you for the first term of an MBA including the devastating effect on your diet! Stress, exhaustion and not enough hours in the day made it difficult to maintain a healthy diet. A different approach is needed for Semester 2!

Fat, Sick and Nearly Dead is a documentary on Netflix about a man who lives on vegetable and fruit juices for 60 days. He improved his health significantly, even managing to impede a debilitating immune disorder. If juicing can help cure chronic illness then it can supplement the diet of a malnourished MBA student! Packed full of vitamins, enzymes, minerals, quick to prepare and easy to drink while studying, it offers a much needed health boost to a dodgy diet. Give it a try, particularly if you rely on caffeine and/or sugar to make it through the long days.

Below is my favourite green juice. It’s great for energy and large enough to replace a meal or share!

MBA Green Juice ®

8 leaves kale

2 handfuls of spinach

4 celery stalks

1 cucumber

1 inch fresh ginger

1 pear

1 carrot

Enjoy!

Emma Burke ~ Executive MBA

The Home Straight

Arriving in the 4th semester of the exec MBA we have completed 12 modules, 328 hours of class, an average of more than twice that in readings, assignments and projects. Every one of those hours has taken its toll over three long semesters. However, entering the home straight, energy and enthusiasm are at levels not reached since our block week 18 months ago!

The highlight of this semester for most people will be the international trip. For those of us remaining here to keep the home fires burning, Managing the Negotiation Process provides an intriguing way of passing the semester. The course lecturer (Stephen Boyle) has a reputation built over the last number of years, with alumni from over 7 years ago praising the course. The class has been split into two groups of 3 person teams, randomly being paired against each other for live negotiations (with the two teams representing different parties in the negotiation. Friendships developed over the past 18 months will be cast aside for the 2 hour battle. Preparation and quick thinking will be a teams’ best assets.

Home straight it is, will we miss it when it is all over?

Brian Shields ~ Year 2 Executive MBA

Back to School Again

After finishing the module 1 exams in December there were many days and nights of celebration at regaining my free time. Friends and family I had ignored over the previous three months were contacted and reminded that I was alive. The celebrations lasted for two weeks before the New Year was upon us with the promise that this year will represent the new me.

The new me would be able to do it all; tackle a full time job, part time MBA, take on hobbies, maintain contact with friends and do it all without feeling wrecked. Fast forward to today, 2 and a half weeks later and reality has hit; work is as mental as ever and the MBA has started back with talk of presentations, exams, continuous assessment and self development. The first thing to fall out are the friends, I shall see you again maybe for Paddys Day but definitely sometime in June!

As part of the first weekend back in the MBA we completed an SDI workshop – Strength Deployment Inventory. It allowed us to assess our own motivational value system (MVS) and our team members’ MVS while also looking at how this changes when faced with conflict. I found this workshop really interesting and learned a lot about myself and the extreme personalities in the class. After the first weekend of lectures that dreaded feeling of going back to school is gone and it has reconfirmed why I decided to go back to education. I am really looking forward to the interactive ethics lectures, developing my understanding of HR in the form of HR strategy, and enhancing my finance abilities through Management Accounting and Corporate Finance.

The next hurdle is getting the module results for the first semester this week, fingers crossed I get them and can fully focus on enjoying both the education side of Semester 2 and the networking side of the MBA. Roll on the next 3 months!

Darren Kelly

Weekend EMBA YR1

MIJE – Masters in Juggling Everything

The only thing I ever knew about spreadsheets was how to spell it. And if I typed in a hurry, there was a fairly good chance I’d get it wrong.

Coming from a journalism background, the thoughts of studying financial modules brought me out in a cold sweat. I didn’t know my EBIDATA from my ROI and I felt much more comfortable quizzing a head of state or covering a murder trial than using a calculator.

Fast forward three months and not only can I use Excel, I can actually read spreadsheets and financial statements. And acronyms are now my new language. Instead of my eyes glazing over when I hear of ROCE or EPS or WACC, I’m now comfortable with the terminology. And I also know that HRM has another meaning other than Her Royal Majesty.

One the many lessons I’ve learned since taking the plunge to do an MBA is that not having a financial background is no hindrance. Sure, it would make Financial Reporting a little easier, but having a background in writing means that I don’t baulk at being handed a 2,500 word project. Give me an interesting topic and 5,000 words to write and I’ll give you a work of art (almost) in a few hours. And as for deadlines? I’ve never met one that I didn’t like to sail close to.

Aside from finance, there’s so much else to learn and juggle – strategy, human resources, operations, economics, marketing….the list goes on.

Maybe the MBA title is what misled me into thinking only people with a background in business and finance ever did the course. Perhaps it’s time for a new title that could give a more accurate interpretation of what it’s all about?

Masters In Juggling Everything (MIJE)

Masters in Time Management (MITM)

Masters in Getting By On No Sleep (MIGBONS)

Masters in Networking and Job Hunting (MINJH)

I’m not sure they’ll ever catch on but they might help explain a little of the madness of the rollercoaster journey of an MBA student.

Edel Kennedy

FT MBA

UCD Smurfit MBA supports Plan Ireland

To celebrate ‘International Day of the Girl’ on 11th October, Plan Ireland held its Because I am a Girl Ball in the Double Tree by Hilton Hotel, Dublin.

Because I am a Girl is Plan International’s global initiative to educate girls across the developing world. To do this, Plan International identify the key barriers to girls’ education – child marriage forced labour, sexual violence, early pregnancy and more – and break them.

The focus of the campaign is girls, because a girl in the developing world faces overwhelming odds from the day she is born. But Plan is reversing these odds, they have reached a crucial tipping point and are making real progress. More girls than ever are being given the chance of education and the tide is turning. More and more of today’s mothers have seen the value of education. Fathers, communities and governments are following.

Associate Professor, Susi Geiger, was amongst the attendees at the ball; “Every girl has the right to an education. It’s apt that the female MBA staff support this great cause (and we have a great night out while doing so)!”

Over the next four years, Because I am a Girl projects will support four million girls to get the education, skills and support they need to move themselves from poverty to opportunity.

Plan Ireland held the ball in support of this initiative and both the Smurfit MBA team and students supported the event and enjoyed a wonderful evening at the ball.

Support from events such as the ball allow Plan to implement projects that tackle some of the biggest challenges that girls face in developing countries. They believe that supporting girls is one of the best investments we can make in the world today. Removing barriers for girls’ means, not only a better life for them, but a safer, healthier and prosperous world for us all. To find out more information or to support to the cause, click here

Avril Donohue

MBA Senior Programme Coordinator