Well, morning started with a marketing class on branding, and we learned about the branding pyramid analysis, about how the brand eventually builds into serving specific customer needs through the features of its products, and so on. Interesting thing to know was the concepts of core product, actual product and augmented product. We were discussing or rather arguing for a long time after the class on the statement by Dilney that 'doing an MBA' or 'Getting a business degree' is the core product just like 'the promise of hope' is a core product; IE Business School is the actual product which personifies or delivers this core product to us, just like Obama is the actual product for Americans; and then 'IMBA' is the augmented product or a service provided by the actual product, just like the policy decisions are augmented products by Obama.
Next up was another excellent class of Investment Analysis. Going through the numbers of Numar, Luis provided so many insights on different aspects of financial modeling, assumptions and analysis in this one class. "The best way to have an accurate analysis would be to tie the correctness of it to the person's compensation" or "When doing M&A, sorry it is usually acquisitions; I do not believe in Mergers; let the people doing analysis run the acquired company as well; because the management that takes charge of acquired company has no clue of the assumptions made by analysts that said the acquisition makes sense". These statements by Luis also indicate the shortcomings that he has observed in the accuracy of financial analysis in the real world; and through out the class, he delivered his best to ensure that people from our class do not make the same errors.
We also had an Entrepreneurship class, after a long time. Rachida conducted a class discussion on Social Entrepreneurship, with reference to the case of Streetwize and Mobile Schools for street children in Columbia. It was an interesting discussing, with topics varying from ethical dilemmas associated to the practical ways that can help social enterprises become self-sufficient and hence sustainable.
Of course, a lot of group work due to shorter term, made us all be in school till late for working on EM project, accounting report and a marketing report.
When it was all done, did preparation for tomorrow's class. Preparation for Investment Analysis was particularly interesting: It was a online simulation exercise, where we get to be an investor in projects, with a budget of 8 million per year, for five consecutive years; thus helping to improve the company's APV. I managed to grow it from 240 million in 1999 to 585 million by the end of 2013. Not bad huh !! :-P
Looking forward to tomorrow's class :-D
Next up was another excellent class of Investment Analysis. Going through the numbers of Numar, Luis provided so many insights on different aspects of financial modeling, assumptions and analysis in this one class. "The best way to have an accurate analysis would be to tie the correctness of it to the person's compensation" or "When doing M&A, sorry it is usually acquisitions; I do not believe in Mergers; let the people doing analysis run the acquired company as well; because the management that takes charge of acquired company has no clue of the assumptions made by analysts that said the acquisition makes sense". These statements by Luis also indicate the shortcomings that he has observed in the accuracy of financial analysis in the real world; and through out the class, he delivered his best to ensure that people from our class do not make the same errors.
We also had an Entrepreneurship class, after a long time. Rachida conducted a class discussion on Social Entrepreneurship, with reference to the case of Streetwize and Mobile Schools for street children in Columbia. It was an interesting discussing, with topics varying from ethical dilemmas associated to the practical ways that can help social enterprises become self-sufficient and hence sustainable.
Of course, a lot of group work due to shorter term, made us all be in school till late for working on EM project, accounting report and a marketing report.
When it was all done, did preparation for tomorrow's class. Preparation for Investment Analysis was particularly interesting: It was a online simulation exercise, where we get to be an investor in projects, with a budget of 8 million per year, for five consecutive years; thus helping to improve the company's APV. I managed to grow it from 240 million in 1999 to 585 million by the end of 2013. Not bad huh !! :-P
Looking forward to tomorrow's class :-D
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