Monday
The first day of MBA stage! Although the
courses started a month ago, but they were merely the pre-MBA courses. (But I'
was already busy like hell!) Started the first class in Marketing, Corporate
Finance, Economics and Research Method. Since large volume of content
(equivalent to 2 to 3 chapters in a 1000 pages thick text book) has to be
covered within the each 1.5 hour classes, the lecture can only touch on the key
messages that the professors wanted to deliver. Without pre-reading before the
class, and revision after the class, it is quite hard to follow the pace of the
teaching. Several take-aways from the class:
Marketing: Do the right things, not the
things right, especially in a recession period
Finance: Finance is about making investment
decision (where to invest) and financing decision (where to get money)
Economics: Phenomenon before the sub-prime
crisis: bank lending to bank, lending to household for real-estate speculation,
and less lending to business which incur less genuine revenue generation.
After the class in the evening, continue
with meeting of Non for Profit (NfP) Project. Followed by VCIC launching
meeting which finally finished by 9:30pm! Oh hell, what a long long day!
Tuesday
Again a long day, Economics and Financial
Accounting in the morning. Energy Club launching in the lunch break. Career
Management Service Workshop, Guest Speaker Series in the evening and NfP
project meeting with Client. Finally decided the project scope with Client. A big
advance in the NfP project!
Wednesday
Marketing, Finance, Accounting, NfP
meeting... Finished the Guest Speaker series report.
Thursday
Skill for Successful Manager (SfSM) - Class
in Project Management and Working in Team. Quite impressed by the speaker to
cover everything in Project Management in just 1 class by taking the example of
a project to start a car race team.
"Working in Team" as the name
sounds discussed about how to work in a team. Interesting points in the
discussion of the disadvantages of a team work:
1) Team
loafing: people tends to work lesser in a team than if they work alone.
2) Poor
decision: group decision is better than average member decision but not as good
as that if most competent member.
3) Dominant
voice: decision may governed by the dominant voice which may not be the best
decision.
4) Conformity:
follow the majority which may sometimes misleading
5) Production
blocking: individual will generate more ideas well if they work separately and
combine ideas than if they work together. Conclusion -> brainstorming is not
productive.
A game was introduced to test our team
type. 5 minutes to figure out what to bring to a desert island for survival after
your plane crash into the sea. Our group picked 4 correct items but a last
silly choice which is SALT!
Friday
A good off from the school. Revision,
pre-reading, revision, pre-reading...now only I know what GDP exactly is…
Saturday
Appointment day with the Talktalk internet
installation engineer. I have subscripted this internet a month ago but the
installation can only be a month later (which is ridiculous to my sense). Heard
from friends that they didn't get the connection on the appointment day, either
due to the reason that they didn't receive the router package, or the
installation engineer didn't turn up the day or some other technical issues.
Worried about same thing happened to me, I tried to email and call the customer
service few days ago. But the Talktalk customer service was just suck, no reply
to email, busy hotline which kept me waiting and ate up my handphone credits. As
expected, I didn’t receive the router package by that day and although the
engineer did come, he couldn't open the connection box for the installation.
Felt really frustrated and disappointed with the impotence of the UK internet
providers!
Sunday
Day off to Liverpool. Known to be poorest
and dirtiest city in the past history of UK, but it really changed to a well-developed
and clean (cleaner than Manchester at least) city. Visited the Liverpool
Museum, Tate Art Gallery. Maritime Museum, Liverpool Cathedral, St. George
Hall, World Museum, and Walker Art Gallery…all in one day! Amazed by the size
and architecture of Cathedral, as well as the ancient and cultural collection in
World Museum. These 2 are the must visit in Liverpool. Lazy to upload the
photos, but I believe Ma Rui will, so please have a look on her Blog (the link
at right) if you are interested.
