My second intensive week at LBS still lingers in my mind as one of the most exciting experiences that I have had in recent times. It confirmed the fact that no matter how difficult a task or activity may seem; it could be thrilling when approached with enthusiasm.
It was not long before it became clear that group activity is at the center of the LBS teaching style. Timing appeared to be a tool as the speed at which every task was required to be accomplished, pushed the students to collaborate and coordinate to keep pace. This helped us to bond very quickly too. It was good that our groups were formed earlier, just after the first intensive week, which allowed us time to know each other before work became intense.
The week started with some group assignments that were due for submission on the first and second days. Analysis of Business Problems (ABP) and Corporate Financial Accounting (CFA) drew the most of my attention; not forgetting the individual and group presentations on Management Communication that came on excitingly during the week.
The first group work that became due was the case study on ABP; the Mountain Man Brewing Company case. This was long and complex. Each group needed to adopt a structured decision-making process to resolve the problems and make recommendations. This would begin with understanding the context of the case, identifying the problems, and defining the objectives. A set of criteria for achieving the objectives must be chosen before finally deciding on a recommendation. Whichever decision that is recommended, must be backed by evidence derived from the facts in the case. The areas of strength of each group member would need to be tapped. So, we needed to work together to research, brainstorm, and agree on how to present our work.
In my group, though we had met on a few occasions to review the case. Harnessing all the ideas into one presentation was quite intriguing. Thanks to the group leader who tirelessly coordinated the brainstorming sessions and encouraged everyone to contribute. Our effort paid off and we eventually produced a decent work that we presented and discussed in class. My main takeaway from the case review was that there is no definite answer. However, any decision that is taken must be backed by reasonable evidence.
After reviewing the case of Mountain Man Brewing Company, it seemed that the rigor got me started and energized for the rest of the week. We had many more cases, some of which required individual presentations. We also did some group presentations and pitching to ‘investors’ thereafter.
The next case that was striking to me, was the Capstone Project in CFA. This case required us to analyse the financial statement of a company and its benchmark, another company from the same industry, over ten years. The analysis was to be done with financial ratios. The companies to be analyzed were carefully assigned to ensure that no two groups were analyzing the same company. With the volume of annual financial reports that we needed to analyse, the group was stretched. But, cooperation and the importance of teamwork became obvious. My group worked together to deliver a work we were all proud of. The fact that the Faculty was to determine who would present for each group, made the participation of every group member important.
Looking back at this intensive week and the knowledge I have gained in such a short time; I now have more reasons to be convinced that I made the right decision in choosing the LBS MBA. That notwithstanding, I have realized that I have a lot more work to do to get the full benefits. There is no doubt that I must devote more time, to be able to meet up with the demands of the programme.
