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In This Source...MBS-AGSM Cup Review; Student Experience Award; Inter-intake Cricket Tournament; Meet Some International Exchange Students; More Exchange Stories...

from students to students 2010 term 1, 3rd edition

SOURCE

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Note From the EditorEnd of Week 10!!

The Editorial team at the SouRCe have

been very slack.

But isn’t this what an MBA is all about?

Sometimes we prioritise things (like

newsletters) in favour of things like mid-

term exams, assignments, job appplications

and having a few drinks for your birthday.

Finding a balance is what it is all about, and

let’s face it... who actually reads this

anyway?

OK. You do. But who else?

In this issue we meet a few exchange

students who have come to experience a

term (or two, in the case of the Chilean

Mafia) at MBS. We also share some more

of the International Exchange stories from

our own MBS colleagues.

There is a review of the AGSM-MBS Cup

and some photos of the Mid-Term Party.

The editorial team couldn’t find anyone

willing to actually provide a report or

commentary of any kind on the BLVD

gathering for fear of being implicated in

some possibly tawdry goings on. We will

have a few more pictures from the mid-

term party and from the upcoming MBS

Ball in the final issue of the source for this

term (out on April 30!!).

Speaking of which, this correspondent is

definitely looking forward to the Black Tie

MBS Ball. If last year is anything to go by,

it will be an absolute cracker. Ladies - this

is your chance to see the full-timers of the

opposite gender in something more stylish

than a pair of shorts, t-shirt and flip flops!

With the final issue for term 3 out on April

30, this editor will be retiring the quill (ok,

word processor) at the end of this term.

While the week before exams might not be

ideal for taking on an enthusiastic protege,

If anyone is interested in some pro bono

editorial work, please send an email to

a.coates@mbs.edu. All you need for this

arduous role is the ability to badger people

(nicely), some patience, a little bit of spare

time and possibly a sense of humour.

Being able to ignore the spell-check when it

doesn’t recognise the Queen’s english is

optional - what is MBS if not Global?

Enough of this rubbish. Loth as this editor

is to leave some blank space, there is only

so much gibberish with which one can fill a

page.

Before the red wine takes full effect and I

really get off the track, I will leave you with

a rather understated quote from the

venerable Warren Buffett on the recent

financial crisis -

“When you combine ignorance and

leverage, you get some pretty interesting

results.”

The Oracle of Omaha has quite a turn of

phrase - While we can’t be sure if he was

referring to the banks or the mortgagees,

or both, the end result was the same.

Ed

source@mbs.edu

Talk to the SourceThe SRC wants to hear your opinion in order to make the best use of this communication channel. Tell us how you like the format, how did you like the content, what articles would you like read in future issues, or other comment and suggestion you may have!

source@mbs.edu

Ap

ril 2

010

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AGSM-MBS Cup ReviewMBS-AGSM Cup

The annual AGSM/MBS weekend was quite a success with MBS winning both the basketball and soccer games and narrowly losing out on the debate. It was a marathon of fun and hilarity ensued all three days (and nights)! Special thanks to everyone involved especially: Vineet Singh, Matt Schwantes, Ryan Gunasekera, Divi Jain, Ravi Yamachilli, Stefan Roeske, Ursula Winters and Kunal Badiani!

Debate

The debate got under way after a few MBS debaters (especially the ones of eastern European descent) attempted to corrupt the AGSM crowd with drinks that were

served to welcome the contestants before the debate.

The format of the debate, with the topic revealed just one hour beforehand, allowed the teams to escape the evils of the beer esky to discuss the topic: "Should Emotional Intelligence (EQ) be given an equal weighting together with GMAT for MBA admission". Being an affirmative team, MBS started the debate with Kenny opening his deepest secret to the audience that despite of his popularity and successful academic performance he is quite ashamed of his GMAT score. Being a negative on this topic was not easy, especially when the affirmative team does not leave you with something to debate against by saying that GMAT and EQ are equally important. But AGSM did a good job. Both teams were quite aggressive in the debate, which did not stop them from gett ing smashed together at the Copacabana Club afterwards.

The adjudicators made it abundantly clear that this was the WORST structured debate they had ever seen. Despite this, they were impressed by some of the key points raised by the teams and the humour they brought into the contest. There was quite a number of comments on things that did not seem significant: the attire (everyone though was professionally dressed), swearing (Kenny and the use of flash cards vs paper notes. There was a bit of a struggle between the two juries: one gave a preference to MBS, while the other heavily favoured AGSM.

After the count back, AGSM came out on top, but it must be recognised that the MBS team of Olga, Ajith and Kenny did their MBS colleagues proud. Congratulations to the team on a strong showing.

Basketball

Following the unfortunate result of the Debate on Friday night, the MBS crew rejoined the battle on Saturday feeling a little worse for wear after the Pina Colada’s and Barry Manilow on Smith St.

MBS dominated AGSM in the basketball, running out comfortable 20 point leaders. With former college (Paul Wolfert - LSU) and pro (Ukari Warmann - Europe) players leading the charge, MBS grabbed an early double digit lead and never looked back. With over a dozen players lining up for MBS, our team endurance was telling by the end. A great day for all involved.

Special message to Source from AGSM:

“MBS Rocks!!! Thanks everyone for an incredible weekend! Seriously, don't hesitate to look us up if any of you come to Sydney... as far as we're concerned, you have 25 new friends from the North. Keep in touch!”

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Sports Club Inter-intake Cricket TournamentThe MBS Sports Club is organising an Inter-Intake Cricket Competition at Yarra Bend Park.

Details are as follows:

Venue: Yarra Bend Park, Oval 6

Date: 18th April 2010 (Sunday)

Time: 9am - 3pm

The selectors have been busy and the teams are ready to go. There may even be some people in the teams who have actually waved a block of willow at a red leather ball before.

More importantly, the teams will need some raucous supporters to get down to Yarra Bend Park to create some atmosphere - perhaps aiming for the passion of the old Sector 16 Stadium at Chandigarh or the infamous Bay 13 at the MCG might be a little ambitious, but we can only try.

Oval 6 is accessible via Yarra Bend Road. While we can’t all be Warney, Tendulkar or Botham there are tables and a nearby BBQ facility, so those with more leisurely pursuits in mind might consider a day at the cricket with a few quiet ales and some charcoaled meat and still manage a decent impersonation of Tasmania’s favourite son David Boon, aka Boony. (Note this is probably a BYO beer event - the Club budgets only stretch so far...)

Bus Numbers: 200, 201, 205, 207

Stop: Yarra Bend Park Stop (Just before the bridge

Buses 201 and 207 can be taken from the intersection of Grattan St/Lygon St and it will take approximately 15 mins to get there. Buses 200 and 205 can be taken from Melbourne Central/Lonsdale St.

Drinks and snacks will be provided on the day.

For more information on how to get there please log on to:

http://mbscricket.blogspot.com

The crew will be leaving MBS at 8.30am, so if you’re uncertain of how to get there, you can join us!

Club Activities & NewsThe clubs at MBS have started the Term with a bang this year.... here is a bit of a wrap of what has happened over the last 2 weeks and a few previews of what is coming up... To stay up-to-date with events, keep an eye on the SouRCe, visit the club webpages on MBS Direct (http://direct.mbs.edu/clubs-and-src/default.aspx) and Sign-up to the mailing lists.

“Heard Around MBS”Thanks to Prof. Geoff Lewis in the Corporate Strategy Class for this little gem - “Branded dog shit is still just that - dog shit”. Brilliant. Indeed, it is simple and perhaps a little crass for some of our more sensitive readers. But brilliant.

Have you heard something in or out of class that might be worth sharing?

SOURCE@MBS.EDU

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Exchange Students @ MBSOr How to Live in a Shoebox With 5 Other International StudentsEvery year, MBS is privileged to not only send some our students on Exchange (see stories this month) but also to make sure this can happen, we welcome our own international exchange students to MBS throughout the year - with most students arriving to study in Term 1. Making a good impression through the school and how we welcome them to MBS is tremendously important - not only so that they feel part of the MBS community, but also so that they thoroughly enjoy the experience and head back home with glowing reviews of what Melbourne and MBS has to offer.

SouRCe volunteered to spend some time with these guys to find out a few things about the current crop of exchange students. Over a beer at the Corkman, The Source chatted to Matey (Matt) from Toronto, Natasha from Montreal, Juan Carlos from Chile and Audrey from France. To avoid incriminating particular individuals and because i’m not really a journalist, the collective response is captured below.

Why did you Choose MBS?

To come to Australia!! It’s a chance to go away for a few months, so you might as well go somewhere far away! And to Escape winter! For the Canadians, the similarity to the culture at home is a big attraction. The school also has a good reputation and was recommended by previous exchange students.

What has surprised you about your visit so far?

There are no Kangaroos in the city! (General laughter) Although the possums make up for it a little. They are like squirrels. (Ed - I agree, except meaner) In general, we didn’t expect there to be such an international presence in the city - everywhere you go you hear accents from all over the place. The country is also so stunningly beautiful and yet so close to the city - you just have to drive 100km from the city centre and you are there! In Chile you have to drive much further to get away from it.

What do you like about being in Australia?

The “No worries” attitude... (Although the Chilean in the crowd thought it was too laid back! This was greeted with looks of disbelief and comments about Chilean time...)

What have you seen since you have been here?

Yarra Valley; Surf lessons at Torquay; Great Ocean Rd; Great Barrier Reef (This weekend!); Phillip Island; Tassie; Sydney; Explored Melbourne - everywhere! They love places like Lentil as Anything at Abbotsford Convent, Loop for dancing, Manchuria and 1806 for drinks. The bars in Melbourne are a highlight - strange little places, you just need to know where to look!

What have been the highlights of MBS?

Free Sandwiches and the Free Coffee!! Particularly the Chicken & Avocado wrap, with special mention to the Turkey & Cranberry sandwich

(Does anyone else think this is a worry that this is what comes to mind first?? Recognise that these guys are on a budget and Melbourne can be quite expensive...

money saved on food is more money for alcohol and travel!)

Anything Else?

Guide Books & road atlases in the Library.

Mark Ritson!!

The student body here is great and Student Services have been really helpful. Elizabeth (Pauser) was fantastic. In spite of the lack of understanding, they all seemed enamored with the Aussie Slang. The MBS courtyard is also a favourite.

What do you miss about home?

Juan Carlos - “The Food!!”

Everyone else - “Friends and Family”

Juan Carlos - “Oh. That too.”

Most difficult adjustment?

Driving on the other side of the road (Be warned) and sharing the road with trams in Melbourne. There was a general consensus that school work should not get in the way of a very nice holiday!

Would you recommend the school to your colleagues back home?

Absolutely!! Both for the lifestyle and for the school. It is very international and you get a different perspective on the cases plus an opportunity to study subjects that isn’t available at home. All the while experiencing a different culture and exploring somewhere new.

So get out there and say hello to some unfamiliar faces next time you see some strangers hanging out in the MBS courtyard. They do throw a good party.

Ed.

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Random Pics: The Exchange Crew

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GivologyCall For Interest

SRC Community: Call for students interested in running a not-for-profit on campus at MBS.

Are you interested in the administration, marketing and management of Givology branch here at MBS?

Launched in March 2008 by Wharton students at the University of Pennsylvania, Givology is an Internet online giving marketplace for education that leverages small dollar donations to suppor t gr assroots pro jec ts and s tudent scholarships in the developing world.

https://www.givology.org/

Givology currently has university chapters at:

•Shanghai University of Finance and Economics

•University of Richmond

•Beijing University

•Harvard

•Dartmouth

•Purdue

•Oxford

•Northwestern

•George Washington

•University of Richmond

•Whar ton School - Un iver s i ty o f Pennsylvania

“In 2008, Givology raised approximately $50,000 to support over 1,300 students in 10 different countries. The organization has 4,000+ supporters on Facebook, Linked-in, and Twitter, 1,100+ registered donor s, 11 chapter s s tar ted a t universities, high schools, and various cities, 30 core team members and 90 volunteers globally, and 22 grassroots partners.

As a 100% volunteer-run organization, Givology was selected as one of the "Top 100 Student-Run Enterprises in the United

States" by the Kairos Society for Entrepreneurship, and has been featured in Knowledge@Wharton, Nicholas Kristof's blog in the New York Times and his most recent book Half the Sky, the Philadelphia Inquirer, Seattle Times, among other print and media sources.

Functions of a chapter include Marketing and Outreach (Education Advocacy), Fundraising, Identification of Partnerships, Research (Secondar y and F ie ld) , Technology, and Translation.

Suggested activities include hosting a Givology Fundraiser or Donor Registration Campaign and/or member mobilization on campus, launching a Givology-based contest (eg photography, art, etc), hosting a Givology Awareness Week, identification of potential par tners for Givology, participation in a Givology-wide initiative (ie: Holiday Challenge), creation of original content, and other events/initiatives.

Interested students should contact Dani on danijela.mirosa@student.mbs.edu.

SRC - Community Officer

https://direct.mbs.edu/clubs-and-src/Pages/MeettheSRC.aspx

Consulting ClubA reminder that the MBS Consulting Club is back at it again with organised Case Interview Practice sessions on Saturdays at MBS. To find out more details contact consultingclub@mbs.edu.

Case Practice this Saturday is from 1:30-3:30 PM (Syndicate room 4). No prior practice necessary, all are encouraged to attend.

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Exchange Stories - Darden, Virginia

I (Chans) did not know much about Darden before I went there but Darden experience is one of the best and most memorable experiences in my life.

There were multiple decisive factors for me to select exchange school. FT rank clearly was one of the important parameters (regardless of how fair or all-inclusive it is). USA, as a country, was my choice of exchange too. Apart from those, I looked at the feedback of the past MBS students about the range of subjects offered by the schools, quality of faculty, experience in-and-outside-class room and also living cost of the city. Darden, for me, was one of the few preferred schools. As per my filtering criteria, I didn’t opt for some other popular schools, so Darden clicked for me.

I can not single out any one experience that is the most interesting at Darden. There are many. Darden has a traditional concept of First Coffee (every weekday

9:30-10:00am span is for entire Darden community to join at the big hall), it is a natural way to build networking.

Darden is hectic (maybe more than MBS) but focused very much on experiential learning. Case studies are not only typical Harvard cases, but mix of all kinds including Darden’s own. In fact, case writers taught us. Guest speakers’ experiences, as part of classes, (like CEO of Suzlon came to describe the case on Suzlon) make learning experience very lively. I found their cases more up-to-date, e.g. “Tata Nano” episode from India.

Students, on average, are very bright and bring wider perspectives (at times I liked students’ remarks much more insightful than faculties’, with due respect to all). Average faculty experience is more at Darden. I must mention Alec Horniman’s class on “Leading Strategic Change”, it’s simply awesome. Leadership speaker series @ Darden brought stalwarts from across industry (many are Darden & Harvard alumni). They encouraged us to become better leaders rather than mere managers.

There are bunch of clubs and exciting social events. I liked “Parent’s day” very much, when parents also attend our

classes with their sons/daughters to sense the environment and the quality of our faculty. If you are in University of Virginia, you will have lots of free-but-good quality food in various events. Those are not only for you but for your family too.

Darden values ethics very much, there’s no invigilator in any exam though. It encourages students to be in class for learning and generating ideas along with faculties. Darden alumni network is very strong and alumni are really helpful. If there is one single thing I have learned there, it is to open your mind and see with new eyes than with new lens. May appear a bit philosophical, I agree. If you taste Darden experience, you too will agree with me.

Chans Suman ChandraMelbourne Business SchoolFT MBA batch of 2010

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Exchange Stories - NYU Stern, NYCStudying in the Big Apple was incredible and once I mastered the art of looking left before right when crossing the road it was also a much safer experience - they don’t teach you that in business school. My time in New York was amazing, the culture and diversity of the city is quite unique. It was great to wake up every morning and buy the Wall Street Journal in a city which really is at the epicenter of a global world.

!Life at Stern was also amazingly diverse – on one hand it was great to be studying with so many international students from around the world with such varied ideas and perspectives in one room, on the other hand I also discovered those crazy American jocks throwing Kegger parties actually do exist. I would like to say I learnt equally as much from both but in reality

from the latter I only learnt how to drink beer from a keg.

The Stern MBA program allowed me to take full advantage of New York City and its proximity to a dominant centre for business. Stern provided me with access to businesses, leaders, alumni, a strong brand, a rich academic experience and unrivalled career oppor tunities. The str ategic , f inancia l and economic orientation of the subjects offered at Stern and the depth of experience of Stern’s faculty with the real world of business helped me to develop the advanced analytical skills required to be successful in management and broaden my perspective from a global view point.

Of course it wasn’t all about university life. I spent a lot my time immersing myself in the activities of a city that never sleeps. From the cultural to the culinary New York really has it all. There is also great opportunity to travel whilst on exchange. From the beautiful coastline to the rocky mountains, America is a beautiful and diverse country, and I managed to see a lot of it. Naturally I made it to Vegas too, also culturally diverse – for very different reasons.

!And if there was any concern out there that I adopted the Yankee way of life rest assured – the attached picture is evidence that a girl can only survive so long without a meat pie. Although ignore the outfit (it was in support of my mother)…for anyone who knows me well, wearing colours other than Black & White is as likely as Brendon Fevola learning from his mistakes!

Finally, I would highly recommend Stern or the exchange experience in general to anyone considering it. The experience was life-changing and one I will never forget.

Dianne Sinclair

Share Your ExperienceGetting off the beaten path or maybe just visiting home.... Whether it is just around the corner or in some remote corner of the globe, share your experiences with your fellow students and send us a note, send us your photos, tell us where you’ve been, the places you stayed, the food you ate. We will publish it in the next Source!

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CALLING FOR NOMINATIONS

THE SRC & MBS would like to recognize students’ contribution

in improving other students’ experience in school community.

If you believe your fellow student deserve this recognition,

please submit your nomination with a reason up to 100 words

why this student should be awarded to

ursula.winters@student.mbs.edu

STUDENT EXPERIENCE AWARD

PRESENTED ONAPRIL 24TH• MBS BALL